Chapter 14: The Dance
Original French
La danse.
Sétoc devait aller, pour les affaires de son commerce, dans l'île de Serendib; mais le premier mois de son mariage, qui est, comme on sait, la lune du Miel, ne lui permettait ni de quitter sa femme, ni de croire qu'il pût jamais la quitter: il pria son ami Zadig de faire pour lui le voyage. Hélas! disait Zadig, faut-il que je mette encore un plus vaste espace entre la belle Astarté et moi? mais il faut servir mes bienfaiteurs: il dit, il pleura; et il partit.
Il ne fut pas long-temps dans l'île de Serendib, sans y être regardé comme un homme extraordinaire. Il devint l'arbitre de tous les différents entre les négociants, l'ami des sages, le conseil du petit nombre de gens qui prennent conseil. Le roi voulut le voir et l'entendre. Il connut bientôt tout ce que valait Zadig; il eut confiance en sa sagesse, et en fit son ami. La familiarité et l'estime du roi fit trembler Zadig. Il était nuit et jour pénétré du malheur que lui avaient attiré les bontés de Moabdar. Je plais au roi, disait-il, ne serai-je pas perdu? Cependant il ne pouvait se dérober aux caresses de sa majesté; car il faut avouer que Nabussan, roi de Serendib, fils de Nussanab, fils de Nabassun, fils de Sanbusna, était un des meilleurs princes de l'Asie; et quand on lui parlait il était difficile de ne le pas aimer.
Ce bon prince était toujours loué, trompé, et volé: c'était à qui pillerait ses trésors. Le receveur-général de l'île de Serendib donnait toujours cet exemple fidèlement suivi par les autres. Le roi le savait; il avait changé de trésorier plusieurs fois; mais il n'avait pu changer la mode établie de partager les revenus du roi en deux moitiés inégales, dont la plus petite revenait toujours à sa majesté, et la plus grosse aux administrateurs.
Le roi Nabussan confia sa peine au sage Zadig. Vous qui savez tant de belles choses, lui dit-il, ne sauriez-vous pas le moyen de me faire trouver un trésorier qui ne me vole point? Assurément, répondit Zadig, je sais une façon infaillible de vous donner un homme qui ait les mains nettes. Le roi charmé lui demanda, en l'embrassant, comment il fallait s'y prendre. Il n'y a, dit Zadig, qu'à faire danser tous ceux qui se présenteront pour la dignité de trésorier, et celui qui dansera avec le plus de légèreté sera infailliblement le plus honnête homme. Vous vous moquez, dit le roi; voilà une plaisante façon de choisir un receveur de mes finances! Quoi! vous prétendez que celui qui fera le mieux un entrechat sera le financier le plus intègre et le plus habile! Je ne vous réponds pas qu'il sera le plus habile, repartit Zadig; mais je vous assure que ce sera indubitablement le plus honnête homme. Zadig parlait avec tant de confiance, que le roi crut qu'il avait quelque secret surnaturel pour connaître les financiers. Je n'aime pas le surnaturel, dit Zadig; les gens et les livres à prodiges m'ont toujours déplu: si votre majesté veut me laisser faire l'épreuve que je lui propose, elle sera bien convaincue que mon secret est la chose la plus simple et la plus aisée. Nabussan, roi de Serendib, fut bien plus étonné d'entendre que ce secret était simple, que si on le lui avait donné pour un miracle: Or bien, dit-il, faites comme vous l'entendrez. Laissez-moi faire, dit Zadig, vous gagnerez à cette épreuve plus que vous ne pensez. Le jour même il fit publier, au nom du roi, que tous ceux qui prétendaient à l'emploi de haut receveur des deniers de sa gracieuse majesté Nabussan, fils de Nussanab, eussent à se rendre, en habits de soie légère, le premier de la lune du Crocodile, dans l'antichambre du roi. Ils s'y rendirent au nombre de soixante et quatre. On avait fait venir des violons dans un salon voisin; tout était préparé pour le bal; mais la porte de ce salon était fermée, et il fallait, pour y entrer, passer par une petite galerie assez obscure. Un huissier vint chercher et introduire chaque candidat, l'un après l'autre, par ce passage dans lequel on le laissait seul quelques minutes. Le roi, qui avait le mot, avait étalé tous ses trésors dans cette galerie. Lorsque tous les prétendants furent arrivés dans le salon, sa majesté ordonna qu'on les fît danser. Jamais on ne dansa plus pesamment et avec moins de grâce; ils avaient tous la tête baissée, les reins courbés, les mains collées à leurs côtés? Quels fripons! disait tout bas Zadig. Un seul d'entre eux formait des pas avec agilité, la tête haute, le regard assuré, les bras étendus, le corps droit, le jarret ferme. Ah! l'honnête homme! le brave homme! disait Zadig. Le roi embrassa ce bon danseur, le déclara trésorier, et tous les autres furent punis et taxés avec la plus grande justice du monde; car chacun, dans le temps qu'il avait été dans la galerie, avait rempli ses poches, et pouvait à peine marcher. Le roi fut fâché pour la nature humaine que de ces soixante et quatre danseurs il y eût soixante et trois filous. La galerie obscure fut appelée le corridor de la Tentation. On aurait en Perse empalé ces soixante et trois seigneurs; en d'autres pays on eût fait une chambre de justice qui eût consommé en frais le triple de l'argent volé, et qui n'eût rien remis dans les coffres du souverain; dans un autre royaume, ils se seraient pleinement justifiés, et auraient fait disgracier ce danseur si léger: à Serendib, ils ne furent condamnés qu'à augmenter le trésor public, car Nabussan était fort indulgent.
Il était aussi fort reconnaissant; il donna à Zadig une somme d'argent plus considérable qu'aucun trésorier n'en avait jamais volé au roi son maître. Zadig s'en servit pour envoyer des exprès à Babylone, qui devaient l'informer de la destinée d'Astarté. Sa voix trembla en donnant cet ordre, son sang reflua vers son coeur, ses yeux se couvrirent de ténèbres, son âme fut prête à l'abandonner. Le courrier partit, Zadig le vit embarquer; il rentra chez le roi, ne voyant personne, croyant être dans sa chambre, et prononçant le nom d'amour. Ah! l'amour, dit le roi; c'est précisément ce dont il s'agit; vous avez deviné ce qui fait ma peine. Que vous êtes un grand homme! j'espère que vous m'apprendrez à connaître une femme à toute épreuve, comme vous m'avez fait trouver un trésorier désintéressé. Zadig, ayant repris ses sens, lui promit de le servir en amour comme en finance, quoique la chose parût plus difficile encore.
Musean translation
Complete machine-assisted Musean translation made directly from Voltaire’s French in Beuchot’s 1829 edition: Approbation, dedicatory epistle and all twenty-one chapters, including The Dance and Blue Eyes. Voltaire’s notes are retained; later editors’ notes are omitted. Source-language review is recorded with the source witness.
The Dance.
Sétoc needed to go to the island of Serendib on business; but the first month of his marriage, which is, as everyone knows, the honeymoon, allowed him neither to leave his wife nor to believe he could ever leave her. He asked his friend Zadig to make the journey for him. “Alas!” Zadig said. “Must I put an even greater distance between the beautiful Astarté and myself? But I must serve my benefactors.” He spoke, he wept, and he left.
He had not been long on the island of Serendib before he was regarded as an extraordinary man. He became the arbiter of every dispute among the merchants, the friend of the wise, the adviser of the small number of people who take advice. The king wished to see and hear him. He soon recognized Zadig’s full worth, trusted in his wisdom, and made him his friend. The king’s familiarity and esteem made Zadig tremble. Night and day he was haunted by the misfortune Moabdar’s kindness had brought upon him. “I please the king,” he said. “Will that not be my ruin?” Yet he could not escape His Majesty’s attentions; for it must be admitted that Nabussan, king of Serendib, son of Nussanab, son of Nabassun, son of Sanbusna, was one of the best princes in Asia, and when one spoke with him it was difficult not to love him.
This good prince was continually praised, deceived, and robbed: everyone competed to plunder his treasures. The receiver-general of the island of Serendib always set the example, which the others faithfully followed. The king knew it; he had changed his treasurer several times, but had been unable to change the established fashion of dividing the royal revenues into two unequal halves, of which the smaller always went to His Majesty and the larger to the administrators.
King Nabussan confided his trouble to the wise Zadig. “You who know so many fine things,” he said, “do you know a way of finding me a treasurer who will not rob me?” “Certainly,” Zadig answered. “I know an infallible way to give you a man with clean hands.” Delighted, the king embraced him and asked how it was to be done. “You need only,” Zadig said, “make everyone who presents himself for the dignity of treasurer dance; whoever dances most lightly will unfailingly be the most honest man.” “You are joking,” said the king. “What a curious way to choose a receiver of my revenues! What! You claim that the man who performs the best entrechat will be the most upright and capable financier?” “I do not promise he will be the most capable,” Zadig replied, “but I assure you he will undoubtedly be the most honest.” Zadig spoke with such confidence that the king believed he had some supernatural secret for judging financiers. “I do not like the supernatural,” Zadig said. “People and books full of marvels have always displeased me. If Your Majesty will let me make the trial I propose, you will be quite convinced that my secret is the simplest, easiest thing in the world.” Nabussan, king of Serendib, was far more astonished to hear that this secret was simple than he would have been if it had been presented as a miracle. “Very well,” he said. “Do as you see fit.” “Leave it to me,” said Zadig. “You will gain more from this trial than you think.” That very day he had a proclamation issued in the king’s name: all who aspired to the office of high receiver of the funds of His Gracious Majesty Nabussan, son of Nussanab, were to present themselves in light silk clothing in the king’s antechamber on the first day of the Moon of the Crocodile. Sixty-four of them came. Violinists had been brought into a neighboring hall; everything was ready for the ball, but the hall’s door was closed, and to enter it one had to pass through a small, rather dark gallery. An usher came to fetch and escort each candidate, one after another, through this passage, where he was left alone for a few minutes. The king, who was in on the secret, had laid out all his treasures in the gallery. When all the applicants had reached the hall, His Majesty ordered them to dance. Never had anyone danced more heavily or with less grace; all kept their heads down, their backs bent, their hands pressed to their sides. “What scoundrels!” Zadig murmured. Only one of them danced nimbly, head high, gaze assured, arms outstretched, body upright, legs firm. “Ah, the honest man! The worthy man!” said Zadig. The king embraced this good dancer and declared him treasurer; all the others were punished and assessed financial penalties with the greatest justice in the world, for each had filled his pockets during his time in the gallery and could scarcely walk. For human nature’s sake, the king was sorry that of these sixty-four dancers, sixty-three were thieves. The dark gallery was called the Corridor of Temptation. In Persia these sixty-three gentlemen would have been impaled; in other countries a court of justice would have been convened that would have consumed three times the stolen money in expenses and restored nothing to the sovereign’s coffers; in another kingdom they would have fully vindicated themselves and had this light-footed dancer disgraced. In Serendib they were sentenced only to enlarge the public treasury, for Nabussan was very indulgent.
He was also very grateful: he gave Zadig a sum of money greater than any treasurer had ever stolen from the king his master. Zadig used it to send messengers to Babylon to learn Astarté’s fate. His voice trembled as he gave this order, his blood rushed back toward his heart, his eyes were covered with darkness, his soul was on the point of leaving him. The courier set out; Zadig watched him embark, then went back to the king, seeing no one, believing himself in his own room, and uttering the word “love.” “Ah, love!” said the king. “That is precisely the matter. You have guessed what troubles me. What a great man you are! I hope you will teach me how to recognize a woman who can withstand every test, just as you have found me a disinterested treasurer.” Having recovered his senses, Zadig promised to serve him in love as in finance, though the task seemed more difficult still.
Plain English translation
Complete machine-assisted Plain English translation made independently and directly from the French, in separate source-only translation tasks, not from the Musean edition or a published English translation. Same complete scope and author’s notes; later editors’ notes are omitted. Source-language review is recorded with the source witness.
The Dance.
Sétoc had to go to the island of Serendib on business. But he was in the first month of his marriage, which, as everyone knows, is the honeymoon. He could neither leave his wife nor believe he would ever be able to leave her. He asked his friend Zadig to make the trip for him. "Oh!" Zadig said. "Must I put an even greater distance between beautiful Astarté and myself? But I must serve my benefactors." He said this, wept, and left.
He had not been on the island of Serendib long before people regarded him as an extraordinary man. He settled every dispute among the merchants, became the friend of the wise, and advised the few people who take advice. The king wanted to see him and hear him speak. He soon recognized Zadig's full worth, trusted his wisdom, and made him his friend. The king's warmth and respect made Zadig tremble. Day and night, he was haunted by the misfortune Moabdar's kindness had brought on him. "The king likes me," he said. "Won't that be my ruin?" Yet he could not escape His Majesty's affection. It must be admitted that Nabussan, king of Serendib, son of Nussanab, son of Nabassun, son of Sanbusna, was one of the best rulers in Asia. It was hard to talk to him without liking him.
This good ruler was constantly praised, deceived, and robbed. Everyone competed to plunder his treasures. The chief tax collector of the island of Serendib always set the example, which the others faithfully followed. The king knew this. He had changed treasurers several times, but he had been unable to change the established practice of dividing his revenues into two unequal halves. The smaller half always went to His Majesty, and the larger to his officials.
King Nabussan confided his trouble to the wise Zadig. "You know so many wonderful things," he said. "Don't you know a way to find me a treasurer who won't rob me?" "Certainly," Zadig answered. "I know a foolproof way to give you a man with clean hands." Delighted, the king embraced him and asked how to go about it. "You only have to make everyone who applies for the office of treasurer dance," Zadig said. "The lightest dancer will certainly be the most honest man." "You're joking," said the king. "What a funny way to choose someone to collect my revenues! What! You claim that the man who best crosses his feet in midair will be the most upright and capable financier!" "I don't promise he'll be the most capable," Zadig replied. "But I assure you he'll unquestionably be the most honest." Zadig spoke with such confidence that the king thought he had some supernatural secret for judging financiers. "I don't like the supernatural," Zadig said. "People and books full of marvels have always displeased me. If Your Majesty will let me carry out the test I propose, you'll be thoroughly convinced that my secret is the simplest, easiest thing in the world." Nabussan, king of Serendib, was far more amazed to hear that the secret was simple than if he had been told it was a miracle. "Very well," he said. "Do as you see fit." "Leave it to me," Zadig said. "You'll gain more from this test than you think." That very day he had an announcement made in the king's name. Everyone seeking the position of chief collector of funds for His Gracious Majesty Nabussan, son of Nussanab, was to appear in the king's antechamber on the first day of the moon of the Crocodile, wearing light silk clothes. Sixty-four of them came. Violinists had been brought into a nearby hall. Everything was ready for the ball, but the hall's door was shut. To get in, they had to pass through a small, rather dark gallery. An usher came to fetch each candidate and lead him in, one after another, through this passage, where he was left alone for a few minutes. The king, who was in on the secret, had laid out all his treasures in the gallery. When all the applicants had reached the hall, His Majesty ordered them to dance. No one ever danced more heavily or with less grace. They all had their heads lowered, their backs bent, and their hands pressed against their sides. "What crooks!" Zadig said under his breath. Just one of them danced nimbly, his head high, his gaze confident, his arms stretched out, his body straight, and his legs firm. "Ah! What an honest man! What a fine man!" Zadig said. The king embraced this good dancer and named him treasurer. All the others were punished and made to pay, with perfect justice. Each had filled his pockets while he was in the gallery and could barely walk. The king was sorry for human nature that sixty-three of these sixty-four dancers were thieves. The dark gallery was named the Corridor of Temptation. In Persia, these sixty-three gentlemen would have been impaled. In other countries, a special court would have been set up that would have spent three times the stolen money on expenses and returned nothing to the ruler's coffers. In another kingdom, they would have cleared themselves completely and had the light-footed dancer disgraced. In Serendib, they were only sentenced to add to the public treasury, because Nabussan was very forgiving.
He was also very grateful. He gave Zadig a sum of money greater than any treasurer had ever stolen from the king he served. Zadig used it to send express messengers to Babylon to report to him what had become of Astarté. His voice shook as he gave this order. His blood rushed back to his heart, darkness covered his eyes, and his soul almost left him. The courier set out, and Zadig watched him board the ship. He went back to the king without seeing anyone, thinking he was in his own room and saying the word "love." "Ah! Love," the king said. "That's exactly the problem. You've guessed what's troubling me. What a great man you are! I hope you'll teach me how to recognize a woman who can withstand every test, just as you found me a treasurer with no interest in personal gain." Zadig came to his senses and promised to help him in love as he had in finance, although this seemed even harder.
About this section
Chapter 14: The Dance is part of Zadig, or Destiny by Voltaire. This page sets the French original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is chapter 16 of 23 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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