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Six weeks later a third piece of news arrives. I am called out of the Hospital Ward, where I was lying wretchedly ill, to receive a special message from you through the Governor of the Prison. He reads me out a letter you had addressed to him in which you stated that you proposed to publish an article “on the case of Mr Oscar Wilde,” in the Mercure de France (“a magazine,” you added for some extraordinary reason, “corresponding to our English Fortnightly Review”) and were anxious to obtain my permission to publish extracts and selections from — what letters? The letters I had written to you from Holloway Prison! The letters that should have been to you things sacred and secret beyond anything in the whole world[45a] [45b]! These actually were the letters you proposed to publish for the jaded decadent to wonder at[45b], for the greedy feuilletoniste to chronicle[45b], for the little lions of the Quartier Latin to gape and mouth at[45b]! Had there been nothing in your own heart to cry out against so vulgar a sacrilege you might at least have remembered the sonnet he wrote who saw with such sorrow and scorn the letters of John Keats sold by public auction in London and have understood at last the real meaning[45b] of my lines
I think they love not Art
Who break the crystal of a poet’s heart[45c]
That small and sickly eyes may glare or gloat.[45.1]
For what was your article to show? That I had been too fond of you? The Paris gamin was quite aware of the fact. They all read the newspapers, and most of them write for them. That I was a man of genius? The French understood that, and the peculiar quality of my genius, much better than you did, or could have been expected to do. That along with genius goes often a curious perversity of passion and desire? Admirable[45d]: but the subject belongs to Lombroso[45e] rather than to you. Besides, the pathological phenomenon in question is also found amongst those who have not genius. That in your war of hate with your father I was at once shield and weapon to each of you? Nay more, that in that hideous hunt for my life, that took place when the war was over, he never could have reached me had not your nets been already about my feet[45f]? Quite true[45g]: but I am told that Henri Bau?r had already done it extremely well.[45.2] Besides, to corroborate his view, had such been your intention, you did not require to publish my letters; at any rate those written from Holloway Prison.
六周之后又来了第三则消息。我从病重躺卧的医院病房被叫了出来，去听一则你通过监狱长传给我的口信。他读出一封你写给他的信，信中说你提出要发表一篇《奥斯卡?王尔德一案》的文章，发在《法兰西信使》上（该“杂志”，你出于某种特殊原因补充说， “相当于我们英国的《双周评论》”），很想得到我的许可发表一些信的摘要或选段——哪些信？是我从荷洛威监狱给你写的那些信！那些信本该是你在这整个世界上最弥足珍贵、最秘不可宣的东西[45a] [45b]！这些就是你提出要发表的信，让那些饱食终日的颓废派们看了称奇[45b]，供那些贪得无厌的专栏作家们搜集猎奇[45b]，叫《拉丁季刊》的小名流们目瞪口呆、乱说一气[45b]。如果你自己心中没有什么会疾呼反对如此下流的亵渎之举，那至少也该记得那个人在伦敦看到约翰? 济慈的信在公开拍卖，悲伤与鄙夷之余写下的那首商籁诗，而最终能理解我诗句的真意[45b]：
……我看他们对艺术并不钟情
打碎了一位诗人水晶般的心灵[45c]
一任那些委琐的小眼睛虎视眈眈。
你的文章想要搬出些什么来呢？ 说我太喜欢你了？这一点巴黎的浪子知道得很清楚。他们都看报，其中大多也给报社写东西。说我是个天才？这一点法国人明白，还有我天才的独到之处，他们比你所了解的，或者人们可能希望你会了解的，要明白得多。说天才常常伴随着情感和欲望上莫名的乖张变态？佩服佩服[45d]，但这课题是隆布洛索的专长[45e]，不是你的。况且，这一病理现象也见于没有天才的人群。说在你和你父亲仇恨的争战中，你们各自都拿我既当盾又当矛？还有呢，说在你们的争战结束后对我的那场追魂夺命的恶毒攻击中，要不是你的网撒到了我脚边，他是根本逮不着我的[45f]？这倒不假[45g]，但有人告诉我亨利?波厄已经著文把这一点说得再清楚不过了。而且，要证实他的观点，如果这是你的目的，那也用不着发表我的信，怎么说也用不着发表在荷洛威监狱里写的信。
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