a little tour in france-第43章

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o　the　arena　at　Nimes；　without　speaking　also　of　repair。　After　the　great　ruin　ceased　to　be　despoiled；　it　began　to　be　protected；　and　most　of　its　wounds　have　been　dressed　with　new　material。　　These　matters　concern　the　archaeologist；　and　I　felt　here；　as　I　felt　afterwards　at　Arles；　that　one　of　the　profane；　in　the　presence　of　such　a　monument；　can　only　admire　and　hold　his　tongue。　　The　great　impression；　on　the　whole；　is　an　impression　of　wonder　that　so　much　should　have　sur…　vived。　　What　remains　at　Nimes；　after　all　dilapidation　is　estimated；　is　astounding。　　I　spent　an　hour　in　the　Arenes　on　that　same　sweet　Sunday　morning；　as　I　came　back　from　the　Roman　baths；　and　saw　that　the　corridors；　the　vaults；　the　staircases；　the　external　casing；　are　still　virtually　there。　　Many　of　these　parts　are　wanting　in　the　Colosseum；　whose　sublimity　of　size；　however；　can　afford　to　dispense　with　detail。　　The　seats　at　Nimes；　like　those　at　Verona；　have　been　largely　renewed；　not　that　this　mattered　much；　as　I　lounged　on　the　cool　surface　of　one　of　them；　and　admired　the　mighty　concavity　of　the　place　and　the　elliptical　sky…　line；　broken　by　uneven　blocks　and　forming　the　rim　of　the　monstrous　cup；　…　a　cup　that　had　been　filled　with　horrors。　　And　yet　I　made　my　reflections；　I　said　to　myself　that　though　a　Roman　arena　is　one　of　the　most　impressive　of　the　works　of　man；　it　has　a　touch　of　that　same　stupidity　which　I　ventured　to　discover　in　the　Pont　du　Gard。　　It　is　brutal；　it　is　monotonous；　it　is　not　at　all　exquisite。　　The　Arenes　at　Nimes　were　ar…　ranged　for　a　bull…fight；　…　a　form　of　recreation　that；　as　I　was　informed；　is　much　_dans　les　habitudes　Nimoises_；　and　very　common　throughout　Provence；　where　（still　according　to　my　information）　it　is　the　usual　pastime　of　a　Sunday　afternoon。　　At　Arles　and　Nimes　it　has　a　characteristic　setting；　but　in　the　villages　the　patrons　of　the　game　make　a　circle　of　carts　and　barrels；　on　which　the　spectators　perch　themselves。　　I　was　sur…　prised　at　the　prevalence；　in　mild　Provence；　of　the　Iberian　vice；　and　hardly　know　whether　it　makes　the　custom　more　respectable　that　at　Nimes　and　Arles　the　thing　is　shabbily　and　imperfectly　done。　　The　bulls　are　rarely　killed；　and　indeed　often　are　bulls　only　in　the　Irish　sense　of　the　term；　…　being　domestic　and　motherly　cows。　　Such　an　entertainment　of　course　does　not　supply　to　the　arena　that　element　of　the　exquisite　which　I　spoke　of　as　wanting。　　The　exquisite　at　Nimes　is　mainly　represented　by　the　famous　Maison　Carree。　The　first　impression　you　receive　from　this　delicate　little　building；　as　you　stand　before　it；　is　that　you　have　already　seen　it　many　times。　　Photographs；　engravings；　models；　medals；　have　placed　it　definitely　in　your　eye；　so　that　from　the　sentiment　with　which　you　regard　it　curiosity　and　surprise　are　almost　completely；　and　per…　haps　deplorably；　absent。　　Admiration　remains；　how…　ever；　…　admiration　of　a　familiar　and　even　slightly　patronizing　kind。　　The　Maison　Carree　does　not　over…　whelm　you；　you　can　conceive　it。　　It　is　not　one　of　the　great　sensations　of　the　antique　art；　but　it　is　perfectly　felicitous；　and；　in　spite　of　having　been　put　to　all　sorts　of　incongruous　uses；　marvellously　preserved。　　Its　slender　columns；　its　delicate　proportions；　its　charming　com…　pactness；　seemed　to　bring　one　nearer　to　the　century　that　built　it　than　the　great　superpositions　of　arenas　and　bridges；　and　give　it　the　interest　that　vibrates　from　one　age　to　another　when　the　note　of　taste　is　struck。　If　anything　were　needed　to　make　this　little　toy…temple　a　happy　production；　the　service　would　be　rendered　by　the　second…rate　boulevard　that　conducts　to　it；　adorned　with　inferior　cafes　and　tobacco…shops。　　Here；　in　a　respectable　recess；　surrounded　by　vulgar　habitations；　and　with　the　theatre；　of　a　classic　pretension；　opposite；　stands　the　small　〃square　house；〃　so　called　because　it　is　much　longer　than　it　is　broad。　　I　saw　it　first　in　the　evening；　in　the　vague　moonlight；　which　made　it　look　as　if　it　were　cast　in　bronze。　　Stendhal　says；　justly；　that　it　has　the　shape　of　a　playing…card；　and　he　ex…　presses　his　admiration　for　it　by　the　singular　wish　that　an　〃exact　copy〃　of　it　should　be　erected　in　Paris。　He　even　goes　so　far　as　to　say　that　in　the　year　1880　this　tribute　will　have　been　rendered　to　its　charms；　nothing　would　be　more　simple；　to　his　mind；　than　to　〃have〃　in　that　city　〃le　Pantheon　de　Rome；　quelques　temples　de　Grece。〃　　Stendhal　found　it　amusing　to　write　in　the　character　of　a　_commis…voyageur_；　and　some…　times　it　occurs　to　his　reader　that　he　really　was　one。



XXIX。

On　my　way　from　Nimes　to　Arles；　I　spent　three　hours　at　Tarascon；　chiefly　for　the　love　of　Alphonse　Daudet；　who　has　written　nothing　more　genial　than　〃Les　Aventures　Prodigieuses　de　Taitarin；〃　and　the　story　of　the　〃siege〃　of　the　bright；　dead　little　town　（a　mythic　siege　by　the　Prussians）　in　the　〃Conies　du　Lundi。〃　　In　the　introduction　which；　for　the　new　edition　of　his　works；　he　has　lately　supplied　to　〃Tar…　tarin；〃　the　author　of　this　extravagant　but　kindly　satire　gives　some　account　of　the　displeasure　with　which　he　has　been　visited　by　the　ticklish　Tarascon…　nais。　　Daudet　relates　that　in　his　attempt　to　shed　a　humorous　light　upon　some　of　the　more　erratic　phases　of　the　Provencal　character；　he　selected　Tarascon　at　a　venture；　not　because　the　temperament　of　its　natives　is　more　vainglorious　than　that　of　their　neighbors；　or　their　rebellion　against　the　〃despotism　of　fact〃　more　marked；　but　simply　because　he　had　to　name　a　par…　ticular　Provencal　city。　　Tartarin　is　a　hunter　of　lions　and　charmer　of　women；　a　true　〃_produit　du　midi_；〃　as　Daudet　says；　who　has　the　most　fantastic　and　fabulous　adventures。　　He　is　a　minimized　Don　Quixote；　with　much　less　dignity；　but　with　equal　good　faith；　and　the　story　of　his　exploits　is　a　little　masterpiece　of　the　light　comical。　　The　Tarasconnais；　however；　declined　to　take　the　joke；　and　opened　the　vials　of　their　wrath　upon　the　mocking　child　of　Nimes；　who　would　have　been　better　employed；　they　doubtless　thought；　in　show…　ing　up　the　infirmities　of　his　own　family。　　I　am　bound　to　add　that　when　I　passed　through　Tarascon　they　did　not　appear　to　be　in　the　least　out　of　humor。　　Nothing　could　have　been　brighter；　softer；　more　suggestive　of　amiable　indifference；　than　the　picture　it　presented　to　my　mind。　　It　lies　quietly　beside　the　Rhone；　looking　across　at　Beaucaire；　which　seems　very　distant　and　in…　dependent；　and　tacitly　consenting　to　let　the　castle　of　the　good　King　Rene　of　Anjou；　which　projects　very　boldly　into　the　river；　pass　for　its　most　interesting　feature。　The　other　features　are；　primarily；　a　sort　of　vivid　sleepi…　ness　in　the　aspect　of　the　place；　as　if　the　September　noon　（it　had　lingered　on　into　October）　lasted　longer　there　than　elsewhere；　certain　low　arcades；　which　make　the　streets　look　gray　and　exhibit　empty　vistas；　and　a　very　curious　and　beautiful　walk　beside　the　Rhone；　denominated　the　Chaussee；　…　a　long　and　narrow　cause…　way；　densely　shaded　by　two　rows　of　magnificent　old　trees；　planted　in　its　embankment；　and　rendered　doubly　effective；　at　the　moment　I　passed　over　it；　by　a　little　train　of　collegians；　who　had　been　taken　out　for　mild　exercise　by　a　pair　of　young　priests。　　Lastly；　one　may　say　that　a　striking　element　of　Tarascon；　as　of　any　town　that　lies　on　the　Rhone；　is　simply　the　Rhone　itself：　the　big　brow