Editing Volume 3/Book 1/Chapter 12

Les Mis&eacute;rables, Volume 3: Marius, Book First: Paris Studied in its Atom, Chapter 12: The Future Latent in the People<br />
(Tome 3: Marius, Livre premier: Paris &eacute;tudi&eacute; dans son atome, Chapitre 12: L'avenir latent dans le peuple)

==General notes on this chapter==

==French text==

 
Quant au peuple parisien, m&ecirc;me homme fait, il est toujours le gamin;
peindre l'enfant, c'est peindre la ville; et c'est pour cela que nous
avons &eacute;tudi&eacute; cet aigle dans ce moineau franc.

 
C'est surtout dans les faubourgs, insistons-y, que la race parisienne
appara&icirc;t; l&agrave; est le pur sang; l&agrave; est la vraie physionomie; l&agrave; ce peuple
travaille et souffre, et la souffrance et le travail sont les deux
figures de l'homme. Il y a l&agrave; des quantit&eacute;s profondes d'&ecirc;tres inconnus
o&ugrave; fourmillent les types les plus &eacute;tranges depuis le d&eacute;chargeur de la
R&acirc;p&eacute;e jusqu'&agrave; l'&eacute;quarrisseur de Montfaucon. ''Fex urbis'', s'&eacute;crie
Cic&eacute;ron; ''mob'', ajoute Burke indign&eacute;; tourbe, multitude, populace. Ces
mots-l&agrave; sont vite dits. Mais soit. Qu'importe? qu'est-ce que cela fait
qu'ils aillent pieds nus? Ils ne savent pas lire; tant pis. Les
abandonnerez-vous pour cela? leur ferez-vous de leur d&eacute;tresse une
mal&eacute;diction? la lumi&egrave;re ne peut-elle p&eacute;n&eacute;trer ces masses? Revenons &agrave; ce
cri: Lumi&egrave;re! et obstinons-nous-y! Lumi&egrave;re! lumi&egrave;re!&mdash;Qui sait si ces
opacit&eacute;s ne deviendront pas transparentes? les r&eacute;volutions ne sont-elles
pas des transfigurations? Allez, philosophes, enseignez, &eacute;clairez,
allumez, pensez haut, parlez haut, courez joyeux au grand soleil,
fraternisez avec les places publiques, annoncez les bonnes nouvelles,
prodiguez les alphabets, proclamez les droits, chantez les
Marseillaises, semez les enthousiasmes, arrachez des branches vertes aux
ch&ecirc;nes. Faites de l'id&eacute;e un tourbillon. Cette foule peut &ecirc;tre sublim&eacute;e.
Sachons nous servir de ce vaste embrasement des principes et des vertus
qui p&eacute;tille, &eacute;clate et frissonne &agrave; de certaines heures. Ces pieds nus,
ces bras nus, ces haillons, ces ignorances, ces abjections, ces
t&eacute;n&egrave;bres, peuvent &ecirc;tre employ&eacute;s &agrave; la conqu&ecirc;te de l'id&eacute;al. Regardez &agrave;
travers le peuple et vous apercevrez la v&eacute;rit&eacute;. Ce vil sable que vous
foulez aux pieds, qu'on le jette dans la fournaise, qu'il y fonde et
qu'il y bouillonne, il deviendra cristal splendide, et c'est gr&acirc;ce &agrave; lui
que Galil&eacute;e et Newton d&eacute;couvriront les astres.

 
==English text==

 
As for the Parisian populace, even when a man grown, it is always the
street Arab; to paint the child is to paint the city; and it is for that
reason that we have studied this eagle in this arrant sparrow. It is in
the faubourgs, above all, we maintain, that the Parisian race appears;
there is the pure blood; there is the true physiognomy; there this people
toils and suffers, and suffering and toil are the two faces of man. There
exist there immense numbers of unknown beings, among whom swarm types of
the strangest, from the porter of la Rapée to the knacker of Montfaucon.
Fex urbis, exclaims Cicero; mob, adds Burke, indignantly; rabble,
multitude, populace. These are words and quickly uttered. But so be it.
What does it matter? What is it to me if they do go barefoot! They do not
know how to read; so much the worse. Would you abandon them for that?
Would you turn their distress into a malediction? Cannot the light
penetrate these masses? Let us return to that cry: Light! and let us
obstinately persist therein! Light! Light! Who knows whether these
opacities will not become transparent? Are not revolutions
transfigurations? Come, philosophers, teach, enlighten, light up, think
aloud, speak aloud, hasten joyously to the great sun, fraternize with the
public place, announce the good news, spend your alphabets lavishly,
proclaim rights, sing the Marseillaises, sow enthusiasms, tear green
boughs from the oaks. Make a whirlwind of the idea. This crowd may be
rendered sublime. Let us learn how to make use of that vast conflagration
of principles and virtues, which sparkles, bursts forth and quivers at
certain hours. These bare feet, these bare arms, these rags, these
ignorances, these abjectnesses, these darknesses, may be employed in the
conquest of the ideal. Gaze past the people, and you will perceive truth.
Let that vile sand which you trample under foot be cast into the furnace,
let it melt and seethe there, it will become a splendid crystal, and it is
thanks to it that Galileo and Newton will discover stars.

==Translation notes==

==Textual notes==

==Citations==
<references />
@@ Line 45: / Line 45: @@
 As for the Parisian populace, even when a man grown, it is always the
-street urchin; to paint the child is to paint the city; and it is for that
+street Arab; to paint the child is to paint the city; and it is for that
 reason that we have studied this eagle in this arrant sparrow. It is in
 the faubourgs, above all, we maintain, that the Parisian race appears;
@@ Line 75: / Line 75: @@
 ==Translation notes==
-===gamin / street urchin===
-See annotations for explanation of "street urchin" as a translation for "gamin" at https://chanvrerie.net/lmap/Volume_3/Book_1/Chapter_2
-===Fex urbis.===
-The scum of the city.
 ==Textual notes==