Of course I’d see some charm in these brilliant projections that seemed to emanate from a Merovingian past and cast reflections of such an ancient story around me. But all the same I cannot describe what misery it would cause me, this intrusion of mystery and beauty in a room I had finally filled with my self, to the point of no longer paying attention to the space, but to me. The anesthetizing influence of habit having ceased, I’d begin to think, to feel, such sad things. This knob on the door of my room, to me unlike any other doorknob on Earth, in that it seemed to open all by itself without my needing to turn it, so unconscious had my manipulation of it become, there it was now, serving as the astral body of Golo. And as soon as the dinner bell rang, I’d run with great haste to the dining room, where the huge hanging lamp, unaware of Golo or Bluebeard, and which knew instead my parents and casserole of beef, would shed its light the same as on other nights, and I’d fall into the arms of Maman, whom the woes of Geneviève de Brabant rendered even more dear to me, while the crimes of Golo urged me to examine my own conscience with sharper scruples.
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Certes je leur trouvais du charme à ces brillantes projections qui semblaient émaner d’un passé mérovingien et promenaient autour de moi des reflets d’histoire si anciens. Mais je ne peux dire quel malaise me causait pourtant cette intrusion du mystère et de la beauté dans une chambre que j’avais fini par remplir de mon moi au point de ne pas faire plus attention à elle qu’à lui-même. L’influence anesthésiante de l’habitude ayant cessé, je me mettais à penser, à sentir, choses si tristes. Ce bouton de la porte de ma chambre, qui différait pour moi de tous les autres boutons de porte du monde en ceci qu’il semblait ouvrir tout seul, sans que j’eusse besoin de le tourner, tant le maniement m’en était devenu inconscient, le voilà qui servait maintenant de corps astral à Golo. Et dès qu’on sonnait le dîner, j’avais hâte de courir à la salle à manger, où la grosse lampe de la suspension, ignorante de Golo et de Barbe-Bleue, et qui connaissait mes parents et le bœuf à la casserole, donnait sa lumière de tous les soirs; et de tomber dans les bras de maman que les malheurs de Geneviève de Brabant me rendaient plus chère, tandis que les crimes de Golo me faisaient examiner ma propre conscience avec plus de scrupules.
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N o t e s
Merovingian. An interesting interview about the Merovingian Dynasty (c. 457–751 CE) is available here. In it, Dr. Bonnie Effros, professor of history at the University of Florida, doesn’t mention the tale of Geneviève de Brabant, but some of the facts she offers of royal life from this era connect with the story: “It is thus clear that Merovingian queens faced daunting challenges and great dangers as a consequence of their powerful positions.”
My parents. Proust wrote “mes parents,” and this technically can mean “my relatives,” not just his mother and father. Scott Moncrieff and Davis both translate it as “my family,” but putting myself in the place of a young boy, and seeing that his focus here is especially on his mother, I view the word as more likely to mean his parents in particular.
Casserole of beef. The 1992 book Dining with Proust contains a recipe (which I’m adapting here) for this dish:
Casserole of Beef
2¼ lb. chuck steak, cut into 3 oz. pieces
1 oz. streaky bacon
1½ lb. carrots
1½ cups chopped onion
2 cups good dry white wine
10 peppercorns
Salt, to taste
½ cup chopped parsley
Fry bacon over high heat in a large casserole dish. Drain, then brown beef in the bacon fat. Remove from casserole. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Peel and finely dice one-third of the carrots. Fry carrots with chopped onion in the bacon fat until lightly browned. Add white wine. Bring to boil and add bouquet garni.
Place beef in casserole with peppercorns, and add water to cover the meat Bring to boil, then place in oven for about three hours.
While the beef cooks, peel and wash remaining carrots and slice into rounds one-quarter-inch thick. Once beef is done, remove it from casserole and transfer to another dish. Strain meat juices and vegetables, and add juices only to the meat, along with sliced carrots. Stir, cover, and cook in oven one more hour.
Serve in a warm dish with the carrots and sprinkled with parsley.