33875222 Hebdomeros by Giorgio de Chirico

HEBDOMEROS

HEBDOMEROS
GIORGIO DE CHIRICO

*
IVII'II MONSIEUB [NTBODUCTION DUDBON'S BY JOHN Louise: ADVe:NTUBE ASHBEBY AND OTHEI{ TBANSLATIONS ROBERT METAPHYSICAL BY JOHN WBITINGS ASHBERY, BOURGEOIS, DAMON GOLDWATER, AND KRUKOWSKI, POLIZZOTTI MARK

MCMXCII EXACT CHANCE

CAMBRIDGE

. II." "Some Perspectives on my Art. IV." "Dream." and "Courbet" © 1967." "That Evening Monsieur Dudron." and "Letter to Andre Breton" © 1955 The Museum of Modern Art Reprinted by pennission of The Museum of Modem Art Translation of "Monsieur Dudron's Adventure." and "I Was in New York" © 1992 Exact Change All Rights Reserved ISBN 1-878972-06-5 Painting by Giorgio de Chirico. VII." and "It Was Something Like" © 1992 John Ashbery Translation of "Manuscript from the Collection of Paul Eluard" (III... Furniture. LIKE. V... for John Ashbery Translation of "Manuscript from the Collection of Paul Eluard" (I. f TIN R. and XII-XX). "Proteus." "On Silence. and Generals." "The Survivor of Navarino. "Manuscript from the Collection of Jean Paulhan. "The Joy of the Return" (1914-15) Private Collection Exact Change books are edited by Damon Krukowski and designed by Naomi Yang PUBLISHER'S NOTE vii ix INTRODUCTION HEBDOMEROS (1929) 1 FRAGMENTS THE THE FROM THE ERA OF SON HEBDOMEROS (1928): ENGINEER'S OF 121 130 SURVIVOR NAVARINO MONSIEUR DUD RON'S ADVENTURE (1939) 139 FRAGMENTS THAT RELATING TO MONSIEUR DUDRON. and VIII-XI).IPT ftlPT WAS 168 G S FRO FROM FROM MEA THE THE R L Y MAN COLLECTION COLLECTION USC RIP OF OF T S (1911-1 PAUL JEAN 91 5) : 175 205 ELUARD PAULHAN PROTEUS 215 .~- ~ -." "Salve Lutetia. DUDRON (1938): 163 EVENING MONSIEUR SOMETHING IT n. VI. 1975 John Ashbery Reprinted by permission of Georges Borchardt.------------- ~ ---------- CONTENTS Hebdomeros © 1964 Flammarion Originally published in French This edition © 1992 Exact Change Published by arrangement with flammarion Introduction: "The Decline of the Verbs" © 1966 John Ashbery Translation of "The Engineer's Son." "Statues. lnc.

and "It Was Something Like . The Monsieur Dudron pieces have been translated II~I. New York.. the other translations by 10hn Ashbery. SOME FURNITURE." were previously published in the journals Art and Literature .1 hirico." "The Survivor of Navarino. which also carried a printer's • from Belgrade. "That Evening " --are -notably udron . "Monsieur th first time. To this translation by de Chirico. hn hbery for this edition. calls that no such publisher Its provenance existed at the Fifth Avenue address remains.- --- ----------- - ESSAYS AND OTHER WRITINGS PUBLISHED BRETON (1922) 222 224 232 236 IN JOURNALS: 219 LETTER TO ANDRE DREAM ON SALVE SILENCE (1924) (1924) PUBLISHER'S (1927) 243 248 NOTE LUTETIA (1925) COURBET STATUES. in 1966. an li d inside the Four Seasons book. the fragments of what seems to have been another novel Adventure. PERSPECTIVES (1925) AND GENERALS ON MY ART YORK (1938) (1935) 255 I W AS IN NEW BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION 259 11 • translation of Giorgio de Chirico's novel Hebdomeros was previ- u I published in an edition of 500 copies by The Four Seasons Book ty. December 18." ". appeared whose introduction to the present as a review in Book Week. II 'ngineer's Son." "On Silence. and the publisher has V n untraceable." and (II b l. collected hl.. as befits Hebdomeros.. n originally • I" 10hn Ashbery. it was unsigned.. Most and Mon- these were all written in French coJlection of his "metaphysical" in ephemeral Dudron's journals published or pamphlets. what authoritative riginally 1111 we have attached a number of other literary and constitute writings.

. '" iOIl of short prose narratives called The Immaculate Conception.11 I. \ 111.." from the Collection of Jean Paulhan. and Keith and Rosmarie Waldrop for their help in the of this volume.'asion a new style and a new kind of novel which he was not to III-(1.'m has probably been the most powerful single influence on 111(\ tworuieth-century Iliid By JOHN and nearly all of the remaining here for the first time in English." were previously published INTRODUCTION THE DECLINE OF THE ASHBERY VERBS in James Thrall Soby's Giorgio de Chirico and are reprinted courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art. If this is true. Far better is the col- II"v. Everything about Hebdomeros is mysterious. was "110' I'nrlly" a surrealist. novel. WI'"I' II. . yet it has produced few notable surrealist has aged badly like a solemn put-on. however. I.but which could be of great interest to writers today who . Anne-Solange the Museum of Modern Art. 1 II De Chirico wrote lit -cade after his genius as a painter had mysteriously evaporated. II . wrote with Paul Eluard.in.Andre Breton's Nadja.l:-l.·I1I'\'!·lymatters that de Chirico. is probably Hebdomeros.. written II Cior"io de Chirico in 1929 and now at last available in English. a language not his own. such as The Peasant of Paris and The Adventures II/ Tclcmachus.w. f. and (sometimes approximate) Rodney G. ""ud intermittently Falsey of the Houghton Library. With this work and a few of Aragon's Eugene Richie. it in French. can be found at the end of the volume. preparation would like to thank John Ashbery. pieces appear information . Complete bibliographic dates of composition are indicated in the table of contents. the list of major works of surrealist fiction is almost I OIlIpll"l . The translations water"Manuscript by Louise Bourgeois and Robert Gold"Manuscript and "Letter to Andre Breton"- from the Collection of Paul Eluard. pll' Communist novels. The publisher Dennis and Elizabeth Noble and Flammarion.( viii) PUBLISHER'S NOTE and Big Sky. It should be noted that the Eluard manuscript has been corrected and expanded for this edition using material that was not included most of this material in the Soby book.'IIII"'lIli. Mark Polizzotti. and he invented for II. both as a painter and a writer. The finest of them. It . then the term ought to be refined iii illl·lllde him and also to exclude a great deal of drivel that can qualify " urrealism under the famous "automatic writing" clause in Breton's 1111111 i '1'1 o. the official masterpiece.

to his great regret. but also the sarcasm of the elite. dropped and reintrovast emigrations. for the city of Turin-its arcades. via Nietzsche. lacks. like his painting. with every right. "IIIIII'IS. 1955). We are III I iluiving seaport town where Hebdomeros and his friends are living III I ensile. who evolves by and It remained unobtainable uuuts . Manfred. he also has a Socratic strain which sets him apart. which often is necessary to far-reaching minds. when it was reissued in France.(x) INTRODUCTION fohn Ashbery I('cording to the sum of his experiences. texture. r but dense medium containing is sometimes forced to speak in "a language that on any other occasion would have brought upon his shoulders not only the sarcasm of the crowd. This each time that a creation of a special character obliged him 1111141 dll('('d til What gives Hebdomeros a semblance of plot and structure is the irful way in which leitmotifs are introduced. for are trying to extend the novel form. out. A ship flying unknown colors has arrived in port. are always unexpected -'0 take on a power of persuasion which Lautreamont's ill its insane beauty. Hebdomeros His ancestry can be traced back whom de Chirico statuary. though it reads as if it did. and and frequently change in mid-clause. he is uncommitted: "His theories of life varied *Giorgio de Chirico (New York: The Museum of Modern Art. bourgeois salons in which the hero feels strangely at III'"H·-these 111101 to isolate himself completely and place himself beyond good and evil. II lilliing-a II I ." But if Hebdomeros shares the epical moodiness of other romantic supermen of the nineteenth century. de Chirico wrote nothing else which can be called literature. His long run-on sentences. Unlike the hero of Lautreamont's Chants de Maldoror. the work has an almost Mahlerian. trivial images or details can suddenly congeal' and take 1111 I admired and with whom he shared an enthusiasm public piazzas are common themes in his early paintSoby has pointed ureater specific gravity. But they unfold in such a way that HIli' is eldom conscious of a repetition. where one least expects them. IIl1d freedom of narration.dible prose style. to Maldoror. of belonging. earthquakes. only of a shifting. Revolutions and assassinations. allow a cinematic the cast of characters stitched together In this through various landscapes alone or accompanied widl semicolons. apparently he set little store by Hebdomeros. always passionately agoraphobia-inducing ing. visions of the Arctic. form a backdrop against which he moves. who is committed to evil. much as a banal object in a de Chirico rubber glove or an artichoke-can rivet our attention is inobjects that are His language. one of IIH' plll:iscngers is a certain Thomas Lecourt who is known locally as . but which. that same elite to which he boasted. and tidal waves. towers. and all but unknown until 1964. nllid medium. he was obliged to renounce." as one critic has said. Its sole character is Hebdomeros. of Africa. The hypnotic quality of Hebdomeros proceeds from de Chirico's ill('l' . IllId Ill' Greece. orchestrated I"\iur " radually the novel builds up to a long central episode. a kind of "metaphysician" and situations. but especially beyond the good. the setting a shadowy band of young disciples. and the movement of the book as a whole. The novel has no story. ~nd Melmoth.-rcl y through being present. happened as the prophet renounces his mother. * Like Nietzsche il"ihl : a transparent 1III1I'neal than reality. Yet except for a few short fragments. "both Dante Virgil. I'rou tian." /llid (xi) His actions and pronouncenovel. as James Thrall de Chirico.

" The not entirely satisfactory has found a perfected form' gress along the road to his father's rnent of the return of the prodigal trees. and he understood.· »nd the "declining verbs" of living." Hebdomeros father. She spoke of immortality in the great starless night. 'I am Immortality. A joyous parade of citizens cheers him on. De Chirico himself has long since vanished inside this immor- 1 ilil .· illlplying. . shuttered villa. His deliberate rejection of the work for which the world remem1"'1'1'1 him seems curiously prefigured and perhaps even justified by a 1IIIIIrliI' of passages in Hebdomeros. Illi whole vast horizon spoke of everlasting life. thought of the death of my death? Have you thought of my life? One day. the curtains which had billowed out romantically in the open windows sank back again like flags when the wind drops. '0 Hebdomeros. but they illlliioitalily is a female noun with the eyes of the father: she exist. of which this is perhaps the most It rounding: A few days later the prodigal's not dispelled. a prey to new and deeper his penetration. Hebdomeros eucalyptus flew by singing. he is again alone. Nouns have their gender. which is marred by an soon leaves this region for new adventures doubts of his superiority. and one in whom the fantastic fluctuation of Hebdomeros' upvr-mind may finally be contained and resolved.. decline. and the verbs. weary of their past life and of their present life and of the years that still awaited them. Men in shirtsleeves who had been playing billiards suddenly stopped playing as though they had become immensely weary. Have you ever thought of my death? Have you ever or rather their sex. dying. after unfortunate quarrel between two guests who are acting in a pantomime. the wind held its breath. she said. I. which lies in a park of j 111111 (11111(. neither sad nor sunny. II 1IIII'd-Lo-definedeity. (xiii) "the prodigal son"." recent return of his son had undoubtedly alleviated though unfortunately gives a reception in his honor." where "a long sacred procession marvelous of heavenly birds. as you once said with much finesse. Suddenly he finds himself with a woman who has "the eyes of his father. with their long procession of hours. whose sufferings "the "Though autumn had stripped bare the century-old trees. The noises died down. islands.(xii) INTRODUCTION and his friends watch his weary provilla.. telling his friends a long tale of his own father. just hours! I. 0 brother . sad or sunny.' alas. and being born again.ulate whiteness. or simply neutral. of an .1 l John Ashbery . and. .' " And the book ends with a view of "green islands. rather like the one Nietzsche seems always to suddenly fall silent at the sight of the mute.

HEBDOMEROS .

. which were very wide and made throughof varnished wood. Though it was neither a Sunday nor a or Ille IlIIliduy the shops were closed at the time.. at the foot III . "It's strange. also carved in wood.'rtitood what he meant. the very would keep me obscure.1".. smiled and said they found the comparison the subject concluded odd.'h. that particular towns on Sundays.It'ki-. Large shops II.l1'. running up the middle was a carpet. The idea that the hllilding resembled a German consulate in Melbourne was a purely I"'IHolial one of Hebdomeros'. stairs on a little Doric column carved out of oak and joined to tI'I1 nile! of the banister stood a polychrome statue.· . and when he spoke about it to his friends 11"1 "I I'." 101"11 'hat something uwukr- my understanding at nights. whereas people in general are not in the least perturbed WIIlHIthey see or read or hear things they find completely 1111' '1'1.. I." when one's thoughts Hebdomeros had escaped was thinking. melancholy with Anglo-Saxon air. Seen from outside. building looked like a German consulate in Melbourne. the indefinable and highly suggestive odor given nll'li warehouses adjoining the wharves in a port.k Lip the whole ground floor. "as for me. hung in the air. and he reflected on the difficulty of making "'"' elf understood . dreary atmosphere A faint smell of OIH' ussociates oI.. but they im- fllI·ili It Iy dropped and went on to talk about something Ilebdomeros from this that perhaps they had not really reached a certain height or lIud." hcgan to climb the stairs. And then began the visit to that strange building located in an ""lil 'I' Iy respectable but by no means dismal street. .. which gave to this portion ureet a weary..

without standing 1111 lipltH: you could see its complicated entrails and clear-cut internal .S. the lighting and I 111'11'11. its head lowered. he also thought of 01 liili . Then came the apparition of the bear. especially sickness. It was a dream which always foretold i II illhie. should they encounter a particularly strange kind of apparition. and he felt the onset of something like the colic. (personal delivery). 11111111 lilt IIl'nand a body covered with scars. They were coming to the threshold of a vast. .. Live the life of a socialite. looking more warily around them..D. in a corner Ii f.. speaking in a low voice to the younger And he thought of the music halls whose brightly conjure up visions of Dante's paradise. his shoes made a horrible noise. or a doctor specializing IIpllllHand anatomical fragments. when the world was young. any case even outside his dreams his shoes rarely squeaked for he had them made known throughout the father. More of those upholstered doors and short." said Hebdomeros. deserted corridors. Hebdomeros dentist. the frightening.'111'. they slowed down and began to climb on tiptoe. the headlong flight through rooms with complicated exits. Invitation card. the immense canopy over the uugrnenting t III ""11 the evening shadows. this perturbed Giorgio de Chirico (3) head. 11111 Ii IWelU and blood-soaked other hand. decorated in the style of 1880.. . When they saw they were coming to the floor which they had been told had a history of being haunted by strange apparitions. a retired gladiator with eyes like a v IIII·lled by a bored instructor. which was completely bare of fur- automatics with spare magazines in the pockets of their trousers. (repondez. llinn uddenly: Society! Move in society.reminded one of the gaming rooms at Monte Carlo. and looking as if its thoughts were elsewhere. Hebdomeros' IIIIIII'U.ornpanions. on the town for the high quality of his leather. relentless bear that follows you on the stairs and along the corridors. as if he were crushing bags of nuts at every step).. throwing his arms out in front iii IliH . Anguish at nightfall.1 atmosphere I of this room. holding aloft a gas lamp whose burner had an asbestos mantle over it. athletic fellows carrying that two of his friends were with him-strong.·ilina III It II"ii" iftemoons in Rome. was hopeless when it came to buying shoes.ornpanions. in a state of anguish he would be climbing a staircase bathed in a dim light. In a corner of the drawing III. when the games would be over for the day I Ille sun sinking lower in the sky. in the classic pose of a captain prudently halting him a little. "Gladiators! There's an enigma word. hi h-c ilinged room.V. a sailor's song. R. They stayed abreast of one another but moved apart a little so they could get downstairs quickly and freely. and smells floating up from sand . II .(2) representing HEBDOMEROS a Californian Negro with his hands stretched above his felt as though he were going upstairs to visit a in venereal diseases. like those condor-men Leonardo drew for amusement among his catIIlId Vision of Rome. he tried to fight down this uneasiness by reminding himself he was not alone. a staircase made of varnished wood with a thick carpet in the middle which muffled his Jootsteps-(in to measure by a shoemaker named Perpignani. the leap through the window into empty space (suicide in a dream) and the gliding descent. How to behave.illl siood an enormous grand piano with its top up. P. 111.'/11 ctiqueue.·harge of his men. At that moment Hebdomeros thought of his childhood dreams. ~'" IiW.diatorswearing diving helmets were practicing halfheartedly.P.(llI. plait).. "Here we are!" said Hebdomeros.

with the wax running hammers.11111'1"0 just like that. for they had never met you. they had never heard of the war in the Transvaal any hold over them.--_ .. the only thing to do was to live and let live. . of the atmosphere. that pianist you didn't really see. Yes. he he also their rancor. quality to it. and those characters moving around the piano with cups of coffee in their in all things.IIIS! Wonderful! gave him little or no satisfaction III III it dllll("d him. animate and inanimate.ernal questions: 11101 her What is life? What is death? Is life possible of the laws of nature. holding looked silently and intently at in a highly always did when his mind was haunted hands as though in the face of danger. a world apart. they knew nothing about anything.\liMI." said Hebthen all three of them. question/t-r-wet« they really aliv~? . even if they were ~Iunces. people. attracted served the mysterious reminded 1111 II of the soul. the original. in the subconscious about cicadas. piercing or the disaster in Martinique. especially 11. as Heb- ddlil"lIlt to give a reply. '''lflll"lling disasters of dogs. I._ __::---. lit II Ifl no wish to awaken ~III unk from their admiration. and hindering to his companions.. (4) anatomy. i II' several nights of deep meditation plI. even to the enigmatic things III IIwls. he was afraid of opening a discussion fill Hli scene.1 others' glances piercing his back or sides. But-that II have been if one of those chandeliers in the melogenous stretched domeros.hlwlI.h(. to attract no attention. nothing could disturb them or have acid nor a stiletto nor an armorpounds of lyddite in it bullet. making the gestures and movements of athletes jumping in slowmotion films. Or else he would have liked people to pay attention 11111 ~ rull to the fuse ofan infernal to make you despair. in the dreams of this kind. I"""f. they imagined they were passengers IIH' ·I. to come._ HEBDOMEROS but you could easily imagine what a catastrophe it would Giorgio de Chirico (5) flllVil"Ollment. hands.If a rebel (let's call him that) had had a mind to light machine. inexplicable "1'''"''. "Better not think about it. he would have liked that: to note. the precise working of candles had fallen into the piano with all the candles lit. which eliminated all the shadows. and he knew no way of altering anyIldll' about it. For that matter..1h deep down he felt instinctively ill 'Iilll by other without making a sound. in what is enigmatic A strange. right away. III in a totally different way.What a disaster pit. their hysteria.fllTed their high opinion of themselves. in the inviolability the scene before them really did have an underwater one of large aquaria. ·.'vn.It silence lay and playing if only on account of the diffused light planet? Do you believe in metempsychosis. Hebdomeros the hundred all such exclamations ""I. neither prussic they did not recognize you. He was only happy when nobody took the slightest notice 1""1· 10 be dressed like everybody else.) would have burned away slowly. It would have been very to the question. Moreover. But misgivings were aroused with him. (Translator's in . the astonishing advanced submarine. quail's heads looking through the portholes and watching unobplant and animal life of the deep. o---.. taut like Ulysses' bow. the little felt-covered turning laden with pink and blue wax down the steel strings. as there to be seen. as: Great! Marand eventually those who discussed complex feelings flll!. without by a complicated with his friends in the immorin ghosts and the ele- d. It was enough held that it was the effect of the II. all these people lived in a world of their own. hissing like damp logs. 1':".1 ·kin of the leopard? 111"111 He hated discussions over the whole scene: that pianist sitting at his instrument was nothing about him that deserved out of a drama. in his friends. never '".

But no one ever went into the adjoining II re was the place of the buffet. as something which sooner or I' . with clockwork regularity. They were talking of gluing the pieces together again. and when . the idea of the sky being turned upside down had mesmerized these good folk. Now and then.. nobody accused him. wave began to form at some distance .. This was the setting in which IIlIi" . For the great black fishes might swallow you up I It the fathomless depths of the sea. like a well-known constellation. The sea was smooth. at black cockroaches in the depths of the empty pots. the whole family being gathered together in the middle of the dining room round the broken remains of their cherished vase from Rhodes. and each was putting in his word.1 III(' idea of fish.I 1 11. acute disappointment. open sea. then crashing headlong 'gainst the shore with sliced in two. half-Homeric.urred to Hebdomeros to associate the idea of cockroaches 1111. .(6) HEBDOMEROS 1111 W 1M Giorgio de Chirico said and done-apart of looking up-at early Chaldean (7) have all the advantages and satisfaction of being famous but with none of the bother.. lying out on terraces with their heads 111"lI'd 11111111. I up toward the stars. But nobody moved. swelling ill I h. perfectly mirroring the sky from the shore. Let's take the example of the broken vase. she was the first to break the spell they were under as they gazed.: The closed door would not budge. or of paleontologists eagerly looking at a fossil just brought to light by the pick. and he could not help taking the words of the 1"1 1. 111111 gathering speed.: The broken vase was very valuable.· would bring down misfortune on these men. iflel' 1'111 ('(:n 1.".· Ii rht of the setting sun. but the two words great and black reminded him III II poi rnant scene. Ex. 1111 HII rh I he fine summer nights. to the extent of immobilizing them. as could easily be seen at that moment. lip by shame. Between one wave and the was absolute silence and calm. this was completely untrue. They were staring with the intent interest of archaeologists watching a statue being unearthed.l1l1i1 I'OS heard for the first time the entreaty of the fisherman's h AI (irst he thought her husband had already set out in his boat III Ilid Ih . It had "" "" o ' .It. The life of a sybarite. which he had once followed 1'1 "II witnessed toward evening on the rocky shores of an arid island.llId that moment they were the worthy colleagues or Babylonian III i110H(. which had stood on the buffet for ninety-two years.. Though it was widely believed he was a child-martyr whose cruel mother gave him a beating on the slightest pretext. for hypnotizing the seven members of the family. Some said they knew of expert craftsmen who did this kind of work so perfectly that afterward you couldn't see any sign of the break. the silver teapot and the dread 'I' Ii I h. And it was true that the pieces were arranged in the form of a trapezoid. The lady of the house (the woman accused by the whole district of being a terror to young Achilles) was the least impressed of all. of a thunderclap III \1 Illnl' I" 11. .. if you will! Ex. the seven members of the family stared down at the whitish fragments. With the palms of their hands resting on their bent knees and their elbows sticking out as though they were sitting on invisible stools. constantly exposed W to the dangers of storms: Let my arms be your oars and my tresses your ropes.'1'1 1MII bad omen for the fishermen. .h. Achilles' brother was of the opinion that it was the way on the floor which was largely responsible the pieces were scattered from the fact they were looking down astronomers who kept watch III 1. had caused Hebdomeros half-Byronic.

its only opening could be seen far in the distance especially \ II loword the north. . by American French ones. them was saying that sometimes he woke up hungry during the night. II "It of . suddenly comes upon a male adult with his strewn with small polished the two men with One of to satisfy a need as natural as it was urgent. he ended III II moment with the absolute wr-r III and as he made his way to the hotel for his evening meal he like a pure young girl who. dinner they had together. white linen waist- '''"1115ina torrent. In 'III was telling how (its inhabitants at about three sense of disappointment. r nights when the town was almost deserted . as their lives charms hanging from their watch chains. was even more brutish. of the hotel.. were warlike and boastful by demigods who.. 1"'11\'which remained blurred in his mind's eye. The later he caught sight of the husband. 11.n blew from the sea had twisted III11111. This episode feel a vague sadness instead depths Yet he should have been glad at the thought of being devoured But such is human Weare by the great black fish his nets on for nature: we hunger of the sea.· Ilright light of that fine October day it was as though the hapless "111 racked by the torture of a never-ending storm. alas!-but by being ashamed IIII1I1. Still further off in the distance majestic moun111111 IIIH('high. quietly for a II Giorgio de Chirico (9) III' had taken to having a large bowl of milk set out on the bedside at night.1111'1' I. one on each arm. rather dirty. Idillion. in the fathomless the doorstep hut some thirty yards from there. was quietly mending always disappointed then drank it down at one gulp before going to sleep. 1111 ~one to the seaside or the country to escape from the midsummer ill" ""'ii) II' would walk down the Avenue des Citronniers to them talking. when we see two angry people hurling violent insults at each other. i.. A gust of in his heart. bystanders when we come was trying to recall upon a crowd of people in the street and find that it's only a ring of round a hawker selling fountain pens. Hebdomeros fist fights.11. then settling their quarrel without coming to blows and offering us one of those magnificent lavishly provided der-in feelings and analyzed was blushing trousers stones. though older. while behind it flutters behind II.! ereens and men cut to pieces.10111 as he half listened eros. The fierce winds them into the would-be everything. I"jll~ III " In the little garden the goatee beards. pine trees. ururu the door open. few moments HEBDOMEROS on this occasion his anguish was short-lived. III 1111" Illuming with two young ladies of easy virtue.(8) Fortunately.1 poses of exotic dancers. so that the room was lit like an artist's 1111. I" Ih north (the side diametrically opposite the sea) the horizon This made Hebdomeros down.. or again. whereas from a discars smashed to smithtance we had been imagining horrible disasters. III thought of all this as he examined this made a rather curious contrast stillness which layover his state of mind. of his hut. II II tragedy and catastrophes. III II. 111'111 WIIHthe site of the famous caves inhabited 111111 IIl1l1g.n who. whose emerald waters wearing crumpled. chasing a playful butterfly as a bush. but who later.. He could vaguely studio. coats with elaborate III' Husel and of the bridges over the Rhine..111" with all the purity of a Swiss landscape. with their snow-capped peaks sparkling in the sunshine. nearer you could see trees. raising it as though to pour II(.11 mountain whose other side sloped down toward the gulf. a part of I'IIII'TI a room which had no windows facing the sea. mingled with a \ 11"11 got into bed he took up the bowl. mending 111111" his maid when she came to turn back the sheets I)y II his nets in his fisherman's wind had pushed made Hebdomeros that the fisherman. exposing him to view. so no wonof his films and so rare..1 through this opening III lilill. squatting it was a cheerless 1.

. was a child.artillery at the barracks or was it an earthquake. with dinners on the beach. somewhere .!'"I' . So now the great problem was to get out." 11"11 "" i\ nd their hostile eyes converged on him like the guns of a '1l1l1dl'OIion an enemy's fort. coastal as he stood in the middle of the room. won: of very indifferent 1.'rnal.1<.·d 011 their enlarged riors of flawless profiles and virile beauty stood guard.. prostitutes.(10) HEBDOMEROS into the blissful Giorgio de Chirico 111. igning interest f II. The peacocks.. the burning summer.. with the nonchalance of Platonic boy-lovers. as they trailed their II I through the windows and arranged them in the main square.1 11101"are times when this is much more difficult to do. III Illi unyielding was thinking Areopagites. posing for a photogcourage "11'1.h conveyed the very peculiar (11) gave heart-rending with plants and wore on and the time for them to cross the threshold kingdom of Life Eternal then.111.. That is why Hebdomeros preferred to in all the pictures and objets d'art. .h II. a "seismic waves as they broke at regular intervals I"." as the newspapers put it? The whole population of the 111_1 ••• '1 wns spending the night in the open. looking as arms were sitting with their Herculean like wrestlers 1111111.41 under the trees of the wild garden. for example.. politician holding a stone scroll on S 111111101 statue of the tail-coated Ih\' 11I. And he yielded to the delight of reliving a bygone the throes of colic as they lay in their hotel rooms on sheets made hot heat.1I I hioned villa whose long veranda was crammed l sons the art of making medicines Though autumn had stripped 1111 d flowers.. that was \ 111. tails tilt wl. human being could have summoned to rise and escape from watchful circle.. . moss grew.. ivy climbed and green took the winter carpets that covered them .. quality of the facade of this 1. absorbed by the need to be clever and round weapons "II Illilliuntly the conversations they have begun. I. tombstones 1IIIId' "lay to slip past the guests and take French leave. It was gone now. There are dwi 1I. 1111111'. massive and heavy as a miniaturized bare the century-old vast horizon spoke of everlasting life. \ 11"'1. breasts.1. at a party..i . this thought had been nagging at Hebdomeros for some time. ulptor had engraved his name and the date of the work. II II IIu. 1111111 Olli' I' of tuning the huge lyre.11(. in a stifling atmosphere through the open window came the sound of the on the shore.'It when this can be done without difficulty.1 walls of which all those fifty-year-old Ihe 1"ld. Before the shrines in which the sacred moldered and rusted away under sacrosanct when the guests are going in that case it is om to another. this whole of Herakles bearded warby grinding bitter plants and the art trees. everyone had thrown math' _ I' Ii there in the darkness. Hebdomeros recalled those dinners the bathers. III hour of twilight. on the other 111111.'v(. hll.l'yone is talking and gesticulating. It was the season when Valtadore out of their boxes and shook off the naphthaline Winds on shore The weather fine Evening storms Of summertime. turned into sages and poets and taught their grandcathedral.1. drew near.1 h-bdomeros I I. though quality and he had known them by heart with gardens draped in the evening mist.. It was time to get up and go out. It would have needed IIt._ IlIf. whose main dish was rotting red causing them to writhe all night in that stank of dirty out mullet which poisoned by the midsummer toilets and linoleum. Along the brick walls on the side the sun's rays never reached..

This. every one of the same shape and as alike one another as twins. it was no whiter near the horizon. sooner or later. in corded bales. tired from the day's hunting. the candle burned down and dripped into strange shapes. Its the fashion of the day. At noon in those transitional seasons. "compared to what that town was like on summer nights. there was doubt about it: all these young people were living in a never-ending . or else to trade and build. to end up in this huge glass house.piece of taut paper. so white in the moonlight!-and those truly prodigious nights when flowers thrown into the air fell thick and fast. the children and the youths enjoyed equal status. her face thoughtful and serious. it was blue all over from top to bottom. they might have been called upon to explore far-off squares. his head in his hands. and the children came to lean over it. Yes. and countless offerings had been laid on the deserted shores of a sea whose every wave bore thousands and thousands of roses. the sky was as blue as a ." said Hebdomeros. autumn and spring. after several failures. On those days of supreme happiness. with hideous gnomes leering and making threatening waves. where the wet nurses gathered with their babes. Yet. for the north attracted them more than the other points of the compass. its stem was to the north. those children who loved to daydream. The youths already old enough 10 chanting: there would be the ocean in a storm. later they would feel the pull of the west as well. these virgin athletes gymnasts at practice running on the shining tracks. east and west-all sense of direction. naked or clothed according 10 side of a path whose edges were shaded by almond trees in blossom. retiring at night into wagons fitted up as traveling homes and which. south. would have bought and sold merchandise 110 front faced south and so toward the sea. When that happened. or the children still playing at making sand of them would have been called. seeking a fugitive ideal in the midst of so many fellow sufferers. but for the moment. And now. or make sculptures of warriors and great politicians so that their effigies. Years of one's youth. But at such moments it sometimes happened that the back wall opened up like a theater curtain sometimes terrifying. sometimes sublime or engestures on the foaming crests of the of asgreen. to the cries of hyenas and ju ·kals. was why he spent whole nights sitting up in bed. u veritable ceiling stretching over the town. Or yet again. they would have traded with neighboring lands. gentle slopes rising on either and visions appeared. lunds. onized. in fact-was lind adolescent lost to these young people. then. after all that." -------~ . would stand in the peaceful shade of the Or again. between his pipe and tobacco pouch. as predicted in the books of astrology. there was no doubt about it: all these young people were living through one of the most moving hours of their lives. the sense of north. this fairly low but wellproportioned looking for all the world like an enormous toy had been finally placed in position. while on the table. and those who at other times dreamed of the north forgot their reveries. to govern 'a tles or setting traps baited with black olives for the whistling black- birds-all public affairs or to take sword in hand to defend the sacred soil of their motherland." It was Parthenand ephebogogized. along the path slowly walked a woman dressed all in white. "But it's nothing. of serenades by the foot of those necropolises. and sometimes also you would see a spring landscape tonishing poetry and peacefulness: practice in the palestra. Sometimes the solid silver cups and laurel crowns were carried off by ~i rls who sped over the arena like does with feet of bronze. HI eping there. - (12) HEBDOMEROS Giorgio de Chirico (13) Some said that a comet was coming and with it the end of the world. only the north existed for them. pedagogized building.

"hoked the unfortunate tree. his house was a cheerful sight. senators. obsessed as they were by the highest metaphysical overwhelmed. and yet I am going to die!" It was so beautiful. rather less cheerful. Only in the rest of the city was joy as the workmen feverishly Sunday. but people said they were ancestral window would open and against the dark background II rur IIC)Lhing but a figment of the imagination. until it allIed up to that memorable afternoon (for they had worked all morning under the scorching sun of a premature summer at the finishing touches and final adjustments to the almost-completed a strong fragrance work). like too much sorrow. as the whole city lay sleeping sky. these attractive. as for him. They were martyred s. wise in all she does (so people say. for a strange epidemic was raging among them. he no longer looked like a human being. would not have let such intense.. at least). In former days. and his painters-or do ·tors had forbidden hou e was dying with him. when his body was strong nnd radiant with health. these spiral which ("'i and. ·ndly trees.--~ ~ " . so healthy and tonic. college. could have weakened the moral fiber of these sensitive. be they Etruscan couples or landgraves armed . but little by little the great concrete buildings IllId sprung up. he was slowly dying.~-"~. on which the man known as King Lear to habitues of the palace amused himself by spying on the birds. going forward by leaps and bounds. which prevented all their minds. The neighbors no longer recognized one another. high mountains and rocky peaks! Fare- whit tnircases ended in a kind of platform. But he did not look of those figures that IIIl lik ' a statue. There were generals. slowly but surely their relentless encirclement ruund Ir the now joyless house.-:~- -- (14) HEBDOMEROS Ih Giorgio de Chirico room-a (15) present. He watched 0111 well. ---- - - -=. the day of rest. Henceforth it was only a matter of hours. Everything was progressing. the joyful sound of their work resounded advancing. in muted tones. And it was work. as motionless u log. Even when he turned over to take a few minutes' ust. sometimes he sang softly. for Nature. impulsive young people.. they were the silhouettes specially for sparrows. Lying down on the platform.:-. a regular torture-collar III. silhouettes recognized from the street. he took snuff to avoid smoking (his him to smoke). under the star-filled speculations. ' - - -~. since too much happiness. fertile hillsides tightened c'e)v red with fruit trees. Sometimes a would appear. regular daily work. through the interior cloisters. as though he were trying to convey to a circle of intimate friends. such delicately bred happiness last too long. from the windows which let in the spring HII n hine the view stretched all around. over the smiling. twined round its trunk like a giant snake. so poignant! Meanwhile. The lemon trees were already giving off Though the district was now elegant and so much more lively. rather one painter. he was singing in his powerful. But in this stronghold of the pure in heart there was undiminished strove to have everything ready for the appointed day. in the lighted winclear enough to be of the people in dows of that house which reminded one somewhat of a town hall or a shadowy figures stood out. uuquestionahiy II'(. either. nights bathed in the soft light of the moon! I am not struck down by sickness. Hebdomeros shunned il in favor of the park where the pine trees grew. the deep distress of the bandit being taken away to the galleys: "Farewell. hoping to catch them in little-known poses and expressions. with its green hutters and its garden. the kind of people who could understand him. regular congress of ghosts. musical voice. And now you saw other faces in the of the room a ghosts and t. Each one bore a stairway made of wood. there was nothing in his attitude reminiscent Ii" on stone sarcophagi. from being completely Even far into the night.

sparrows looked really monstrous. everything living on in other shapes and other forms of matter. nothing destroyed. Nor was there anything that reminded one of those old men with flowing beards and gentle eyes. Across the clear autumn sky sailed great white statuesque ·Iouds. he was turning into something like a large piece of undressed wood. the explorer would muse as he gazed at the great wingless genii lying on the clouds. just as the Roman countryside does on days when the grape harvest is taken in. with their elbows supported by amphorae lying on their sides. and the slow. That was why the platform looked upside down as he lay upon it in watch.(16) HEBDOMEROS Giorgio de Chirico (17) from head to foot. desperately clinging to the drifting icebergs. indecently naked and rivers. hastily nailed in place to hold up the floor so that it might withstand an impact which would never come. as black as ink against the whiteness of ice floes. arduous process of sailing in the cold waters of the north. his halts in the snow. and the goose's and duck's even less so. he was becoming plaiformized. Nor did he remind one of how near the tract of pines. And he thought of people in Italy making horns (the devil) for the same reason when they met with something they were superstitiously afraid of. as bearers of misfortune. out of his room whose walls were overed with furs and with photographs depicting ships. and behind the wall. there are two: White Neptune and the other birds' heads which made him uneasy. and tears would come to his eyes. Seen from such close quarters. In general he considered birds' heads as bad omens. to prevent quarreling among the neighbors and keep them from trampling on one another's and lettuces. which is why he brought to mind the corpses uncovered at Pompeii. I will warm them in mine!" This was the courtesy that gods alone can show! I say gods. yes. and he was much given to metaphysical in which he thought of quails' heads most of all. regally reclining among reeds. perturbing. or warriors wounded or dying. It wasn't. a ridiculous partition which merely erved to mark off the different areas. the hen's took pride of place. A rhinoceros was standing knee-deep and bronze in the farmyard manure heap. This strange man looked more as though he were petrified. amid which. lying about among the ill-kept flower beds of this melancholy garden there were bronze hoisting-frames pachyderms. the kind of inn that makes us think about the transmigration of souls. it was at such moments that the explorer would come out onto the balcony of his suburban house. joy and comfort to our grandparents. and who in ancient statuary represented the source of the richness of lands. Through lying so long on the platform. in poses of sublime majesty. he was finally becoming part of it. providing their painted or sculptured figures with birds' heads as a homeopathic apprehensions: evil driving out cure for their fears and superstitious evil. The enigmatic. for a crossbeam meant to the strengthen the possible weakness of the planks could only be imagined as being nailed on underneath. Among ·auses us to dwell on immortality and on the theory that nothing is lost. These thoughts came to him mostly when he was in the garden . which were far from being as ·imple as they at first appeared. alarming quality of the heads of birds had more than once sent Hebdomeros off into complicated soliloquies meditation. "Give me your cold seas. cabbages stood the inn. He thought of the Egyptians. for there are two of them. the cock's head he found less perturbing. alas. he recalled his own journ ys. The thought of the grape harvest made Hebdomeros think back to those days. the kind of inn that gave that cheers and refreshes us. that gladiators lay. he would think then of the unfortunate polar bears. lay the wingless genii.

there were weeping women. and he could not have borne for a moment the thought that his friends found him lacking in it. thoughtful appearance and sometimes when she saw him looking out of the window she asked him if he were homesick. as he did every day. but to all the god of the South. This soldier was assiduously courting a maid. An artist's thought is profound-these most important were the opening words of an article that the famous newspapers of the capital. it was always the same scene that met his eyes: maids brushing clothes It the kitchen windows. as Chronos does the faces of old men. and it was the black god that had just said these across the vastness of the world.(18) Black Neptune. the window of his bedroom faced onto a courtyard. the work of this painter remained a mystery to everyone. on the road. who had been nicknamed "the dragonfly" by one of Hebdomeros' friends. She rather liked Hebdomeros' worried. before. in tact was one of the chief that the black race is more polite than any of the others.olonel's orderly would be carefully folding his master's trousers. coming unexpectedly a pair of sparrows pecking at the cherries upon set out for the master's when he rose and. a griffon terri or. laughter and talk of the servants in the house opposite. And yet. Hebdomeros The artist had depicted could be seen sitting on a stone. men with imperial profiles and double chins held in by their helmet straps. in his opinion. words. stretching HEBDOMEROS which is the same as saying the god of the North and out his seaweed-laden arms to his white colleague deduced from all this Giorgio de Chirico (19) articles and studies that were written about it. moreover. and both of them looked mockingly at Hebdomeros each time he appeared at the window. and men in breeches carrying ladders. the artist had shown a dog. he never gave a very straight answer on these occasions. still half asleep. went to open the shutters of his room. around which Roman legionaries were bustling. in spite of the critic Etienne Spartali had devoted to the Negro painter in one of the . himself with a painting submitted to the Salon called Caucasus and Golgotha. too. almost always wakened by as In the morning. The maid. the year human virtues. he had even known painters among the Negroes. in the pose of Hebdomeros in a pensive mood looking at a Renan in the famous Renan in Front of the Parthenon by Andre Brouille. he would have considered it very indiscreet to question the Negro on the subject. He rose early each morning. Hebdomeros he replied that he knew no more about it than anyone else and that. and one of them had distinguished Its meaning was somewhat obscure. and also that it has a warmer heart and more sensitive soul. the noise. Hebdomeros As he was known to be a friend of was questioned by several people. he always liked to observe great tactfulness his personal relationships. The painting Caucasus and Golgotha depicted a wide. The young maid's liking for Hebdomeros grew stronger as time went breakfast on a table in the garden. because of its had won nevertheless a silver medal. the same Negro had won an honorable mention for a painting entitled In Flagrantis. But instead of portraying the drama of adultery. but the painting. Apart from all this. a very blonde girl with quite a good figure. below. after wiping them with a cloth soaked in benzine. balanced appearance. he saw facing him the back of the building which adjoined his. far-off landscape of factories and smoking chimneys. and just opposite his own window an artillery . the painter. dusty road bordered by a rather low outcrop of rock which digging and blasting had pitted and furrowed in many places. was much friendIi r to her neighbor when the colonel's orderly wasn't there. On this rock stood three crosses. the days went by rather monotonously for Ilebdomeros.

and she felt she would have come to love him if an unexpected incident had not suddenly shattered her dearest dreams and illusions. put his hat. coming in contact with the old shoe. and. at least. having a wonderful time. and sat down on a stool. One afternoon. But now it was no lunger a bedroom. of thieves ready 10 steal the wrought-iron tables and chairs from the garden. having completely lost his homesick look. (21 ) steeple bells their by. dazed Hebdomeros a little. in the villages hailed him from the distance. too. where t rrible storms sometimes broke suddenly. but the wildest and the most excited of all was Hebdomeros. "who believed naked children. toward the end of a beautiful April day. busy cleaning a silver teapot. or a hurdle at a Irack meet as it was overturned by a kick. "And I. began to chase the old shoe ahead of him with swift kicks. who. to distract . he rambled at length through the countryside.e with peppers. using the old shoe.I iar and solemn. and so. or the stride of someone wulking quickly but carefully. He thought that his sadness was caused by the fact that the chirping of the birds and the singing of the young orphans reproached him for not being pure enough. h ad of a large. before the noise of the servants ended his sleep. One of them. IJUt not enough to make him forget the country house of a general. like a matricide being led to the gallows. delighted. the corpses of pirates moved slowly back and forth. He thought of prowlers. placed the half-polished disappointed teapot on the kitchen table. had hacked at and torn away in many places. The crossing of that lake which was as vast as an ocean. jumped about like a savage. his cane and his overcoat on the sill of a first-floor window and he. shouting." she thought sadly. as seaweed moves even when the sea is calm. "It must have been a stray dog playing tricks on me. sometimes a shadow passed across it. but soft. On nights when he could not sleep II ' lay in his room on the ground floor and stared at the ceiling dimly lit from outdoors. and so the four friends improvised a soccer game. turbulent family. holding their plates up to their chins with their left that he." he thought. he remembered that in his childhood he had felt the same sadness when in the evening after the sun had set he heard the chirping of the sparrows as they gathered in the trees to pass the night. was not like the others!" Sometimes. she was alone. and weary. and grasping his hunting rifle beIw en his hands. from far off came the echo of the waterfalls rushing down from the tops of those high mountains which men. the beaches. greedy for marble. the refuge of a weary traveler. having spied in a corner an old shoe with a flapping sole. the vast desert of the night. . on a Sunday morning. sent it soaring off among his friends who ducked. had the idea of kicking it around with a well-aimed toe. the whole family of Ih general stood around the oval table and gulped down their meal of ri . Heartsick. going hack to bed after standing his rifle in a corner. at once Hebdomeros. howling with joy each time his toes. and so he Ilprang from his bed. the singing came from a girls' orphanage and each time it plunged him into a black despair. a shape like l huge drawing compass that was opened and closed. and near under three feet of water. the servant girl was at the kitchen window. at that moment she saw him coming out into the courtyard with three of his friends. and thinking of Hebdomeros. hodies skinny. the young maid closed the window. the echo died away in the deep valleys darkened by the shadows of the plane trees. a sweet song came to soothe Hebdomeros' last moments of rest. bathed in the clear waters of rushing streams.(20) HEBDOMEROS Giorgio de Chirico himself. a moonless summer night. he gently edged the door open and peered out: nothing. in his nightshirt and with bare feet. no one.

When it was the hour to return. with cardsharps who stripped him of everything he owned. the fierce invaders who arms at the ready. asking nothing in return. there. a journey. The children. now amused themselves firing their Winchesters at the first bats who birds. this general. who never knew what to do with his hands or where to put that fatal cane which had been lost and found again in the canals of redhued Venicepatience. But the men. and the were chased blazing sun rose in triumphant splendor behind those nearby. a gentle mist blanketed the outline of the shore. where the lizards. rowed gently and hesitated. in a velvet bodice. as they did in the days when the blossoming arbors and the grottoes rang with the call of that squint-eyed gional. I hen seconds after each report the acrid odor of the smokeless powder floated through the open windows. they had a never-failing for often the roistering continued until the early dawn. hopes were setting off on gulf lit up on one side by the full In electric trains as brightly lit as theaters. while the joyful song of the blacksmiths lind the noise of the rustic carts. the way barbers hold their porcelain bowls when they rub alum and water on the freshly shaved cheeks of their customers. blonde and very beautiful. dulled by lack of sleep and by indigestion. artificial slithered over the ancient stones like man. this was paradise. the relightning. in each of them a young peasant tight-laced girl. to go back to those luxurious waiting villas. cobbled roads. with sheaves of wheat decorating their bows. and on the other by the floodlights of the luxurious hotels along the waterfront. To defend the town. ruining them oppose. and of borNight had not yet fallen completely. d voured by the mosquitoes with proboscises I moon. for there was merrymaking of the open-air theaters on the other under those thirsty for blood. Moreover. immortal because they were ever renascent. paradise on earth. 10 acetylene lamps which drew the demented moths to them to be burned. made frightful scenes. sheer madness. with having them fired._< -- --~--:~--~. reducing them to poverty. where only the soft light of the moon held sway. to harvest the hemp in the midsummer heat. "Svetonia! Svetonia!"-but it was only the memory of In echo. this head of a family. to toil anywhere. they there were endless offered to go and work on their lands. low-lying mountains. Courageous though he was. built among the ruins. except for Hebdomeros. Hebdomeros . drifted as in a dream. their faces flushed from alcohol and from overeating. He would play until dawn in hotels. the sky cast a gray-violet shade upon the water where hundreds of small boats. "' " - -- --~ - - ------~~ -- (22) HEBDOMEROS Giorgio de Chirico (23) hands. sunk to their knees in the mud of the marshes. Fat bankers. rhythmically. would have been could un- II id landed from ships which covered them with long-range guns. was ruining himself at cards. I crnples that were like huge toys and chastely tinting with pink the sratues which stood on low pedestals.ornpletely. side: the whirring excitement huck to their dismal palaces. and pleas that they spare their husbands. they threatened the headwaiters. crammed with carrots and lurching h avily along the hard. who were pale with terror. and who were even now advancing. until that moment when the setting fire to the gold on the pediments of the miniature Everything came to life. was heard. who had had dinner earlier with their governesses at a separate table. while the guests lay sleeping. with a handful of timorous invalids. These arful prayers often went on until dawn. newly risen. to be yoked to the plow like animals. and with her arms bare. a few zigzagged through the gathering darkness like drunken . The wives were waiting for them. and the next day there would be the humiliation rowing money from the servants.. black demons. toward that enchanted of taking the silverware and the family heirlooms to the pawnshop.

" lidded. in the distance. moved by the impressive sight of the slumbering trees with their leaves shivering in the shadows. a steady rain. you west are the famous peaks known as the Dragon's Teeth." the sea with the port and the mass offactories and workshops which lire always busy. he headed toward a damp. he led his companions to a safe place. bed for the sheets were never really dry. for he could only urinate with great difficulty (and sometimes went for days without doing so at all). until sunset. gloomy iouds jumped sluggishly about in the little garden of his hotel. Once again he had to leave. the weather had been magnificent. during the rare days of fine rolled his wheelchair weather. you see the towers of the old town hall. which are 1'('ul works of art. Stretched out in his wheelchair. who did his host to show him that the rain wouldn't last forever and that the year hc·fore. in order to break the mood-the Stimmung. and more than one reckless mountain climber has to his death. an endless rain. with the curtains drawn . he lay there. wooden mountain. and which have made our region famous for their products. under the taciturn watch of his servants. soaked to their skins. whose as faithful as they were well-trained. his legs wrapped in rugs and shawls to his knees.. In the parks which smelled of plants rotted by the extreme dampness. overcoat familiarly off his shoulders. then. town with the cathedral. Hebdomeros rsk d to pay his bill and said good-by to the hotelkeeper. a multilingual old man. some of the old people insisted that the birds w ease which made it necessary that he always lie in his chair at a certain angle. besides. stood leaning on their long crooks. to quit those parts. he would have liked 1·11 him that he hated panoramas. And there." Iii Hebdomeros listened to him politely. it had begun to blow from the north and that would clear the sky: "You know. on those nights when the moon was full. rain today like yesterday and like tomorrow. "you know. Shepherds in rags. this distinguished invalid suffered from a highly pernicious dis- the dampness was getting the better of him. Ih barometer was rising. they are always "'IV filII 'n from their precipices of a long and sonorous fart. Another ghost. as Hebdomeros called it-created by such questions. the whole ring of hills. he found moss growing ill the closets where he hung his clothes.h a glimpse of people leaning out the windows. to the north. the clearings were haunted. athby imitating with their mouths the sound letic young men responded . there. Iuod rooms where one could shut oneself up. Mr. servants. Hebdomeros. having left them sufficient provisions. first. and. the river wonderful view from here. at the same season. that he liked nothing but rooms. where he might recover his strength and hi" lost hopes. and their With my sailor's telescope you can even villa with flowered terraces. twisting the buttons on his client's hrushing Ihe. a Cabinet Minister. in clear weather we have a on the plain. by the presence of a man of genius. wlu h flows through the middle of the town and the bridges. his expression vacant. surrounded by their melancholy flocks. persisted in posing invariably the same questions: re chirping in that special way which indicated a change in the the hotelkeeper and elir' tion of the wind. if not a heavy one. And then there was the rain.. some cynical. his mind a blank. then further to the 'red with snow. " And then. as it does in a cave. so that he should not take a turn for the worse and die suddenly from the stagnant urine in his system. Hebdomeros felt . all the trees took the shape of weeping willows. he was cold in Iii. around it.(24) HEBDOMEROS I hal Giorgio de Chirico (25) derstand the futility of such a gesture. too. ('III "Where is it all going? Toward what unknown shores do all these things sail? .

he would go to the kitchen before he sat down at a table to peep into the pots and see what had been cooked. it had to be done. too. Chieftains. -~--~. . and even more afraid that people would think him mad and report him to the local medical authorities. sulphurous. ceilings. as motionless as statues on their small white horses in carnival fashion like the steeds of Saracen leaders. watched the long line of the invading hordes moving to th west. wlii horde which no enemy could withstand. . Often the prisoners of this invincible horde were amazed to see tl'al the leaders. their bloodstained in the dust-colored harnessed iously. no other solution came to him. to appease his congallantly offering his arm to his wife. who lay sweating on the straw in a wlIgon. the companion. There was nothing to show which of the wagons used to these great migrations. --==~ _.'urrying a soup tureen. The town was full of hot fountains. deserted stations lost in the middle of the countryside.lid then a soldier with parched Now throat would search the dried-up I'iv rbeds for a last drop of water. as the captain said. their II 'ads held high and their right hands proudly planted on their armorrlud thighs. Only Hebdomeros lu-ld himself alooffrom . the long and in xplicable halts at small. and went off down toward the plain. felt the attachment attachment a bronze sea-god. Hebdomeros which bound him to this hotel. he was on very good terms with the chef. from time to time. The town was surrounded by high volcanic mountains and the heat was stifling." science. He stared at the outline spirits that day. a young engineer who worked on building an extension of the railroad line exclaimed over and over that he had had enough of this life. my dear. WeI' mounted on a dolphin. that thought caused him deep sadness. for they knew they had been invited to dine in the evening with the colonel commanding the garrison and that the dinner would be followed by a glittering reception. and especially afraid he wouldn't be understood. as if they were carcasses. but he could do nothing else. and it was this. it's an atonement. he thought of the hour of separation. he made gifts of obscene photographs. So he paid his hotel bill. I~. most of which was imaginary. stood guard over the main entrance. which was rather high for the place and the time of year. both were in excellent treated when wounded or sick like the most humble. sounded. When he went into the little restaurant where he always ate.. but they themselves wished this.--~ (27) carriage of the local (26) HEBDOMEROS the corners of rooms and low and the doors closed. The hour of his leaving A servant who might have been a model for Giotto had to rrunsport the sick and wounded the chiefs lay in. like the newest maidservant .I'all these fierce and fatalistic warriors were at heart both kind and cnerous. he climbed from the gully to rejoin his fellows. to whom. Giorgio de Chirico haul Hebdomeros off like a rag to a second-class . he felt how the and grew each day. they thought always of the friend. and when fate was kind he crouched lik a panther to slake his thirst eagerly. some of them stayed at was some distance from armed with a trident and the sea. thaL left at two o'clock. "It must be done. in return the chef described The hotel Hebdomeros his erotic prowess. 1'0 Butchers' boys slept. whose rank would have entitled them to every attention. and then he filled his helmet with water and holding it with great care. nevertheless. their heads covered with aprons to keep off the flies that attacked them fefig trees that were petrified by the heat. face down. and the cicadas chirped obsessively hurbarian kings. that he was sick of it. Then came the endless journey. the sick I"uder wracked by swamp fever. driving before them the cattle stolen from the peasants. h explained the strength of-that the most 'Ihs ure soldier. but he didn't say a word about all the things he preferred.

c~ --~-~~~~~~~~~~~- (28) of the sands. the strictly Giorgio de Chirico built at the edge of a forest which was partially impressive. these were the first words of the classified Attracted hy leprous mcountered by this tempting offer. his hand resting on the and deep feeling at the which he lit now and then by a flash of lightning that angel as stripped necessary bed where.-. quite clean. writing his memoirs. II ads of birds would vanish at his approach. ~ . that angel which had nothing but the indispensable. as with people who were do on days of heavy in that tavern was to one of his young ruddyhad the house. One of those whom life tosses about like ad he had placed in the papers. depleted (29) but still their points lingered a long time. fog. no! Wir zahlen Geld. wearing horn-rimmed reputation of unfailing kindness. The sea of stars stretched ridiculous Hebdomeros drinking into the distance. in love with him. malevolent sows and their piglets. and which Hebdomeros surrounded of a large apartment house to another like this. he was for more than a month so that he could look after his by the flying hooves of a mule. Was he. o would doubtless continue to live. Having received the soul of the dead. launched into space the soul to heaven. and when at dawn he left his suburban glasses. the moon in its final quarter h use. the angel again assumed and carried the aspect of a tripod In the eternal monks pursuing was the exquisite. he sometimes bolt of the garden gate. with their wives and at moments of being visions. Ilebdomeros had sheltered shinbone under the porticos. "In her love. threatening HEBDOMEROS which even now the desert winds whirled into inverted touching the ground. an aged general lay dying. their shapes to be a dome but a ceiling and obscene. "there once in his childhood h Id high. flotsam on a stormy sea? Alas." But the real reason desolate plains toward the white cities. speaking is something like all those who trek far across love. like that mysterious as a tree in autumn. infinite sensitivity a dreamer? But his outstanding by his officers." he said. f'u. but who.· -~. near a He also had the reputation kind of antidote for bad luck and the evil eye. among both the staff and the customers. rising like smoke into the between them and' sky. set off through graffiti. roaming around the world with a pack on his back and a pilgrim's his eyes shining. of his soul. faced man. from his father and where his sons. Sometimes. he climbed squalid walls and covered dreams went into a huge tavern packed and where the smoke from pipes and cigars was so thick that as steamboats claimed that an elderly barmaid of a mother's this man. to look with nostalgia had inherited children. this apostle whom he had imagined staff in his hand. watching for them eagerly. or very tall women with the and by his weeping family. only a romantic. modest although stylized and baroque. spread like tripods hurled from the sky. instead. quality its dim glow over the that angel unadorned dry. this had more than once taken was a child. dark stairways flanked and at last he more than his head the realms the soul of the general took the form of the purest smoke. which appeared geometric angel. knowing that their brothers are waiting there. saw one day hurtling from one floor and swoop into a room. giving it a sweet sadness. when Hebdomeros . one had to make headway bellowing. Hebdomeros with obscene as someone floated aimlessly above the parade ground. whom his father found himself in the presence he went to the tavern was his hope of meeting a shaggy-haired. so when of this man. Hebdomeros friends. and whose shirts were never He had been seen to weep. streets filled with silent crowds. we pay cash.<:. _ -~~=§~_~ ----==:--. II. cones. as if the sky no longer seemed Captive balloons. therefore. curling into the Biblical shapes of Jewish candelabra. dismay written on their faces.ade f that house. which had been bruised man who. ~- - v - -- - - - *' -=----::=-- _':::_-=:.

were silhouetted culean arms. one could make uut the flash of the steel blades in the semidarkness . the punts. what about your real estate? slipped from Hebdomeros' eyes. for the back of the building ('lJced a street higher than that where the front door was. II bdomeros passed behind a cattle shed.\ 1 1'0 the right. in that large stone cistern devoid of all decoration (this by 110 means spoiled its appearance). her back against the wall. roaring with it as if he were possessed. milky color which contrasted sharply with the dark and almost black tint of as dark forms against the the bank. carefully shearing him. stern-faced men. Although the light from the lanterns the peasants had hung in the corners was dim. He wanted only to flee. my good man. boats or. bent over him. a young peasant girl dozed on a bench near the group of animals. opposite. He would perhaps go to China. al last. where is your real estate? And your stocks? And your bonds?" terrible shame swept over him in a great shudder and his face turned scarlet. naked and kneeling. punts were moored at the banks of the river. lay the remains of the first five fabulous kings who governed the town. reflecting the sky covered with clouds at twilight. to flee. was at the level of a man's head. Silent. and then at noon. or rather it seemed the same. then opening the window and leaping into space like a diver into water. where the window. and now the peasants put their cows in them when they were about to calve. and the goats. reassured by his immobility. to disappear. ape-man who burst out laughing at the sight of him. "Pay you money! Pay you money!" he yelled. to leave this place. on his Hide. this gave them the vague appearance of funeral gondolas. Hebdomeros saw him and saw him- H-Jf. Hebdomeros saw a sneering. would warily approach and begin to nibble gently at the leaves of the creepers nearby. night had spread its somber wings over the whole region. like Isaac offering himself up for sacrifice: Oh. a ray of moonlight coming through a small window of the f splashed light. He went up 10 the window and looked through it. no matter where. Don't count your chickens before they're hatched. had a whitish. myopic. he would live the life of a night owl in the pagodas that shone like huge lanterns. and her arms limpid water. no matter how. into a corner.(30) HEBDOMEROS Giorgio de Chirico (31) him to the theater and had shown him. . later they had been used by washerwomen for scrubbing clothes. on provincial stages. the Devil firing a rifle in a room. he would fall asleep in the midday warmth. in almost no time all the inkwells had been knocked over. more precisely. according to legend. unable to turn back that inexorable flow of immigration toward the west. The scales suddenly "But. although something had changed in the layout of the streets and the location of the castle. he would take a siesta. Hebdomeros found himself again in the same town. like silver and mercury. her head fallen on her breast. gentle lamb of Isaac to the altar attached. unci suggested the tragedy of Venice during the epidemics of the plague unci the deaths of the great painters I' who were struck down by the lentless scourge. yes. Meanwhile the sky grew darker and darker until. a luntern on the ground shone on a cow lying on manure with her little rulf. he still could dearly see the large prehistoric stone fonts where. so much did he shake the tables in pounding them with his fists between guffaws. in a hammock hung between two blossoming cherry trees. their sleeves rolled up on their Herof the cow shed. bubbling over with laughter. But now. A feeling of Yes. to flee. IIl1dthere. too. simply to flee. where the water.

without being a gourmet. cut off from the world. weaving between the haystacks. his shirt open on his chest. Mr. should canvassers.. However. the daughter. it was the shadows cast on the wall by the lantern on the ground that awakened naturally these memories in a man with a vivid imagination and a head stuffed with ideas acquired from reading. X has gone out on an errand. From time time his wife and daughter. after Loward the first glimmer of dawn an officer without a tunic. lunatic way of life of this peculiar gourmet did not last much longer. him remorselessly Furthermore. if he had not been hailed point-blank the madman because. took advantage of the rare moments when he was overcome by fatigue and lack of food md fell asleep for a short time. as he returned home late at night. The father sought to wheedle his son. he refused to see anyone. he seemed not to notice it. and at the same time Hebdomeros thought of the death of the Duke of Enghien. or: Mr. or else: Mr.(32) HEBDOMEROS observing the two scenes II I. II not only closed his door to everyone but he also refused to go home mealtime. .ving asked the ritual Giorgio de Chirico question: (33) around a child lying on her lap. some dates. as Hebdomeros understood it. real models of devotion. That was the period when. he rummaged in the garbage cans that stood before the carriage gates of houses. The season it was already the end of March.0. blood flowed from a long gash on his left cheek and stained his shirt. journalists or simply the bothersome or the curious ring his bell. no matter where or when the meeting took place. X goes out on an errand he stays away Jor several days . pancakes. in the turret of his castle. they were singing as only the lovestricken nightingale can sing deep in a flowered garden on a sweet would have lingered much longer at the by one whom all the town called summer night. and in early April he would have to seclude himself up there. they window of the shed to watch the strange scenes taking place inside. he forgot. as women ride. that is quite impossible. to anyone willing to listen. unabashed. he rode a horse without a saddle. he was interested only in questions of eating. And yet. of pleasures and of joys. the maid then added. and there and then he would to learn what he had eaten for lunch or wherever he went he carried a thin metal stick withdrew walking backwards without taking their eyes off him. with a quick gesture he pointed out the young girl in a flowered bodice who remained seated in the middle of the meadow in the pose of a Joan of . at first he had refused the duel: "Fight?" he exclaimed in a surprised tone. life with j. Marseilles.. of pains. question dinner. the unrestrained. Hebdomeros. X has gone out. often. at the bottom of the fonts. for woe to them if he caught them in his room! One felt this was a life which ould not continue. passed. of his important meteorological work approached. Hebdomeros invariably: Mr. /1. What name shall I give? answered of the cow and the peasant girl. by offering him cigarettes. He often said. had hysterics every evening. in the midst of an indescribable 10 ull its train of worries. "Fight in front of a woman?". the maid. Emma. X had returned from his errand. 1.-Oh. then they crept into his small office on tiptoe and.heese. and a decanter salted of cold coffee on the table. Whenever he met a friend or even an acquaintance. that he loved sausage and rice. X is not in. Marius. who was a cook in and so the night wore on and with a sharp point. after having left a tray with a roll. Immersed in a comparative study of his improved wind disorder. both legs on the same side.\tluges. he never failed to stop him.1. thought that if a painter had depicted them in a picture he would have called his canvas The Two Mothers.Jor when Besides. in the street or elsewhere. to this last answer obstinate visitors replied that they would wait until Mr.

happily these cataclysms. turned slightly. wi III" a role that would never have been previously suspected. understood that the wind from the sea was coming at last and he rejoiced with all his heart.. a stage set is changed. the weather vane on the steeple. acting like a corrosive. the change which had taken place in the atmosphere was so little perceptible that any man less observant and sensitive than Hebdomeros would never have noticed it. a curtain raised and here is the dance. the city and its all its constellations . it sliced top of another. it was an imporI urce. solace. solemn letters like those carved in stone. "" rather that silhouette. that languorous which represented a stylized rooster. the wind of hope and Until then all had gone well. by the new government. not a breath of wind. I he Again a movement. the strong smell of wine. while the sky is pure while treregions of equatorial uid into the sky. sketched in the air a «lvanced a little from all directions. inevitably.. some moments later the state of the atmosphere changed. on ide it ate the steeple while. black clouds charged with electricity invade the vault of heaven. but indeed the air was no longer still. on the other. that which had to happen happened clouds.d more obsessing and began to dominate the landscape and to play " rOle in the life of this humble and peaceful corner." people whispered in cafes and in the a screen I cal squares.levemess completely unknown before. as deadly as unexpected. Now the feet of the cock touched the ground and his comb Ih clouds. but suddenly the cock. Now the hours had passed. now it ually descended. the guests. hesitated. as all hours pass. spring. white letters. oh. I rick its Stimmung. (35) Arc who hears the voices. give themselves up to a frantic orgy. became more slowly. and the air still. I heir months. closeness drawn aside. it wasn't one of those brusque changes such as occur in America and in certain Africa where. whirling stable doors and the wooden benches of parks as high as housetops. phenomena which would force him to long and prothe cool and gentle wind. at the same time it rose. rose from the deep caves where monks and smugglers. no. whose quadrupleplated safes are stuffed with bank notes. were far distant. luxury and lewdness display their fireworks. The shadow on the sundial marked noon. raw and rotting. standing out against it spreading out with a slow and inexplicable regularity. all at once. plunging the country into apocalyptic darkness. the celebration in American megaron. a violent light from the side lit the rafters and the floor boards. dead drunk and lying jumbled one on ". evil beacons in the vast halls.(34) HEBDOMEROS Giorgio de Chirico he had been forced to fight and . "It's a of the local photographer. however. through the great windows open on the night the sky with multiplying to infinity is seen. he also had a foreboding that he was to take part in some inexplicable found meditation. that projected shadow of a cock. heralds the hot who detested the atmosphere of end of which relentlessly kind of out-of-date quadrille and finally decided to pair up at the wish of' a mysterious force and formed this strange inscription at some disrunce from the ground: scro DETARNAGOL BARA LETZTAFRA Suddenly the whole outdoors lost its atmosphere. The sun was high in a sky without but which was veiled slightly by a fine haze that heralded hounded out summer. snored. Hebdomeros. the approach of that season which a great poet termed violent. decorated with a lavishness and a . persisted. nevertheless. mendous squalls of rain and wind overturn all in their paths. they swim in it with the movements of divers turning about under I he water.

He went all around his room in a boat. who lived on the second floor of a comfortable house. . at last. of a hurricane.-"It's p ople who questioned k now what might happen. "for you never His wife. heads thrust into their shoulders and flung behind. too. hideously gilded. own tail was portrayed ." best to be prepared. the springs creaked and. the torrents roared and foamed under the bridges. however. like the window of a prison. . sometimes the moon disappears for a while and all at once it seems that the whole earth has been muffled like a wooden bell. Hebdomeros had to flee. he hoisted himself up to the window which was placed very high. sweeping everything before them. or running races. geometric gardens which relieved the severe shape of the ramparts. and the she-wolf. he made his way to that city built like a fortress. a herald of misfortune. and without being seen. the voice that sang ceased . is seen. he always found the same well-built men there. he grumbled something incomprehensible: who had for an hour been patiently awaiting but in the movement that he made he uncovered his left arm up to his saw that on his arm he had a most curious tattoo. helping himself by the moldings. the immense iron gates of the garden were sent crashing as if at the passage and the barbarians appeared at the door of the salon. the silent phalanxes of gladiators march all around. the wind chases the clouds and then there is a desperate flight of the moon behind them. and she also saw it as a bad omen. a vintage model of a locomotive encircled by a serpent swallowing his . hurling their cry of war and making their standing in their stirrups." But just try to persuade one so obstinate. suffering the torture of the ravenous twins clinging to her long teats. A gallop of horses. elbow and Hebdomeros. swollen by the recent rains. Another peculiarity of the director was that he always kept a large life belt placed on the floor and leaning against the foot of the bed. "You will see." she said to her husband. porta collina profectus est. Hebdomeros just had time to jump into a dark corner from which he could watch all these strange scenes at his ease. Martiobarbulus. squares and trapezoids where young athletes were throwing the discus with classical movements.(36) HEBDOMEROS Giorgio de Chirico (37) austere temples. all white on the sacred rocks. continually forced into a corner by the undercurrent and. having interior courtyards and oblong.. perfectly healthy long whips with leaded thongs crack horribly. abandoning his frail craft and gathering all his strength and skill as a former gymnast. perfect gentlemen all. his awakening. not without reason she thought of it as a morbid idea. and with what joy! From there he took in at a glance the whole vast. while still sleeping. by the terraces whose walls and arches were hugged by climbing plants." cried the voice of a monarch from somewhere down there. suddenly. who while they excused themselves for their lack of luxury and their simple fare insisted each time on paying for his meal. When in the afternoon after a frugal meal eaten in the company of champion jumpers and champion boxers. then its rays pass through the clouds again as the wind blows them apart. . could never get used to seeing that life belt placed at the foot of the bed." he would reply to him about this strange habit. comforting panorama of those palestrae mosaicked with white rectangles. . like stags hunted down by hounds. she found it rather funereal. turned toward the wall in his sleep. Hebdomeros was gazing at that woman and child when. "you'll see that this life belt is so like a funeral wreath that sooner or later it will finish by bringing you misfortune. . the heavy rhythmic footsteps of a cohort marching toward the northern gate. . Then his heart beat with joy. the director of an important shipping company. "May the universe crumble. and now the scene changes again.

sleep was for him the double knot. Constructions which took the form of mountains. he sensed that a knot prevented them from moving their arms and legs freely. and engaged in their favorite occupation: the making of trophies. he saw life as a huge knot which death untied. who was inevitably and like them impotent. as he called them.(38) HEBDOMEROS Giorgio de Chirico (39) in body and mind. in whom they recognized themselves perfectly. these obscure workings of fate did not prevent men from going about their business. Monday and Friday were market days. austere but at the same time droll. Moreover. climbing. and yet he knew that in reality it was not just exactly ina. in many. but whom a benign and a combination of circumstances had brought into prominence. and yet he also regarded death as a knot retied which birth in turn undid. h cause of this the knot was for Hebdomeros a cipher infinitely more profound and disturbing than the ithyphallic sign or that of the anchor or the two-edged ax. printed in a few numbered copies. they were immortal for they knew neither dawn nor dusk. like these islands they were outside the human mainstream.i v ing him the sweet illusion of fame. that signified neither that he was an innocent nor a fanatic. ill all these manufacturers of superfluous art and literature. the latest volume of their favorite poet. of creation. among those with the anxious irritated expressions.ven among those who in the throng of their fellows enjoyed a reputation he saw the knot and the powerlessness to comprehend. from recounting something with wit. on those days agents and traders like that. sheltered they lovedfire. Illd amusement for guests and children.udoesoteric foolishness and pretentious contorted. . first in the morning in the half-light of dawn to get to their screeching. were for Hebdomeros the living and walking symbol of human stupidity. sons until a tanker or a friendly sailing ship comes to throw them a few cases of spoiled preserves. However. like a relic. only eternal noon. and then he solemnly stated so among his friends and acquaintances and tried among to dupe himself. of those unending lines of honest workers crossing again and again the bridges slung from steel pylons. from a word. joy and /lild true talent and haunted certain cafes where they arrived carrying lind r their arms. by this very fact they were pyrophiles. from running. of which the middle of each II we of Japanese vellum was disfigured by two or three short lines of pH . outside. swimming and diving. without at the same time being so remote as not to notice the passage and not to hear the echoes of those armies on the march. men with suepicious expressions. bedrooms And thus strange scaffoldings loomed in the middle of and salons. sterile and constipated. from comprehending. And if and then in the evening to return to their peaceful homes and humbly share bread and meat with their wives and their children. for like mountains they had been born of an inner fire. like salamanders. those who then placed the adored volume. The rooms which them were like those islands which are found outside the sometimes wait entire seamain sea routes and where the inhabitants twaddle. jumpwriting. painting-in for intelligence. the complete untying of the knot lay according to him in the eternity outside birth and death. And often. he wanted to believe: he forced himself to believe that such and such a man was intelligent. sweltering factories. sometimes Hebdomeros let himself be too trusting. II bdomeros sensed a binding. whose mouths had never laughed with candor. The knot-people. yet balanced forms bore witness to the burst of fire that had brought them into being. in all those whom II ' recognized at once by certain exterior signs which never failed him. their and once they had passed through the upheaval 1'111 ' . which is to say that. those impotent and annoyed intellectuals who feared and hated irony .

resembled /\ t lay a short distance away from the highest mountain rising in the east. they reached III . They flew into a rage and swore at their dogs. they took advantage of their brief stay in the city to consult specialists in the afternoon. slowly. To his friends he said that it is simply a question of training. the bald. but clumsy and . The sun's rays lengthened (41) now made their way to the town from all inhabited corners of this flat and monotonous region in long. began running and barking right and left and being more nuisance than help. Shepherds who at that hour were following this road to return to their hamlets toward the west received full in the eyes all this late wealth of light. silent files. monstrously. and willing. Hebdomeros abandoned himself happily to this nostalgia. they lengthened beyond meaIII' . the shepherds.(40) HEBDOMEROS W Giorgio de Chirico IlTlOrSpainted on Grecian vases. they were vigorous young people. with each memory from the past. and the sages in stone. even for a past that had been completely fulfilled. in long black files the syphilitic and gonorrheal traders returned to the neighboring towns. the marble politicians. in order to see better. still muttering oaths. panic-stricken by their masters' reproaches. the shadows climbed into the sky and stretched out over the earth. The only trace of the departed crowd was rubbish of all kinds strewn on the paving scene bronze warriors maintained their bellicose of fanatical soldiers who were stones. any moment he was to begin a long nocturnal climb and needed to rather his strength. they crossed towns. they touched those lands whose iuhahitants are dressed all year round in thick furs and have a compli ated and obscene mythology. Many of them were people suffering from venereal diseases become chronic because of early neglect. it prevented them from seeing their flocks and annoyed them intensely.·1. sometimes sullied by city smoke. and the shadows h "f shepherds and crooks also lengthened. but his friends were not always the intellectually elite he might have desired. in the nowof the moon shone hard and cold. the crescent ih purifying breezes of the approaching last echoes of the labor of men were dying away. to give them appointments for the following week. countries and seas. while up there on the left. The sun sank low on the horizon. it was one of his principal weaknesses ulways to have a certain nostalgia for the past. put their left hands to their foreheads like visors while with the right they brandished the long crooks they were the helmets of never without and which. as if followed by phalanxes IIllIIOSt orizontally over the crimson dust of the road. which. the curtain rose. and the square became deserted as if troops had swept it with repeated salvos of rifle fire. whatever their clients' trouble. that was why he liked also to sleep in the iftemoon. IIOW there where frozen winds keep the a long time on the mountains. their instruments and their rolls of paper. seen in profile. spreading its rays along the main municipal road. Toward the end of the day the square slowly emptied. they gathered in the market place. that road which linked the city with its neighboring towns. the latter never failed. over this distressing gestures. far-off land of the Cimmerians.ar sky. And then the sun disappeared completely behind the line of low hill at the horizon. and the night blew over the town where stopped in a valley which themselves . so he sat down on a stone where he had first placed hi carefully folded coat and plunged into deep thought. Having left the town. Hebdomeros visible to them alone. unknown great men leaned over their books. but what predominated was orange peel and crushed cigar stubs. he maintained that nothing evokes memories of the past so profoundly as the moments before or immediately following the afternoon nap.

a certain slow deliberation in batches. in which a huge heart: the moored by the shore and. we spatter the walls around us. standing on the prow.yphontius. discipline. without meaning to we paint ourself with face. heated heart. and from which like the molding on your ceiling. turn it round and view. look at it from the front and from the side. sailors and some local fishermen. a march which nothing can resist. circulate lenary po ts. observe from which angle it looks or a plumed helmet. crumpled a clown's arabesques naturally gradually papers and grimy rags bestrew the floor. into the sky. unheardwe rhythmical march which carries forward the great human races. position it resembles . this may be said without flattering hnv 101 always pitted your obstinacy nobility as metaphysical rant and generous . we sun. continued Far off. in series. we go out into the street not knowing that we have drawn on our back and our nose painted with age and experience. more and more closely he climbed onto a boat his inspired throughout civilization the wide world creations has as yet but faintly from our stock." Thus spoke Hebdomeros. against the mockery of skeptics. you have always lived in the comforting halfIi ht given to your cool rooms by the shutters of the noonday tutor up one on top of the other. it is the continent and sharing the fate of the moon. which itself resembles "What is that murmur which risesfrom the dark streets?" asked l. like the evening prayer taught by the bigoted and his disciples. we get our things into a mess. we even lands which our milwith its seal and don't to the wanton child. particularly this slowness. take a three-quarter view and a foreshortened of its appearance like a horse. the souls of born prevail over instinct. but behind of reserves.re the world will know its last great civilization lurover loorny predictions Illn cr been involved in the difficult game of reversing our angle of vision. when you have found a sign. "we flounder great poet who died about twenty years ago. you have always had faith in the if one thinks of the ardor of creations capital. they form an impressive we build supports grant unlimited credit to those furnishing closed against the ardor learned by heart of a solidity to withstand the requisite all tests. According 0(' II of his outstanding mind. Africa. for you and the in his discourses. remove it and note what form the memory see . the philosopher. behind the hills overlooking first paleness of the dawn was creeping chastely the town to the east. who had been joined listened rround marked this is why I say to you. ind never to be forgotten. we do. and in meditation on theorems guarantees. we stain the objects we touch. particularly time and switching seekers and get dirty as we work. who at heart believe become at once subtle and forceful. takes in its place. I dare even say overheated. my friends: be methodical. green. than in time. him and he was obliged finally to do as Christ did in the same waste your strength. on the advice but they pressed of an apostle: send them far away to those still little explored trademarks. a vast.(42) HEBDOMEROS the requirements of his exabout Giorgio de Chirico (43) it often very slow to grasp and understand ceptional beginning. "At the to the predictions before growing cold as you all have you. by several to him in silence. Iw u too fast and needs to adjust itself.ircumstances discourse. lifting his head toward the window of the room where he was working at a table covered with books and papers.n less in space of your elect souls. But for the moment these don't worry anybody. I'V And you. I he round. wh ." nature and the subtleties said Hebdomeros I"'ilrt of the earth. seen in everything youth. Then knowledge and skill we can be pile we begin to have the air of topflight surgeons. which makes people laugh and turn around as we pass by. when it suggests the aspect of a ladder.

he threw a chill upon the company and created an uneasiness difficult to dispel. All this enabled the refugees I" forget their unhappy situation as the besieged and to imagine thems in one of those spas. the words revolver. fountains ornamented with fine statues.(44) HEBDOMEROS Giorgio de Chirico (45) He lived in a modest apartment above the porticos which framed the main square of the town.-uriously hlue like the eyes of Nordic children. true earthly paradises of our planet where dwellers. Plen- t d'lIl provisions were stacked in the vaults. it was surrounded by a crenelated wall pierced by loopholes. no weapons. or even a large barracks or a vast powder magazine. and the eminence of his work had moved his fellow citizens to erect this monument in his honor in the middle of the largest and most beautiful square in town. presence in the middle of the empty rooms frightened the first pirates men. it was as attentive and steady as IlIc~gaze of sailors or mountain -listances and distinguishing dwellers. their they took with them their most precious objects. the inhabitants of the villas would run to take refuge in this structure. Not only had they no weapons in their homes but they avoided pronouncing the name of a weapon. WilD opened the doors. IIH tools. If the children happened to be present. They left nothing in the abandoned villas but a few pieces of old furniture.d. or hunters of eagles and . animals and objects from very far were landing one another hearty. in the shadow of the thick white eyebrows which contrasted .aurs had never existed. . linen and clothes. taboo words by these hysterical puritans. "II . The refugees III III huge building were. particularly in front of their children. pistol. there were veterans among them. their eyes were gentle and sky if some stranger. began to talk about weapons. the gaze in general of those accustomed IIWUy. so that the hills dotted with villas and fine terraced gardens could easily be seen. they looked desiccated and if under the weight of years their bones had broadened and lengthwith their dark complexions. The only weapon whose name might be because people are not in the habit of and stuffed animals whose was the cannon. furthermore. The houses which surrounded this square were fairly low. those centaurs with their mottled rumps. they abhorred weapons and moreover knew nothing of how to handle them. rifle. extremely comfortable. 1IIId ven pools where fish swam and where swans of immaculate whiteIII'»!:! glided with their breasts to the wind. they were all there.The others. their books.·llUmois. any more than fauns. if to prove the contrary. drunk with massacre and looting. and dagger were considered although thinner. of thos H and tired stomachs. r than the others. to scanning great keeping cannon in their houses. the atmosphere became pronounced intolerable. more youthful. His father also had been a philosopher.ll'ry succeeding. they were all at the door. ignorant of these customs.r courtyards were artistically laid out gardens. but which looked more like a fort. C'I' r-lv "il II fatigued by the continual turmoil of business and the go during the torrid summers to nurse their swollen and that W. old centaurs 111'1:. sunny corners where till i I trees grew. In the middle of the vast 11111\. When the black sails of pirate ships appeared far off on the sea. Hebdomeros could not share the opinion of skeptics who considered that all this was make-believe "c·lIl. pawing the ground /llid chasing with great swishes of their tails the flies which clung "h~linately to their twitching flanks. From his window he could see the back of the statue of his father which stood on a low pedestal in the middle of the square. their glance was full of an infinite «lness (the sadness of demigods). sirens and tritons. flowery arbors. On the crest of the highest of these hills was a huge structure which was said to be a monastery.

departure point of a whole long series of inspirations II the scene. all wearing some sort of mask. But the older 'washerwomen reassured them. Sweating innkeepers the pavement. to that of the 1f1l('SLion marks and open the doors onto the unknown." the confusion of the holiday crowds rushed to put their tables out at the strait-laced passers-by. '. the setting sun still illuminated the countryside mantle. 1'''' . lreet they took a sharp turn to the left with the classic movement . they added after a pause during which they seemed to pursue a memory that it was like the time of the procession. such that to the people watching from the village it fireworks was deafening. The procession was climbing up from the low point of that road that dips at one point .ds for the day with inscrutable faces and dignified clothes sat at cafe . a total abandon truly and without warning locomotives pulling whole 1111 the lamps lit.II lu-carne alarming. hooves against the fences of the vegetable gardens.(. suddenly II' iins entered the streets where the crowds were milling about. and lit fires in the windows of the low houses.'"uldn't tell where they might have gone but on reaching the end of III(."ke I like a dusty pier extending into a vast sea. uuheard-of. and hoisted aloft like the aerials of ships on "I'"'IIIY seas strange flags on which were painted and engraved many a and which were sure guarantees . and which clings like a second skin to the centaur's pi I. saying there was nothing to fear.. I anners to the wind. The column advanced enthusiastically. everywhere ground-floor rooms with all the windows open and a cynicism. who had more than once witnessed intrigued by the anxiety of the young washerwomen.. was always but this time he it was reminis- cupricious as they were surprising. cences of a mythological nature which troubled them. "" ih tranquil period later. thought he had discovered the reason for it:-surely \ III. stained with so that when the younger girls cleared away the food left on the table after the meal and shook out in the yard the tablecloths gravy and redwine. by these memories. when it was utterly useless to let oneself be leep next to the effigy of a divinity would bring the answer to the Oh 'ilil IllIti up in deserted temples at nightfall by distracted guardians. Those were the .Ii iurbing cipher. my young friends. hoping themselves being carried off. domeros. their already saw like always verging on the dramatic. panting with exertion as he shoots his poisoned darts.- -- -- '" --- --- - (46) open-handed HEBDOMEROS slaps and amused themselves by lashing out with their Occasionally an .'nL as if the spirit had emigrated far from the earth. straining at the bow. at least for the moment. and then followed up his thought:-haunted feminine imagination. or else would Id'i Ihe curtains veiling the mystery of the long-closed chambers. the centaur crossing the river among the eddies.III 8. kneeling on the bank. ful dolphins toward the sanctuary which normally even the initiate only with trembling. and then the blood-soaked torso. Hercules on the bank. the mantle whose color deepens dregs of wine.110 Giorgio de Chirico (47) the valley. there he stopped to chat with the washerwomen who were beating their linen. he told himself. People. I. leaned over 111(' low balconies and stared unabashed "'ITtl (. ruins! Temples of Neptune flooded by the sea! Waves buffeting the carrying his muddy sandals in his hand. a moment or two before sunset. an indiscretion. the noise of the bells IIIId adult centaur detached himself from the group and trotted off along the paths going down to the river. here at the crossroads. "We dined early that day.es. The Hebyounger ones became nervous at the approach of the man-horse. screaming and disheveled a drunken bacchante. when the voices of the oracles had fallen d. one all around.rs lid now. dragging with him the woman.

now crystal-clear. Spring. in a voice strained a little by emotion. he maintained that behind the idea of d epicting Christ as a lamb lurked a sensual urge of a particular kind. but a different lake this time. like garlic and onions. a peaceful unruffled lake. are lined up on the beaches in the south. . the air is filled with the obsessive smell of lemon. like the sea. has dangerous habitue to another: Que fera le villageois? Que fera le vil? (question) Ah! joie! (exclamation) . and if the motorboats rush to your rescue. coat with the astrakhan collar? You who are the prototype of the eternal traveler. no matter enemy send his crack regiments right up to the face? Heart of steel with windows opening onto villages clinging to the gaLes of the city. despite the dogs barked in the distance. lying in line! Yuu call that the slaughter of the innocents? But at this point Hebpaying no attention to the passengers who made I"llnof him as they crossed the gangway. k !lUW what it means to be reborn on this summer afternoon when the id walks. makes food indigestible. or comets with deleterious tails appear on the horizon.. the calves in the district druwning. joyous hats passed Ilidi . which. (49) of goldfish in bowls and. like whirlwinds. on the end of your Florentine rlomeros protested. children? Hebdomeros is in love with Louise. Corpses in tuxedos. gardens. big and black. and the first heavy drops of rain fall on the water as lit . disappeared the shadows of the countryside. where the aVarICIOUSinnkeeper like the life of man. that hero lying down on the mountaintop would keep watch and contemplate the stars. a consoling lake. I il then necessary to renounce one's place. cribed as immoral and lewd.. washed by the shower. nudging their wives and roaring with laughter. always ready to protect the sick child from the grasping hands of bandits downpour. gruesome spectacle. the maid from the house opposite. he confessed his dislike of Biblical scenes. the bells are ringing in the parish church towers and spring smiles on the vegetable Funeral procession. And when the weather is sultry. helmeted warrior with the sinister he would say. spring! he has put on his new suit. unconscionably groups of young people wearing beribboned three-cornered cubes of smoke the continual tension. then the big fish bite by the dozen and you haul them ill Lwo at a time. with a cavalry detachment close behind. ers. all day in the sun and then all night on the great mountain as black as a stranded whale that huge man. now opaque." "you feel protected though the ruthless in praise of cafes with red plush in the style of the eighteen-eighties. from the dangers of the outside world. Where are you. beware then of then you will shouting coarse jokes. and the silly puns that bounced from one And that customer who declared that all were chipping in to buy a wreath for the lor a first-class ticket to insist on traveling second-class IIlild protests of the conductor? whi h. setting off on the right path. their open coffins. butcher who had died the previous day. reflect the lights from the shopwind(lwS so well you'd think you were in Venice.ates with his red hand the whole sweep of the valley and the river Ililining through it. and that charming city 1!lIilLlike an amphitheater around the lake? Oh. lind he concluded with a declamation divans and ceiling decorations "There. which he d . Might we go back now? The five horses drawing the carriage would set off at trot. And in the cafes turned into the crazy effort to smile at stupid jokes. storm begins.(48) HEBDOMEROS into Giorgio de Chirico iuuuntaj naides like vultures' nests. on this train that stinks of cattle soaked by an August Where are you going. and when one has paid But it's a lake as vast as the sea and fits of temper. you of the symbolic. unmentionably and here are oranges with their obscene flowWhere are you bound for.

toward groups of huntsmen with their hounds were crossing the volcanic region in fierce pursuit of the few survivors of High in the sky the vultures III(' east. Iw'n killed and cut up and then to gorge themselves the last huntsman and hound had disappeared III pite of the presence he was safe in this cabin. Once there. with the striking . where. as he had noticed no trace of human life in the vicinity. and the ostrich fleeing desperately thousands from the Arab horseman. but despite the reassuring appearances of the vultures and animal bones which lay .(50) HEBDOMEROS Giorgio de Chirico (51) or couples of lions spitting flames walk through the middle of the town. which consists of preserved honey. And then a kind of solidarity springs up among these refugees.S in blossom. 1II!linedon his guard. but they never lost sight 1)1' the huntsmen. Iii 1'1' 111"'111'1' ready if necessary any unpleasant surprise. and the ruins where bridges and castles with their numberless lif Wllfl not a man to trust appearances. and now and again they would drop or rise in the air.ll lit IlIillH ill I" ' air. or iron-beaked birds infest the trees in the city squares or buzzing insects swarm down on the steaming feces of cholera victims. wh 11 of crows have made their nests. one hand on the huge IIlil' Lones that bore the sculptured likeness of two-headed Janus sur- 1IIII1InLedy a male sex organ. II'. \ ill' . 1"lIring some ill-fated missile from the earth. the rainy season has already begun. they also see that the weapons are carefully cleaned and that shoes and clothes are mended. spring was behind a rising curtain. often he . Everywhere signposts with oversized lettering.'(:Lof a stage decor appearing II mbolisrn floated over nature. fed by the angels with enormous 1111'11 ing snows. as provisions have to be laid in for the winter. Their aim was clear: to wait until a mammoth had on the remains behind the rocks. in places. tumbled down the mountainsides." Hebdomeros thought that he was still wary. the goatherds had come down from the surrounding mounand played cheerful tunes on their long copper flutes. biscuits. led round. he remembered how many times so he re- III "lIrly childhood he had been deceived by appearances. the polar bear splashing about among the ice blocks or fighting with a walrus for a mangled fish. daisies and cornflowers make a timid appearance. the continual rains have soaked the ground and the paths are slippery. It is there that all those unfitted for dangerous kid's meat. puddles are forming in the rather tall grass. each has his own task and his appointed place. Already the air grew warmer and the plants turned green plain. But winter passed without any unusual nces. the angels were watching with a melb nncholy air the couples who moved off arm in arm beneath the almond II'I'(. and when night fell he slept with one eye open. tiring work spend their time preparing food. in this Nordic country it arrived suddenly. mountainous wI! IIIIILalmost extinct race of mammoths. and then the turrets. an air of I. once you are in that cafe it's all the same to you. the youngest go off in search of game.Iii I IIOL even take off his shoes and slept half-clothed. and coffee which is always drunk very hot and spiced. I ""ping his leaded cane and automatic pistol within reach. zealous students who work with joy and perseverance just enough to brighten this bit of path and throw a poetic note in the way of the in austere classrooms where everything is only promise. the women and children are placed in and safety in the back of the shop behind the large boxes and the crates of canned food. you are safe and if you stand on tiptoe and look through the skylight you can see the enemy ships dropping anchor off the deserted shore and launches crammed with warriors being rowed swiftly toward the bank. hundreds of tiny waterfalls. sat by the wayside. like those of eagles but interwoven with feathers as white and "I'I as goose feathers.

chimneys engineers. at the very heart it had its boundaries have been district the 111. seen from afar their solemn aspect seems alas! Were it not for the glint of the weapons bransun and the di hcd by the cavalry escort. took advantage the puppet smoked and wagons ran along tiny rails. cent streaks. of the fiancee or of the who dozed on their wagons and only half-opened and set their beasts an eye at each bump. unearthed jumped rushing cadavers 11I11'oil:)m. hi lit· to their feet. were blowing. of bed and ran for the sirens. \ & who awaited them down there. far from the noise and the smoke. 1111111'." ' the main country roads. hurried Their only entertainment Ilidl formed the central part of a gigantic triumphal arch upon which lit" Ii rures of women.'.. of the rocks. the refuge of those whom and kindness of men does not their solemn arches were silent 111111111' neglects but whom the gratitude 1<l'j'l. homes near a window open on the coolness of fireflies striped the darkness Thus it is in vain that processions 1'. the hour was well advanced so the storm which agitated the troubled heart of Hebdomeros at last. fortresses The of their rare moments of leisure to go fishing or practice shooting at empty bottles. Happiness these words could be seen in lights on the main gateway carved in wood and painted in bright pastel their faces red from the heat. customs which. kept vigil alone in the darkness.(52) whitening HEBDOMEROS here and there in the grayness wild or desolate.h diminished. which he did. profound peace which sleep demands.111'.1< t riun large mining plants were dotted here and there and was an evening at with a head like Giorgio de Chirico (53) and the coming and going of the busy pe- was not particularly all over it. This idea had come to a sculptor an Assyrian king who boasted of having been the pupil of a fashionable master and who enjoyed quite a reputation in his own social circle for at times the playing the flute. bearded "II~ Its Rights: came at last to die. . with phos- of kings advance strous station of this metropolis where close to eight million men bustled about from morning to night without rhyme or reason. made their whips whistle off at full tilt.I11'1'<:tOI'S public affairs to have built by indifferent of while constructing ir peaceful and fled toward the nearby mountains. even out Ihr.1 where thousands n 1. jumped the half- lImned calmed let out such howls that the foremen. like obstinate tritons. Infinite nos- you had anything a whole promising traffic of the great city came to a halt. the landscape 11111 nt of the vehicles <'111 . them thought of other things. a world apart. 1111I<. as a wave dies on the beach. seen thus at night these wagons Leaving the monset off at top speed looked almost apocalyptic. then there's whi . by the way. surprising if zealous celebrations Indeed. t Ii 11< I even men with their Cretan eyes. seized by a wild panic. These puppet shows were not as quiet and naive as might be thought. into the long trumpets of which rose beside it.111111<:. the vanity of human the who employees that the fear of oblivion compelled 11110he dark night. to waking with a start. The drivers. it was here that the convulsive on the vast horizon of Hebdomeros' . The glory of the past. began. constituted and frontiers. and it would hardly officers waited up at its gates to ask if At the edge of this ineffable If one believes that pity can give birth to array of inexpressible life.itOI'. one would have thought them a troop of IIIII\T·d gypsies going to beg bread under the implacable <'<IIlHLant menace luvc. hair that the cruel feelings its laws and statutes to declare. the world slept buried in an immense tranquillity. an hysterical man subject to epileptic as he manipulated his little cardboard fits. " III show.h appears of watchdogs with mud-spattered I'l\lIHunts set at their heels. puppet master. rather badly. and those pyramids IIVI'II The hyenas then abandoned . Hebdomeros off toward that region of nocturnal of the city.

toward the loquacious man and the taciturn. covering them with a shame so gentle and so poignant that one doesn't understand premises. passing dll' 'I' . 111(\ opened their disquieting iky like the eye of the Uranoscopus." he said. they said. lire wishing to appear simple and unaffected. toward the rich who suffer and toward the poor. and Hebdomeros' compassion turned toward all humanity. the busy serv- .. bounding in a rigid leap across the world. which the simple fisherman II I. and sometimes they waited whole days was revolted. for at the same time he of the past. hi' Inches of a barren fig tree on the bank. eye turned toward like a missile over the motley pattern of towns.rtiary epoch.II() 10 echo. Hebdomeros w IS thinking ruldressing 10 the wine jugs and all the dishes down to the saltcellars these telluric upheavat which Hebdomeros one might have said of something else. At other points of the globe. I that they oozed from the cracks in the rocks. disrespectful. through those mountains modeled in relief. before umptuous stilllifes where bananas and pineapples fall in an avalanche the flanks of disemboweled that provocative presumptuousness before that gigantic Millions and millions of warriors invaded the vineyards. their with their brazen look the virginal purity. took on the hieroglyphic admissible form of a giant greyhound with a body of an inlength. before these deer and polychrome pheasants. tablecloths. over the tamed forests where each tree has its name and its history. why all the personnel of the with the furniture. do not dissolve in an endless flood of tears. "before these indiscreet displays. with water still and black whose depths II It! never been sounded. despair to the navigator b 1111 III motionless caravel in midocean. this cry reverberated along the deserted beaches. passing through spectacles.. "Eloquence and the smallest objects. insult.lless nights in the trains of the state railways. the infinite the ineffable melancholy of this moment they are living. have seen vengeance grinning in the shadows. over the fields whose vast hollow is made fertile by more than one seed which the provident farmer sows at the opportune moment. I~II' hese strange storms to break in order to have the chance to make t Ihis subtle joke. clothes demigods become poseurs tried to be clever on the quicklime-spattered tlrrough uul . Above the peristyle the sky was clear and of a deep 1111('. of well-being. (55) as in talgias and sudden bursts of emotion which. that fantastic slap in the face at poverty and abstemiousness. Then among the overIIIrned stools and the fragments of bottles the tablecloths strewing the tloor wrap themselves like elephant traps around the feet of the hurrying waiters loaded with dishes. a hypothetical ordnance survey map. clouds heavy as rocks and 1IIIck as night were torn apart by the sporadic flight of jagged lightning. the tender chastity. they went into the water so wouldn't get wet. I' in III'I'P ndicular sheaves. [lu-n the rain fell and fell without end. in long packed strands. especially cruel and can defile dl"I'C where those sinister lakes.(54) HEBDOMEROS Giorgio de Chirico I'I. tenderness. arometers in offices were fair and steady. in his imagination heightened by the sleel. riddled repeated from with caves and which the even light coming from the ceiling made appear still more unreal. 'harming fashion calls the parson-fish. but the deepest compassion he felt for those men who eat alone in restaurants. when they are seated near a window so that the passers-by. true phantoms living in another atmosphere. hydropical after having hung philosophers. The great hypostases which accompanied als were followed by unforgettable never failed to be present. with the manager and the cashier. his friends. Will into water. thus causing real disasters. the a moment above all solitary. on the surface of the lake which began to seethe. the country. Myrmidons! Myrmidons! .

whose only resource was to lean their aching I. rather than submit to the shame of disguising themselves as W"II"'". IIf "rI Giorgio de Chirico (57) ants topple over.lhdomeros in idle. but even so he has style and a certain elegance.lorious ruins. apart from the anachhis left shoulder with a careless . think. Ird ings and combats at night. at evening when the square is deserted.. he rose and spoke in a voice grave but strange. "there is no question. But at length he returned to reality and talked of September mornings on the sacred hill which overlooked the city.(56) HEBDOMEROS by a flood .against the hard and cold drum of a column.•. the Pericles I present to you the end of a hot summer day. his head tilted slightly backeye (in this case it can be said since he the profile of a woman engraved on one side of it. were more than likuly to spend a sleepless night. is one-eyed.. the roasted could go no farther. of a crow or of Paulus.." Hebdomeros on the tender camomile blossoms which flower in the shadow those who have preferred to of sauces of all colors on which float. far from making him ridiculous. their by what was going on around them.etic warriors and disabused I" find themselves in proximity to a pile of ruins which in falling had .y intrigued by the presence Among the drumlike shapes of the fallen columns where. this time.01k' . leading to terrible wreckage accompanied and shriveled bodies of chickens. ronism. magnificent attitudes and listened to him speak. The windows were open. which the searchlights installed by the rebels on the surround"I heights beamed in all directions.pirates listening to their chief recounting the appalling stories of I".ed to form a kind of grotto were less disturbed by the play of the . selfishness and 1IIIIIwfui cowardice have not conquered.111111 . the acropolis!"No. the faithful. Ilk. as pregnant peasants and as wet nurses and mingling with that I "Iwd of two-legged ewes to escape in crammed and overladen boats At the moment they remained lying on the ground around \ liI. he who was felled by the implacable plague at architects and poets. their milieu. especially when he throws his chlamys over gesture.. like abandoned ships. sheer cliffs at the foot of whi h long waves died away silently. he holds a coin in his left hand and contemplates was one-eyed) for a long time. When evening came the long shafts 1. though there is indeed a Pericles. were all in their I'I'I'-':H11." huge dysenteric mares come to graze ward. he rose like those shadows which rise on the damp walls of cells when a lantern is placed on the ground.1 li~ht. threaten to sink with each stroke of the oar. and who was the affectionate friend of sculptors. 1. at once voices arose:The acropolis. It sometimes happened that certain them at all. firmly planted on their armor. in silence. those whom fright. and these fishermen accustomed to the nautical mythology were at all impressed III1. his legs. rather were of the luxury hotels lighted on every "lIIong them turned their backs to the sea. after all.f oar and to look death in the face. those who had the luck "I 11K . for the sight of the shore did not interest III .I kneed.-1." he replied with a sly smile. as if he did not see the two thousand six hundred and seventy-five faces of those men who came there to hear him and who kept their eyes fixed on him. greatly disturbed this noble society gentlemen. long and knockrecall. the old picadors whom age has sent from the arena but for which they retain a nostalgia.11' tors. This was. on the . with a compassionate world. it is not the one of whom you instinctively painters. and to hide that infirmity he wears his helmet pulled down on his head as far as the middle of his nose. II'" . lloor and shining like beacons on the high. H:k .tI 111" f. but the others.

it was there that each of these to prepare himself." If someone kilo ked at the door just as he was about to sit down to eat. drawn by the whispering of all those sea-gods stranded below on the dark beach. he considered this ililo Lwocategories: moral and immoral.. lark) which oft n. It must feel the heat.(58) HEBDOMEROS Ii Giorgio de Chirico (59) balconies. he would I i II room. while it cooked he turned it uround. on those boards which. whose activity so strongly attracted the attention of every- III I act "Justice above all. sustained furnished. he whistled 1111 Ilii. the rich guests in evening clothes had come out. had always dominated his life. room shabbily sides. Thus every evening Hebdomeros bought a bird Ilillli him which he did not eat until the following evening. leaving this place where there was nothing more for them to do. Up at dawn. yawning. to rehearse his role. sometimes he also placed cotton 111111 iii ing around it.r with a little sugar. in spite of new ideas and the evolution of tastes and customs. but to punish them for their meanness.·1. He had a moral theory about different dishes. this meal consisted. II one.ires of their gastrointestinal . seating himself at the table to 11111 "III 11111 I I111 11"11 a modest meal which he prepared himself.I. ten years before. He was utterly disgusted by apparatus. he had rented a small Later. perated sarcasm of many of his contemporaries. with it he drank fresh beer yeast dissolved in filtered Will . when he meditated on so many unsolved enigmas. of the city. to paint stilllifes of game. they went off cheerfully. drinking cheerfully and smoking long winter and the happy meetings of hunters in inns. he had succeeded in renting the whole house and in dispossessing the original tenants.In:. are always somehow dirty and shameful. which earned him the antipathy and " 1I weakness. for he liked. and his soul was filled with II. consisted of an end of rye bread and a spoonful there in that house where. In fact. which. apart II"lin the tiny roast bird. plunged in his meditations. who followed him." he said. his three friends always left him toward six in the evening. sticking it with a fork and always repeating out loud the lillie entence: "It must feel the heat. So he placed the . entered the suburbs that were like the backstage personages. seated near the ""'places pOI himself this question: Why is there always something shameful about the theater?-He answer. as if it were snow.came close to mysticism and obsession. Hebdomeros and his companions. singing. Hebdomeros have enough courage to invite them to share his meal. This old man had a worship for hunting \ Ili. like actors who await the cue to go on stage and there to recite with all the skill their masters have taught them that which they know by heart or almost. 1(1bird on a table with a napkin.old dog. the twilight descended gently. under an aspect of weariness and "I' blueberry jam. of a scrawny bird (a kind of undernourished i' l!\'Io"enarian hunter who was at the same time his neighbor in the brought to him each day. > ight of certain restaurants where gourmets go to satisfy the obscene . on the terraces. More than once Hebdomeros.. in order to play this role on the dusty boards. asked never succeeded in giving himself a satisfactory that finding himself alone in his Ili:-. He divided dishes ill fact about food in general. saving on all by that will which.lislocare his bones. Now it sometimes happened pipe '. not to avenge himself for the bad treatment to which they had subjected him on many occasions. went to apply make-up. At the dinner hour he plucked the bird and put it in a small with some goat's butter and a little salt. which made him think of hunting where logs blazed. their gait accelerated by the steep slope which remained alone up went down toward the marketplace. after stretching hard enough I" . by dint of economy.moments of leisure.

they were already far off. 1"~lween his left toes Mexican bandits were pursuing each other like hnlf-starved wild animals round overheated rocks during the dog days.III"'. harmful. first taking a nutcracker the paws and pincers of these hideous. they emigrated 'roups. this faith. at the beginning buttered I'H'kill the doors as if about to commit rape or incest. while the right foot up there was pressing down upon the pure. jagged crenelations of the glaciers that rose up like the ruins of famous cathedrals destroyed in war. etc. Most punishable. IIllny. in families and tribes. taciturn servant whom Hebdomeros called 1':11 menides was sweeping out the ruins that were still strewn about the 1I00r.S thin slivers of lemon. acquae calidae. neither his faithful friends nor even that virgin with the ardent glance and II" royal walk to whom the hymn was dedicated. or long. was the act of eating how sensible people and cream. fat weasel-faced old men nodding their heads in front of the notched. which makes you think of the sea and waves dashing against the cliffs and similar nonsense that only someone totally devoid of all sense of decency and self-control would find amusing. according to his code. before the magnificent panorama spread '1111 like a map of the world. etc . which. He also found very immoral the habit of eating ice cream in cafes. in his eyes. partiality. disgusting mollusk with all the accompanying paraphernalia slices of black bread. have for ought to be stamped out vigorously was the exaggerated and instinctive raw vegetables: artichokes preserved in vinegar. He considered strawberries and figs the most immoral of fruits. see. while on . he should have liked to nurse it as a hepatic patient his liver at the hot cholagogic springs. strawberries so in public.IITidorsof his house moved off slowly toward the south. impure substances. II" lrunspeakahle f Giorgio de Chirico (61) a righteous and holy indignation. a sentence varying from ten to fifteen years of also. in his view. he suddenly saw the Oceans. swollen every day II fresh examples. contracts. white l'l'gions among the polar bears. detention.(60) HEBDOMEROS Like Orestes pursued by the Furies to break and then armored monsters. by his legions in the conquered I. he feared the whatIII/'l-people-say.. and the whole idea of putting cubes of ice in drinks. Like the I'olossus of Rhodes. Being served in the morning for breakfast with fresh figs covered with crushed ice was. which he considered as immense and eternal II sucking at them with bestial delight. he hated these social circles that were as indiscreet as till' I III were obtuse. . and before this new life. He put it all oI"WIl 10 human stupidity. . surrounded Illq I revolting theories and obscene explanations of the effect lemon has on the mollusk. pickles. an offense so serious as to deserve but a Colossus of Rhodes infinitely enlarged in a II r 'am. and the whole ritual seasoned Ii peptic and in love. Now the trees which had invaded the rooms and . tiln universe and in which he had unshakeable faith. for Hebdomeros. instead of hiding the shame of . he could not understand could commit such obscene acts and how they had the courage to do in front of other people. . Beaten white of egg and whipped cream were also. and with 111I'1nied away the thousand voices of the mysterious forest and its d diHturbing odor. An aged.. the oyster addicts swallowing this of carefully with small glasses of special white wine. ridiculous harangues about the aroma of oysters. that women. his feet at the end of his outspread legs touched different lands. But what upset him most was to of a meal. especially. when it is still alive. . cucumbers. Another thing that he thought was extremely immoral and often verging on voracity. actions in the depths of the darkest rooms and double- he fled from those who ate lobsters. No one read the hymn he composed that evening. Unshakeable lilllll! He should have liked to nurse it. Caesar. .

" burst out one of Hebdomeros' youngest disciples. so that their nephews will not have to blush referring to them. "But think. armed with their ivory-headed WIt"11 1111111. completely plucked long legs. that avoids or you would have preferred t"" iningful of the fine clear days by the set off in ships ""lihore. as r all that and don't trust appearances. dark night. funereal violinists hurriedly in cases that look like babies' tlli' unfortunate III(' concrete pluce to make observations I"lil heard. one sees this inexplicable hens. He saw. like polycephalic colors. gusts of wind sweep through the garden. still addressing smile. and then heavy. better to return as a ghost than never at all. taut material. rather. luminous and warriors. discuss midwives and methods of childbirth. compact groups of philosophers blocks in soft. but the recollection moments spent in the midst of a scattered and indifferent public was quite enough to console him. then. panic-stricken. muffled at first and barely perceptible. wearing golden helmets and silver breastplates. warm drops of rain begin to fall on the dusty paths with the noise of a finger flicking at thick. run round the dining table on their like miniature ostriches. but. portraits move in their frames and pictures on the wall drop to ghostly cooks. that. silent lightning streaks flash. I" Ihe IlIlIk illg and bald old men who. rushing madly through the rooms like Niobe obsessed by the sight of her children bristling with darts. young man. is growing louder. You would have preferred added Hebdomeros. think IIV( the company of these phantoms on an enclosed veranda when the long. Once again the flares rose silently in the distance into the great. just where the ornamental moldings joining the walls to the ceiling formed a right angle." pl"pure to die with dignity. turned his steps again toward the rivers with toward the decaying palaces whose domes and weather vanes rose up under the ever-fleeing clouds. the shapes of those temples and sanctuaries run narrow passes built in plaster rhut stand at the foot of sheltering mountains and rocks through which that made one strangely aware not only of the unknown worlds nearby but also of those distant horizons heavy with . to whom he replied: "All right.(62) HEBDOMEROS Eskimos all 111111111-. moving up slowly out of the r-hiaroscuro of his memory and little by little defining themselves in his mind. Indeed soon the rumbling of thunder. held mysterious secret meetings in 1111' rround." Hebdomeros banks. econd floor. 'Shut the windows! Shut the windows!' cries the lady of the house. "I don't like the look of those faces. it is true that they return only as ghosts. whirling up the dead leaves and the magazines left on the cane chairs.. This forbidding whose solemn door was closed at the moment ought to have of what he had seen there during nddened him. put away their instruments sight: strange bare. phantoms of a puritanical society restricted or at least I can guess the well-behaved by its laws.1 di over there on the other bank. Giorgio de Chirico (63) the threshold of their stinking huts lined with sealskins. and herald the storm approaching in the distance. inspiration then you'll no longer have like the one I have speeches referring to microbes and surgical instruments and turns pale with fright when tactless people use expressions like breast-feeding. where are the bedrooms of those distinguished- wrapped up in furs politely offered their wives to excited explorers. I understand. think of the Immortals II) blessing those who love them and wllo. quick and regular like the movement of eyelids. prototypes of assassins. IV I 1111. for they know that this is the best to return later to their loved ones and live there without malice without remorse. climb stealthily up canes. what you are thinking. rash young his young disciple with a corners of the low-ceilinged rooms. you would have preferred III(' proverb says.

he has hing the flight of the lark that rises in the sky like the white pingin the evening when they return tired to their cottages. you are far from town. silhouetted black against the livid flashes of lighting.ornflowers the boat disappears (65) slowly as if it were being swal- always loved. the night gods Were whispering at the frontiers of the town. over there at the end of this part of the town that juts out like a promontory into the sea of fields. that demon who snickers constantly at your side. those who remain behind in the last cafe. hustle of street life momentarily halted by a passing funeral procesthe country is again full of life and gaiety and shows all this off or remorse. or at least they seem to be. tempting demon who haunts us others.. "It's to maintain the balance. just opposite the sacred place where the golden columns of the Temple of Immortality gleamed in the rays of a sun nailed to the Center of the ceiling so that it could not sink down. The moonlight was so soft that the mountains seemed very near.onsumption of fermented drinks." much happiness 11111111 . But was it really worthwhile evoking all that? Insomnia in the suffocating night and the tiger's eyes shining in the bedroom near the closed mosquito net. there where the last pavements are like harbor quays before the sea of fields and meadows. in front of the farms whose doors 11111. Will I'ling ball on a jet of water in a shooting booth. in regular couples regain the neighboring mounturns «roak that I have always liked." And so Hebdomeros saw Christ insulted dead. but happy or one thing is certain. IIIIIIOUS III II. hanging on the wall. clinging to the last remaining rocks while elephants stood out. set off and sail at leisure on the yellow waves of ripe wheat or on the green ripples of fresh grass. has never come to sit at their table or their bedside. or simply undisturbed. visible. you could go on board.llect. And we know what it means. A magic word shone in the air like the cross of Constantine and multiplied itself in space to the edge of the horizon like the ads for a toothpaste: I"w. and women. still less does he follow I hem I'I'UWS. with muscles like Titans.::> and with sharp cries throw into the air their beribboned oII'O/') by the crowd and then dragged by the legionaries before Pilate.lilll-\. appeared. men of sensibility and . II.'(. burst out again into joyful war- Delphoil Delphoi! A soft sighing noise like laurel over the countryside bushes bent over by the autumn winds passed through the warm air and. "for too is harmful. \ nhout embarrassment 111" wreathed with flowers the peasants and peasant women. then they too disappear and then peace descends once and birds that had stopped singing for a sight. "II' .' . before this unexpected 1. 11l' was thinking: "These men are happy. the sails. dance in a circle round slippery 1'. on the other bank. those who remain waVe their handkerchiefs the polychrome and raise their hands in salute: Be happy! Lebe toohll May fortune smile on you! Good luck! But behind waves of this sea decked out with red poppies and Wilh his arms crossed like a stern tribune watching an orgy. the very sad paintings of epochs long the guide was saying. calling now and again in the low v r followed them as they go off to work at sunrise.1.(64) adventure HEBDOMEROS that ever since his unhappy childhood Hebdomeros had I Illid Giorgio de Chirico . that is that the unhappy. you think ... Now the thousand noises of the countryside spring up again like i It.. IIII' on that subject there would be much to say as well.11 ill 1111. heated by hats. Hebdomtared thoughtfully at these noisy manifestations of innocent joy. waving their terrified trunks in the face of the tempest. "I' dried-up riverbeds.·d up in a very calm sea.nt. bellying out in the spring wind. sickle on shoulder. while the after gorging themselves on rotting carcasses lying at the bottom with a slow rhythmic flight. and he saw the Flood: masses of water swirling over the plains.

yes. nearby. the weather was still very fine. recollecting the faces of women you have loved and the most important events. had been so well conc~ived that they could have with: tood far greater pressures. while below in the harbor iron-plated vessels 11111. long after he has disappeared. till" 1111. and when the burst of catlnon fire echoed through Where return? To the mines? Hebdom~ros instinctively avoided til' v III y he raised his staff in one hand and waved it with joy. the worst misdemeanors. events of an unheard-of solemnity followed one another with the fatality dictated by the goddess History as she sat on a cloud with a book lying haises longues.(66) HEBDOMEROS Giorgio de Chirico (67) yourself as free and easy as a schoolboy who has played hookey. not to mention his friends and disciples. but when they drew they saw that the armchairs ui-urer "I' . you are sitting on a bench near a deserted path shaded by trees whose thick foliage checks the burning rays of the sun and forces them to filter harmlessly through and pick out on the road the perforated notes of an aerophone disc. someone is still sitting on your bench. shouting insults and accusing you in front of the villagers of even of raping little girls and setting fire to rather tired and This long soliloquy had made Hebdomeros out at intervals. the tempting demon. thought. on the sunny heights green trees were spaced children mingling the various shades of their happily. when you get up.il"morning scales. you think yourself easy and free when all of a sudden you realize that you are not alone.ane were in fact all metal. he will leap out from behind a tree. made out on one of the chaises longues.·hdomeros was astonished II weight. it's always he. that the chairs Wereable to support such which th~y had taken to be made "lllir-ely of stone. would hardly h!lv!: been averse to taking a few days' reSt in these monotonous. 1111. who was flying over the looked down. All that would have be~il quite normal. . farms.' hands of a watch but essentially 11111 . and you set off along the dusty path. everything was bathed in light. lilt' II nn her knee. the life on this road lin~d with houses from each ." he will rush off across the fields like a madman. you think yourself easy and free and indulge in dreams and memories of the past.11111 IO(lking into the eyes of monarchs whose torsos were mosaicked 1111 medals and ribbons.1 II bdomeros. was stretched 11. uid pennants. II I. sad or happy. These old men were alive. Yet. this gentleman dressed with an outmoded elegance whose face reminds you vaguely of certain photographs of Napoleon III and also of Anatole France at the time of The Red Lily. yes. and said as much to his companions.iI which rose the lament of pianos bothered by adolescents practicing Ihl. imitating to the life the barking of a dog. alive. pill. In a while.1 unhealthy areas where fever reigned unchecked all the year round iunkeepers place sulphate of quinine on the tables as elsewhere Rather the bore~om of a life adjusted to logical a~d not lacking in poetry. but something unusual drew their attention and III1(1 them realize that things were not as normal as they had at first . Ih ·ir weapons thunder and hoisted up the poles and masts their 1111. cheerful and inviting poked their pointed roofs up between the trees.l unshed tears. lilli' places pepper and-salt.1. the clearings were carpeted with very green young grass where played and shouted which looked clean. In front of each house was a small ~. t h. this gentleman who is looking at you with a sly laugh.inted a straw color.1 sad. and if you lose your patience and begin to hurl stones at him with all your strength. and the interweaving of the steel threads. portly C~binet Ministers "'ere shaking hands with .rden with cane benches 1111. after all. at that moment Mercury. IlIlIosing surroundings. in your life. in each garden an enormous old man. houses that were modest but foliage.

that you ought never to visit the South 111111 I he East.\ the East. who approved the idea. lay Africa. there is joy in work and sleep without IIII'OW. 'yare deleterious and corrosive lands. in the chaste hours of morning. Hebdomeros watched the oming from the south and scudding away toward the north in clouds. then it was decided to have them taken away so that they shouldn't uselessly encumber the little gardens of the villas. however it is by way of the North that one must II. The tide rose up to these pitiful fragments. The eternal cause of these brawls was a dead animal that two hunters at once claimed to have killed. "All the same we should go north. "It is true.1"llIh-l I II . soon this part of the heavens too was 1. even the top of the cranium was cold and their eyes had closed. and a kind of strange. . whereas the South is a little II~." said Hebdomeros r uurpunions. he mingled in his conversation stupid puns and coarse jokes and his breath stank of brandy from yards away. They spoke of the days of hunts for roe deer and grouse in the forests that were damp and dark even at noon. I h se are strongholds Il!luck . . III Ih .. thirst and dysentery. 1.d h"I'" the sky was still bright. but their heads remained of reawakening motionless. II. not by frontal III " will stay there. they recalled how many times they had rushed upon one another.III. thin ones at first that came at intervals like great Illtlli I telling stories of long ago. He arrived with a case full of mallets of various sizes and set to work right away. specialists who were hastily called to examine them found that the tiny glimmer of life that had kept them alive until then had disappeared.. To the North lie life and I'lippiness. I would advise you to beware of the South and the East. northern moon. they knew that over there whence Ih gale. Hebdomeros and his friends stood like shipwrecked " IliIl. it was as if they were suffering from an eternal stiff neck and wished to avoid the slightest movement from fear the pain. But one evening the big stone men no longer spoke. friends.. wide world the inimical things far outnumber the favorable ones. yes. down there behind the black cliffs whose silhouette looked like the figures of gothic apostles the moon rose. called himself a sculptor was summoned. beauty and light. but also cool oases where you III 1t"11 11"111 or \I II for nothing more.·k. one after the other the old stone men were broken up and thrown into the valley. which result only in failure and loss of men and equipment. Sometimes a light flush spread over their behind the they talked from one garden to the next. 11111 that does not mean. cheeks and in the evening when the sun had disappeared nearby wooded mountains tI" 1111111' k.lill'k veils trailing from some invisible hand up there and then denser 111111 that came closer together. say it and how it in the North and the West. in no time at all the whole sky was to his he went on. looking toward the south. there was a very faint glow of life in their faces and the upper part of their bodies. at times their eyes would move. it was a man with a disquieting manner and a horrible squint. the day will come when not only will you go there but to be taken through a ruse.'I'I." "I hili Ihe North is a little like the West. a pale. friends. a man who. towns whitened by the intense the sun. holding their rifles by the end of the barrel and brandishing them like clubs or grasping their hunting knives in their fists. gentle wisdom that falls Ih palm trees along with the ripe dates. you will have more chance there Ihllil unywhere else of being understood and rewarded for your pains. beyond the stormy sea that threw up great mountains onto the shore. which soon began to look like a battlefield after the battle.(68) HEBDOMEROS Giorgio de Chirico (69) men on but only just. it was fleeing on the clouds across 1111 . but they must not think of it. if you have something to say or something to show.

. . thifl k of at the sea lions biting fiercely into the wooden craft that pitch alarmi'<gly.. round about them the in style and the ogival arches rose on all When he had finished his long speech. colors had anchored that the sails. and think also of the great pine forests on the high mountainsides the hour the sun disappears summits.I" III dawn. which Hebits countryside and pipelines in the heat of the dog \:lays in ~our . opening.!'·11 in harmonious applauded and then got to their feet to look down at the little flying unfamiliar the sailors were repairing specialists 'He went down fighting.ndering on its surface. while talkative and long-haired I"nil I ' lves as they installed l'II'lkwater dll1l1 scientific That the highway under construction. wu. also of those blessed kindly veil. ri ver which ran through it and fertilized • be for you a cause of remorse and a desire to follow in ~heir tepid water flows from the faucets "I 1 \ 11K asily navigable right up to the fish-filled lake where it emptied. of reason force you to accept discipline ever finer and greater achievements in the eternal shirtsleeves shouldn't footsteps. the luxuriant . and drive you tOward which henceforth engineers IlIlIvi 'ions. where in full daylight albino children artists work long hours on portraits amined. and disciples and seascapes Til ink towns over which eternal fog and mist spretllcl a can look straigll\ at which can be '\exfriel'. The position of this town. The crater of into rocks which fog and factory smoke had masked during the of smoke and small yellow and in the valley disappeared by steep walls.. slowly in the clear air behind as it sinks. where men have fair skins and blue eyes and wl1lere with a magnifying glass.(70) HEBDOMEROS and good strategy and know h\)w to That your friends and relatie'rs. even people follow your activities gates they now found themselves combat them using not only your courage but also your knowled~~ and whom you have never heard of but who know yoll.." Hebdomeros' it) iound ". which probably disappeared declared that at the middle of the lake they had tried in vain serious-minded the orb of the sun.1I."th. once finished.' I.' pleasures words is regret for your wild youth wasted away in the pursuit until the moment you reached maturity. among drains if suspiciously of hlld)(lr where two frigates easy . young men who were given to lyrical night had fallen and the scene the gentle charm of this in dreams Meanwhile. protected sometimes curves. the in the bowels of the men claimed the doors to the fresh winds that ~ive .hllnged. if the flies attack your food and if the milk and sauces tun' bad in the cupboards. and with attention is not sufficient. strange tales were told.wing the period at the entrance 1111 (71) so you must have sound tactics your wits. light of fame.lds The lake lay in a hollow surrounded its depths. all that you will see in lhese III(" battlements. by thick walls.oals to replace those damaged by the storm and preparing salt equipment on the mass of the at the mouth and which and work. making quarreled among "111111'1. think of going hunting in the polar regions. the t{}cky tI'lli hied these perspicacious IIi hi of the imagination. alternated I h.1 iyes new life to the plants and flowers and bring the animals out frorr the lairs and dens they had fled to from the heat of the midday sun.ros called the most happily situated in the universe. At present when deeper I~yers bathe yo~~ life swe1\t in 11I"I.III but which now loomed up suddenly volcano began to spew out whirlwinds vegetation hluish flames. or and sympathy may one daY say: Giorgio de Chirico 1. 1111. As sometimes lundscape unfriendly 1 faded gradually away to give place to the ugly outline of in the shadows. courage is not sufficient. otherwise III have seen in the dead of night monsters from the Tertiary period leaned against balustrades or lay down as they listeoc:ed. The fact is that no one dared to venture forth . happens house.I Irk ness.

"he loved certain aspects of the past. as can be seen from the following menu served to Hebdomeros and his friends in a restaurant where they went for dinner: CARROT SOUP HI' III dead to the world beyond. he was driving before him toward the darkness of lc p his flock of dreams. once the bolts were drawn. Mercury was encharged by Jupiter not only with exercising the profession of psychopomp. Hebdomeros. to be able to retire in perfect safety and peace of mind. that was why he had engraved on the legs of his bed an image of Mercury oneiropomp. his luce adorned with a black beard that contrasted with the almost infantile . one ARTICHOKES CIGOT MASHED SEMOLINA STEWED OF MUTTON POTATOES PUDDING PRUNES IIW III'S. On the wall above his bed Hebdomeros had hung II 1110 1 curious picture painted by one of his friends. the blinds lowered and the doors shut. in roles but they are .xpression of his features. as film actors sometimes do to look more convincing where this ornament to the male features is indispensable. but once night fell. though for the photograph he had let his beard grow. in this he agreed with Pythagoras. of the relatively recent past that we find in the portraits of our parents in their youth. this photograph shows the artist from in front. background in the distance. And also because of dreams Hebdomeros refrained from eating beans al dinner. He looked upon sleep as something sacred and very gentle and he did not allow his peace to be disturbed by anyone or anything. but once night fell you saw the other side of the coin. would rather have put up with the opposite: living in anguish during the day. behind Mercury and his flock. despite his own efforts and the efforts of rhose who tried to save him. as everyone knows. towns. he disappeared in the eddies. who maintains II Still. harbors. The picture holding a crook in III' had painted depicted Mercury as a shepherd. for. As long as the sun was shining all went well. for in I It . one couldn't pass one's nights in the fear of meeting an ichthyosaur or of being awakened from a deep sleep by the roar of a volcano. "He had a passion for beards." said Hebdorneros whenever his friends asked him for details about the young artist's life. pia e of his staff. He expressed a similar respect for the children of sleep. life.(72) HEBDOMEROS Giorgio de Chirico (73) into the middle of the lake. an artist of great had died very young. namely dreams. All the same. he used to shave. but also of bringing dreams to the I"t·p of the living. Hebdomeros was more decided than ever to leave this land which hid behind a deceptive facade of peacefulness and fertility strange snares and terrors. he kept photograph taken a few days before the reckless attempt that was to cost him his life. II bdomeros sincerely regretted the death of the young artist. a sunny countryside. yet the inhabitants were by no means uncivilized and their tastes were quite refined. that is. moreover a row of small vermilion red buoys marked the beginning of the area where the sounding line no longer touched bottom. The picture was very well composed. He was an intrepid 1IIInnl who unfortunately wimmer and once. men going about their busi- peasants working in the fields. the bringer of dreams. having wished to attempt a river in flood. he who guides the souls that beans cause dreams to be dark and confused. while surrounding M rcury and his strange flock all was dark and desolate as though they hud entered a vast tunnel. he was wept by the current and. in short.

hunchbacked Clotilda who was left pregnant a few months man with a blond Hebdomeros said these last words a burst of cannon fire echoed round by the explosion. quite wrong. my dear friends. Among perfumes he only liked Eau de Lubin. his features contract. just as a film set made of wood and cardboard is always more 'authentic' than a natural one. You know his father. and point of view. he would not have risked his life in that way. for a false beard always looks more real on the screen than a true one. especially without the usual show of killing the fatted calf and the white-bearded old man stretching out his forgiving . who five years ago left his father's house 10 roam the world and live his life. they understand nothing!" Hebdomeros fell silent and stared thoughtfully at the gentle arabesques of an oriental carpet he had just bought. through local gossip.(74) HEBDOMEROS Giorgio de Chirico (75) wrong. from our balcony can be seen the villa's park. he attributes I rreat importance to butter and has devoted long hours to the study throughout the ages. But try telling that to the film directors who spend their time looking for fine sites and picturesque vistas. the old man the stern face who recently underwent an operation on his liver. often h stares into space in front of him. Eau de Lubin had a more evocative scent. occasionally he would have worked away quietly. wilh «u also know that he lives not far from here in a villa hidden among ou ·alyptus trees. yes. his friends sometimes jokingly but he does not get angry. carefully avoiding Eai. if we go out on the balcony now it shouldn't be long before we see him. This IIIJ man. mustache. Thomas Lecourt. than such a homecoming. alas. prodigal son.11. Ih 1. thinking it was noon. the cannon shot you have just heard does not mean that the sun in space. the Lecourt son is returning to his father's house. by her husband. and whom everyone called from 11. though there are moments when u flash of anger passes through his eyes.1 moment on the. whirled past the balcony. in fact he seldom of its preparation call him the 'butterologist' I~ ts angry and his smile under his white mustache is always sad. hate and pain he ways these three words: 'Oh! the scoundrel!' It's that he has happened after her marriage to glance at the portrait of Clotilda. from a certain Just as dangers and risks. this young artist who fell victim to his own daring. to achieve an athletic feat that others with better training and greater resistance would certainly have brought off successfully.1 it's on this very ship that young Lecourt is returning to his homel\Own." the harbor. Now and then during his reveries he passed his hand over his forehead as if to push sad thoughts and unwelcome images from his mind and raising his head he said: "Let us talk further about him. having seen them always since our IllIrli st childhood. hardly ever leaves the house. a handsome his daughter lotilda. "We have not yet reached the middle of the day.lllIsts that you and I know well. Surely if he had fully realized his own worth. l4imply announcing IIdH event would be of no interest had I not heard. my friends. out of bravado. But to get back to the subject. instinctively everyone pulled out his watch. long a widower. but he used to say that.I de Cologne. at once numerous pigeons. his hands dutch the arms of the chair and then in a voice trembling with anger. frightened . there is nothing more moving. but Hebdomeros put out a restraining hand. the hands on the clock and the shadows on the sundials have reached that fateful point which some say indicates midnight in deserted the hour of ghosts far more interesting and complicated than those which ordinarily appear before us at the stroke of graveyards or in the lonely ruins of a haunted castle under the pallid light of the moon as it bursts the storm clouds. the arrival in our port of the steamer Argolide. The cannon shot you have just heard.

when he found himself with the children in front of the escort of soldiers. in mystery and at the to metaphysical began to announce on to the balcony. soon flags appeared in the windows. appetizing things to eat. neither sad nor sunny. he liked the taste He also liked Jews and everything to do with them.h as he felt on journeys. A town crier. they all shouted together: "There he is.-111 ""l1sible Ilip \)1' his voice the next steamer departure times and which ships took each an- 1"'!'It. he was far from being a glutton. the curtains which had billowed out romantically in the open windows sank back again like flags when who had been playing billiards the wind drops.(76) HEBDOMEROS invitation some of his friends went out III Giorgio de Chirico (77) arms. whistling imperceptibly in the dry grass and telegraph wires. Men in shirtsleeves to which Hebdomeros and his friends The garden of the villa was lit up by Venetian lanterns lixed to the trunks of the eucalyptus trees. The sky in the west was still bright. aping the military parade step and making with their mouths all sorts of unmentionable the roll of the drum. The noises died down. and as if in sympathy everything else gradually fell silent too. but you felt that this would not last long. With shrill cries the swallows cut through the air in long black streaks. men left their work to gangs of children started to march noises to imitate come and see what was happening.8Ure f the noonday meal. everything was quiet and still.. others took a position at the windows and they all watched the white road that sloped down to the harbor. and it was Hebdomeros' friends who gave the signal. with their long procession of hours. He was careful to precede ""'lIlcement with a violent roll of drums. hut no lavish extras. . in a discreet. dark cul-de-sac put a stop to this sacrilege by seizing the • in and returning with him back into the passage. and on the veranda. The sky was covered with a thin layer of clouds and from time to time a small breeze blew very gently. leaning on a long staff and carrying on his back a heavy bag and a coat rolled up and tied with string. I'ompany of Jews he would relax and enjoy a sweet and strange torpor " . weary of their past life and of their present life and of the years that still awaited them. soon at the end of the road appeared a man who plodded wearily along. he never o Ie'called with excessive pleasure the joys of the table. To celebrate the return of the prodigal son. for when traveling he always had a slight i IIIpression of being in a dream. a buffet had been set lip where the guests could find many healthy. clear water and strong toli ICCO. then his appetite returned and he thought with 1. little interested complications. in the "I' bread and grilled mutton fat and fresh. In the middle of the eucalyptus park the father's house maintained a stubborn silence behind its closed shutters 1)1' Israel he also set off on a journey. cleared for the occasion of all the plants and flowerpots. . but he was just /I bit of a gourmand. A policeman coming out of II IIlIITOW. for in this suddenly stopped playing as though they had become immensely weary. "I'P 'aring into the jungle again with the antelope it has taken by surprise II il drank at the water's edge." Following Hebdomeros' imply neutral. sad or sunny.lml. just hours! Everyone became and thoughtful. intelligent way. a journey to the end of the dark nizht of history and human races. 11111.ngers as well as cargo. like a lion dis. a few days later the ruther gave a large reception w re invited. This was the moment that Hebdomeros 1'I'preciated most of all. the wind held its breath. there he is!" and then louder still: "Three cheers for the one who has come back! Three cheers for the wanderer's return! Three cheers for the prodigal son!" These shouts and cheers spread from house to house and set the whole place in an uproar. as soon as they saw him arrive.

I Ihe honor of knowing you for quite some time.. and said in a drf 1.. was going beautifully: the party had an atmosphere of Though in fact it was quite justi/ h. surrounded by his friends. the outlines of the trees grew than the others. and while the teacher was giving the lesson the pupils played on him all sorts of tricks.. he suddenly turned round. on his right and his son. his specialty was t~ little paper man.1. He was 1111 dark and the whiteness of the houses faded gradually away. simplicity and charm in spite of a few sly couples who. the town hall clock soon struck nine. suffering which the recent return of his son had undoubtedly alleviated though unfortunately thoughtfulness not dispelled. they separated IWI) the two men. havinj and what we are acting is purely imaginary. Sir. nd reeling that the other was overdoing things.'1 when he turned his back on the class to write on the black' IIII'''~I.lid acquaintance of the master of the house and was particularlj by nature.· Illil of his jacket for the tenth time. The guests refrained from dancing. High in the sky the last rays of the setting sun tinted with a soft rose one side of the little violet clouds that had arranged themselves like an amphitheater. toward the eucalyptus I hilt!" trees in the garden.. stepping forward. jus' '" indignantly. the first guests began Hebdomeros arrived too." To which the other replied.. but it was onlj' II. but out . Old Lecourt led the applause each time. onto the teacher's 1111. it was caused by two of the actors in the third and final sketch. Thomas. Lecourt the elder had foreseen their and had had the idea of entertaining them by setting II. leaning on hiP hildren for support. and with tht 1 . cut out of an exercise book. talking excitedly and emotionally about this unpleasant incident' the ex-consul's wife.11 lost all self-control and. You could have sworn that this evening would end as quietly as it had begun. but the countryside all around the town began to be invaded by darkness." 1. Everything short comic sketches which were warmly applauded. The spectators rushed onto the stage. II tit: with rage..The actor playing the part of the teacher was a man of abou' 1111 wit h a small gray mustache that curled up at the ends. !!lIn "l. One in I'lirret.·: "Sir. his arrival and his presence was not particularly noticed. sitting in the front row with Clotilda. which finally calmed the overexcited guests' ntertainment was abandoned. The audience moved off to tht who was still Tit· whil warmth. I believe that you've II II v r-r up a small stage in the main drawing room of the villa and putting out several rows of chairs hired from the local cafe. he slapped his fellov' "I"or in the face. this reply was the last straw and drove the ex-consul into a fury. moved off slowly toward the shadows of the park. On this stage amateur actors presented his daughter. declareP I""d enough to be heard by all: "I'm proud to have a husband lik~ .. leading away her husband. the noise of a train going off somewhere toward the north could be heard in the distance. of respect for the moral suffering of the master of the house. Just as the actor the part of the mischievous pili ill " . been able to take a joke. 11111 contrary to what he had hoped and desired."1.lp of the other actors. it was said he had been a con' pupil pinned the little man ontd . to arrive. 1. on his left. "And you.11. you are going too far.(78) HEBDOMEROS Giorgio de Chirico 11I"li~·"larwas more enterprising I' II II (79) western country the long summer days stretch out very late and night falls very slowly. are forgetting that we are actors on ~ Besides.·d.11 1111 r-ible and punctilious r ill the East and that he loved hunting snipe. when suddenly a most unfortunate incident occurred. maintaining a dreamy silence. the scene of this one-act comedy was a schoolroom.· presence of the venerable master of the house.

r and suffering without hope under the great. are cared for gently and skillfully and emerge 1111 bandaged up. were gradually coming to life again. Night-owl instincts were aroused in everyone. with canoes pulled up onto the beach and trenches and down there behind 1111itals. yes the p PIt. the Fish. the Scales. summer only IiIHfilled with phantoms of the great sculptures of antiquity. patched up.<. and who to a little cafe which stayed open until morning to cater to the workmen and engineers came there to take a break and have a snack.)1'wounded zebras. those mornings following sleepless nights. "I' Ihat mountain over there. and further away there were Pisces. and on whose summit can be seen by day dark masses.. empty and motionless and held in to suit all tastes and to satisfy who felt every emotion perfect balance. the insistent chirping of the sacred. more intensely than other people and was always ready to give way to at the expense of self-control. to the master of the house and his sight: the constel- children before leaving the villa. he knew nights I I••11'. he stopped and began to point them out. you could feel that daylight was not far away. cute. including Hebdom- Giorgio de Chirico (81) Down in the harbor fishing boats were weighing anchor."Insomnia. further over to the left was Libra. Fresh breezes from things eros. as good as new! Could it be that life is nothing but immense lie? Nothing but the shadow of a fleeting dream? Is it but the echo of the mysterious blows that resound on the rocks uoihing the strangest of whims. slowly revolving and always staying the same distance apart as though they were fixed to the same axis." thought Hebdomeros. the sky was an unforgettable lations were so clearly arranged that they formed real pictures drawn in dots like the illustrations in dictionaries. lonely Orion was moving away into the depths of the heavens with his club on his shoulder and the faithful Dog at his heels. classical pose. III 1111'111 too well. fat and appealing. generously proportioned body. all 11111111111. invisible cicadas and the "But. shimmering star- .(80) HEBDOMEROS The party was almost over. dark ether. dragging his furry body along through the deep. perfect little hospitals where even the zebras. stitched 1111 together again. Hebdomeros. Nobody felt like going home now. he knew them well. III! edge of the sea.. with their pans lying horizontally. and the Great Bear.' Iidows of the houses. lay on a cloud and turned her head gracefully as she looked down at the world still asleep in these last hours of the night. dis- IIr. whose opposite side has apparently never IH'i~nseen. 11111 hot days that followed the nights filled with visions. the 11111of traffic came from the main road and lights were going on in the ..led-in fact. and the relentI. that are probably forests and from which at IIi rht come sighs and stifled groans as though a giant were chained up 11i. in the east the sky grew Hebdomeros suddenly said to himself. there were constellations III" HI'CI passed into the air like a silent call." "IV!'I'ran down his spine for he knew what that meant . \ ith an irregular profile. and Orion. leaning against each other in a tranquil. the last guests. were paying their respects in darkness. which was not difficult as that even someone who knew nothing whatsoever about astronomy would have known them. II IHIIy dug in the sand. immediately suggested going who worked all night repairing the railroad. \ 111'11 specters of famous temples that vanished centuries ago stand the 11111 ruujestically against the dark sides of mountains. You could see the Heavenly Twins. mended. whose grounds were already hidden Outside. and a cold . with her beautiful. they were so easily recognizable Hebdomeros was delighted.. Him. enthusiasm. i "why do I dream about a battle by the trenches tiny 11111IIs search for a cool spot at noon by the banks of a muddy river. The Virgin..

. and thus surrounded by an atmosphere bedroom. Now these priceless stones t h rew '1:1 • iature northe~~t in all direct~ons thei. guarded molding on the ceiling. ' nNoll. now and then some separa\ "'6 c h bli dletnselves from their invisible chain and stopped betore tell di h \d~(l~ windows of the jewelers' shops. obscene little theater. etc . d r . so you asked a tail-coated steward. but as soon as they ighted a stranger raircase leading on their backs and they barked of the palace. ~==========:.fp1ows.1' They looked at him without seeing him and saw him . as a star shines on a calm summer night in the far corner 0f t h e \J s'k'" a star that for centuries has witnessed wars. their faces were all identical. that luxurious mansion in an unimaginable by two enormous the hair bristled watchdogs at its main gate.1 not the time to think of work. h '..===== HEBDOMEROS Giorgio de Chirico III!' (83) aid.IlWk exchange so that they could speculate their optimistic arguments lullow when it was seen to be a false alarm. h were 1uxury. d S om~-'tI ~tl'rJ1esa sure.e~ t~ey sparkled with dazzling brightness in the center of t h e s h opwt. catac 1ysms an d p 'J lao'~es striking the world and destroying what man had create.h 1k Wit out 00 ' \W Int\. with his feet on a stool. rapacious hand..avy doors. who walked in front of you to show you the way . First you had to go up the majestic from the grounds to the interior maze of corridors. husband. wns no news from the palace. lying with their fists clenched and their beards in the air. elf p'-jDceS hidden deep in dark parks. Hebdomeros this and had said so to his friends. uu entered a confusing vestibules. with people they knew. -e 'e'dl. led by a man like a colossus Wit n ildi b Ul Illg si tes . with folding screens placed before their h .'e "ere the sonorous names of the now-famous diamonds t h at h a d one. standing on little cube-shaped bases covered Wit re ve v I . Luxus. Cameo. smoking the ornamental urprised to see this man. so active. has too much common sense to .r iridescent darts and their minith d 1 ttl.. the bodies of these doors. ora~ ancient god.arnily contemplating disorder. like the sharp talons of d an aut I vu 1tu . You felt a like the souls to join her you you were like Alcestis following Hercules lightness coming over you then. ~t\'e ypocritical mask of lust. snatched huge wooden beams from d oors 0f t h e h (j a.. your soul felt weightless of the dead. by money-grabbing bankers trying to provoke a slump in the on the rise that would It was these same people with phrases like: Our had etc. 1 ce d'0re fallen over the metropolis. shamelessly flaunted its rna Ievo Ient fir~ l' ki ~&_ And then rebellions broke out like storms in burning summer s res -s. It was certainly liill""since accepted 11l.rously stabbed to death. foaming at the mouth. of mythology ame to the door of the bachelor's The unmade bed and the . tit him. then anteand I'l:rociously. in bygone days. ] the crowns of monarchs assassinated by moonI'Ightt III t hei ~ \Jorned . filled sky?" . ith t h e b ear <\\ Fjefce. when footmen still carried halberds of noblemen often lay at the thresholds run behind the carriages with smoking torches in their hands. and in the meantime mg t a 0'1 . 'l"'e would emerge between the heavy drapes that formed t h e b ac kd rop " \J{ thiS brilliantly illuminated. People passed by him III a regu ar ' I <-lo(ltItlllOUS flow. determined men.(82) hi h ci 1 't~ l'jS a rebellion and had maintained that the rumors w IC circu ate. Indllutled them like catapult missiles at the armor-clad 'Gltel" first exc h ange I ' Some had prudently fled..(). I rra LO-t e \l \..and they were precisely those who had refused to b e I ~u. lights. as if they were riveted to a chain in perpetua 1 m~ itif'. \ ho always ended eq notion. halls. h h d fhuii spoke Hebdomeros to himself. the rumors had been started. usually spend whole days ill ing in an armchair. others had fallen at the 'ieve t h er.. noblemen treach. so they were a pipe and There . r-harnbers and reception rooms. You simply had to take a guide. they were as gentle as lambs.ere entirely unfounded.

they moved into the solid. addressing a young lady. the bandages and boxes of cotton wool that had been used to on top of small oriental tables and which made one think of the somber tend his swollen knee were scattered inlaid with mother-of-pearl mind off things. as well as the vile. I got up quickly "I «-ned in its turn. holding my head up and looking straight in front of me. especially the oak and plane tree. which prevented the assassins from aiming straight and made it easier for him In fties shouldn't soil them." said a solidly built." impress by this speech. whom he expected was looking at him indulgently. Then. how he had met that friend who later '\ccompanied him on all his journeys and of his passionate love. To take III I regrets. madam. "And moreover. The prince who was attacked by eight outlaws in the pay of the antimonarchists would certainly have died. he described tl::)the dentist to have a tooth out.' He bowed silently waved me into his consulting room. for he was the man Hebdomeros On the bed with his legs apart. had he not thought of picking up one of the wrought-iron garden tables and using it as shield. as he always did in the presence of this blonde woman . wearing a long white smock. he was wearing a short shirt that hardly reached his groin and left his sexual organ exposed with its swollen veins. banal decor of those rooms whose mirrors were covered with thin purple muslin so that the ~ilt-framed Ilk. pri ed. wild with joy. base prostration known to the But the lady. but they had peaceful expressions that inspired the greatest confidence." Hebdomeros ended his story with these solemn the sublime ecstasy to words: "At that moment I may have experienced lave. madam. Hebdomeros was quickly reassured. Then Hebdomeros thought of deliverance. bells rang merrily lind pretty village girls in regional costume. as a how he had felt the first time he had gone he said. I known to heroes. his face to the ground. . while fireworks went off. my feet were cold and my stomach was queasy. my mind was II complete blank . "yes. Hebdomeros told .(84) HEBDOMEROS spoke of many tragedies and was seeking. The next day the people. "Yes. was lying Giorgio de Chirico (85) walls covered with signed photographs willi the large legs and eat's eyes. he had imagined their hidden faces to be highly alarming. f. without Jostling. . The masks which hid people's faces fell one after the other. red-faced man in his fifties. feeling Qhild. of flying machines and invincible phalanxes of white warriors with helmets of gold who would crush the enemy under their avenging heels and. which eyes. ~r perhaps the hundredth time. . Then I walked forward slowly. in a world finally restored to peace. "it's having presence of mind that often saves a man's life. slowly. A sensual relaxation. I concentrated III on an oleograph on the wall in front Ii depicting Red Indians on horseback chasing a herd of wild buffalo s a bush-covered plain. bespectacled /llId I1l1d aid in an assured voice: 'Good morning doctor. r\tther excited. I was sitting in the \ liling room. cheered him in the their faces flushed with quare in front of the church. a fierce desire for peace ~nd bourgeois living came over everyone and then. I should add that he had first taken the precaution of putting out the lights. would regenerate humanity in the shadow of their sky blue standards." escape. for big trees. ironic expression. with a sur- smiling at him as though he had just sung song in a language she did not understand. Suddenly I heard the muffled sound of man with owl- 111'1'0 1111 upholstered door being opened behind the waiting room door. and there stood an athletic-looking Orient and of those hapless victims sewn into sacks and thrown at the deepest hour of the night into the dark waters of the bay. The people began to converse on the divans '\nd sofas and between one armchair and another. he.

ureet. then III 1. nnother sphere where I could never reach them." -and can't help it. r-r thicker as though they were entering derful woman who for ten long years had the strength and determination from the world." to listen a man wearing a black tie. "I' Ihe dark. people who passionately people who were afraid lov d light.. its highest point of perfection. or at the seaside. "wait. the light of the sun at noon on city full of life and activity. I am not the king. brought HEBDOMEROS him presents of all kinds in baskets lined with won- Giorgio de Chirico (87) Ilti' lumps. s of people n without it occurring !IIi rht be among them some photomaniacs. Such people go at night. with he tightened his grip on Hebdomeros' his speech-"I Hebdomeros. in darkness. once light arrives. selfishness \\'I'ird face was now almost hidden in darkness. I have always loved it. as night began to fall over the town. she was that unique. where II". The conversations of the darkness. \ hcreas I love the shadows of twilight. the discussions each person seemed to withdraw into himself quares and streets. phantoms disappear hardness into their unknown kingdom.10 '0 out I have to grope like a blind man for my stick and hat. For the rest._ . Yes. don't light the lamps yet. Hebdomeros adapted III'intellectual complications i. they are much more hospitable 1111.1 ('UreS and theaters II uiakes the water glow like a pool of molten metal. Notice how people which. I love this hour. I know that 111111 that dusk was slowly-gathering in intensity. It's the phantoms of people and things that we see. red velvet armchair. as seagulls hover over the storm-tossed proposed lighting the lamps but seeing that no one moved He had barely left his chair when he he turned and recognized in the chin and grabbing his forearm. . politely but firmly. diminished mysteries would have gone on indefinitely. quite well to a society free Never- I can assure you that I have often stayed in my studio.1 and to think about his own problems as well as about the still-unresolved that hover over men. Hebdomeros felt someone shadows he got up to light them himself: restful. ~df in strange reveries and darker. the aspect of his physique particularly had struck him as being the drawing room. sir. 1111: you once again: do not light the lamps. as I watch my paintings sinking into a fog another world.e. It was simply revolting. without lighting but extremely warm and hospitable. madam." said this man. and of this man who. and they make me daydream-I dear friend. And that is forearm. which he had clung to throughout Ii "I to force himself peuker. I plead \VI. At such times I lose III costly embroidery. even from her mother no. and perhaps also some scotophobes. Under the effect which began to make felt its weight. tupidity and incommensurate romantic yearnings. In an attempt to dispel the Stimmung created by the fall of dusk. who had at the sadly on and and whose beg you. in the drawing room. IliH dubious was prepared "No. who was sitting in a large. I love the hour of pale woman whose expression to hide her shame and despair with emotion: . and even when night has fallen I leave my lamps unlit. gazed thoughtfully He reflected smooth. At that very moment he came face to face with a was bitter. Let's stay in this semidarkness while it lasts.(86) excitement.' " were it not and father. reached and objects all look more mysterious in this dim light. to satisfy to keep dozens to him that there (11)1. drawn by the light of hundreds of lamps. . sea. 1. bumping chairs and easels as I make my way to the door and go down into people prefer bright light. and with an elongated unpleasant when he had first entered to all this. Iwilight. bony face. I .. The outlines of things lose their as they did in the periods when the art of painting I am talking to you as an artist. he somehow found the courage to say in a voice splitting 'God forgive me. sir.

(88)

HEBDOMEROS

Giorgio de Chirico
iii wl.i h I am greatly attached.

(89)

theless, it was not lacking in maniacs, and there were even one or two lunatics. Among these was an art teacher who lent young people sums at high interest, against a varying between eight and fifteen francs,

But as you like it so much, take it; I'll

II lid it to you for a while. I'll be only too happy to give you this

"I"

IHure." His delighted

friend took the false jewel and, of course, the art teacher in being rethat incited

collateral of clothes or parts of clothing; the collateral he preferred was shirts and vests. He laid all the deposits neatly in drawers and closets and each one had a tag, attached the sum of money lent, etc. Sometimes after lunch he took a friend by the arm and said in a mysterious tone: "At two o'clock I have to see someone on important business." But this important business consisted simply in meeting one of the people who owed him money, who had given him a shirt or a waistcoat against a loan of twelve francs, and offering to let him have the waistcoat back if he repaid the sum of five francs. Sometimes this art teacher's mindedness transactions were, morally speaking, highly dubious. Among his acquaintances there was a young man whose absentto a button by a piece of string, bearing the name and address of the owner, the date of the transaction,

Ii 0 days after at the latest he had lost it. Whereupon
III

\ j,il,:d and moaned about the sentimental and material loss this meant him and after much lamentation he finally succeeded reasons, 1111,,1 a sum at least twenty times what he had paid for the trinket. d 'I'IIOH' were the main reasons, the fundamental ""hdomeros to quit this society. Where was it? How did it happen? V I. did it happen? He could not answer these questions himself. iVll'lIlories, people will say! Memories! What a deep resonant word, so had ,'vo(:aLive and full of feeling! It grips you simply to say it, or even read
II. nuL this time it was not a question of a memory. Hebdomeros
, 1111 •

out onto the balcony of his hotel room. It was only one step, one which displayed all the horror of a lion hunt in

I,'p off the carpet,

1\ I'I·ja, from the room to the balcony, a balcony that was neither too Iii h nor too low; Hebdomeros
'I!I!:

was notorious and who lost things with the greatest ease.

hated balconies at a dizzy height; this In

The art teacher exploited his young friend's weakness in the following way: he showed him artificial jewelry of no value whatsoever, tiepins, rings, cuff links, bracelets and the like. He bought this jewelry from small junk dealers in the out-of-the-way quarters of the town and often got the~ for a penny or two from tramps he met in the course of his nocturnal wanderings. to show particular When showing them off, he waxed lyrical over friend had the misfortune their beauty and value. If his absent-minded

was just right. In the middle of it was a flagpole without a flag,

uuuched by cords to the scrollwork of the wrought-iron balustrade. I" hysteria with their impassioned,
III

II... past this balcony had been used by demagogues, rousing the crowds ringing words, and making thouuids of mouths, gaping in crimson, sweating faces, scream their faith

the meridian heat or in the shadowy torchlit night. Now there was to be seen but a few rustic stools, standing round tables of plane which gave shade to this peaceful spot, a dried-up tables. leaf fell in

nothing Ire

interest in one of these trinkets, he looked broken-

I"I urh-hewn wood; now and then, from the top of the centuries-old ,·jr ·Ies onto the empty, deserted

hearted and, laying both hands on his friend's shoulder and looking intently into his eyes, said in a pathetic voice: "My dear fellow, this piece of jewelry would be yours if only it were not a family souvenir

Close by there was a cool, jugs filled with amber-

1'1,;ar spring, pouring over a few earthenware

(90)

HEBDOMEROS

Giorgio de Chirico

(91)

colored wine. This was more than enough to arouse the enthusiasm of Casca, the painter who hailed from the south. Addressing himself to Hebdomeros, he expressed his emotion simply but lyrically: "Now a there's happiness for us artists," he said. "What do we need, after all, to be happy? A couple of apples on a table with salt and pepper, ray of sunlight burden of life; and last and most important-" and most important, a clear conscience. on the floor, a sweet, faithful woman to lighten the and here he paused for "last to

1111i'~' longing for a deleterious purity, needled by the wish for something
III 111'1',

omething perfect; and all this in a desert country where every in finding an

,,,,.I sown rots or dies fruitless?" Hebdomeros asked these questions
HI Ililll elf rather than his friends and never succeeded
1111

w r. He would have liked to interrogate

those muscular ascetics

1111, momentarily resting from their brutal exercises, fell into styled
1111.1 noble poses as though they wished to show neither to their brother 1,,111 rs nor to the profane onlookers the weariness that tortured their I"..den limbs. But most of the time these muscular ascetics did not "'1,1
lIt(k

a moment to look around the circle of people listening to him-

Yes, a clear conscience,

be able, rather to have the right, in the evening when, tired from the day's work, we stretch out in bed to enjoy a well-earned rest, to have the right to say not only the famous words: I too am a painter, which is all very fine, but which unfortunately is not everything, but also the less famous but not less important words: I too am an honest man." This kind of talk always got on Hebdomeros' before. His instinctive friendliness, and his extremely refined upbringing, incommensurable nerves. He had heard it reinforced by his high intelligence often led him to make the best

. They looked at Hebdomeros with contemptuous irony, and, outthe stadium, nudged each other and snickered malicious, taciturn and irritating, when they met was quite un-

Idlli. This attitude,

!I"n,l.andable. Their profession was difficult, and despite the undeniable I". iuty of the performances Ii "'II. o'dock
IIll; 1111

they gave the citizens, one could hardly

.. that they rolled in riches. On Sundays, when they organized sham in front of the prefect and his wife, they began training at five in the morning and during the winter months by lamplight. to spare fights

of things and to listen politely to the ravings of these maniacs, whose logic was equaled only by their madness, sometimes in such obvious, but sometimes also so difficult to detect that no one noticed it, except for psychiatrists of genius who had specialized cases-and even then . . . ! For some time Hebdomeros leaving a restaurant

Mor than once the prefect's wife had begged her husband

e athletes their early morning rehearsals and to let them cut down the tableaux vivants, which showed the death of Patroclus, But the sweet continuous pathetic scenes requests took place.

hetween the Greeks and Trojans, and other episodes drawn from the
I'll .rns of Homer.

were in vain. The prefect

avoided this society and one day

Sometimes

extraordinarily

fairly late at night with his friends he stopped on

worked in a cool room looking out onto a garden. The windows were
'IP n and the blinds lowered. Hebdomeros

the edge of the pavement and exclaimed: "Why do we have all these revolutions? Masses rising up like mountains shaken by earthquakes? Why these credos murmured in the mournful obstinate whisper of a seeing everything in straight grim purpose in life, uncompromising,

loved those blinds; some-

limes, finding himself at the prefect's house, he would spend whole. II rlf-hours
K
>

looking at them and lose himself in dreams before them,

eing there a peaceful countryside full of tranquil poetry; lakes sur-

(92)

rounded ~~h~':ll==h;;;;';;;;h=======;;;;;;;;;;i;;====== d . y I S on w IC castles and villas raised their harmless towers th. , pO,n\ed roofs; ducks floating by the water's edge' fishermen drying t en net~, th d ld c lk ' " ' , I m e sun, an 0 to ending their hfe tranquilly in perfect conllJug~ harmony, winding their way slowly toward the church whose b e towe\- d ' td h 'II h hi k Th__ ormna e t e VI age ouses like a hen surrounded by her c IC s. 'Vhe th cs. :» u: · n e prerect s wire appeared Hebdomeros withdrew discreet Iy 1U\ th II di , f me Ion. 0 e sma£' mmg room nearby that always smelled strongly o Th u: h J e pre ect s wire t en, with slow steps, approached her h us b anv, h 'd k Sh w 0 contmue to wor at his table without raising his head. e wa~, \.ery beautiful with her black bandeaux framing a face the co Ior of I", h ' d II h'dd en bY ory; der npe an ' we -made body was revealed rather than I h er ress; floor besid hi hai commg close to the prefect she slipped to the eSI", d , k nee Im~ "\ f IS chi air, an ,with her arms on the knees of her husband , ,e ore rrn on the hard parquet, her beseeching face turned towar d tlll~, " , taciturn anad mtransigent man, she gazed at him her cheeks wet With t~ Th ' ,h '. ars. ere was a scent of furniture polish and wine spirits In t e air, % f th f ' li h d J,_ orne 0 e urmture was covered up, the parquet, zealously po IS e , ·... ad t I I' th eat hI e tan h ' ex 'reme y s Ippery surface. She begged him to spare e% r , hd fi t en latIgue and stram. All, alas, in vain! The evening of t e hate \ed, the tableaux vivants took place. Up to the last moment one ad bOt d f " fG " e or an act 0 od; something that would have prevented t h e perfom. f ki ance rom ta mg place: an earthquake a revolution the passage 0 f '\ id I hi b comet, a II a wave; but, as always m these circumstances ~I~ ~ d ' , H e bd omefO pene ; everything took place in calm and perfect order. 'd' hh e h ope d for ~ rmxe Wit t d" crowds that, filled the restaurants; he still e unexpecte ; he questioned the people around him rea d t h e paI\ I' . , ers, ent an attentive ear to the conversation of his neighbors h e next t bl at t N hi a e. ot mg; not a cloud on the horizon; plain quiet

==----9

HEBDOMEROS
I III

Giorgio de Chirico where: in heaven That evening,

(93)

and on earth. So he had to bow before the surrounded by his friends, The riddle he attended the of this ineffable and forming and immobile by

u-wituble.
1" dil!'mance
I I! II

and understood everything.

IIltlpO"'ition of warriors, of attack

of pugilisrs, difficult to describe and defense,

.orner of the drawing room a block, many-colored

III il~ gestures
IIIIII~ "II~

was at bottom understood

If alone; he realized this at once when he saw the facial expresof the other spectators. The fact of being the only person present worried him. He felt a of loneliness, and he when the desolation a thing so rare and profound

III romprehend

","tlden fear, the fear of solitude, 1oI1",ke to his friends
1I1I1H
It II II'.
0

of his fears. But imagine his astonishment of commiserating or pessimistically of their contemporaries,

"e

latter,

instead

commenting "But

intellectual

capacities

crowded around

Ililll and, grasping IllIjny yourself, Hebdomeros

his arms and his hands,

cried all together:

sir, that's the important thing!" went home that evening with a heavy heart. Those and wanted carved in stone like the laws submissive as sheep, as sheep he

Jllinciples that he cherished IIl'cumulated
IW lUi

"I' Moses were no longer worthy in his eyes. Far distant, beyond the
habits and regulations,

lu-rded in their pens waiting the fatal hour of the slaughterhouse,
they approached,

two symbolic figures, Pity and Work, growing smaller and smaller hand in hand, the distant low horizon. But, Great it all was. Charming ribbons, disturbing bubbles, flames without heat lines drawn with a toward the zigzags, or

=:

(:od! How confusing

dlliting like greedy tongues,
wuves, persistent

tt. "

h,.i II iance even the memory of which he had thought long lost, soft and unvarying,
rose and rose incessantly

"I'iling of his room. It all took off in spirals, Hlruight and slow, or perfectly perpendicular

in regular

like the lances of disci-

He had achieved and But ~iOmething. the lictors. a song of infinite sweetness.. worried humanity. thus justifying your existence and sanctifying your Ip.meres usually greeted his servants. having emptied the last pitcher of wine.' 1I0t Are all brothers. He had not completely wasted his day. he followed his foolish fancies. from ridiculous and mock-heroic decisions. that usually made a thousand small noises among the grasses and the plants. to live again. who left him sulkingly after hnving stolen from him and sucked him dry.. May a solemn and sustained music accompany you in your difficult task with another song. II Ii. rocky and inhospitable these stabilizations give already to the living man on the earth a luuk to a sweeter. slowly but surely. and what again? Are we travelers. ploughshares to dislocate deputies pointing to the sky. abandoned follow yet another new idea encountered even more seductive riences. several canvasses were sketched out and some nearly finished. But now the hour of rest had sounded.I. sailing on the same ship past the shores strung along these new II IiI 1111 lilli' and of power they made him angry with reality.'II'Y on this earth amongst the crowd of your contemporaries. from II. the empty cans were placed neatly in cupboards with a consoling symmetry. alas... And what man following a new idea had not.. But at present he also rolt more at ease. he found it difficult to raise his eyelids. all that can only strengthen (95) plined troops. But he knew too well. free from frenzy. change their dry. There was in his mind then a so full of possibilities the chase to like a crowd in the streets. 1.\ had foreseen the war and the ensuing peace. times exceeded his intellectual your structure and increase your I" Idi~ious gifts. which develop each year more and more and are fruitful Iii . [urotaste of the joys of heaven. and sisters. along the road and judged Judging from previous expe- way that. Your life will be your life! Go and do.1' ull.. the corners of the room were clean now. at least once in his life. one of those sustained lind powerful tasks that force the respect of the most skeptical oblige future generations to bow before The Complete Works . that neither gods nor men can ever begrudge you.(94) HEBDOMEROS Giorgio de Chirico 11. \ . work thou shalt be saved and thou shalt save them.I. more smiling one? And these changes. the strongest Hebdomeros had ever known.lumber invade his limbs. Hebdomeros than the first . sleep claimed him more and more. And as he supposed that all would "come back to normal again" he allowed his thoughts to linger that evening beyond the prescribed limits. and Hebdomeros had foreseen them as thought that the spiritual fever which laid him 1. he still dreamed. that at powers.. the shapes were progressing. as an amateur.aI"S. It was certainly not a cyclopean work. had written this in chalk on the door of his house one night when all slept and a heavy silence weighed on the land because the ceiling was very low and even the insects. and friends. and other calamities Illd low at the moment would last no longer than the preceding fevers. strange company. yes.' 1I fecund tree. the bearing on their athletic chests the insignia of absolute authority. to search. The spades and the scythes covered with rust lay in the farmyards near the overturned ploughs. so he stretched out his legs in the . to break those stupid laws that human ignorance had created across the centuries. whence came all these disturbances and inner conflicts. By joys of mad. at least there was something. To create. Try to be happy and good! It was with these words that Heb. the lazy ruffians yawned and stretched themselves enough their bones. Hebdomeros felt the gentle . to remold. that night were still. without at the same time falling into worse errors. and to avoid those impressions.lIt in a more normal fashion.

It IS no . HEBDOMEROS hi yawned in executing the notes of a descending Giorgio de Chirico lui 1141 wa' always on IS g. th e appraIse . 1 III"kK. black as a gigantic amphibious animal cast upon the beach. the d reamer. There was. his forehead sweaty. as e . f hf of the earth like the d ' d to dIsappear rom t e ace uchronous. swollen. thought Hebdomeros. . finally. " hil hical problems that had . G d had never mspue m im . " he i reasmg matena IS IC HI 'ratIOn t e inc " hIked along in regular. II "Icanmg 0." pretty women powdering their noses at the windows of the Pullman So spoke those men whom Hebdomeros had long known but with whom he could never be on cordial terms because he did not respect them. But basically all that is only an escape. e c.. we can walk arm in arm under the palm trees that edge this uneventful sea. but who vanished before the threat of danger and afterward formed colonies. l'IvllJzatlOn. the hairy by all the formidable fashion against a thousand dangers that the ordinary man. uard: the beautiful scenery. h k after new songs.. I'lclector 0f pamtmgs 0. lortunete er. speeches. h h bit f doing but at the risk 0 H bdomeros was m tea 1 0. id hi h h d happened to him severa . and turning onto his left side he slept the sleep of the just. one flees to the next exile. his shoes dirty. 'W t was lacking' one d b pened WIth dynamitea er ' h a to eo. so Irregular t at one a hoi." So men sometimes believe. They were not unknown to him. ' thinker. 11 h ophet the scrutmlzers. hid the discouraging sight of law-bound cities.. w IC a . the conscience pleas to appease and avoid the annoyance of remorse and the scrutiny of those who rightly or wrongly are ranged before you as judges if not executors."111' 'aug t Y . 1 'the sun The writer." ' "h id to hIS fnends. .I 11101111'(: that " d' hi .saur ~nd the ~::::~~ p. we are in the same situation. h d him dunng t IS ate sum ' p"rt I ularly aunte. h b the mcommg n e. as t ey wa . e . armored in a worker. . past these expensive but charming luxury hotels. db lating on the vanous P 1 osop 1II'\lIde . "Since you are here. you are therefore my brother and my accomplice. hi 1 mer "Taking into con. the th right to claIm a pace in .'IIK 10 cross e . the bearded and spectacled man busily running about the railway platform with a small valise in his hand. . (97) scale. I.(96) fresh clean sheets. " th reasoners the askers . '1 t will all become an" f the very first c ass.:~tr:: :~hilosophY arising from a 'arne time t ere are 1 d minds of men can never be high ideal whose mark on the sou s an . which or t at rna e . he terrain was 1 " ' ks rose almost perpenth mountams' impressive roc . And yet all was not rose-colored in these lands. 1'III"rOItedhIS weanness. e sa '1 ' I' from now on a SOCIal .111'1'.. down there the complete relaxation. 'I f h 1 sures of the mind will h h Iives on y or t e p ea uue where ternan w0 . despised cars. . Y specu . those men with the heroic attitudes as long as peace and tranquillity reigned around them. bl k of stone and on the shore . as Hebdomeros well knew. the father of a family. To sleep the sleep of the just! What man really has the right to believe himself just? "Art sanctifies all. estme y '11 tell me now that at the ichthyo. the . . that high enormous thing."' t paradoxlCa to VISua ize III thrnical steps. e . WIth enormous oc s . those aspects d ith J'oyby a charming and I seeme d to have been create WI an unconditional con. I'll I~>S the beaches to pass around the th li ne of the coast usmg f IiiIIuwc I e 1 .Id"d-IIP nver strewn . " h h d to be an acrobatIC . And then. 110) longer h ave e h" the observer the th poet the metap ysician. ition But he always dIed him in a precanous POSI1 ' d h a pac I '''''M an 'f h tt r he could easily have . true societies of mutual aid where they recognized one another by imperceptible signs to which they alone possessed the key. f llowed the bed of a d kd sea Sometlmes one 0 III III irl y from a ar ~ep . At last! At last alone! The mountain. t e pr. r the seer t e see er or riddles. cannot in the least imagine. ' li t' and practical orientation of our .

there where the coolness of watered . because . Doubtless it is necessary for humanity to cross this black tunnel in order to find on the other side. my dear friends. Yes. they deceive themselves 'I' atly." 'y hope to be able to continue thus happily from pleas~re to pleasure without ever seeing the reverse of the coin. In the kill-joy at work many times.Ii . bears no fruit. have understood me-our know who they are-even. is plain: to wait until the curtain rises suddenly. Giorgio de Chirico (99) effaced. I. to app~ar m ln-Iore the footlights violently bathed in light from head to toe. But you know as well as I that human beings cannot without great difficulty shake off the prejudices pettinesses and that are for many the main causes of their misery in this thrown terror into those places of luxury and pleasure. Vocation liberated from the dark cells where. alas. they were only partly responsible. "do'es of streams. after all. IIlId IIIWIi.(98) HEBDOMEROS till yll h I.1 10 given in full knowledge to eventualists without bursting with laughter. 1111. hopmg 101" a thunderous applause to greet their appearance and later to be IIOl'nein triumph on the shoulders of a delirious crowd to the door of . I'll say that in all this. full of ulterior ideas at the back of 'l'lu. l. calmly sat down xpert marksman. "Infamous nourishment. have seen that alarming an accent of love or the attraction of fantasy. 1111 repair to their dens to dry out their powder in the sun and sharpen Iii. because you are still the only ones who. they put through their paces a mi~ute portion of mankind the contents of a boat. that bald and muscular man. and I'll go even further. know nafvete of these optimistic . and whatever else. the weakness of the strong. which. One needs the unashamed and indulgent men to take them seriously and discuss such rubbish til. trod a beaten path to slip especially those seated in the front I" hind the tall. as little as one is a psychologist. gardens rises over deep valleys. even one as small as a punt. the baseness of their aims. cold. 1III. one can divine. dear friends. b low which the audience.they an~ Renown. their expressions those who. since in their precocious and clear positivism they no longer have the amazement of newcomers faced with the sentiments and spectacles that so deeply troubled their elders. all that is pure nonsense. sailing between the banks of a narrow river. basically. dear friends. but whose ardent heart overflowed. can see the muddy shoes of the actors as they pass to and fro. and not only in this. I'lit it is then precisely that things begin to get complicated. or the voice which grew silent. Thus they theorize on words and phrases that strike the mind with their monumental ring such as. even I4lacial in appearance. worth is not duplicated at all in you when they give to the same degree in those creators of whom I am thinking-and and perhaps especially. And our worth as thinking and acting beingsup to now. The lesson of danger. during long years. He fired his pistols quickly with the precision of an and when he had emptied all his ma~azines . but.and hands on a batiste handkerchief.il' inds. squalid curtain raised a few inches only from the stage. say this to you." sad world. . and you.aim of these crafty creatures. judging by the majority of opinions is the one that counts most.ir hotels under the amused eyes of the porters and bellboys. II was not the type of man to hesitate or waste time in boring and II eless speech. 'PIIII('d errors for which. his shot-blackened first case.ludes of their knives and daggers on polished stones gathered at it as well as 1. to human souls as I air is to the lungs. ignorant of every calling.with ~assion. I will even say as indispensable. who am telling you this. he quickly WIped at a table and ate with a hearty appetite an order of ham and eggs. the light of this eternal idealism that is as necessary. Returned to the .

the disabled * . with the financial lIid of the state.his proper and healthy recreation can enjoy their pastime even during 6. . 1. Sublato can redress these calumnies uttered against him. from expressing his thoughts Fountains. and the forof roadways. of the Republican Committee of Entente and has decided to solicit * There followed the program with several . er. installation of collective II/II/.h H . C . them. resst~g you only afew lines in answer to a long rif"utation of his admtntstratton which the Ch' b . Under the patronage Communal Prosperity.:on a medical inspection for schoolchildren. a spacious ornamented with metaphysical tulning shelter where women. Repairs and cementing I/llsh disposal units and new lamps. the sense of these four words. .S The 'Chiabani party. C .ther thmgs than the personal interests of these two builders who ave quae enough lawyers to defend them. 1. Let th .~re d~splayed there in their own peculiar language Mister u ~ 0 ts a . of integrity like Mr. Tarring of the streets. if ese gent emeri argue a out in :::: l they h~ve a difference of opinion. uart q er II. proJects: . Then followed the appeals to the citizens. Installation figures. But. let us h if o. of 3. we beseech you. (Au- Truth. Posters covered the walls.(100) Disgusted by all th HEBDOMEROS Giorgio de Chirico (101) . has given a foretaste of how it interprets the word in preventing at the Reunion Mr.es . ebdomeros started off with slow steps alo. * They wish to embroil the Sublato Adminis tration ui a quarrel which concerns only M r Ch. Sublato. *Hebdomeros thor's note. ConstructlOn of a scholastic group in the Moneghetti wah a day nursery and the creation of supplementary classes. Enlarging of the public lighting Montroni Square. uttered by an administrator [rightens . Installation lire hours of darkness. General repair of the town drainage system. is at a peak not only a sculptured benches..' ~u ge in h r. t I . which dares to speak of liberty. Q: refuge but also rest on roomy and artistically of an artificially lighted bowling alley where lovers It//... ta ant ommatee is seeka c ~n~e b~ means of involved and incomprehensible articles on the ~rry. of the Square our mayor. and conand old folk. • ant an ts employ h e contractor Lanteri Baptistin.d d trreproachable by all impartial people the Chi b . Sublato.III:ldrencan find when the traffic circulation 5.ab . Mr.~akmg place . launched by those who wished to make for themselves a place in the sun: My dear citizens.ng a dusty road that led to the towns where municipal elections wer~. di ui ant ommtttee has considered ui ispensabte to bring to your present notice.o t e emetery. Construction of a dispensary for the visit of newly born infants with a prophylactic service to fight veneral diseases.) never succeeded i d ' n un erstandmg the retiring administration our votes for the renewal of its term. u/ a VI!!' street fountain. dh. ese Slg ts. improvement 4. the contests between the ~a~llt at. utu] 2. Short of arguments against the Sublato Administration .

Sublato. 'who where this proone can him to a little grove. triangle. both real and supernatural. Chiabani are left with no other resources than disorder and brawling. scratched of whose secret no prodding. always laid their statues on perfectly the Mediterranean people arose and disappeared. he held the he stretched Hebdomeros as usual needed Iltid so greatly l'I""opoly. When the last ramparts of the town had disappeared over the Hebdomeros. III('. but as they loved to hear him talk they begged foundly strange and mysterious . Every- lif' sleeping in the afternoons). calcined quality. you have probably noticed as much as I that which is felt when. joiced at the sight. the followers of Mr.(102) HEBDOMEROS II tit 10 Giorgio de Chirico (103) Powerless to reply seriously to the arguments of Mr. but only on a bolster understood flat surfaces. asked his friends to follow in one against the other in a against some invisible he could never rest on those long cylinders seen in in white cotton that give the sleeper such terrible nightmares laid across the head of the bed which. had flown far away toward the mists of the north. Lell them one of those stories. especially music rich with melodies.'cial Stimmung (atmosphere) I"I~I (remember II" IIII' road at sunset at the end of a hot summer's day following an afternoon what I have already said many times on the subject one smells the scent of freshly watered beside the sea the suggestive power of It's what my father always said like the families of great migrating birds. Hebdomeros pulled out and wiped his dripping had something face. the goddess Humidity. formed an isosceles Throughout he said. he claimed sheathed . hlnlH ·If several times. or Life is never as good nor as bad as they say. Hebdomeros' heart re~ unusual man. The gray veils of with his friends the last houses. and he As His ideal bed was a wire a perfectly flat mattress. already hung from the parapets of half-ruined streams. "He loved music. who lay now with their clothes in tatters near their in magnificent poses of weariness and sleep. gourd of water mixed with red carefully lit his pipe. on coming out into "p. If the town is situated litis smell is even doubled when he mentioned hud made sensitive. wide arches strode the dried-up or tripled.ection. The undying ghosts and invisible. d'lInk a few gulps from his drinking . They left the road and soon found themselves the shade of some trees that were pressed compact danger. yawned. he and his friends stopped from time to time to find solemnly confronting the corpses of bandits. thing had about it a profoundly of the Great Heat. his stomach with pleasure. sat on a tree trunk lying on the ground and his did the same. and desolate. He had already passed of grandeur. whom the adventures of the polar ghosts of the Great Cold r-onversation and detested certain ready-made (I.' littoral. and all around them the countryside. whose low. ts. had a horror of beds with spring mattresses. shot down by the gendarmes. 'The Etruscans. so perfectly logical in appearance metaphysical at heart. Long yellow-orange shawls of an infinite tenderness bridges. and began as follows: "My dear friends. feeling a little tired. wandered themselves brothers present everywhere. broken carbines horizon. friends Hebdomeros group as though to defend themselves this matter of beds. My father was an of life. rnesh on very low wooden legs supporting for a pillow. the town where he grew up. He was rather careful in his gay and suspicious. * The heat weighed his handkerchief scorched like a leaden pall. phrases like: We all carry stone in our sack.

it offered its marble quays to the little waves of the port that came silently to caress them.·111 ters of oleanders. On green lawns the flowers in their flowerbeds opened II. "ry gentle. shone with an ineffable brilliance. the dining-room tablecloth without lifting and shaking it like a sailor a flag but in carefully folding it on the table itself and carrying it away quickly like a filthy package. the sky blue as the ca that one glimpsed shimmering at the end of long avenues. Hidden behind thick line under construction. 1 seem to live again those late afternoons in summer uflc:r the day's heat.' Iii' said in a low and trembling voice. so careless of the charm that derives from equilibrium and the harmony of lines as to imagine such a monstrosity. But do you see the Etruscans lying down to their final rest on hog-backed mountains? No. that town whi ·h has no equal.(104) HEBDOMER05 III WIIH Giorgio de Chirico (105) still see the imprint they left on the earth. urilway having finshed their work on the to their furnished rooms. pilpil to gather to himself all the fruits of the lesson. world and things. in the construction of a bed. or at least a very ephemeral virtue. he never able to realize. he would have liked to decolorize their hairs and tint of charming pages. and here excellent professors taught courses open 10 the public which were organized in small classes that permitted each created a certain encumbrance of impatience. The trees that shaded them especially in the country when they cleared the table at twilight. "The town where he had passed his childhood was the favorite he spoke of it with love and tenderness. while he talked. that a wire mesh (surface absolutely flat) should. for a short time. take absolute precedence over one of those spring mattresses whose surface is convex in the middle.' 50 spoke my father on the subject of beds. 1 even dare to say. music and sculpture and the public library closed. imposing but harmonious in its contours. presented I cerely and deeply leucophobic. "He felt an enormous pity for dark-complexioned them ash blond. The engineers. unuetimes even with exaltation. surely not. the town stretched gracefully along the foot of a mountain. These buildings were all to be found in the same quarter of the town. alas. (Author's note. * This leucophobia haunted him more gay and animated scene to the eyes. ir petals and perfumed the air. 'l'lie streets. The air was balmy. returned "overed with dust and harassed with fatigue.) these establishments hut no exclamation no objection was ever heard. The houses smiled. Another of his was leucophobia. He was sinHe had trained his servants to remove peculiarities rhe principal theater of a great Nordic capital. lost in a dream without end: 'I believe 1 can see it. That is why 1 affirm. then enthrone them in the middle of a front-row box on opening night murmured softly. there where they lay down for the last time to rest for good in the arms of death. or fear of the color white. It was the hour when the academies of painting. 1 believe that no man could be so phrenologically thirsty and. blue and he looked beyond the nbject of his memories. watered with care and refreshed by the breeze. The . This wish. 'I believe 1 can see it. his eyes. and the much vaunted softness of whose springs is only an illusion. calm and co'Ill ttish in their cleanliness. . give to these men the appearance men with thick black eyebrows. profoundly convinced of affirming an irrefutable truth. after the evening meal on the flowered veranda of a modest villa which he rented in order to pass with his family the hot months of summer far from town. The crowds leaving * All these complications and upsetting problems were resolved later on by the use of colored tablecloths.

had monotonous round of life. thought to the his watch. . The business. he "Th k e est years of the best vineyards ' us spo e my father. which he always kept on a chair beside his bed. by little. he found in the afternoon. air. finally all those symphappy event surprises us in the like the rest of the world. h . II II t here on the hillsides with . so he remained Illl' several hours in his bed meditating. that weakness. Lodo with that cold feeling in the stomach. The principal r. and anxiety. he could not decide to get up. and ozonized. I' their sleeves rolled up. it had nothing that impossibility of remaining quietly seated in one's that desire to recount 'ay. Hebdomeros. ce ar was under the di e propnetor. even to the first person encountered sort of abandon and incommensurable toms that we feel when a sudden the happening that excites us. midday at two o'clock." said Hebdom . Heb- ipes into crystal cups. ~~m and satIsfaction. it industrial and artistic pers liti f rh Woe region. Little as. which are the joy of intelligent men of good taste). in recalling the p t H bd eros after a pause. II bdomeros. 10 spite of their d ' w IC one surmIsed f he xi eltoids and biceps that stood d rom t e SIze of their out un er the sleeves of their tight jackets made a selection of th b were poor and could not afford those handsome English suits. that need for loquacity and expansiveness. He ('ur him to close his metaphysical loved logic and order even more than harmony. a een awaken d i hi of those men condemned t d hem im at the sight o eat and then pardon d h b ' young and bearded faces sorn thi fh' e w 0 ear 10 their e 109 0 t err form 'h Th eir arms folded th h er anguis and grief. were squeezing with a strong hand black Tired of all these terrestrial and metaphysical adventures. women. Then he understood that it would have been logical cycle at the end of this very day. ey nearly all possessed a rescale. e omeros th t si I even the most intelligent of hi fri d h . ygrometncally " . evident muscular strength hi h ' q et.(106) HEBDOMEROS Giorgio de Chirico lilli' (107) general effect was one of com lete ' were also all that one could d p . cated on the evar an t e most I was.. was pam. ts whole a sober. ' ey were t oughtful and ui ' .a slOgu ar man whom IS nen s ad neve d d' felt again the same feelings that h d b r SUCcee e 10 defining.friend. not violent ones. renewe y filtered h ' humIdIfied. as they as the general run of men understood it. He knew that what he was waiting for was not happiness. . w ose Owner w " called the Cafe Zam 'I as my mumar. seeing that chance (or something else) had made him look at his watch just at that minute when the hands marked the hour that corresponded eptember. Once awake. ona rues 0 t e tow ' 10 its luxuriously decorat dIn met on Its terrace and e rooms. not to the point of dying with . t was a real rna term Lo corner of the main boul d dh ~ erplece. by its location. to the month of he should profit by this good luck and not look for. gilded by autumn. dlllneros went to bed and didn't awaken the following morning until vl'I'y late. he chose db h irectly from the winegro dr an oug twines wers an ror the servi f hi took great care to choose only th 'b Ice 0 IS customers.e aboratlOg Its menus e est gastronomIc spe ' It' d dish was served every d t h CIa res an an unusual ay a eac meal The II personal supervision of th ' . n e sa ons artIfiCIal v til ' mosphere constantly db en I atron assured an at. that in the twelve months of the year corresponds III " 'For gourmets the Cafe Zampani had in I nth of September. that sensation of uneasiness chair. The cafes eslfe taurant. elegant and disti ish d ppearance revealed a inguis e art The s ' fh profited from all the perfe t' ha h ervlCes 0 t e Cafe Zampani c IOns t at t e most i ' Sources could offer I th I " ngemous technical re. the center of th h lmport~nt town square. in white bodices IlIlIpl and elegant. that it was five o'clock and finally deciding to look at This is the hour. known such moments.

naturally. as one drop of water resembles another. And yet I am sure that it is not like that.h. (109) struck with madness at the same time. things unless it was a question JUs 1 e . Id of what he called the necessary inutility. as.t It the ground where it rests.:£-_-::- ~~~ - -. but m this cas~ It wou . as a gesture of exorcism. that does not at all mean that the air was bad. consists. " .' _ - - - _ . an absolute calm. summer is a malady. 1. III II. helped behind my the God he believes prisoner opened the window of his room but he avoided taking in or an invalid he had no reason to do so. it's all fever and delirium _ rxhausting perspiration. this time resembled it perfectly. " Giorgio de Chirico that he won a million in the enough. per- . "Yes.-~. IlIlI'k the mockery of the logical ones. III.r o~ ItS lumage matches II Ieas. Hebdomeros deep breaths or better attitudes of happiness 10 him. an unending weariness. Not a breeze. room where he happened to be was excellent only that the air in the and that the air outside II objects that surround it on earth so that it fades ~nto ~he l~ndscape passes beside it and rubs agamst It_without !III I man. What could he in this case conclude. 1'(lV that were compromising red it with fogs and vapor._ _. " 't passes his gun slung over hIS shoulder. as the believer in the form of the host or otherwise. -:.d whi . is that which comes convalescence. and he prepared with composure. Autumn IS connee. The outside air was. or going insane like the painter the day he learned and significant Frank Sbysko. to the moment which precedes philosophers exhaust themselves in seeking the~retically an~ that the . thought Hebdom"that seems strange. and nature. 1'0 'llIzing 1 .. neither purer nor fresher than the air in his room. the hunter . these are b only I I habits false movements which humanity from its infancy has een '''( . if not that the secret of happiness. ith I hat if at other times he had feared happiness. . or I en It. If the is that which comes between and autumn.d"Il(' . lottery. but all the same important and his feelings seldom betrayed a question with dignity.". tifi d· he did not like to do useless broken the urns. else who walked the evening and in the k new _ what he should abide and he thoug h t Wit reason by .. tarnished I he it. on the contrary. still the elements I 'lilt. its sister. him to avoid the~e such for a serious man like himself.\ to the causes and effects and the price list of everythmg m this who feels better. his fears would have been absolutely . giving it the same color re- that with regard to attitudes he could only half boast of being "knowing.~ -~-----~~---~~--~------- - (108) joy like Ulysses' HEBDOMEROS dog. ' wor ld . and before ItS c~ns~ant menace h e had . IIlId flpea k . . besides themselves. of the outside air like a liberated etc. risk of appearing it obliges me to argue with my fell~w men a madman and to feel afterward than of security. this time and completely ~nmisplaced and waited at the street corners for the cars to pass." Hebdomeros.0 His theories of life vaned accordmg that inestimable secret that most the second half of the day. I"M. himself. the month of September summer case of a sick person. that was going to envelop him. distracted. in fact. Immense majo rity of men strive practically to discover. he felt that this time it was less it was a feeling of security himself to receive prepares to receive it in in. they have contorted the way of truth. marks the end of the ma." in the metaphysical sense of the word. h'dd _ " "cI to making.l~dy. the sum of his experiences. But he felt. dressed like everyone it was a half holiday and into every man had descended Now they were half-gods sidewalks fifth hour of the afternoon between two seasons: the hope of a half-god. those who think they ~oss~ss t~e ~.-10 e to the motionless quail without seeing it because the colo. That corresponds. after which begins life (winter).no longer be a question of an inutility. In fact . in this part of town the houses were irregularly placed though near enough to one another.

and which Hebdomeros proved each time he had the occasion to do so. No. as the prophet renounces his mother. had nevertheless one has seen. ". for that matter.. plan of creation. indeed enno illusions. and in spite of that great desire for justice which had always predominated acts. that those who followed him would not a language that on any other occasion not only the sarcasm of the minds. he felt no envy whatsoever of those who succeeded enemies were necessary. with every nee. proper. was that he was infinitely less rigid in the application of his rules of conduct when it was a question of his own self. astonished though they were by the tours de force achieved and by the innumerable difficulties overcome. For all these reasons he had acquired a privileged position from which his adversaries tried in ext~nuating c~rcumstances. with the proper discretion. but isn't boasting often a necessary thing. ond the good.. periods of transition that had permitted him to open new doors 1111 III(" most unexpected sights. even an indispensable one? And is it not better to boast than to be like the even at the risk of irritating one's contemporaries. for that which his adversaries. above all. bogus chilas everyone knows the invention of poetry And in more or less unpleasant.dd have brought upon his shoulders I illWd. were disposed at particularly to believe in was only a half-truth. those big. s. was said and done quite naturally to charm most diverse tastes. Ihu (. on the other hand. and one's admirations? spite of this there were always those (and this was one of his greatest were always those people who reproached him for stepping out of the frame that seemed to have been assigned to him by his very nature.o used in the exercise of his profession to thinking like the king that In the end he lost his own memory? That which was certain.. After all. he thought that enemies of social life and in the fairly dull and exasperatingly I" . in admiring nothing. d.('II which often is necessary m of the elite. real i-hildren who are often formidable judges and also who often have the PI' ponderant III role in the organization voice in the council. delicate or serious lit III ITk any other roundabout means of claiming the right to be praised.(IlO) HEBDOMER05 then? if that! Giorgio de Chirico (Ill) haps. nor did . he Included his nearest friends and his most fervent admirers. of belonging but which. even during 1101 That he was boasting there's no doubt.him for using. to his great regret. The task. he was obliged to I tlliOU IIIII(! that a creation of a special character obliged him to isolate himself I'olnpletely and place himself beyond good and evil. play an important manifestations uly called his Maroels. and this since a long time.. regrets)-there where one has only the choice between admiring nothing. the artists. all that he did.· f~mous c~urtier. had covered proud distances since the first attempts.1. whose usefulness was their proper place in the urs and collectors of pictures and.lll. In any case.1/1111. in loving nothing? But skepticism. Rather would he have been tempted to say that Without them existence threatened to become monotonous. can one coolly conceive of an existence or keeping jealously to oneself both one's il50 Hebdomeros no longer pleaded among whom even to his contemporaries. \ . there was something to please amAh. tertaining lusions dren. that same elite to which he boasted. was of the easiest. in presenting what he 11111. There was something to please children.. often rather repugnant. 11(' said. not apparent at first glance. it would be really too eccentric to consider oneself superior to others in each of his in playing without first being superior to oneself. preceding And then. but especially I. All that this ~ouble game. it's that the art of seeing and describing what of human life in the same way that certain animals. moments. but also the to far-reaching 1. This happened each lif.

' . lamps! The leaves of autumn. Hebdomeros drowned printed his heart. preserved and the talent that he him without doubt from fast and respected Giorgio de Chirico . which is after all but an invention What say your eyes? Ever or never! Open wide the gates of your gardens.s since puberty.o~t .rnber Eunice's kiss! Remember t~th su~e and undeniable. for in discovering one renders ~Ifepossible in the sense that one reconciles it with its mother. high-ranking with obscene grins beneath appearances. by the way. and hierarchical out triumphantly.Iow . From our natures." th . memories. from the measureless of man. wet with el<iquence and something the rain. The system that he employed had advantages He worked particularly fidelity the character. However. lakes lie and the vast oceans open! The moths of the night have hurnt I ' e gent e swell of the waves lapping the blocks of the quay. we will study with you in a brotherly. friends with the heavy heart! We will help you in your work. softened by the veil of years. Fruitful Source of failure and deception to fi h hi . 0 poet. tumbled. Itl II uvesters! IlIltI'"I" (113) Treasures! I!ontinued unceasingly 0 flowers of tenderness! of fashion. follow the sage counsel of thy muse' she' th I' 'I. dried-up old man. protocol humility whose only aim very questionable have been dispensed with. Hebdomeros .. .(112) 'rain to dislodge the vicissitudes "rIth a ngorous HEBDOMEROS him. dignitaries bowed in a false. Recuerdos! 0 starry night! Juanita! Juan- I/I! The water sings and still sings below the flowered cottages of Polish Waves of the Rhone and waves of the Rhine! Melancholy IIiUPS. the trembling or rather the throbbing of the heart at moonlight. whiteness in characters The generals of the paper.sometimes gray and sometimes green but always blue there where iii . qualities. Then like a new romantic inspiration came to him Once again Hebdomeros felt himself moored at the crossroads their wings on acetylene turning. great sadness Fatal transformations reflected infinity the most foolish hopes.dif~cult. had ten~ions where art. Hebdomeros distrusted "originality" as much as he distIusted fantasy. the color of the original inspiration. mysterious joy." L it was time to go in. onto the rotten wood of our villa balconies! and addressing his friends he said: "Nothing can replace this ineffable e p llce resulting from twenty years of experience and constant effort als hi " . . knew the plul:i~ed u.d dreams! Remembrances! households." ~e said.0 not mg can surpass m evocative power that divine serenade where mIlIgle our ignorance of ourselves. Original.onfession of the old violoncello. while the rhythmic chords of ~uitars fall again and again one into the other as water falls into water. but not original . pass in a SIlent flutter of wings.. eamng pensive y on this broken column where the lizard ernment officials and important greasy mustaches that would better was to save appearances. and even what in general is the I'IIII(:II[S! Infinite stanzas to the stars! Beating of wings! Morning songs Charming interludes! Offerings! Village festivals blessed the great blue sky! 0 pastorales! . EternityIn discovering one pays tribute to that minotaur that men call Time' a~td which they portray in the form of a tall. "what is needed is to discover. seated Wlth a thoughtful air between a scythe and a clepsydra. g t t me Ignorance.lldoH and the ivy climbs . cordial fashion all the propounderstood decisions this and to Hi ions that you wish to make to us. IS ere. ""111 lit Iii lite song of the nest on the flowered route! 0 unfinished these eternal voglio amartis! Songs without words softly chanted! S . from our weaknesses. "You must never gallop too hard on the back of fantasy. were spread gov- black and solemn against the themselves. u friendly. 0 leaves that fall! Listen to the 0 heart that has never changed! the farewell of the roses! Listen symphony . His particular to perfect.

moreover. heavy gazelle. he will bring thy son in his arms. the minuscule e. Arms folded. drunk from a dish that smells of wet wood . exchange. which you are careful not to do for you . speculation. But the great reward this evening... very costly. a happiness achieved. Yes. i' The mother of the Gracchi had evolved. on the stage of the for nothing: given. stabilization.nteritis twists my bowels. will rise and with it the wind and the stars . graygreens. and then in the evening harassed and tired. shepherdess upened wide his window on the spectacle world. But he had to wait for it was still just a dream. Hebdomeros press oneself thus .... profits. I have drunk my last drops of belladonna and henbane! What can I hope for now? In what still believe? The gods migrated. . at the gates of oriental cities under the crushing dome of a burning sky the dysenteric marketers gesticulate around their goods. where was the repose? Yes. for it was hot. 'tis thou. where is our reward? A handful of rotten dates. iridescent. this younger brother of sleep? Nostalgias. little mother of the Gracchi! beckon you to approach. on which the flies with their thanatophoric-i. implacably hot since the first hours of the day. us finally to see the miracle of thy tears. cnsation of a joy completed. u-turned to their homes with that vague melancholy that follows the of life.." The setting changed again. all alike except for slight variations of color that counted for little in the monotone symphony of grays. The sordid impasses wll . this gentle god. . thy son fainting but alive. . Dusk had fallen. hands clenched at the end of arms stretched out of windows whose tritely patterned white curtains blew slightly from the intermittent breath of a warm breeze that came from the fields. down the length of thy lovely cheeks. smiling ironically. . " commerce. trade. . 0 Cornelia. as But one gained nothing Hebdomeros mono- 1I11111iac crowd. credit. At the horizon the sky was alight with the last gleams of twilight.. fleas devour me and talk to himself out loud. head high. after lunch one retired there to rest. thy son bleeding but safe. But once there. (ll4) HEBDOMEROS afternoons in the map Giorgio de Chirico (llS) rest. luu-k HI room (garden side). fast-beating wings. etc.nce rose the stench of fermenting ordure were now far away. 0 Corwith the legs twined in ribbons and the hands nelia! Thou. 1 . of complete repose. . pearls sliding at first slowly.. And then why should one suddenly stop? And renounce the possibilities of an enterprise. __ _~-= __ ". 111('11 faster.. thrown pell-mell in the hot dust. a mouthful of tepid water soiled by the birds of the sky. no IIIIlre massacres.. Mournful pedestrians. before which everything retreats. or even a dream within a Ilrearn. given. Smoke rose and rose continuously in straight columns . green-ochers. . business is business. . he who perceived the IIIhi of thy glance will throw himself alone into the delirious. to fall on thy hands " pure. like a navigator standing on the prow . " __. business.. confidence. but which promised joys and repose unexpected and unforgettable. where had he flown. those interminable II ill dark and sordid streets the furious rabble stoned thy son. these fields that stretched out elbowing one another.I' his ship before the apparition of a strange land. Hebdomeros turned over on his couch . "Yes. so to speak.= . thou. "How much time still? . the playful joys which hide behind the bushes and from I here of a mother! Thou.4_ • _ _ __ • =-=-=-- ~~==". nostalgias without end. even though it was not an enterprise himself said. death-bearing-proboscises persist in humming of their little. " salid He bd omeros.. "What time is it?" and he continued to Soon the moon . ocher-grays. if one dare holding their children by the hand. palms dirtied by vile money. he waited. 0 IlIlwhing and naked as a little packless donkey.. He knew them well. .

alas! . ready to parry the blow. If I~I I II and. peace and justice prevailing everywhere.'~er Seated on the trunk of a broken But she spo e no u . ship floated immobile.. 0 brkother . ave yo /(/. she placed a han g y H bd his elbow on the ruin d h h d of the hero. had submerged Hebdomeros' And once more it was the desert and the night. in a puzzling manner. the fatigues. as ou once said with much finesse. the cowardice. smiling m. . there behind the little half-ruined brick walls round which the brambles and nettles were clinging like a tenacious malady. the anger. moved from outside by a mysterious hand. doubt. all disappeared in a great tornado. one hand in his trousers pocket and the other free. f . he even trembled as the sickly old man in his armchair trembles. nostalgia. s e sal . . fear. a new and strange confidence began to be reborn in his soul. alone in the empty manor during a winter's night. . as always. a as. when he sees the handle of the door turn slowly. And thou whom 1 glimpse before my afternoon sleep. . in .. the mistrust. between t e s y . . Suddenly Hebdomeros saw that this unum had the eyes of his father. but seemed to have disappeared of an infinite tenderness. hi h d pondered no onger. "I am Immortality. everything forever. ~:du~: ~~::~o:~ng Paris. f' rt. Distrustful. slowly.T~ey ~oated in the warmth of the setting HI ange and unknown sores.. heavy and irresistible. the hate. and With the ot er I'olumn. Then suddenly. while a long sacred procession of tI squa ron l' b .reen Idslandbse'rore the vice admiral.ll I"pl in immobility and silence. HUll. d h? H u thought of my IIlI . . All that is hard in the world: stones of bones of men and animals. Meanwhile. he approached carefully. But then. h d entl on his shoulder.. visible to myself alone. . dent toward the cerulean skies . colliding. pushing toward infinity . . ' heaven 1y bi d S. thou. Waves whose yellow-green depths were wholly embroidered on the surface with foam broke inside out and great masses of wild mares.. the despairs. e omeros. as pass the ships 0 I-. disappeared in an unbridled gallop. the alarms. the disgust.(1l6) HEBDOMEROS Giorgio de Chirico (1l7) will not have taken two paces toward them but they already will have flown far away. the incertitudes. he claspe t e an 1 His thoughts. They surrendered to the cdaressin~ d n these waves they floate towar waves of unforgettable hwords. or rather their sex. and taciturn in their looks.. in an avalanche of rumps rubbing together. Rockets rose in the sky. She spoke of uunortality in the great star~~sshnig~dt. IIlId his chin In ISth~n v~ice that he had heard.. . swept by an irresistible blast. ec me. yielded slowly and him altogether. October 1929 .. silently. the weakness.. Nouns have "0 Hebdomeros. all sound was stilled. hoofs hard as steel. . Squads of heavily armed soldiers passed beside him with something obstinate the earth. of an immaculate whiteness. in the middle of this new Ocean. thou whose glance speaks to me of immortality!" .. At first he was frightened.if gender. r . ItS esc h k and the vast stretch of the seas. . passed slowly. discontent. marvelous islands. too far.ver thought of the death of my eat. anguish. II".! One day. Once again a. The assassins far from the cities. and he understood. flew y smgIng. y h ht of my death? Have 1 d li Have you ever t oug 1IIIOIIhe verbs.. all sails still. all. a great wave.