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A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder, Chapter 16. The Kosekin

Chapter 16. The Kosekin

These people call themselves the Kosekin. Their chief characteristic, or, at least, their most prominent one, is their love of darkness, which perhaps is due to their habit of dwelling in caves. Another feeling, equally strong and perhaps connected with this, is their love of death and dislike of life. This is visible in many ways, and affects all their character. It leads to a passionate self-denial, an incessant effort to benefit others at their own expense. Each one hates life and longs for death. He, therefore, hates riches, and all things that are associated with life.

Among the Kosekin everyone makes perpetual efforts to serve others, which, however, are perpetually baffled by the unselfishness of these others. People thus spend years in trying to overreach one another, so as to make others richer than themselves. In a race each one tries to keep behind; but as this leads to confusion, there is then a universal effort for each one to be first, so as to put his neighbor in the honorable position of the rear. It is the same way in a hunt. Each one presses forward, so as to honor his companion by leaving him behind. Instead of injuring, everyone tries to benefit his neighbor. When one has been benefited by another, he is filled with a passion which may be called Kosekin revenge--namely, a sleepless and vehement desire to bestow some adequate and corresponding benefit on the other. Feuds are thus kept up among families and wars among nations. For no one is willing to accept from another any kindness, any gift, or any honor, and all are continually on the watch to prevent themselves from being overreached in this way. Those who are less watchful than others are overwhelmed with gifts by designing men, who wish to attain to the pauper class. The position of Almah and myself illustrates this. Our ignorance of the blessings and honors of poverty led us to receive whatever was offered us. Taking advantage of our innocence and ignorance, the whole city thereupon proceeded to bestow their property upon us, and all became paupers through our fortunate arrival.

No one ever injures another unless by accident, and when this occurs it affords the highest joy to the injured party. He has now a claim on the injurer; he gets him into his power, is able to confer benefits on him and force upon him all that he wishes. The unhappy injurer, thus punished by the reception of wealth, finds himself helpless; and where the injury is great, the injured man may bestow upon the other all his wealth and attain to the envied condition of a pauper.

Among the Kosekin the sick are objects of the highest regard. All classes vie with one another in their attentions. The rich send their luxuries; the paupers, however, not having anything to give, go themselves and wait on them and nurse them. For this there is no help, and the rich grumble, but can do nothing. The sick are thus sought out incessantly, and most carefully tended. When they die there is great rejoicing, since death is a blessing; but the nurses labor hard to preserve them in life, so as to prolong the enjoyment of the high privilege of nursing. Of all sick the incurable are most honored, since they require nursing always. Children also are highly honored and esteemed, and the aged too, since both classes require the care of others and must be the recipients of favors which all are anxious to bestow. Those who suffer from contagious diseases are more sought after than any other class, for in waiting on these there is the chance of gaining the blessing of death; indeed, in these cases much trouble is usually experienced from the rush of those who insist on offering their services.

For it must never be forgotten that the Kosekin love death as we love life; and this accounts for all those ceremonies which to me were so abhorrent, especially the scenes of the Mista Kosek. To them a dead human body is no more than the dead body of a bird: there is no awe felt, no sense of sanctity, of superstitious horror; and so I learned, with a shudder, that the hate of life is a far worse thing than the fear of death. This desire for death is, then, a master-passion, and is the key to all their words and acts. They rejoice over the death of friends, since those friends have gained the greatest of blessings; they rejoice also at the birth of children, since those who are born will one day gain the bliss of death.

For a couple to fall in love is the signal for mutual self-surrender. Each insists on giving up the loved one; and the more passionate the love is, the more eager is the desire to have the loved one married to someone else. Lovers have died broken-hearted from being compelled to marry one another. Poets here among the Kosekin celebrate unhappy love which has met with this end. These poets also celebrate defeats instead of victories, since it is considered glorious for one nation to sacrifice itself to another; but to this there are important limitations, as we shall see. Poets also celebrate street-sweepers, scavengers, lamp-lighters, laborers, and above all, paupers, and pass by as unworthy of notice the authors, Meleks, and Kohens of the land.

The paupers here form the most honorable class. Next to these are the laborers. These have strikes as with us; but it is always for harder work, longer hours, or smaller pay. The contest between capital and labor rages, but the conditions are reversed; for the grumbling capitalist complains that the laborer will not take as much pay as he ought to while the laborer thinks the capitalist too persistent in his efforts to force money upon him.

Here among the Kosekin the wealthy class forms the mass of the people, while the aristocratic few consist of the paupers. These are greatly envied by the others, and have many advantages. The cares and burdens of wealth, as well as wealth itself, are here considered a curse, and from all these the paupers are exempt. There is a perpetual effort on the part of the wealthy to induce the paupers to accept gifts, just as among us the poor try to rob the rich. Among the wealthy there is a great and incessant murmur at the obstinacy of the paupers. Secret movements are sometimes set on foot which aim at a redistribution of property and a levelling of all classes, so as to reduce the haughty paupers to the same condition as the mass of the nation. More than once there has been a violent attempt at a revolution, so as to force wealth on the paupers; but as a general thing these movements have been put down and their leaders severely punished. The paupers have shown no mercy in their hour of triumph; they have not conceded one jot to the public demand, and the unhappy conspirators have been condemned to increased wealth and luxury, while the leaders have been made Meleks and Kohens. Thus there are among the Kosekin the unfortunate many who are cursed with wealth, and the fortunate few who are blessed with poverty. These walk while the others ride, and from their squalid huts look proudly and contemptuously upon the palaces of their unfortunate fellow-countrymen.

The love of death leads to perpetual efforts on the part of each to lay down his life for another. This is a grave difficulty in hunts and battles. Confined prisoners dare not fly, for in such an event the guards kill themselves. This leads to fresh rigors in the captivity of the prisoners in case of their recapture, for they are overwhelmed with fresh luxuries and increased splendors. Finally, if a prisoner persist and is recaptured, he is solemnly put to death, not, as with us, by way of severity, but as the last and greatest honor. Here extremes meet; and death, whether for honor or dishonor, is all the same--death--and is reserved for desperate cases. But among the Kosekin this lofty destiny is somewhat embittered by the agonizing thought on the part of the prisoner, who thus gains it, that his wretched family must be doomed, not, as with us, to poverty and want, but, on the contrary, to boundless wealth and splendor.

Among so strange a people it seemed singular to me what offences could possibly be committed which could be regarded and punished as crimes. These, however, I soon found out. Instead of robbers, the Kosekin punished the secret bestowers of their wealth on others. This is regarded as a very grave offence. Analogous to our crime of piracy is the forcible arrest of ships at sea and the transfer to them of valuables. Sometimes the Kosekin pirates give themselves up as slaves. Kidnapping, assault, highway robbery, and crimes of violence have their parallel here in cases where a strong man, meeting a weaker, forces himself upon him as his slave or compels him to take his purse. If the weaker refuse, the assailant threatens to kill himself, which act would lay the other under obligations to receive punishment from the state in the shape of gifts and honors, or at least subject him to unpleasant inquiries. Murder has its counterpart among the Kosekin in cases where one man meets another, forces money on him, and kills himself. Forgery occurs where one uses another's name so as to confer money on him. There are many other crimes, all of which are severely punished. The worse the offence is, the better is the offender treated. Among the Kosekin capital punishment is imprisonment amid the greatest splendor, where the prisoner is treated like a king, and has many palaces and great retinues; for that which we consider the highest they regard as the lowest, and with them the chief post of honor is what we would call the lowest menial office. Of course, among such a people, any suffering from want is unknown, except when it is voluntary. The pauper class, with all their great privileges, have this restriction, that they are forced to receive enough for food and clothing. Some, indeed, manage by living in out-of-the-way places to deprive themselves of these, and have been known to die of starvation; but this is regarded as dishonorable, as taking an undue advantage of a great position, and where it can be proved, the children and relatives of the offender are severely punished according to the Kosekin fashion.

State politics here move, like individual affairs, upon the great principle of contempt for earthly things. The state is willing to destroy itself for the good of other states; but as other states are in the same position, nothing can result. In times of war the object of each army is to honor the other and benefit it by giving it the glory of defeat. The contest is thus most fierce. The Kosekin, through their passionate love of death, are terrible in battle; and when they are also animated by the desire to confer glory on their enemies by defeating them, they generally succeed in their aim. This makes them almost always victorious, and when they are not so not a soul returns alive. Their state of mind is peculiar. If they are defeated they rejoice, since defeat is their chief glory; but if they are victorious they rejoice still more in the benevolent thought that they have conferred upon the enemy the joy, the glory, and the honor of defeat.

Here all shrink from governing others. The highest wish of each is to serve. The Meleks and Kohens, whom I at first considered the highest, are really the lowest orders; next to these come the authors, then the merchants, then farmers, then artisans, then laborers, and, finally, the highest rank is reached in the paupers. Happy the aristocratic, the haughty, the envied paupers! The same thing is seen in their armies. The privates here are highest in rank, and the officers come next in different graduations. These officers, however, have the command and the charge of affairs as with us; yet this is consistent with their position, for here to obey is considered nobler than to command. In the fleet the rowers are the highest class; next come the fighting-men; and lowest of all are the officers. War arises from motives as peculiar as those which give rise to private feuds; as, for instance, where one nation tries to force a province upon another; where they try to make each other greater; where they try to benefit unduly each other's commerce; where one may have a smaller fleet or army than has been agreed on, or where an ambassador has been presented with gifts, or received too great honor or attention. In such a country as this, where riches are disliked and despised, I could not imagine how people could be induced to engage in trade. This, however, was soon explained. The laborers and artisans have to perform their daily work, so as to enable the community to live and move and have its being. Their impelling motive is the high one of benefiting others most directly. They refuse anything but the very smallest pay, and insist on giving for this the utmost possible labor. Tradesmen also have to supply the community with articles of all sorts; merchants have to sail their ships to the same end--all being animated by the desire of effecting the good of others. Each one tries not to make money, but to lose it; but as the competition is sharp and universal, this is difficult, and the larger portion are unsuccessful. The purchasers are eager to pay as much as possible, and the merchants and traders grow rich in spite of their utmost endeavors. The wealthy classes go into business so as to lose money, but in this they seldom succeed. It has been calculated that only two per cent in every community succeed in reaching the pauper class. The tendency is for all the labors of the working-class to be ultimately turned upon the unfortunate wealthy class. The workmen being the creators of wealth, and refusing to take adequate pay, cause a final accumulation of the wealth of the community in the hands of the mass of the non-producers, who thus are fixed in their unhappy position, and can hope for no escape except by death. The farmers till the ground, the fishermen fish, the laborers toil, and the wealth thus created is pushed from these incessantly till it all falls upon the lowest class--namely, the rich, including Athons, Meleks, and Kohens. It is a burden that is often too heavy to be borne; but there is no help for it, and the better-minded seek to cultivate resignation.

Women and men are in every respect absolutely equal, holding precisely the same offices and doing the same work. In general, however, it is observed that women are a little less fond of death than men, and a little less unwilling to receive gifts. For this reason they are very numerous among the wealthy class, and abound in the offices of administration. Women serve in the army and navy as well as men, and from their lack of ambition or energetic perseverance they are usually relegated to the lower ranks, such as officers and generals. To my mind it seemed as though the women were in all the offices of honor and dignity, but in reality it was the very opposite. The same is true in the family. The husbands insist on giving everything to the wives and doing everything for them. The wives are therefore universally the rulers of the household while the husbands have an apparently subordinate, but, to the Kosekin, a more honorable position.

As to the religion of the Kosekin, I could make nothing of it. They believe that after death they go to what they call the world of darkness. The death they long for leads to the darkness that they love; and the death and the darkness are eternal. Still, they persist in saying that the death and the darkness together form a state of bliss. They are eloquent about the happiness that awaits them there in the sunless land--the world of darkness; but for my own part, it always seemed to me a state of nothingness.

Chapter 16. The Kosekin

These people call themselves the Kosekin. Their chief characteristic, or, at least, their most prominent one, is their love of darkness, which perhaps is due to their habit of dwelling in caves. Another feeling, equally strong and perhaps connected with this, is their love of death and dislike of life. This is visible in many ways, and affects all their character. It leads to a passionate self-denial, an incessant effort to benefit others at their own expense. Cela conduit à une abnégation passionnée, à un effort incessant pour le bien des autres à leurs propres dépens. Each one hates life and longs for death. He, therefore, hates riches, and all things that are associated with life.

Among the Kosekin everyone makes perpetual efforts to serve others, which, however, are perpetually baffled by the unselfishness of these others. Chez les Kosekin, chacun fait des efforts perpétuels pour servir les autres, qui, cependant, sont perpétuellement déconcertés par le désintéressement de ces autres. People thus spend years in trying to overreach one another, so as to make others richer than themselves. Les gens passent ainsi des années à essayer de se dépasser les uns les autres, afin de rendre les autres plus riches qu'eux-mêmes. In a race each one tries to keep behind; but as this leads to confusion, there is then a universal effort for each one to be first, so as to put his neighbor in the honorable position of the rear. Dans une course, chacun essaie de rester derrière ; mais comme cela porte à confusion, il y a alors un effort universel pour que chacun soit le premier, afin de mettre son voisin dans la position honorable de derrière. В гонке каждый старается отставать; но поскольку это ведет к путанице, тогда каждый из них прилагает всеобщие усилия, чтобы быть первым, чтобы поставить своего соседа в почетное положение сзади. It is the same way in a hunt. Each one presses forward, so as to honor his companion by leaving him behind. Chacun s'avance pour honorer son compagnon en le laissant derrière lui. Instead of injuring, everyone tries to benefit his neighbor. Au lieu de blesser, chacun essaie de profiter à son prochain. When one has been benefited by another, he is filled with a passion which may be called Kosekin revenge--namely, a sleepless and vehement desire to bestow some adequate and corresponding benefit on the other. Quand l'un a bénéficié d'un autre, il est rempli d'une passion que l'on peut appeler la vengeance de Kosekin, c'est-à-dire un désir insomniaque et véhément d'accorder un avantage adéquat et correspondant à l'autre. Feuds are thus kept up among families and wars among nations. Les querelles sont ainsi entretenues entre les familles et les guerres entre les nations. Таким образом, продолжаются распри между семьями и войны между народами. For no one is willing to accept from another any kindness, any gift, or any honor, and all are continually on the watch to prevent themselves from being overreached in this way. Car personne n'est disposé à accepter de la part d'autrui aucune gentillesse, aucun cadeau ou aucun honneur, et tous sont continuellement aux aguets pour éviter d'être ainsi dépassés. Ибо никто не желает принимать от другого ни милости, ни подарков, ни почестей, и все постоянно следят за тем, чтобы не допустить злоупотреблений таким образом. Those who are less watchful than others are overwhelmed with gifts by designing men, who wish to attain to the pauper class. Ceux qui sont moins vigilants que les autres sont submergés de dons en dessinant des hommes, qui souhaitent accéder à la classe des pauvres. The position of Almah and myself illustrates this. Our ignorance of the blessings and honors of poverty led us to receive whatever was offered us. Taking advantage of our innocence and ignorance, the whole city thereupon proceeded to bestow their property upon us, and all became paupers through our fortunate arrival. Воспользовавшись нашей невинностью и невежеством, весь город после этого стал отдавать нам свое имущество, и все стали нищими из-за нашего удачного прибытия.

No one ever injures another unless by accident, and when this occurs it affords the highest joy to the injured party. Personne ne blesse jamais un autre, sauf par accident, et lorsque cela se produit, cela procure la plus grande joie à la personne blessée. He has now a claim on the injurer; he gets him into his power, is able to confer benefits on him and force upon him all that he wishes. Il a maintenant une réclamation sur l'agresseur; il le met en son pouvoir, est capable de lui conférer des bienfaits et de lui imposer tout ce qu'il veut. Hij heeft nu een vordering op de veroorzaker; hij krijgt hem in zijn macht, kan hem voordelen verlenen en hem alles opleggen wat hij wil. The unhappy injurer, thus punished by the reception of wealth, finds himself helpless; and where the injury is great, the injured man may bestow upon the other all his wealth and attain to the envied condition of a pauper. Le malheureux malfaiteur, ainsi puni par la réception des richesses, se trouve impuissant ; et là où la blessure est grande, l'homme blessé peut conférer à l'autre toute sa richesse et atteindre la condition enviée d'un pauvre. De ongelukkige schadeveroorzaker, aldus gestraft door het ontvangen van rijkdom, bevindt zich hulpeloos; en waar het letsel groot is, kan de gewonde de ander al zijn rijkdom schenken en de benijdenswaardige toestand van een bedelaar bereiken.

Among the Kosekin the sick are objects of the highest regard. All classes vie with one another in their attentions. Toutes les classes rivalisent d'attentions. The rich send their luxuries; the paupers, however, not having anything to give, go themselves and wait on them and nurse them. For this there is no help, and the rich grumble, but can do nothing. Pour cela, il n'y a pas d'aide, et les riches grognent, mais ne peuvent rien faire. Для этого нет никакой помощи, и богатые ворчат, но ничего не могут сделать. The sick are thus sought out incessantly, and most carefully tended. Les malades sont ainsi recherchés sans cesse et soignés avec le plus grand soin. When they die there is great rejoicing, since death is a blessing; but the nurses labor hard to preserve them in life, so as to prolong the enjoyment of the high privilege of nursing. Quand ils meurent, il y a une grande joie, car la mort est une bénédiction ; mais les infirmières s'efforcent de les conserver en vie, de manière à prolonger la jouissance du haut privilège d'allaiter. Of all sick the incurable are most honored, since they require nursing always. Children also are highly honored and esteemed, and the aged too, since both classes require the care of others and must be the recipients of favors which all are anxious to bestow. Those who suffer from contagious diseases are more sought after than any other class, for in waiting on these there is the chance of gaining the blessing of death; indeed, in these cases much trouble is usually experienced from the rush of those who insist on offering their services. Те, кто страдают от заразных болезней, пользуются большим спросом, чем любой другой класс, потому что, ожидая их, есть шанс получить благословение смерти; действительно, в этих случаях обычно возникает много проблем из-за спешки тех, кто настаивает на предложении своих услуг.

For it must never be forgotten that the Kosekin love death as we love life; and this accounts for all those ceremonies which to me were so abhorrent, especially the scenes of the Mista Kosek. Car il ne faut jamais oublier que les Kosekin aiment la mort comme nous aimons la vie ; et cela explique toutes ces cérémonies qui m'étaient si odieuses, en particulier les scènes de la Mista Kosek. To them a dead human body is no more than the dead body of a bird: there is no awe felt, no sense of sanctity, of superstitious horror; and so I learned, with a shudder, that the hate of life is a far worse thing than the fear of death. Pour eux, un cadavre humain n'est rien de plus que le cadavre d'un oiseau : il n'y a aucune crainte ressentie, aucun sentiment de sainteté, d'horreur superstitieuse ; et ainsi j'appris, avec un frisson, que la haine de la vie est une chose bien pire que la peur de la mort. This desire for death is, then, a master-passion, and is the key to all their words and acts. They rejoice over the death of friends, since those friends have gained the greatest of blessings; they rejoice also at the birth of children, since those who are born will one day gain the bliss of death. Они радуются смерти друзей, потому что эти друзья получили величайшие благословения; они радуются также рождению детей, потому что те, кто родились, однажды обретут блаженство смерти.

For a couple to fall in love is the signal for mutual self-surrender. Pour un couple, tomber amoureux est le signal d'un abandon mutuel. Each insists on giving up the loved one; and the more passionate the love is, the more eager is the desire to have the loved one married to someone else. Chacun insiste pour abandonner l'être aimé; et plus l'amour est passionné, plus le désir de marier l'être aimé à quelqu'un d'autre est avide. Lovers have died broken-hearted from being compelled to marry one another. Poets here among the Kosekin celebrate unhappy love which has met with this end. Les poètes ici parmi les Kosékin célèbrent l'amour malheureux qui a abouti à cette fin. Поэты здесь, среди Косекиных, празднуют несчастную любовь, которая встретилась с этим концом. These poets also celebrate defeats instead of victories, since it is considered glorious for one nation to sacrifice itself to another; but to this there are important limitations, as we shall see. Poets also celebrate street-sweepers, scavengers, lamp-lighters, laborers, and above all, paupers, and pass by as unworthy of notice the authors, Meleks, and Kohens of the land. Les poètes célèbrent aussi les balayeurs, les charognards, les allumeurs de lampes, les ouvriers et surtout les pauvres, et passent pour indignes d'attention les auteurs, Meleks et Kohens du pays. Поэты также прославляют дворников, мусорщиков, зажигалок, чернорабочих и, прежде всего, нищих, и проходят мимо авторов, Мелеков и Коэнов страны, как недостойных внимания.

The paupers here form the most honorable class. Next to these are the laborers. These have strikes as with us; but it is always for harder work, longer hours, or smaller pay. Ceux-ci ont des grèves comme chez nous ; mais c'est toujours pour un travail plus dur, des heures plus longues ou un salaire moindre. The contest between capital and labor rages, but the conditions are reversed; for the grumbling capitalist complains that the laborer will not take as much pay as he ought to while the laborer thinks the capitalist too persistent in his efforts to force money upon him. La lutte entre le capital et le travail fait rage, mais les conditions sont inversées ; car le capitaliste grognant se plaint que l'ouvrier ne recevra pas autant de salaire qu'il le devrait, tandis que l'ouvrier pense que le capitaliste est trop persistant dans ses efforts pour lui imposer de l'argent. Соревнование между капиталом и трудом бушует, но условия меняются; ибо ворчливый капиталист жалуется, что рабочий не будет брать столько платы, сколько ему следовало бы, в то время как рабочий считает капиталиста слишком настойчивым в своих попытках навязать ему деньги.

Here among the Kosekin the wealthy class forms the mass of the people, while the aristocratic few consist of the paupers. Здесь среди косекин богатый класс составляет массу народа, тогда как немногие аристократы состоят из бедняков. These are greatly envied by the others, and have many advantages. The cares and burdens of wealth, as well as wealth itself, are here considered a curse, and from all these the paupers are exempt. Les soucis et les fardeaux de la richesse, ainsi que la richesse elle-même, sont ici considérés comme une malédiction, et de tout cela les pauvres sont exempts. There is a perpetual effort on the part of the wealthy to induce the paupers to accept gifts, just as among us the poor try to rob the rich. Among the wealthy there is a great and incessant murmur at the obstinacy of the paupers. Secret movements are sometimes set on foot which aim at a redistribution of property and a levelling of all classes, so as to reduce the haughty paupers to the same condition as the mass of the nation. Des mouvements secrets se mettent parfois en marche qui visent à une redistribution de la propriété et à un nivellement de toutes les classes, afin de réduire les indigents hautains au même état que la masse de la nation. More than once there has been a violent attempt at a revolution, so as to force wealth on the paupers; but as a general thing these movements have been put down and their leaders severely punished. The paupers have shown no mercy in their hour of triumph; they have not conceded one jot to the public demand, and the unhappy conspirators have been condemned to increased wealth and luxury, while the leaders have been made Meleks and Kohens. Les pauvres n'ont montré aucune pitié dans leur heure de triomphe ; ils n'ont pas cédé un sou à la demande publique, et les malheureux conspirateurs ont été condamnés à une richesse et un luxe accrus, tandis que les chefs ont été nommés Meleks et Kohens. Thus there are among the Kosekin the unfortunate many who are cursed with wealth, and the fortunate few who are blessed with poverty. These walk while the others ride, and from their squalid huts look proudly and contemptuously upon the palaces of their unfortunate fellow-countrymen. Ceux-ci marchent pendant que les autres chevauchent, et de leurs huttes sordides regardent avec fierté et mépris les palais de leurs malheureux compatriotes.

The love of death leads to perpetual efforts on the part of each to lay down his life for another. L'amour de la mort conduit à des efforts perpétuels de la part de chacun pour donner sa vie pour l'autre. This is a grave difficulty in hunts and battles. C'est une grave difficulté dans les chasses et les batailles. Confined prisoners dare not fly, for in such an event the guards kill themselves. Les prisonniers confinés n'osent pas voler, car dans un tel cas les gardiens se suicident. This leads to fresh rigors in the captivity of the prisoners in case of their recapture, for they are overwhelmed with fresh luxuries and increased splendors. Cela conduit à de nouvelles rigueurs dans la captivité des prisonniers en cas de reconquête, car ils sont accablés de luxes frais et de splendeurs accrues. Dit leidt tot nieuwe ontberingen in de gevangenschap van de gevangenen in het geval van hun herovering, want ze worden overweldigd door nieuwe luxe en toegenomen pracht. Finally, if a prisoner persist and is recaptured, he is solemnly put to death, not, as with us, by way of severity, but as the last and greatest honor. Here extremes meet; and death, whether for honor or dishonor, is all the same--death--and is reserved for desperate cases. Ici, les extrêmes se rencontrent ; et la mort, que ce soit pour l'honneur ou le déshonneur, est tout de même la mort et est réservée aux cas désespérés. Hier ontmoeten uitersten elkaar; en de dood, of het nu voor eer of oneer is, is allemaal hetzelfde - de dood - en is gereserveerd voor wanhopige gevallen. Здесь встречаются крайности; и смерть, будь то из-за чести или бесчестия, все равно - смерть - и предназначена для отчаянных случаев. But among the Kosekin this lofty destiny is somewhat embittered by the agonizing thought on the part of the prisoner, who thus gains it, that his wretched family must be doomed, not, as with us, to poverty and want, but, on the contrary, to boundless wealth and splendor. Mais chez les Kosékin, cette haute destinée est quelque peu aigri par la pensée angoissante de la part du prisonnier, qui le gagne ainsi, que sa misérable famille doit être vouée, non, comme chez nous, à la pauvreté et à la misère, mais, au contraire. , à la richesse et à la splendeur illimitées. Но у косекинцев эта возвышенная судьба несколько омрачена мучительной мыслью заключенного, который таким образом обретает ее, что его несчастная семья должна быть обречена не на бедность и нужду, как у нас, а, наоборот, , к безграничному богатству и великолепию.

Among so strange a people it seemed singular to me what offences could possibly be committed which could be regarded and punished as crimes. Parmi un peuple si étrange, il me semblait singulier quels délits pouvaient être commis qui pouvaient être considérés et punis comme des crimes. These, however, I soon found out. Instead of robbers, the Kosekin punished the secret bestowers of their wealth on others. Au lieu de voleurs, les Kosekin punissaient les dispensateurs secrets de leur richesse sur les autres. In plaats van rovers straften de Kosekin de geheime schenkers van hun rijkdom aan anderen. This is regarded as a very grave offence. Analogous to our crime of piracy is the forcible arrest of ships at sea and the transfer to them of valuables. L'arrestation forcée de navires en mer et le transfert d'objets de valeur sont analogues à notre crime de piraterie. Аналогичным нашему преступлению пиратства является насильственный арест судов в море и передача им ценностей. Sometimes the Kosekin pirates give themselves up as slaves. Parfois, les pirates Kosekin se rendent comme esclaves. Kidnapping, assault, highway robbery, and crimes of violence have their parallel here in cases where a strong man, meeting a weaker, forces himself upon him as his slave or compels him to take his purse. L'enlèvement, l'agression, le vol de grand chemin et les crimes avec violence ont ici leur parallèle dans les cas où un homme fort, rencontrant un plus faible, s'impose à lui comme son esclave ou l'oblige à prendre sa bourse. Похищение, нападение, ограбление на шоссе и преступления с применением насилия имеют здесь параллели в тех случаях, когда сильный человек, встречая более слабого, навязывает себя ему как своему рабу или вынуждает его забрать кошелек. If the weaker refuse, the assailant threatens to kill himself, which act would lay the other under obligations to receive punishment from the state in the shape of gifts and honors, or at least subject him to unpleasant inquiries. Si le plus faible refuse, l'agresseur menace de se suicider, ce qui obligerait l'autre à recevoir une punition de l'État sous forme de cadeaux et d'honneurs, ou du moins le soumettrait à des enquêtes désagréables. Murder has its counterpart among the Kosekin in cases where one man meets another, forces money on him, and kills himself. Le meurtre a son pendant chez les Kosekin dans les cas où un homme en rencontre un autre, lui impose de l'argent et se suicide. Forgery occurs where one uses another's name so as to confer money on him. Il y a falsification lorsqu'une personne utilise le nom d'une autre personne pour lui conférer de l'argent. There are many other crimes, all of which are severely punished. The worse the offence is, the better is the offender treated. Plus l'infraction est grave, mieux le délinquant est traité. Among the Kosekin capital punishment is imprisonment amid the greatest splendor, where the prisoner is treated like a king, and has many palaces and great retinues; for that which we consider the highest they regard as the lowest, and with them the chief post of honor is what we would call the lowest menial office. Parmi les Kosekin, la peine capitale est l'emprisonnement au milieu de la plus grande splendeur, où le prisonnier est traité comme un roi, et a de nombreux palais et de grandes suites ; car ce que nous considérons comme le plus élevé, ils le considèrent comme le plus bas, et chez eux le poste principal d'honneur est ce que nous appellerions la plus basse fonction subalterne. Onder de Kosekin-doodstraf is gevangenschap te midden van de grootste pracht, waar de gevangene als een koning wordt behandeld en vele paleizen en grote gevolg heeft; want wat wij als het hoogste beschouwen, beschouwen zij als het laagste, en bij hen is de belangrijkste erepost wat wij het laagste ondergeschikte ambt zouden noemen. Of course, among such a people, any suffering from want is unknown, except when it is voluntary. Bien entendu, chez un tel peuple, toute souffrance du besoin est inconnue, sauf lorsqu'elle est volontaire. Конечно, таким людям неизвестно какое-либо страдание от нужды, кроме случаев, когда оно является добровольным. The pauper class, with all their great privileges, have this restriction, that they are forced to receive enough for food and clothing. La classe pauvre, avec tous ses grands privilèges, a cette restriction, qu'elle est obligée de recevoir assez pour se nourrir et se vêtir. Класс бедняков со всеми его привилегиями имеет то ограничение, что они вынуждены получать достаточно еды и одежды. Some, indeed, manage by living in out-of-the-way places to deprive themselves of these, and have been known to die of starvation; but this is regarded as dishonorable, as taking an undue advantage of a great position, and where it can be proved, the children and relatives of the offender are severely punished according to the Kosekin fashion. Certains, en effet, parviennent en vivant dans des endroits reculés à s'en priver, et sont connus pour mourir de faim ; mais cela est considéré comme déshonorant, comme profitant indûment d'une grande position, et lorsque cela peut être prouvé, les enfants et les parents du coupable sont sévèrement punis selon la mode Kosekin.

State politics here move, like individual affairs, upon the great principle of contempt for earthly things. La politique de l'État se meut ici, comme les affaires individuelles, sur le grand principe du mépris des choses terrestres. The state is willing to destroy itself for the good of other states; but as other states are in the same position, nothing can result. L'État est prêt à se détruire pour le bien des autres États ; mais comme d'autres États sont dans la même situation, rien ne peut en résulter. In times of war the object of each army is to honor the other and benefit it by giving it the glory of defeat. En temps de guerre, le but de chaque armée est d'honorer l'autre et de lui faire profiter en lui donnant la gloire de la défaite. The contest is thus most fierce. The Kosekin, through their passionate love of death, are terrible in battle; and when they are also animated by the desire to confer glory on their enemies by defeating them, they generally succeed in their aim. Les Kosekin, par leur amour passionné de la mort, sont terribles au combat ; et quand ils sont aussi animés du désir de conférer de la gloire à leurs ennemis en les battant, ils parviennent généralement à leur but. This makes them almost always victorious, and when they are not so not a soul returns alive. Cela les rend presque toujours victorieux, et quand ils ne le sont pas, une âme revient vivante. Это делает их почти всегда победителями, а когда это не так, ни одна душа не возвращается живой. Their state of mind is peculiar. If they are defeated they rejoice, since defeat is their chief glory; but if they are victorious they rejoice still more in the benevolent thought that they have conferred upon the enemy the joy, the glory, and the honor of defeat.

Here all shrink from governing others. Ici, tous hésitent à gouverner les autres. The highest wish of each is to serve. The Meleks and Kohens, whom I at first considered the highest, are really the lowest orders; next to these come the authors, then the merchants, then farmers, then artisans, then laborers, and, finally, the highest rank is reached in the paupers. Happy the aristocratic, the haughty, the envied paupers! Heureux les aristocrates, les hautains, les indigents enviés ! The same thing is seen in their armies. The privates here are highest in rank, and the officers come next in different graduations. De soldaten hier zijn de hoogste in rang en de officieren volgen in verschillende graduaties. These officers, however, have the command and the charge of affairs as with us; yet this is consistent with their position, for here to obey is considered nobler than to command. Ces officiers, cependant, ont le commandement et la charge des affaires comme chez nous ; pourtant cela est cohérent avec leur position, car ici obéir est considéré comme plus noble que commander. In the fleet the rowers are the highest class; next come the fighting-men; and lowest of all are the officers. War arises from motives as peculiar as those which give rise to private feuds; as, for instance, where one nation tries to force a province upon another; where they try to make each other greater; where they try to benefit unduly each other's commerce; where one may have a smaller fleet or army than has been agreed on, or where an ambassador has been presented with gifts, or received too great honor or attention. La guerre naît de motifs aussi particuliers que ceux qui donnent lieu à des querelles privées ; comme, par exemple, lorsqu'une nation essaie d'imposer une province à une autre ; où ils essaient de se rendre plus grands; où ils essaient de profiter indûment du commerce de l'autre ; où l'on peut avoir une flotte ou une armée plus petite que ce qui a été convenu, ou lorsqu'un ambassadeur a été présenté avec des cadeaux, ou a reçu trop d'honneur ou d'attention. In such a country as this, where riches are disliked and despised, I could not imagine how people could be induced to engage in trade. Dans un pays comme celui-ci, où les richesses sont détestées et méprisées, je ne pouvais pas imaginer comment les gens pourraient être amenés à s'engager dans le commerce. This, however, was soon explained. The laborers and artisans have to perform their daily work, so as to enable the community to live and move and have its being. Les ouvriers et artisans doivent effectuer leur travail quotidien, afin de permettre à la communauté de vivre, de se déplacer et d'avoir son être. Their impelling motive is the high one of benefiting others most directly. Leur motivation principale est de profiter le plus directement aux autres. They refuse anything but the very smallest pay, and insist on giving for this the utmost possible labor. Tradesmen also have to supply the community with articles of all sorts; merchants have to sail their ships to the same end--all being animated by the desire of effecting the good of others. Les commerçants doivent également fournir à la communauté des articles de toutes sortes ; les marchands doivent faire naviguer leurs navires dans le même but, tous animés par le désir d'effectuer le bien d'autrui. Each one tries not to make money, but to lose it; but as the competition is sharp and universal, this is difficult, and the larger portion are unsuccessful. The purchasers are eager to pay as much as possible, and the merchants and traders grow rich in spite of their utmost endeavors. Les acheteurs sont impatients de payer le plus possible, et les marchands et commerçants s'enrichissent malgré tous leurs efforts. The wealthy classes go into business so as to lose money, but in this they seldom succeed. It has been calculated that only two per cent in every community succeed in reaching the pauper class. The tendency is for all the labors of the working-class to be ultimately turned upon the unfortunate wealthy class. La tendance est que tous les travaux de la classe ouvrière se tournent finalement vers la malheureuse classe riche. The workmen being the creators of wealth, and refusing to take adequate pay, cause a final accumulation of the wealth of the community in the hands of the mass of the non-producers, who thus are fixed in their unhappy position, and can hope for no escape except by death. Les ouvriers étant créateurs de richesses, et refusant de percevoir une rémunération adéquate, provoquent une accumulation définitive des richesses de la communauté entre les mains de la masse des non-producteurs, qui sont ainsi figés dans leur malheureuse position, et peuvent espérer pas d'échappatoire que par la mort. The farmers till the ground, the fishermen fish, the laborers toil, and the wealth thus created is pushed from these incessantly till it all falls upon the lowest class--namely, the rich, including Athons, Meleks, and Kohens. Les fermiers labourent la terre, les pêcheurs pêchent, les ouvriers peinent, et la richesse ainsi créée en est incessamment expulsée jusqu'à ce que tout tombe sur la classe la plus basse, à savoir les riches, y compris les Athons, les Meleks et les Kohens. It is a burden that is often too heavy to be borne; but there is no help for it, and the better-minded seek to cultivate resignation. C'est un fardeau souvent trop lourd à porter ; mais il n'y a aucune aide pour cela, et les meilleurs d'esprit cherchent à cultiver la résignation. Het is een last die vaak te zwaar is om te dragen; maar er is geen hulp voor, en de betergezinden proberen berusting te cultiveren.

Women and men are in every respect absolutely equal, holding precisely the same offices and doing the same work. In general, however, it is observed that women are a little less fond of death than men, and a little less unwilling to receive gifts. For this reason they are very numerous among the wealthy class, and abound in the offices of administration. C'est pourquoi ils sont très nombreux dans la classe aisée et abondent dans les bureaux de l'administration. Women serve in the army and navy as well as men, and from their lack of ambition or energetic perseverance they are usually relegated to the lower ranks, such as officers and generals. To my mind it seemed as though the women were in all the offices of honor and dignity, but in reality it was the very opposite. Il me semblait que les femmes occupaient tous les postes d'honneur et de dignité, mais en réalité c'était tout le contraire. На мой взгляд, казалось, что женщины занимают все должности с почетом и достоинством, но на самом деле все было наоборот. The same is true in the family. The husbands insist on giving everything to the wives and doing everything for them. The wives are therefore universally the rulers of the household while the husbands have an apparently subordinate, but, to the Kosekin, a more honorable position.

As to the religion of the Kosekin, I could make nothing of it. They believe that after death they go to what they call the world of darkness. The death they long for leads to the darkness that they love; and the death and the darkness are eternal. Still, they persist in saying that the death and the darkness together form a state of bliss. They are eloquent about the happiness that awaits them there in the sunless land--the world of darkness; but for my own part, it always seemed to me a state of nothingness.