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the expression of emotion in man and animals-第53章

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on pleasure from close contact with a beloved person; and it is replaced in various parts of the world; by the rubbing of noses; as with the New Zealanders and Laplanders; by the rubbing or patting of the arms; breasts; or stomachs; or by one man striking his own face with the hands or feet of another。  Perhaps the practice of blowing; as a mark of affection; on various parts of the body may depend on the same principle。'23'

The feelings which are called tender are difficult to analyse; they seem to be compounded of affection; joy; and especially of sympathy。 These feelings are in themselves of a pleasurable nature; excepting when pity is too deep; or horror is aroused; as in hearing of a tortured man or animal。 They are remarkable under our present point of view from so readily exciting the secretion of tears。  Many a father and son have wept on meeting after a long separation; especially if the meeting has been unexpected。 No doubt extreme joy by itself tends to act on the lacrymal glands; but on such occasions as the foregoing vague thoughts of the grief which would have been felt had the father and son never met; will probably have passed through their minds; and grief naturally leads to the secretion of tears。 Thus on the return of Ulysses:〃Telemachus  Rose; and clung weeping round his father's breast。  There the pent grief rained o'er them; yearning thus。  *   *    *    *    *    *  Thus piteously they wailed in sore unrest;  And on their weepings had gone down the day;  But that at last Telemachus found words to say。〃 _Worsley's Translation of the Odyssey_; Book xvi。  st。  27。

So again when Penelope at last recognized her husband:

     〃Then from her eyelids the quick tears did start      And she ran to him from her place; and threw      Her arms about his neck; and a warm dew      Of kisses poured upon him; and thus spake:〃 Book xxiii。  st。  27。



'22' Sir J。 Lubbock; ‘Prehistoric Times;' 2nd edit。 1869; p。  552; gives full authorities for these statements。 The quotation from Steele is taken from this work。

'23' See a full acount;{sic} with references; by E。 B。 Tylor; ‘Researches into the Early History of Mankind;' 2nd edit。  1870; p。  51。


The vivid recollection of our former home; or of long…past happy days; readily causes the eyes to be suffused with tears; but here; again; the thought naturally occurs that these days will never return。 In such cases we may be said to sympathize with ourselves in our present; in comparison with our former; state。  Sympathy with the distresses of others; even with the imaginary distresses of a heroine in a pathetic story; for whom we feel no affection; readily excites tears。 So does sympathy with the happiness of others; as with that of a lover; at last successful after many hard trials in a well…told tale。

Sympathy appears to constitute a separate or distinct emotion; and it is especially apt to excite the lacrymal glands。 This holds good whether we give or receive sympathy。 Every one must have noticed how readily children burst out crying if we pity them for some small hurt。  With the melancholic insane; as Dr。 Crichton Browne informs me; a kind word will often plunge them into unrestrained weeping。  As soon as we express our pity for the grief of a friend; tears often come into our own eyes。 The feeling of sympathy is commonly explained by assuming that; when we see or hear of suffering in another; the idea of suffering is called up so vividly in our own minds that we ourselves suffer。 But this explanation is hardly sufficient; for it does not account for the intimate alliance between sympathy and affection。 We undoubtedly sympathize far more deeply with a beloved than with an indifferent person; and the sympathy of the one gives us far more relief than that of the other。  Yet assuredly we can sympathize with those for whom we feel no affection。

Why suffering; when actually experienced by ourselves; excites weeping; has been discussed in a former chapter。 With respect to joy; its natural and universal expression is laughter; and with all the races of man loud laughter leads to the secretion of tears more freely than does any other cause excepting distress。 The suffusion of the eyes with tears; which undoubtedly occurs under great joy; though there is no laughter; can; as it seems to me; be explained through habit and association on the same principles as the effusion of tears from grief; although there is no screaming。 Nevertheless it is not a little remarkable that sympathy with the distresses of others should excite tears more freely than our own distress; and this certainly is the case。 Many a man; from whose eyes no suffering of his own could wring a tear; has shed tears at the sufferings of a beloved friend。 It is still more remarkable that sympathy with the happiness or good fortune of those whom we tenderly love should lead to the same result; whilst a similar happiness felt by ourselves would leave our eyes dry。 We should; however; bear in mind that the long…continued habit of restraint which is so powerful in checking the free flow of tears from bodily pain; has not been brought into play in preventing a moderate effusion of tears in sympathy with the sufferings or happiness of others。

Music has a wonderful power; as I have elsewhere attempted to show;'24' of recalling in a vague and indefinite manner; those strong emotions which were felt during long…past ages; when; as is probable; our early progenitors courted each other by the aid of vocal tones。 And as several of our strongest emotionsgrief; great joy; love; and sympathylead to the free secretion of tears; it is not surprising that music should be apt to cause our eyes to become suffused with tears; especially when we are already softened by any of the tenderer feelings。  Music often produces another peculiar effect。 We know that every strong sensation; emotion; or excitement extreme pain; rage; terror; joy; or the passion of love all have a special tendency to cause the muscles to tremble; and the thrill or slight shiver which runs down the backbone and limbs of many persons when they are powerfully affected by music; seems to bear the same relation to the above trembling of the body; as a slight suffusion of tears from the power of music does to weeping from any strong and real emotion。

_Devotion_。As devotion is; in some degree; related to affection; though mainly consisting of reverence; often combined with fear; the expression of this state of mind may here be briefly noticed。 With some sects; both past and present; religion and love have been strangely combined; and it has even been maintained; lamentable as the fact may be; that the holy kiss of love differs but little from that which a man bestows on a woman; or a woman on a man。'25' Devotion is chiefly expressed by the face being directed towards the heavens; with the eyeballs upturned。 Sir C。 Bell remarks that; at the approach of sleep; or of a fainting…fit; or of death; the pupils are drawn upwards and inwards; and he believes that 〃when we are wrapt in devotional feelings; and outward impressions are unheeded; the eyes are raised by an action neither taught nor acquired。〃 and that this is due to the same cause as in the above c
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