Moby-Dick et la question du Livre

(André BLEIKASTEN)

Université Strasbourg II

legendo nel magno volume

u' non si muta mai bianco ne bruno.

Dante, Le Paradis

A la fin de « The Honor and Glory of Whaling », chapitre 82 de Moby-Dick, Ismaël conte cette légende :

When Brahma, or the God of Gods, saith the Shaster, resolved to recreate the world after one of its periodical dissolutions, he gave birth to Vishnoo, to preside over the work ; but the Vedas, or mystical books, whose perusal would seem to have been to Vishnoo before beginning the creation, and which must have contained something in the shape of practical hints to young architects, these Vedas were lying at the bottom of the waters ; so Vishnoo became incarnate in a whale, and sounding down in him to the uttermost depths rescued the sacred volumes. Was not this Vishnoo a whaleman, then ? even as a man who rides a horse is a horseman ? 1

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