Through the Torii/Chapter 33
We have a frequent moment when we see “more beauty in ugliness, which often penetrates our soul; the ugliness, in such a case, must show a sort of eagerness of hope, though vague and distant, of reshaping. Such a hope itself is a virtue, therefore beauty; through that virtue, the ugliness is already redeemed of half its ugliness; there is nothing more divine than confession. Knowing its sad side for anything is always beautiful; that, only that, makes the ugliness reveal a far better light than beauty itself; its triumph is more staying. We often see one passionately fallen in love with the ugliness, and wildly scorning the smile of beauty; we might think such a one rather amusing, but he is not. He feels an irresistible happiness in pity; that happiness is, indeed, its highest water-mark, because it is burst from chanty, therefore justification. Strange enough, however, is the fact that the true ugliness (often the true beauty) is not such a weak thing to always call for one’s sympathy; it never needs any kind of improper argument. To say that one is interested in ugliness is ironical; the truth is that he sees clearly a beauty in it, that beauty that leads you to peace, certainty, and eternity. It is quite a modern note to say that it is perfectly a shame to remain ugly, and we do not see the reason why we cannot turn beautiful; but the ugliness is far nearer to truth. This is the life of confession; indeed, the real life only begins when you see your real self itself. And not the beauty but the ugliness knows better about its own worth. It is true that beauty is false, or more apt to be false; we see more ugliness in beauty than beauty in ugliness, It is not my new discovery, but it is the fact old like life and the world. And it seems to me that we are slowly but steadily approaching the day when justice shall be done for anything. It is not too much to say that our life finds a solid support or life’s nourishment in the beauty that is distilled through ugliness; ugliness is not ugliness after all.