,the ,inner ,beauty  ,by  ,maurice      
,maeterlinck  ,illustration3 ,decoration
  ,new ,york  ,a4 ,l4 ,chatterton       
,company     ,,the ,,inner ,,beauty     
,nothing in the whole world is so       
athirst for beauty as the soul1 nor is  
there anything to which beauty clings so
 readily4  ,there is nothing in the     
world capable of such spontaneous       
uplifting1 of such speedy ennoblement2  
nothing that offers more scrupulous     
obedience to the pure and noble commands
 it receives4  ,there is nothing in the 
world that yields deeper submission to  
the empire of a thought that is loftier 
than other thoughts4 ,and on this earth 
of ours there are but few souls that can
 withstand the dominion of the soul that
 has suffered itself to become          
beautiful4  ,in all truth might it be   
said that beauty is the unique aliment  
of our soul1 for in all places does it  
search for beauty1 and it perishes not  
of hunger even in the most degraded of  
lives4 ,for indeed nothing of beauty can

 pass by and be altogether unperceived4 
,perhaps does it never pass by save only
 in our unconsciousness1 but its action 
is no less puissant in gloom of night   
than by light of day2 the joy it        
procures may be less tangible1 but other
 difference there is none4  ,look at the
 most ordinary of men1 at a time when a 
little beauty has contrived to steal    
into their darkness4 ,they have come    
together1 it matters not where1 and for 
no special reason2 but no sooner are    
they assembled than their very first    
thought would seem to be to close the   
great doors of life4 ,yet has each one  
of them1 when alone1 more than once     
lived in accord with his soul4 ,he has  
loved perhaps1 of a surety he has       
suffered4 ,inevitably must he1 too1 have
 heard the sounds that come from the    
distant country of ,splendor and        
,terror1 and many an evening has he     
bowed down in silence before laws that  
are deeper than the sea4 ,and yet when  
these men are assembled it is with the  

basest of things that they love to      
debauch themselves4 ,they have a strange
 indescribable fear of beauty1 and as   
their number increases so does this fear
 become greater1 resembling indeed their
 dread of silence or of a verity that is
 too pure4 ,and so true is this that1   
were one of them to have done something 
heroic in the course of the day1 he     
would ascribe wretched motives to his   
conduct1 thereby endeavoring to find    
excuses for it1 and these motives would 
lie readily to his hand in that lower   
region where he and his fellows were    
assembled4  ,and yet listen3 a proud and
 lofty word has been spoken1 a word that
 has in a measure undammed the springs  
of life4 ,for one instant has a soul    
dared to reveal itself1 even such as it 
is in love and sorrow1 such as it is in 
face of death and in the solitude that  
dwells around the stars of night4       
,disquiet prevails1 on some faces there 
is astonishment1 others smile4 ,but have
 you never felt at moments such as those

 how unanimous is the fervor wherewith  
every soul admires1 and how unspeakably 
even the very feeblest1 from the        
remotest depths of its dungeon1 approves
 the word it has recognized as akin to  
itself8 ,for they have all suddenly     
sprung to life again in the primitive   
and normal atmosphere that is their own2
 and could you but hearken with angels' 
ears1 ,i doubt not but you would hear   
mightiest applause in that kingdom of   
amazing radiance wherein the souls do   
dwell4  ,do you not think that even the 
most timid of them would take courage   
unto themselves were but similar words  
to be spoken every evening8 ,do you not 
think that men would live purer lives8  
,and yet though the word come not again1
 still will something momentous have    
happened1 that must leave still more    
momentous trace behind4 ,every evening  
will its sisters recognize the soul that
 pronounced the word1 and henceforth1 be
 the conversation never so trivial1 its 
mere presence will1 ,i know not how1 add

 thereto something of majesty4 ,whatever
 else betide1 there has been a change   
that we cannot determine4 ,no longer    
will such absolute power be vested in   
the baser side of things1 and           
henceforth1 even the most               
terror-stricken of souls will know that 
there is somewhere a place of refuge4444
  ,certain it is that the natural and   
primitive relationship of soul to soul  
is a relationship of beauty4 ,for beauty
 is the only language of our soul2 none 
other is known to it4 ,it has no other  
life1 it can produce nothing else1 in   
nothing else can it take interest4 ,and 
therefore it is that the most oppressed1
 nay1 the most degraded of souls--if it 
may truly be said that a soul can be    
degraded--immediately hail with         
acclamation every thought1 every word or
 deed1 that is great and beautiful4     
,beauty is the only element wherewith   
the soul is organically connected1 and  
it has no other standard of judgment4   
,this is brought home to us at every    

moment of our life1 and is no less      
evident to the man by whom beauty may   
more than once have been denied than to 
him who is ever seeking it in his heart4
 ,should a day come when you stand in   
profoundest need of another's sympathy1 
would you go to him who was wont to     
greet the passage of beauty with a      
sneering smile8 ,would you go to him    
whose shake of the head had sullied a   
generous action or a mere impulse that  
was pure8 ,even though perhaps you had  
been of those who commended him1 you    
would none the less1 when it was truth  
that knocked at your door1 turn to the  
man who had known how to prostrate      
himself and love4 ,in its very depths   
had your soul passed its judgment1 and  
it is the silent and unerring judgment  
that will rise to the surface1 after    
thirty years perhaps1 and send you      
towards a sister who shall be more truly
 you than you are yourself1 for that she
 has been nearer to beauty4444 ,there   
needs but so little to encourage beauty 

in our soul2 so little to awaken the    
slumbering angels2 or perhaps is there  
no need of awakening--it is enough that 
we lull them not to sleep4  ,it requires
 more effort to fall1 perhaps1 than to  
rise4  ,can we1 without putting         
constraint upon ourselves1 confine our  
thoughts to everyday things at times    
when the sea stretches before us1 and we
 are face to face with the night8 ,and  
what soul is there but knows that it is 
ever confronting the sea1 ever in       
presence of an eternal night8  ,did we  
but dread beauty less it would come     
about that nought else in life would be 
visible2 for in reality it is beauty    
that underlies everything1 it is beauty 
alone that exists4 ,there is no soul but
 is conscious of this1 none that is not 
in readiness2 but where are those that  
hide not their beauty8 ,and yet must one
 of them begin4 ,why not dare to be the 
one to begin4 ,the others are all       
watching eagerly around us like little  
children in front of a marvelous place4 

,they press upon the threshold1         
whispering to each other and peering    
through every crevice1 but there is not 
one who dares put his shoulder to the   
door4 ,they are all waiting for some    
grown-up person to come and fling it    
open4 ,but hardly ever does such a one  
pass by4  ,and yet what is needed to    
become the grown-up person for whom they
 lie in wait8 ,so little6 ,the soul is  
not exacting4 ,a thought that is almost 
beautiful--a thought that you speak not1
 but that you cherish within you at this
 moment1 will irradiate you as though   
you were a transparent vase4 ,they will 
see it and their greeting to you will be
 very different than had you been       
meditating how best to deceive your     
brother4  ,we are surprised when certain
 men tell us that they have never come  
across real ugliness1 that they cannot  
conceive that a soul can be base4  ,yet 
need there be no cause for surprise4    
,these men had begun4 ,they themselves  
had been the first to be beautiful1 and 

had therefore attracted all the beauty  
that passed by1 as a lighthouse attracts
 the vessels from the four corners of   
the horizon4 ,but there are those who   
complain of women1 for instance1 never  
dreaming that1 the first time a man     
meets a woman1 a single word or thought 
that denies the beautiful or profound   
will be enough to poison for ever his   
existence in her soul4 ,for my part1    
said a sage to me one day1 ,i have never
 come across a single woman who did not 
bring to me something that was great4   
,he was great himself first of all2     
therein lay his secret4  ,there is one  
thing only that the soul can never      
forgive2 it is to have been compelled to
 behold1 or share1 or pass close to an  
ugly action1 word1 or thought4 ,it      
cannot forgive1 for forgiveness here    
were but the denial of itself4  ,and yet
 with the generality of men1 ingenuity1 
strength and skill do but imply that the
 soul must first of all be banished from
 their life1 and that every impulse that

 lies too deep must be carefully brushed
 aside4 ,even in love do they act thus1 
and therefore1 it is that the woman1 who
 is so much nearer the truth1 can       
scarcely ever live a moment of the true 
life with them4 ,it is as though men    
dreaded the contact of their soul1 and  
were anxious to keep its beauty at      
immeasurable distance4 ,whereas1 on the 
contrary1 we should endeavor to move in 
advance of ourselves4  ,if at this      
moment you think or say something that  
is too beautiful to be true in you--if  
you have but endeavored to think or say 
it to-day1 on the morrow it will be     
true4 ,we must try to be more beautiful 
than ourselves2 we shall never distance 
our soul4  ,we can never err when it is 
question of silent or hidden beauty4    
,besides1 so long as the spring within  
us be limpid1 it matters but little     
whether error there be or not4 ,but do  
any of us ever dream of making the      
slightest unseen effort8 ,and yet in the
 domain where we are everything is      

effective1 for that everything is       
waiting4  ,all the doors are unlocked1  
we have but to push them open1 and the  
palace is full of manacled queens4  ,a  
single word will very often suffice to  
clear the mountain of refuse4  ,why not 
have the courage to meet a base question
 with a noble answer8 ,do you imagine it
 would pass quite unnoticed or merely   
arouse surprise8 ,do you not think it   
would be more akin to the discourse that
 would naturally be held between two    
souls8 ,we know not where it may give   
encouragement1 where freedom4 ,even he  
who rejects your word will1 in spite of 
himself1 have taken a step towards the  
beauty that is within him4  ,nothing of 
beauty dies without having purified     
something1 nor can aught of beauty be   
lost4 ,let us not be afraid of sowing it
 along the road4 ,it may remain there   
for weeks or years1 but like the diamond
 it cannot dissolve1 and finally there  
will pass by some one whom its glitter  
will attract2 he will pick it up and go 

his way1 rejoicing4 ,then why keep back 
a lofty1 beautiful word1 for that you   
doubt whether others will understand8   
,an instant of higher goodness was      
impending over you2 why hinder its      
coming1 even though you believe not that
 those about you will profit thereby8   
,what if you are among men of the       
valley1 is that sufficient reason for   
checking the instinctive movement of    
your soul towards the mountain peaks8   
,does darkness rob deep feeling of its  
power8  ,have the blind nought but their
 eyes wherewith to distinguish those who
 love them from those who love them not8
 ,can the beauty not exist that is not  
understood1 and is there not in every   
man something that does understand--in  
regions far beyond what he seems to     
understand1 far beyond1 too1 what he    
believes he understands8 ,even to the   
very wretchedest of all1 said to me one 
day the loftiest minded creature it has 
ever been my happiness to know1 even to 
the very wretchedest of all ,i never    

have the courage to say anything in     
reply that is ugly or mediocre4 ,i have 
for a long time followed that man's     
life1 and have seen the inexplicable    
power he exercised over the most        
obscure1 the most unapproachable1 the   
blindest1 even the most rebellious of   
souls4 ,for no tongue can tell the power
 of a soul that strives to live in an   
atmosphere of beauty1 and is actively   
beautiful in itself4 ,and indeed is it  
not the quality of this activity that   
renders life either miserable or divine8
  ,if we could but probe to the root of 
things it might well be discovered that 
it is by the strength of some souls that
 are beautiful that others are sustained
 in life4  ,is it not the idea we each  
form of certain chosen ones that        
constitutes the only living1 effective  
morality8 ,but in this idea how much is 
there of the soul that is chosen1 how   
much of him who chooses8  ,do not these 
things blend very mysteriously1 and does
 not this ideal morality lie infinitely 

deeper than the morality of the most    
beautiful books8 ,a far-reaching        
influence exists therein whose limits it
 is indeed difficult to define1 and a   
fountain of strength whereat we all of  
us drink many times a day4 ,would not   
any weakness in one of those creatures  
whom you thought perfect1 and loved in  
the region of beauty1 at once lessen    
your confidence in the universal        
greatness of things1 and would your     
admiration for them suffer8  ,and again1
 ,i doubt whether anything in the world 
can beautify a soul more spontaneously1 
more naturally1 than the knowledge that 
somewhere in its neighborhood there     
exists a pure and noble being whom it   
can unreservedly love4 ,when the soul   
has veritably drawn near to such a      
being1 beauty is no longer a lovely1    
lifeless thing1 that one exhibits to the
 stranger1 for it suddenly takes unto   
itself an imperious existence1 and its  
activity becomes so natural as to be    
henceforth irresistible4 ,wherefore you 

will do well to think it over1 for none 
are alone1 and those who are good must  
watch4  ,plotinus1 in the eighth book of
 the fifth ,ennead1 after speaking of   
the beauty that is intelligible--i4 e4  
divine--concludes thus3 ,as regards     
ourselves1 we are beautiful when we     
belong to ourselves1 and ugly when we   
lower ourselves to our inferior nature4 
,also are we beautiful when we know such
 knowledge4 ,bear it in mind1 however1  
that here we are on the mountains1 where
 not to know oneself means far more than
 mere ignorance of what takes place     
within us at moments of jealousy or     
love1 fear or envy1 happiness or        
unhappiness4 ,here not to know oneself  
means to be unconscious of all the      
divine that throbs in man4  ,as we      
wander from the gods within us so does  
ugliness enwrap us2 as we discover them1
 so do we become more beautiful4 ,but it
 is only by revealing the divine that is
 in us that we may discover the divine  
in others4  ,needs must one god beckon  

to another1 and no signal is so         
imperceptible but they will every one of
 them respond4 ,it cannot be said too   
often that1 be the crevice never so     
small1 it will yet suffice for all the  
waters of heaven to pour into our soul4 
,every cup is stretched out to the      
unknown spring1 and we are in a region  
where none think of aught but beauty4   
,if we could ask of an angel what it is 
that our souls do in the shadow1 ,i     
believe the angel would answer1 after   
having looked for many years perhaps1   
and seen far more than the things the   
soul seems to do in the eyes of men1    
,they transform into beauty all the     
little things that are given to them4   
,ah6 we must admit that the human soul  
is possessed of singular courage6       
,resignedly does it labor1 its whole    
life long1 in the darkness whither most 
of us relegate it1 where it is spoken to
 by none4 ,there1 never complaining1    
does it do all that in its power lies1  
striving to tear from out the pebbles we

 fling to it the nucleus of eternal     
light that peradventure they contain4   
,and in the midst of its work it is ever
 lying in wait for the moment when it   
may show1 to a sister who is more       
tenderly cared for1 or who chances to be
 nearer1 the treasures it has so        
toilfully amassed4  ,but thousands of   
existences there are that no sister     
visits2 thousands of existences wherein 
life has infused such timidity into the 
soul that it departs without saying a   
word1 without even once having been able
 to deck itself with the humblest jewels
 of its humble crown4444  ,and yet1 in  
spite of all1 does it watch over        
everything from out its invisible       
heaven4 ,it warns and loves1 it admires1
 attracts1 repels4 ,at every fresh event
 does it rise to the surface1 where it  
lingers till it be thrust down again1   
being looked upon as wearisome and      
insane4 ,it wanders to and fro1 like    
,cassandra at the gates of the ,atrides4
 ,it is ever giving utterance to words  

of shadowy truth1 but there are none to 
listen4 ,when we raise our eyes it      
yearns for a ray of sun or star1 that it
 may weave into a thought1 or1 haply1 an
 impulse1 which shall be unconscious and
 very pure4 ,and if our eyes bring it   
nothing1 still will it know how to turn 
its pitiful disillusion into something  
ineffable1 that it will conceal even    
till its death4  ,when we love1 how     
eagerly does it drink in the light from 
behind the closed door--keen with       
expectation1 it yet wastes not a minute1
 and the light that steals through the  
apertures becomes beauty and truth to   
the soul4 ,but if the door open not 7and
 how many lives are there wherein it    
does open87 it will go back into its    
prison1 and its regret will perhaps be a
 loftier verity that shall never be     
seen1 for we are now in the region of   
transformations whereof none may speak2 
and though nothing born this side of the
 door can be lost1 yet does it never    
mingle with our life4444  ,i said just  

now that the soul changed into beauty   
the little things we gave to it4 ,it    
would even seem1 the more we think of   
it1 that the soul has no other reason   
for existence1 and that all its activity
 is consumed in amassing1 at the depths 
of us1 a treasure of indescribable      
beauty4 ,might not everything naturally 
turn into beauty1 were we not           
unceasingly interrupting the arduous    
labors of our soul8 ,does not evil      
itself become precious so soon as it has
 gathered therefrom the deep lying      
diamond of repentance8 ,the acts of     
injustice whereof you have been guilty1 
the tears you have caused to flow1 will 
not these end too by becoming so much   
radiance and love in your soul8 ,have   
you ever cast your eyes into this       
kingdom of purifying flame that is      
within you8  ,perhaps a great wrong may 
have been done you to-day1 the act      
itself being mean and disheartening1 the
 mode of action of the basest1 and      
ugliness wrapped you round as your tears

 fell4 ,but let some years elapse1 then 
give one look into your soul1 and tell  
me whether1 beneath the recollection of 
that act1 you see not something that is 
already purer than thought2 an          
indescribable1 unnameable force that has
 nought in common with the forces of    
this world2 a mysterious inexhaustible  
spring of the other life1 whereat you   
may drink for the rest of your days4    
,and yet will you have rendered no      
assistance to the untiring queen2 other 
thoughts will have filled your mind1 and
 it will be without your knowledge that 
the act will have been purified in the  
silence of your being1 and will have    
flown into the precious waters that lie 
in the great reservoir of truth and     
beauty1 which1 unlike the shallower     
reservoir of true or beautiful thoughts1
 has an ever unruffled surface1 and     
remains for all time out of reach of the
 breath of life4  ,emerson tells us that
 there is not an act or event in our    
life but1 sooner or later1 casts off its

 outer shell1 and bewilders us by its   
sudden flights from the very depths of  
us1 on high into the empyrean4 ,and this
 is true to a far greater extent than   
,emerson had foreseen1 for the further  
we advance in these regions1 the diviner
 are the spheres we discover4  ,we can  
form no adequate conception of what this
 silent activity of the souls that      
surround us may really mean4 ,perhaps   
you have spoken a pure word to one of   
your fellows by whom it has not been    
understood4 ,you look upon it as lost   
and dismiss it from your mind4 ,but one 
day1 peradventure1 the word comes up    
again extraordinarily transformed1 and  
revealing the unexpected fruit it has   
borne in the darkness2 then silence once
 more falls over all4 ,but it matters   
not2 we have learned that nothing can be
 lost in the soul1 and that even to the 
very pettiest there come moments of     
splendor4  ,it is unmistakably borne    
home to us that even the unhappiest and 
the most destitute of men have at the   

depths of their being and in spite of   
themselves a treasure of beauty that    
they cannot despoil4 ,they have but to  
acquire the habit of dipping into this  
treasurer4 ,it suffices not that beauty 
should keep solitary festival in life2  
it has to become a festival of every    
day4  ,there needs no great effort to be
 admitted into the ranks of those whose 
eyes no longer behold earth in flower   
and sky in glory in infinitesimal       
fragments1 but indeed in sublime masses1
 and ,i speak here of flowers and sky   
that are purer and more lasting than    
those that we behold4  ,thousands of    
channels there are through which the    
beauty of our soul may sail even unto   
our thoughts4 ,above all is there the   
wonderful1 central channel of love4  ,is
 it not in love that are found the      
purest elements of beauty that we can   
offer to the soul8  ,some there are who 
do thus in beauty love each other4 ,and 
to love thus means that1 little by      
little1 the sense of ugliness is lost2  

that one's eyes are closed to all the   
littlenesses of life1 to all but the    
freshness and virginity of the very     
humblest of souls4 ,loving thus1 we have
 no longer even the need to forgive4    
,loving thus1 we can no longer have     
anything to conceal1 for that the       
ever-present soul transforms all things 
into beauty4 ,it is to behold evil in so
 far only as it purifies indulgence1 and
 teaches us no longer to confound the   
sinner with his sin4 ,loving thus do we 
raise on high within ourselves all those
 about us who have attained an eminence 
where failure has become impossible2    
heights whence a paltry action has so   
far to fall that1 touching earth1 it is 
compelled to yield up its diamond soul4 
,it is to transform1 though all         
unconsciously1 the feeblest intention   
that hovers about us into illimitable   
movement4 ,it is to summon all that is  
beautiful in earth1 heaven or soul1 to  
the banquet of love4  ,loving thus1 we  
do indeed exist before our fellows as we

 exist before ,god4 ,it means that the  
least gesture will call forth the       
presence of the soul with all its       
treasure4 ,no longer is there need of   
death1 disaster or tears for that the   
soul shall appear2 a smile suffices4    
,loving thus1 we perceive truth in      
happiness as profoundly as some of the  
heroes perceived it in the radiance of  
greatest sorrow4 ,it means that the     
beauty that turns into love is          
undistinguishable from the love that    
turns into beauty4 ,it means to be able 
no longer to tell where the ray of a    
star leaves off and the kiss of an      
ordinary thought begins4 ,it means to   
have come so near to ,god that the      
angels possess us4  ,loving thus1 the   
same soul will have been so beautified  
by us all that it will become1 little by
 little1 the unique angel mentioned by  
,swedenborg4 ,it means that each day    
will reveal to us a new beauty in that  
mysterious angel1 and that we shall walk
 together in a goodness that shall ever 

become more and more living1 loftier and
 loftier4 ,for there exists also a      
lifeless beauty1 made up of the past    
alone2 but the veritable love renders   
the past useless1 and its approach      
creates a boundless future of goodness1 
without disaster and without tears4  ,to
 love thus is but to free one's soul1   
and to become as beautiful as the soul  
thus freed4 ,if1 in the emotion that    
this spectacle cannot fail to awaken in 
thee1 says the great ,plotinus1 when    
dealing with kindred matters--and of all
 the intellects known to me that of     
,plotinus draws the nearest to the      
divine--,if in the emotion that this    
spectacle cannot fail to awaken in thee1
 thou proclaimest not that it is        
beautiful2 and if1 plunging thine eyes  
into thyself1 thou dost not then feel   
the charm of beauty1 it is in vain that1
 thy disposition being such1 thou       
shouldst seek the intelligible beauty2  
for thou wouldst seek it only with that 
which is ugly and impure4 ,therefore it 

is that the discourse we hold here is   
not addressed to all men4 ,but if thou  
hast recognized beauty within thyself1  
see that thou rise to the recollection  
of the intelligible beauty4     ,,the   
,,invisible ,,goodness   ,it is a thing1
 said to me one evening the sage ,i had 
chanced to meet by the sea shore1       
whereon the waves were breaking almost  
noiselessly--it is a thing that we      
scarcely notice1 that none seem to take 
into account1 and yet do ,i conceive it 
to be one of the forces that safeguard  
mankind4 ,in a thousand diverse ways do 
the gods from whom we spring reveal     
themselves within us1 but it may well be
 that this unnoticed secret goodness1 to
 which sufficiently direct allusion has 
never yet been made1 is the purest token
 of their eternal life4 ,whence it comes
 we know not4 ,it is there in its       
simplicity1 smiling on the threshold of 
our soul2 and those in whom its smiles  
lies deepest1 or shine forth most       
frequently1 may make us suffer day and  

night and they will1 yet shall it be    
beyond our power to cease to love       
them4444  ,it is not of this world1 and 
still are there few agitations of ours  
in which it takes not part4 ,it cares   
not to reveal itself even in look or    
tear4 ,nay1 it seeks concealment1 for   
reasons one cannot divine4 ,it is as    
though it were afraid to make use of its
 power4 ,it knows that its most         
involuntary movement will cause immortal
 things to spring to life about it2 and 
we are miserly with immortal things4    
,why are we so fearful lest we exhaust  
the heaven within us8 ,we dare not act  
upon the whisper of the ,god who        
inspires us4 ,we are afraid of          
everything that cannot be explained by  
word or gesture2 and we shut our eyes to
 all that we do1 ourselves              
notwithstanding1 in the empire where    
explanations are vain6  ,whence comes   
the timidity of the divine in man8 ,for 
truly might it be said that the nearer a
 movement of our soul approaches the    

divine1 so much the more scrupulously do
 we conceal it from the eyes of our     
brethren4 ,can it be that man is nothing
 but a frightened god8 ,or has the      
command been laid upon us that the      
superior powers must not be betrayed8   
,upon all that does not form part of    
this too visible world there rests the  
tender meekness of the little ailing    
girl1 for whom her mother will not send 
when strangers come to the house4  ,and 
therefore it is that this secret        
goodness of ours has never yet passed   
through the silent portals of our soul4 
,it lives within us like a prisoner     
forbidden to approach the barred window 
of her cell4 ,but indeed1 what matter   
though it do not approach8 ,enough that 
it be there4 ,hide as it may1 let it but
 raise its head1 move a link of its     
chain or open its hand1 and the prison  
is illumined1 the pressure of radiance  
from within bursts open the iron        
barrier1 and then1 suddenly1 there yawns
 a gulf between words and beings1 a gulf

 peopled with agitated angels2 silence  
falls over all3 the eyes turn away for a
 moment and two souls embrace tearfully 
on the threshold4444  ,it is not a thing
 that comes from this earth of ours1 and
 all descriptions can be of no avail4   
,they who would understand must have1 in
 themselves too1 the same point of      
sensibility4 ,if you have never in your 
life felt the power of your invisible   
goodness1 go no further2 it would be    
useless4 ,but are there really any who  
have not felt this power1 and have the  
worst of us never been invisibly good8  
,i know not3 of so many in this world   
does the aim seem to be the             
discouragement of the divine in their   
soul4 ,and yet there needs but one      
instant of respite for the divine to    
spring up again1 and even the wickedest 
are not incessantly on their guard2 and 
hence doubtless has it arisen that so   
many of the wicked are good1 unseen of  
all1 whereas divers saints and sages are
 not invisibly good4444  ,more than once

 have ,i been the cause of suffering1 he
 went on1 even as each being is the     
cause of suffering about him4  ,i have  
caused suffering because we are in a    
world where all is held together by     
invisible threads1 in a world where none
 are alone1 and where the gentlest      
gesture of love or kindliness may so    
often wound the innocence by our side6--
  ,i have caused suffering1 too1 because
 there are times when the best and      
tenderest are impelled to seek ,i know  
not what part of themselves in the grief
 of others4 ,for1 indeed1 there are     
seeds that only spring up in our soul   
beneath the rain of tears shed because  
of us1 and none the less do these seeds 
produce good flowers and salutary fruit4
 ,what would you8 ,it is no law of our  
making1 and ,i know not whether ,i would
 dare to love the man who had made no   
one weep4  ,frequently1 indeed1 will the
 greatest suffering be caused by those  
whose love is greatest1 for a strange1  
timid1 tender cruelty is most often the 

anxious sister of love4 ,on all sides   
does love search for the proofs of love1
 and the first proofs--who is not prone 
to discover them in the tears of the    
beloved8  ,even death could not suffice 
to reassure the lover who dared to give 
ear to the unreasoning claims of love2  
for to the intimate cruelty of love1 the
 instant of death seems too brief2 over 
beyond death there is yet room for a sea
 of doubts1 and even in those who die   
together may disquiet still linger as   
they die4 ,long1 slowly falling tears   
are needed here4 ,grief is love's first 
food1 and every love that has not been  
fed on a little pure suffering must die 
like the babe that one had tried to     
nourish on the nourishment of a man4    
,will the love inspired by the woman who
 always brought the smile to your lips  
be quite the same as the love you feel  
for her who at times called forth your  
tears8 ,alas6 needs must love weep1 and 
often indeed is it at the very moment   
when the sobs burst forth that love's   

chains are forged and tempered for      
life4444  ,thus1 he continued1 ,i have  
caused suffering because ,i loved1 and  
also have ,i caused suffering because ,i
 did not love--but how great was the    
difference in the two cases6 ,in the one
 the slowly dropping tears of well-tried
 love seemed already to know1 at the    
depths of them1 that they were bedewing 
all that was ineffable in our united    
souls2 in the other the poor tears knew 
that they were falling in solitude on a 
desert4 ,but it is at those very moments
 when the soul is all ear--or1 haply1   
all soul--that ,i have recognized the   
might of an invisible goodness that     
could offer to the wretched tears of an 
expiring love the divine illusions of a 
love on the eve of birth4 ,has there    
never come to you one of those sorrowful
 evenings when dejection lay heavy upon 
your unsmiling kisses1 and it at length 
dawned upon your soul that it had been  
mistaken8 ,with direst difficulty did   
your words ring forth in the cold air of

 the separation that was to be final2   
you were about to part for ever1 and    
your almost lifeless hands were         
outstretched for the farewell of a      
departure that should know no return1   
when suddenly your soul made an         
imperceptible movement within itself4   
,on that instant did the soul by the    
side of you awake on the summits of its 
being2 something sprang to life in      
regions loftier far than the love of    
jaded lovers2 and for all that the      
bodies might shrink asunder1 henceforth 
would the souls never forget that for an
 instant they had beheld each other high
 above mountains they had never seen1   
and that for a second's space they had  
been good with a goodness they had never
 known until that day4444  ,what can    
this be1 this mysterious movement that  
,i speak of here in connection with love
 only1 but which may well take place in 
the smallest events of life8 ,is it ,i  
know not what sacrifice or inner        
embrace1 is it the profoundest desire to

 be soul for a soul1 or the             
consciousness1 ever quickening within   
us1 of the presence of a life that is   
invisible1 but equal to our own8 ,is it 
all that is admirable and sorrowful in  
the mere act of living that1 at such    
moments1 floods our being--is it the    
aspect of life1 one and indivisible8 ,i 
know not2 but in truth it is then that  
we feel that there lurks1 somewhere1 an 
unknown force2 it is then that we feel  
that we are the treasures of an unknown 
,god who loves all1 that not a gesture  
of this ,god may pass unperceived1 and  
that we are at length in the regions of 
things that do not betray themselves4444
  ,certain it is that1 from the day of  
our birth to the day of our death1 we   
never emerge from this clearly defined  
region1 but wander in ,god like helpless
 sleep-walkers1 or like the blind who   
despairingly seek the very temple in    
which they do indeed befind themselves4 
,we are there in life1 man against man1 
soul against soul1 and day and night are

 spent under arms4 ,we never see each   
other1 we never touch each other4 ,we   
see nothing but bucklers and helmets1 we
 touch nothing but iron and brass4 ,but 
let a tiny circumstance1 come from the  
simpleness of the sky1 for one instant  
only cause the weapons to fall1 are     
there not always tears beneath the      
helmet1 childlike smiles behind the     
buckler1 and is not another verity      
revealed8  ,he thought for a moment1    
then went on1 more sadly3 ,a woman--as  
,i believe ,i told you just now--a woman
 to whom ,i had caused suffering against
 my will--for the most careful of us    
scatter suffering around them without   
their knowledge--a woman to whom ,i had 
caused suffering against my will1       
revealed to me one evening the sovereign
 power of this invisible good4 ,to be   
good we must needs have suffered2 but   
perhaps it is necessary to have caused  
suffering before we can become better4  
,this was brought home to me that       
evening4 ,i felt that ,i had arrived1   

alone1 at that sad zone of kisses when  
it seems to us that we are visiting the 
hovels of the poor1 while she1 who had  
lingered on the road1 was still smiling 
in the palace of the first days4 ,love1 
as men understand it1 was dying between 
us like a child stricken with a disease 
come one knows not whence1 a disease    
that has no pity4 ,we said nothing4 ,it 
would be impossible for me to recall    
what my thoughts were at that earnest   
moment4 ,they were doubtless of no      
significance4 ,i was probably thinking  
of the last face ,i had seen1 of the    
quivering gleam of a lantern at a       
deserted street corner2 and1            
nevertheless1 everything took place in a
 light a thousand times purer1 a        
thousand times higher1 than had there   
intervened all the forces of pity and   
love which ,i command in my thoughts and
 my heart4 ,we parted1 and not a word   
was spoken1 but at one and the same     
moment had we understood our            
inexpressible thought4 ,we know now that

 another love had sprung to life1 a love
 that demands not the words1 the little 
attentions and smiles of ordinary love4 
,we have never met again4 ,perhaps      
centuries will elapse before we ever do 
meet again4          ,much is to learn1 
much to forget1        ,through worlds  
,i shall traverse not a few4            
before we shall again find ourselves in 
the same movement of the      soul as on
 that evening3 but we can well afford to
 wait4444   ,and thus1 ever since that  
day1 have ,i greeted1 in all places1    
even in the very bitterest of moments1  
the beneficent presence of this         
marvellous power4 ,he who has but once  
clearly seen it1 shall never again find 
it possible to turn away from its face4 
,you will often behold it smiling in the
 last retreat of hatred1 in the depths  
of the cruellest tears4 ,and yet does it
 not reveal itself to the eyes of the   
body4 ,its nature changes from the      
moment that it manifests itself by means
 of an exterior act2 and we are no      

longer in the truth according to the    
soul1 but in a kind of falsehood as     
conceived by man4 ,goodness and love    
that are self-conscious have no         
influence on the soul1 for they have    
departed from the kingdoms where they   
have their dwelling2 but1 do they only  
remain blind1 they can soften ,destiny  
itself4 ,i have known more than one man 
who performed every act of kindness and 
mercy without touching a single soul2   
and ,i have known others2 who seemed to 
live in falsehood and injustice1 yet    
were no souls driven from them nor did  
any for an instant even believe that    
these men were not good4 ,nay1 more1    
even those who do not know you1 who are 
merely told of your acts of goodness and
 deeds of love--if you be not good      
according to the invisible goodness1    
these1 even1 will feel that something is
 lacking1 and they will never be touched
 in the depths of their being4 ,one     
might almost believe that there exists1 
somewhere1 a place where all is weighed 

in the presence of the spirits1 or      
perhaps1 out yonder1 the other side of  
the night1 a reservoir of certitudes    
whither the silent herd of souls flock  
every morning to slake their thirst4    
,perhaps we do not yet know what the    
word to love means4 ,there are within us
 lives in which we love unconsciously4  
,to love thus means more than to have   
pity1 to make inner sacrifices1 to be   
anxious to help and give happiness2 it  
is a thing that lies a thousand fathoms 
deeper1 where our softest1 swiftest1    
strongest words cannot reach it4 ,at    
moments we might believe it to be a     
recollection1 furtive1 but excessively  
keen1 of the great primitive unity4     
,there is in this love a force that     
nothing can resist4 ,which of us--and he
 question himself the side of the light1
 from which our gaze is habitually      
averted--which of us but will find in   
himself the recollection of certain     
strange workings of this force8 ,which  
of us1 when by the side of the most     

ordinary person perhaps1 but has        
suddenly become conscious of the advent 
of something that none had summoned8    
,was it the soul1 or perhaps life1 that 
had turned within itself like a sleeper 
on the point of awakening8 ,i know not2 
nor did you know1 and no one spoke of   
it2 but you did not separate from each  
other as though nothing had happened4   
,to love thus is to love according to   
the soul2 and there is no soul that does
 not respond to this love4 ,for the soul
 of man is a guest that has gone hungry 
these centuries back1 and never has it  
to be summoned twice to the nuptial     
feast4  ,the souls of all our brethren  
are ever hovering about us1 craving for 
a caress1 and only waiting for the      
signal4 ,but how many beings there are  
who all their life long have not dared  
make such a signal6  ,it is the disaster
 of our entire existence that we live   
thus away from our soul1 and stand in   
such dread of its slightest movement4   
,did we but allow it to smile frankly in

 its silence and its radiance1 we should
 be already living an eternal life4 ,we 
have only to think for an instant how   
much it succeeds in accomplishing during
 those rare moments when we knock off   
its chains--for it is our custom to     
enchain it as though it were            
distraught--what it does in love1 for   
instance1 for there we do permit it at  
times to approach the lattices of       
external life4 ,and would it not be in  
accordance with the primal truth if all 
men were to feel that they were face to 
face with each other1 even as the woman 
feels with the man she loves8  ,this    
invisible and divine goodness1 of which 
,i only speak here because of its being 
one of the surest and nearest signs of  
the unceasing activity of our soul1 this
 invisible and divine goodness ennobles1
 in decisive fashion1 all that it has   
unconsciously touched4 ,let him who has 
a grievance against his fellow1 descend 
into himself and seek out whether he    
never has been good in the presence of  

that fellow4  ,for myself1 ,i have never
 met any one by whose side ,i have felt 
my invisible goodness bestir itself1    
without he has become1 at that very     
instant1 better than myself4 ,be good at
 the depths of you1 and you will        
discover that those who surround you    
will be good even to the same depths4   
,nothing responds more infallibly to the
 secret cry of goodness than the secret 
cry of goodness that is near4  ,while   
you are actively good in the invisible1 
all those who approach you will         
unconsciously do things that they could 
not do by the side of any other man4    
,therein lies a force that has no name2 
a spiritual rivalry that knows no       
resistance4 ,it is as though this were  
the actual place where is the sensitive 
spot of our soul2 for there are souls   
that seem to have forgotten their       
existence and to have renounced         
everything that enables the being to    
rise2 but1 once touched here1 they all  
draw themselves erect2 and in the divine

 plains of the secret goodness1 the most
 humble of souls cannot endure defeat4  
,and yet it is possible that nothing is 
changing in the life one sees2 but is it
 only that which matters1 and is our    
existence indeed confined to actions we 
can take in our hand like stones on the 
highroad8 ,if you ask yourself1 as we   
are told we should ask every evening1   
what of immortal have ,i done to-day8   
,is it always on the material side that 
we can count1 weigh and measure         
unerringly2 is it there that you must   
begin your search8 ,it is possible for  
you to cause extraordinary tears to     
flow2 it is possible that you may fill a
 heart with unheard-of certitudes1 and  
give eternal life unto a soul1 and no   
one shall know of it1 nor shall you even
 know yourself4 ,it may be that nothing 
is changing2 it may be that were it put 
to the test all would crumble1 and that 
this goodness we speak of would yield to
 the smallest fear4 ,it matters not4    
,something divine has happened2 and     

somewhere must our ,god have smiled4    
,may it not be the supreme aim of life  
thus to bring to birth the inexplicable 
within ourselves2 and do we know how    
much we add to ourselves when we awake  
something of the incomprehensible that  
slumbers in every corner8 ,here you have
 awakened love which will not fall      
asleep again4 ,the soul that your soul  
has regarded1 that has wept with you the
 holy tears of the solemn joy that none 
may behold1 will bear you no resentment1
 not even in the midst of torture4 ,it  
will not even feel the need of          
forgiving4 ,so convinced is it of one   
knows not what1 that nothing can        
henceforth dim or efface the smile that 
it wears within2 for nothing can ever   
separate two souls which1 for an        
instant1 have been good together4       
,,silence   ,as we advance through life1
 it is more and more brought home to us 
that nothing takes place that is not in 
accord with some curious1 preconceived  
design3 and of this we never breathe a  

word1 we scarcely dare to let our minds 
dwell upon it1 but of its existence1    
somewhere above our heads1 we are       
absolutely convinced4 ,the most fatuous 
of men smiles1 at the first encounters1 
as though he were the accomplice of the 
destiny of his brethren4 ,and in this   
domain1 even those who can speak the    
most profoundly realise--they1 perhaps1 
more than others--that words can never  
express the real1 special relationship  
that exists between two beings4  ,were  
,i to speak to you at this moment of the
 gravest things of all--of love1 death  
or destiny--it is not love1 death or    
destiny that ,i should touch2 and1 my   
efforts notwithstanding1 there would    
always remain between us a truth which  
had not been spoken1 which we had not   
even thought of speaking2 and yet it is 
this truth only1 voiceless though it has
 been1 which will have lived with us for
 an instant1 and by which we shall have 
been wholly absorbed4 ,for that truth1  
was our truth as regards death1 destiny 

or love1 and it was in silence only that
 we could perceive it4 ,and nothing save
 only the silence will have had any     
importance4 ,my sisters1 says a child in
 the fairy-story1 you have each of you a
 secret thought--,i wish to know it4    
,we1 too1 have something that people    
wish to know1 but it is hidden far above
 the secret thought--it is our secret   
silence4  ,but all questions are        
useless4 ,when our spirit is alarmed1   
its own agitation becomes a barrier to  
the second life that lives in this      
secret2 and1 would we know what it is   
that lies hidden there1 we must         
cultivate silence among ourselves1 for  
it is then only that for one instant the
 eternal flowers unfold their petals1   
the mysterious flowers whose form and   
colour are ever changing in harmony with
 the soul that is by their side4 ,as    
gold and silver are weighed in pure     
water1 so does the soul test its weight 
in silence1 and the words that we let   
fall have no meaning apart from the     

silence that wraps them round4 ,if ,i   
tell someone that ,i love him--as ,i may
 have told a hundred others--my words   
will convey nothing to him2 but the     
silence which will ensue1 if ,i do      
indeed love him1 will make clear in what
 depths lie the roots of my love1 and   
will in its turn give birth to a        
conviction1 that shall itself be silent2
 and in the course of a lifetime1 this  
silence and this conviction will never  
again be the same4444  ,is it not       
silence that determines and fixes the   
savour of love8 ,deprived of it1 love   
would lose its eternal essence and      
perfume4 ,who has not known those silent
 moments which separated the lips to    
reunite the souls8 ,it is these that we 
must ever seek4 ,there is no silence    
more docile than the silence of love1   
and it is indeed the only one that we   
may claim for ourselves alone4 ,the     
other great silences1 those of death1   
grief or destiny1 do not belong to us4  
,they come towards us at their own hour1

 following in the track of events1 and  
those whom they do not meet need not    
reproach themselves4 ,but we can all go 
forth to meet the silence of love4 ,they
 lie in wait for us1 night and day1 at  
our threshold1 and are no less beautiful
 than their brothers4 ,and it is thanks 
to them that those who have seldom wept 
may know the life of the soul almost as 
intimately as those to whom much grief  
has come3 and therefore it is that such 
of us as have loved deeply have learnt  
many secrets that are unknown to others3
 for thousands and thousands of things  
quiver in silence on the lips of true   
friendship and love1 that are not to be 
found in the silence of other lips1 to  
which friendship and love are           
unknown4444