20. "The Time of the Assassins: A Study of Rimbaud", by Henry Miller (excerpt)

Excerpt from

"The Time

of

the Assassins:

A Study

of Rimbaud",

by

Henry Miller,

New Directions

Publishing Company

1946,

p. 69 - 70.

"THE TIME

OF THE ASSASSINS"

“He is certain

that when he gets to

his destination

he will find

suitable employment.

He is sure of himself,

everything will go well.

He is young,

full of high spirits,

and there is so much to see

in this great world.

It does not take long

for the tone to change.

For all the verve

and ebullience he displays,

for all his willingness to work,

for all that he possesses

in the way of talent,

ingenuity,

doggedness,

adaptability,

he discovers

before very long

that there is really

no place

for a person like himself

anywhere.

The world

does not want originality;

it wants conformity,

slaves, more slaves.

The place for the genius

is in the gutter,

digging ditches,

or in the mines or quarries,

somewhere where his talents

will NOT be employed.

A genius

looking for employment

is one of the saddest sights

in the world.

He fits in nowhere,

nobody wants him. 

He is maladapted,

says the world.

With that,

the doors

are rudely slammed

in his face.

But is there

no place at all

for him, then?

Oh yes,

there is always room

at the very bottom.

Have you never seen him

along the waterfront

loading sacks of coffee

or

some other

“necessary” commodity?

Have you not

observed

how well

he washes dishes

in the kitchen

of a filthy restaurant?

Have you not

seen him

lugging bags

and valises

at the railway station?”

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