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PARTISAN REVIEW
who jumped from the skyscraper, the futile but magnificent protest of the
Berlin landlady, the utter incredulity of the small boy before the death of
his dog, that unthinkable disaster which Nanny, surely, could never allow.
Indeed, some of these pieces will perhaps be easier to appreciate and
evaluate coolly forty years from now. At present, they are almost too
painful, they speak too plainly to the wretchedness of our condition.
Viertel's title is taken from Isaiah: "Fear not, neither let thy heart
be faint ..." and the book ends on a note of strength and courage, a
superb adaptation of the opening passage of Aeschylus'
Prometheus
Bound.
At the order of Zeus, the Usurper, Prometheus is seized by the
giants Terror and Error and chained by the blacksmith to the rock. The
blacksmith dares not refuse to perform his task; he loves Prometheus, who
taught him the arts of peace, but he fears the Usurper more. When the
horrible blow through the breast has been struck, and Prometheus is left
alone with his agony, he is visited by the nymphs who ride the waves of
the aether, the waves which Zeus has harnessed to carry his lies and tyran–
nical commands. The nymphs eye the suffering hero with sadistic pity;
his pain excites them; they whisper words of hypocritical comfort. But
Prometheus, even in his blackest hour, scorns their offer of compromise.
Zeus may crush the whole world beneath the wheels of his hatred; Prome–
theus confronts him unmoved, knowing himself to be the stronger; Love is
always the victor, even exiled and in chains. The silly chattering nymphs
cannot understand this; they mistake the faith of Prometheus for arro·
gance and pride; they shake their heads over him in despair:
"Dann freilich
Kann Zeus dir nicht vergeben."
But there is no question of Zeus forgiving or not forgiving; the power
is not in his hands; he has no authority to bind or to loose. No doubt
there are fish who would like to be birds. We know there are human
beings who dream of turning themselves into all-powerful, pitiless devils.
But the fish, for all. their day-dreams, cannot breathe the air; and the
usurpers, even loud-mouthed Zeus himself, are limited by the laws of their
nature. We are only men, after all. Devils may thrive on fire and hate
and brimstone. We--humiliating, unpalatable and boring as it may seem
-have to swallow down the home-truths which Jesus and Prince Kropot–
kin taught us: love is our air and food, by mutual aid alone we live. And
so torturing Zeus will have to step down from his stolen throne at last
and unchain tortured Prometheus; tyrant and victim will have to unite in
bringing back the fire to mankind. That, after a thousand disappoint·
ments and then thousand defeats, will and must be our destiny. That is
why Viertel tells us not to be afraid.
CHRISTOPHER ISHERWOOD
YOGI-BOGEY
Grey Eminence. By Aldous Huxley. Harper
&
Bros. $3.50.
Ostensibly
Grey Eminence
is a biography of Father Joseph, the aris·
tocrat who became a Capuchin friar and later an agent and collaborator
of Richelieu. By lending his sinister talents to the promotion of the
