The Complete Essays of John GalsworthyGalsworthy, John
General
The Complete Essays of John Galsworthy
Galsworthy, John
Essays
by my sleeping spaniel, I saw a tawny dog stealing by. He passed without
seeing us, licking his lean chops.
“Yes, friend,” I thought, “you have been after something very unholy;
you have been digging up buried lamb, or some desirable person of that
kind!”
Sneaking past, in this sweet night, which stirred in one such sentiment,
that ghoulish cur was like the omnivorousness of Nature. And it came to
me, how wonderful and queer was a world which embraced within it, not
only this red gloating dog, fresh from his feast on the decaying flesh
of lamb, but all those hundreds of beings in whom the sight of a fly
with one leg shortened produced a quiver of compassion. For in this
savage, slinking shadow, I knew that I had beheld a manifestation of
divinity no less than in the smile of the sky, each minute growing more
starry. With what Harmony —I thought—can these two be enwrapped in this
round world so fast that it cannot be moved! What secret, marvellous,
all-pervading Principle can harmonise these things! And the old words
'good' and 'evil' seemed to me more than ever quaint.
It was almost dark, and the dew falling fast; I roused my spaniel to go
in.
Over the high-walled yard, the barns, the moon-white porch, dusk had
brushed its velvet. Through an open window came a roaring sound. Mr.
Molton was singing “The Happy Warrior,” to celebrate the finish of the
shearing. The big doors into the garden, passed through, cut off the
full sweetness of that song; for there the owls were already masters of
night with their music.
On the dew-whitened grass of the lawn, we came on a little dark beast.
My spaniel, liking its savour, stood with his nose at point; but, being
called off, I could feel him obedient, still quivering, under my hand.
In the field, a wan huddle in the blackness, the dismantled sheep lay
under a holly hedge. The wind had died; it was mist-warm.
1910
EVOLUTION
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account