Chapter 305 5 Situation seen on the top of the barricade

The situation of the multitude, at this fatal moment and at this moment of innocence, was the greatest cause of Enjolras's melancholy. Enjolras is an out-and-out revolutionary, but from the point of view of absolute perfection, he still has shortcomings. He is too much like Saint-Just and not quite like Anacasius Crotz; but he In "The Friends of the ABC" the ideas of Combeferre were attracted by those of Combeferre; and soon he was gradually moving away from his narrow creed towards a broadened progress; he began to admit that the final grandeur The republic transformed into a mighty republic of all mankind.As for the present method, a ferocious environment has been formed, and he insists on violence; on this point, he does not change; he is committed to that terrible epic school, which is summed up in three words: "Nine three years".

Enjolras was standing on the steps of the paving stones, with one elbow resting on the barrel of his gun.Lost in thought; as if a gust of wind blew through him and made him tremble; in the face of death, he felt as if he were sitting on a three-legged stool.His penetrating pupils shone with a suppressed light.Suddenly he raised his head and threw back his golden hair like a celestial being driving a black chariot of stars, or like a frightened lion spreading his mane into a halo. .Enjolras then exclaimed: "Citizens, have you ever imagined a future world? The streets of the city are bright, the trees are green in front of the door, the people of all nationalities are like brothers, the people are selfless, the old people bless the children, the past praises the present, the thinkers are free, and the beliefs are absolutely equal. Heaven is religion, God is the direct pastor, people's conscience is the altar, there is no hatred, factories and schools are friendly and harmonious, good or bad reputations are used instead of rewards and punishments, everyone has a job, everyone has rights, everyone enjoys peace, no longer Bloodshed, no war, mothers rejoice. To master material, this is the first step; to realize ideals, this is the second step. Think about it, how much progress has been made now. In primitive times, human beings were horrified to see seven heads Snakes make waves, dragons breathe fire, and monsters with eagle wings and tiger claws fly in the sky. People are under the threat of wild beasts; but people set traps, and the divine wisdom traps and finally captures these monsters.

"We have tamed the hydra, which is the ship; we have tamed the dragon, which is the locomotive; we are about to tame the strange bird, which we have caught, and this is the balloon. One day, mankind will finally complete what Prometheus started. Career, free control of these three ancient monsters, hydra, fire dragon and strange bird, man will become the master of water, fire and air, and his position among other creatures is just like the position of ancient gods in his heart. Take courage and go forward! Citizens, where do we go? To science, which will be government; to physical power, which will be the only power in society; The promulgation of the truth is determined by the inevitability of the facts; to the truth, its appearance is like the rising sun. We are moving towards the great unity of all nations, and we want to achieve the unity of people. There is no fantasy, no more parasites. Let the truth rule the facts, this is Our purpose. Culture meets at the summit of Europe, and then at the center of the continents, a great council of wisdom. As if the thing already existed. The Neighborhood League of ancient Greece meets twice a year, once at Delphi, That is the land of the gods, another time in Thermopylae, that is the land of heroes. Europe will have its meeting of the neighbours, the globe will have its meeting of the league. France is pregnant with this noble future, which is the nineteenth The gestation period of the century. The crude organization of ancient Greece should have been completed by France. Feuilly, listen to me, you are a heroic worker, the son of the common people, the son of the people. I adore you, you do see clearly In the world of the future, yes, you are right. You have no parents, Feuilly; but you have humanity as your mother, and justice as your father. Here you will die, that is to say, triumph here. Citizens, whether What will happen today, through our defeats or our victories, we will have a revolution. Just as a fire lights up a city and a revolution lights up all mankind. What kind of revolution do we have? As I just said In other words, it is a just revolution. In politics, there is only one principle: the sovereignty of man over himself. This kind of sovereignty over myself is called freedom. Two or more people with this kind of sovereignty are organized to emerge Government. But nothing is surrendered in such an organization. Each surrenders a part of sovereignty to constitute public law. All surrender equal parts. This equal concession of each to the whole is called equality. This kind of public law is nothing but the protection of everyone's rights. This collective protection of individuals is called fraternity. The collection point of various sovereignty is called society. This collection is a combination, and this point is a hub , is the so-called social connection, some people call it a social covenant, it is the same thing, because the word covenant has the meaning of connection. We have to figure out the meaning of equality, because if freedom is the pinnacle, then equality is the foundation. Equality, citizens, does not mean that all plants are equal in height, that some tall grasses and stunted oaks form societies, and that the jealousies of neighbors keep each other in check; ; In politics, all votes have equal weight ; in religion, all faiths have the same rights; equality has a tool: free and compulsory education.It starts with the right to literacy.Primary education must be compulsory, and secondary schools must be open to everyone. This is the law.Equal education results in social equality.Yes, education!This is light!bright!Everything is born of light and returns to light.Citizens, the nineteenth century was great, but the twentieth will be happy.Then there would be no resemblance to the old history, and people would not be afraid of conquest, invasion, usurpation, of armed confrontation between nations, of cultural disruption due to intermarriage between kings, of hereditary tyrants, as they do today The birth of the birth, fear of splitting the nation by a meeting, fear of the division of the country due to the collapse of a dynasty, fear of the head-on conflict between two religions, a desperate situation like two billy goats in the dark meeting on a single-plank bridge in space; people no longer have to Fear of famine, exploitation, or prostitution out of poverty, or suffering from unemployment, no more guillotines, massacres, wars, and accidents in countless incidents.One can almost say: 'There will be no more events. 'The people will be happy.Man will fulfill his laws as well as the earth; harmony will be restored between mind and celestial body.Our minds revolve around truth as the stars revolve around the sun.The moment in which I speak to you, friends, is bleak, but it is an astonishing price to pay for the future.A revolution is a payment of a toll.what!Mankind will be saved, will rise and be comforted!In this barricade we pledge to humanity.Where else can we raise the cry of fraternity but on the height of sacrifice?Ah, brethren, this place is a meeting point of the thinking and the suffering; this barricade is not a pile of stones and beams and broken iron, it is a combination of two things, a pile of thoughts and a bunch of pain.Here suffering meets ideal, where day embraces night and says to it: 'I died with you and you will rise with me. ' In the embrace of all disappointment bursts faith; where pain dies, ideals live forever.This fusion of struggle and immortality makes us die for it.Brethren, whoever dies here dies in the light of the future.We will enter a tomb full of dawn. "

Enjolras did not end but seemed to pause his speech temporarily.His lips trembled silently, as if continuing to talk to himself, which made those people look at him intently and wanted to hear him continue.There was no applause, but everyone discussed in low voices for a long time.The words were like a breeze in which wisdom shone like the rustling of leaves.