Yone Noguchi, The Story Of Yone Noguchi: Told By Himself; Illustrated By Yoshio Markino [ 1914 ]
"I . . . hurried to the city library to find out the true age of Chicago. City library! After all, it cannot be anything but Chicagoesque. His is the richest library, no doubt, as everything in Chicago is great in size and wealth. Its million books are filling all the shelves, as the dry goods fill the big stores. Oh, librarian, you furnished me a very good dinner, even ice cream, but—where is the table? The Chicago city library has no solemnly quiet, softly peaceful reading-room; you are like a god who made a perfect man and forgot to put in the soul; the books are worth nothing without having a sweet corner and plenty of time, as the man is nothing without soul. Throw those books away, if you don't have a perfect reading-room! Dinner is useless without a table. I want to read a book as a scholar, as I want to eat dinner as a gentleman. What difference is there, my dearest Chicago, between your honourable library and the great department store, an emporium where people buy things without a moment of selection, like a busy honey bee?The library is situated in the most annoyingly noisy business quarter, under the overhanging smoke, in the nearest reach of the engine bells of the lakeside. One can hardly spend an hour in it if he be not a Chicagoan who was born without taste of the fresh air and blue sky. The heavy, oppressive, ill-smelling air of Chicago almost kills me sometimes. What a foolishness and absurdity of the city administrators to build the office of learning in such place of restaurants and barber shops!Look at that edifice of the city library! Look at that white marble! That's great, admirable; that means tremendous power of money. But what a vulgarity, stupid taste, outward display, what an entire lacking of fine sentiment and artistic love! Ah, those decorations with gold and green on the marble stone spoil the beauty! What a shame! That is exactly Chicagoesque. O Chicago, you have fine taste, haven't you?"
1 Quotes
"I . . . hurried to the city library to find out the true age of Chicago. City library! After all, it cannot be anything but Chicagoesque. His is the richest library, no doubt, as everything in Chicago is great in size and wealth. Its million books are filling all the shelves, as the dry goods fill the big stores. Oh, librarian, you furnished me a very good dinner, even ice cream, but—where is the table? The Chicago city library has no solemnly quiet, softly peaceful reading-room; you are like a god who made a perfect man and forgot to put in the soul; the books are worth nothing without having a sweet corner and plenty of time, as the man is nothing without soul. Throw those books away, if you don't have a perfect reading-room! Dinner is useless without a table. I want to read a book as a scholar, as I want to eat dinner as a gentleman. What difference is there, my dearest Chicago, between your honourable library and the great department store, an emporium where people buy things without a moment of selection, like a busy honey bee?The library is situated in the most annoyingly noisy business quarter, under the overhanging smoke, in the nearest reach of the engine bells of the lakeside. One can hardly spend an hour in it if he be not a Chicagoan who was born without taste of the fresh air and blue sky. The heavy, oppressive, ill-smelling air of Chicago almost kills me sometimes. What a foolishness and absurdity of the city administrators to build the office of learning in such place of restaurants and barber shops!Look at that edifice of the city library! Look at that white marble! That's great, admirable; that means tremendous power of money. But what a vulgarity, stupid taste, outward display, what an entire lacking of fine sentiment and artistic love! Ah, those decorations with gold and green on the marble stone spoil the beauty! What a shame! That is exactly Chicagoesque. O Chicago, you have fine taste, haven't you?"
"أسرعتُ إلى مكتبة المدينة لأكتشف العمر الحقيقي لشيكاغو. مكتبة المدينة! لا يمكن أن تكون إلا شيكاغوية الطابع. إنها أغنى مكتبة، بلا شك، فكل شيء في شيكاغو عظيم في حجمه وثروته. ملايين الكتب تملأ رفوفها، كما تملأ البضائع الجافة المتاجر الكبرى. آه، أيها أمين المكتبة، لقد قدمت لي عشاءً شهيًا جدًا، حتى الآيس كريم، ولكن – أين المائدة؟ مكتبة مدينة شيكاغو لا تملك غرفة قراءة هادئة بوقار، وادعة بسكينة؛ أنت كإله خلق إنسانًا كاملاً ونسي أن يضع فيه الروح؛ فالكتب لا قيمة لها دون زاوية لطيفة ووقت وافر، كما أن الإنسان لا شيء بدون روح. ارمِ تلك الكتب بعيدًا، إن لم يكن لديك غرفة قراءة مثالية! العشاء بلا فائدة بدون مائدة. أريد أن أقرأ كتابًا كعالم، كما أريد أن أتناول العشاء كرجل نبيل. ما الفرق، يا شيكاغو العزيزة، بين مكتبتك الموقرة والمتجر الكبير، ذلك السوق الذي يشتري فيه الناس الأشياء دون لحظة اختيار، كالنحلة العاملة المشغولة؟
تقع المكتبة في أكثر الأحياء التجارية إزعاجًا وضجيجًا، تحت الدخان المتدلي، على مقربة من أجراس محركات القطارات المطلة على البحيرة. بالكاد يستطيع المرء قضاء ساعة فيها إن لم يكن من أهل شيكاغو الذين وُلدوا دون تذوق للهواء النقي والسماء الزرقاء. إن هواء شيكاغو الثقيل، الخانق، ذو الرائحة الكريهة يكاد يقتلني أحيانًا. يا له من حماقة وسخافة من مديري المدينة أن يبنوا صرح العلم في مثل هذا المكان المليء بالمطاعم وصالونات الحلاقة!
انظر إلى صرح مكتبة المدينة ذاك! انظر إلى ذلك الرخام الأبيض! إنه عظيم، مثير للإعجاب؛ هذا يعني قوة مالية هائلة. ولكن يا لها من ابتذال، وذوق غبي، ومجرد استعراض خارجي، ويا له من افتقار تام للمشاعر الراقية والحب الفني! آه، تلك الزخارف بالذهب والأخضر على حجر الرخام تفسد الجمال! يا للعار! هذا هو الطابع الشيكاغوي بالضبط. يا شيكاغو، لديك ذوق رفيع، أليس كذلك؟"
Yone Noguchi, The Story Of Yone Noguchi: Told By Himself; Illustrated By Yoshio Markino [ 1914 ]
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