Page:Selections from the writings of Kierkegaard.djvu/57

 Selections from the Writings of Kierkegaard 55

snorting team with a single bound and to hold them well abreast ; the well-trained steed is known by his lifting him- self in one absolutely decisive leap : even if one or the other of the guests perhaps fell short in some particular, cer- tainly Constantin was a good host.

Thus they banqueted. Soon, conversation had woven its beautiful wreaths about the banqueters, so that they sat garlanded. Now, it was enamored of the food, now of the wine, and now again of itself ; now, it seemed to de- velop into significance, and then again it was altogether slight. Soon, fancy unfolded itself â€” ^the splendid one which blows but once, the tender one which straightway closes its petals ; now, there came an exclamation from one of the ban- queters : "These truffles are superb," and now, an order of the host: "This Chateau Margaux!" Now, the music was drowned in the noise, now it was heard again. Some- times the servants stood still as if in pausa, in that decisive moment when a new dish was being brought out, or a new wine was ordered and mentioned by name, sometimes they were all a-bustle. Sometimes there was a silence for a mo- ment, and then the re-animating spirit of the music went forth over the guests. Now, one with some bold thought would take the lead in the conversation and the others fol- lowed after, almost forgetting to eat, and the music would sound after them as it sounds after the jubilant shouts of a host storming on ; now, only the clinking of glasses and the clattering of plates was heard and the feasting proceeded in silence, accompanied only by the music that joyously ad- vanced and again stimulated conversation. Thus they ban- queted.

How poor is language in comparison with that symphony of sounds unmeaning, yet how significant, whether of a battle or of a banquet, which even scenic representation cannot imitate and for which language has but a few words! How rich is language in the expression of the world of ideas, and how poor, when it is to describe reality!