第 31 节
作者:这就是结局      更新:2021-04-30 15:46      字数:9322
  with that exception; agreed so far; will you not agree with me
  further that Life has not measured the success of its attempts at
  godhead by the beauty or bodily perfection of the result; since
  in both these respects the birds; as our friend Aristophanes long
  ago pointed out; are so extraordinarily superior; with their
  power of flight and their lovely plumage; and; may I add; the
  touching poetry of their loves and nestings; that it is
  inconceivable that Life; having once produced them; should; if
  love and beauty were her object; start off on another line and
  labor at the clumsy elephant and the hideous ape; whose
  grandchildren we are?
  ANA。 Aristophanes was a heathen; and you; Juan; I am afraid; are
  very little better。
  THE DEVIL。 You conclude; then; that Life was driving at
  clumsiness and ugliness?
  DON JUAN。 No; perverse devil that you are; a thousand times no。
  Life was driving at brainsat its darling object: an organ by
  which it can attain not only self…consciousness but
  self…understanding。
  THE STATUE。 This is metaphysics; Juan。 Why the devil should'to
  the Devil' I BEG your pardon。
  THE DEVIL。 Pray don't mention it。 I have always regarded the use
  of my name to secure additional emphasis as a high compliment to
  me。 It is quite at your service; Commander。
  THE STATUE。 Thank you: that's very good of you。 Even in heaven; I
  never quite got out of my old military habits of speech。 What I
  was going to ask Juan was why Life should bother itself about
  getting a brain。 Why should it want to understand itself? Why not
  be content to enjoy itself?
  DON JUAN。 Without a brain; Commander; you would enjoy yourself
  without knowing it; and so lose all the fun。
  THE STATUE。 True; most true。 But I am quite content with brain
  enough to know that I'm enjoying myself。 I don't want to
  understand why。 In fact; I'd rather not。 My experience is that
  one's pleasures don't bear thinking about。
  DON JUAN。 That is why intellect is so unpopular。 But to Life; the
  force behind the Man; intellect is a necessity; because without
  it he blunders into death。 Just as Life; after ages of struggle;
  evolved that wonderful bodily organ the eye; so that the living
  organism could see where it was going and what was coming to help
  or threaten it; and thus avoid a thousand dangers that formerly
  slew it; so it is evolving to…day a mind's eye that shall see;
  not the physical world; but the purpose of Life; and thereby
  enable the individual to work for that purpose instead of
  thwarting and baffling it by setting up shortsighted personal
  aims as at present。 Even as it is; only one sort of man has ever
  been happy; has ever been universally respected among all the
  conflicts of interests and illusions。
  THE STATUE。 You mean the military man。
  DON JUAN。 Commander: I do not mean the military man。 When the
  military man approaches; the world locks up its spoons and packs
  off its womankind。 No: I sing; not arms and the hero; but the;
  philosophic man: he who seeks in contemplation to discover the
  inner will of the world; in invention to discover the means of
  fulfilling that will; and in action to do that will by the
  so…discovered means。 Of all other sorts of men I declare myself
  tired。 They're tedious failures。 When I was on earth; professors
  of all sorts prowled round me feeling for an unhealthy spot in me
  on which they could fasten。 The doctors of medicine bade me
  consider what I must do to save my body; and offered me quack
  cures for imaginary diseases。 I replied that I was not a
  hypochondriac; so they called me Ignoramus and went their way。
  The doctors of divinity bade me consider what I must do to save
  my soul; but I was not a spiritual hypochondriac any more than a
  bodily one; and would not trouble myself about that either; so
  they called me Atheist and went their way。 After them came the
  politician; who said there was only one purpose in Nature; and
  that was to get him into parliament。 I told him I did not care
  whether he got into parliament or not; so he called me Mugwump
  and went his way。 Then came the romantic man; the Artist; with
  his love songs and his paintings and his poems; and with him I
  had great delight for many years; and some profit; for I
  cultivated my senses for his sake; and his songs taught me to
  hear better; his paintings to see better; and his poems to feel
  more deeply。 But he led me at last into the worship of Woman。
  ANA。 Juan!
  DON JUAN。 Yes: I came to believe that in her voice was all the
  music of the song; in her face all the beauty of the painting;
  and in her soul all the emotion of the poem。
  ANA。 And you were disappointed; I suppose。 Well; was it her fault
  that you attributed all these perfections to her?
  DON JUAN。 Yes; partly。 For with a wonderful instinctive cunning;
  she kept silent and allowed me to glorify her; to mistake my own
  visions; thoughts; and feelings for hers。 Now my friend the
  romantic man was often too poor or too timid to approach those
  women who were beautiful or refined enough to seem to realize his
  ideal; and so he went to his grave believing in his dream。 But I
  was more favored by nature and circumstance。 I was of noble
  birth and rich; and when my person did not please; my
  conversation flattered; though I generally found myself
  fortunate in both。
  THE STATUE。 Coxcomb!
  DON JUAN。 Yes; but even my coxcombry pleased。 Well; I found that
  when I had touched a woman's imagination; she would allow me to
  persuade myself that she loved me; but when my suit was granted
  she never said 〃I am happy: my love is satisfied〃: she always
  said; first; 〃At last; the barriers are down;〃 and second; 〃When
  will you come again?〃
  ANA。 That is exactly what men say。
  DON JUAN。 I protest I never said it。 But all women say it。 Well;
  these two speeches always alarmed me; for the first meant that
  the lady's impulse had been solely to throw down my
  fortifications and gain my citadel; and the second openly
  announced that henceforth she regarded me as her property; and
  counted my time as already wholly at her disposal。
  THE DEVIL。 That is where your want of heart came in。
  THE STATUE。 'shaking his head' You shouldn't repeat what a woman
  says; Juan。
  ANA。 'severely' It should be sacred to you。
  THE STATUE。 Still; they certainly do always say it。 I never
  minded the barriers; but there was always a slight shock about
  the other; unless one was very hard hit indeed。
  DON JUAN。 Then the lady; who had been happy and idle enough
  before; became anxious; preoccupied with me; always intriguing;
  conspiring; pursuing; watching; waiting; bent wholly on making
  sure of her preyI being the prey; you understand。 Now this was
  not what I had bargained for。 It may have been very proper and
  very natural; but it was not music; painting; poetry and joy
  incarnated in a beautiful woman。 I ran away from it。 I ran away
  from it very often: in fact I became famous for running away from
  it。
  ANA。 Infamous; you mean;
  DON JUAN。 I did not run away from you。 Do you blame me for
  running away from the others?
  ANA。 Nonsense; man。 You are talking to a woman of 77 now。 If you
  had had the chance; you would have run away from me tooif I had
  let you。 You would not have found it so easy with me as with some
  of the others。 If men will not be faithful to their home and
  their duties; they must be made to be。 I daresay you all want to
  marry lovely incarnations of music and painting and poetry。 Well;
  you can't have them; because they don't exist。 If flesh and blood
  is not good enough for you you must go without: that's all。 Women
  have to put up with flesh…and…blood husbandsand little enough
  of that too; sometimes; and you will have to put up with
  flesh…and…blood wives。 The Devil looks dubious。 The Statue makes
  a wry face。 I see you don't like that; any of you; but it's true;
  for all that; so if you don't like it you can lump it。
  DON JUAN。 My dear lady; you have put my whole case against
  romance into a few sentences。 That is just why I turned my back
  on the romantic man with the artist nature; as he called his
  infatuation。 I thanked him for teaching me to use my eyes and
  ears; but I told him that his beauty worshipping and happiness
  hunting and woman idealizing was not worth a dump as a philosophy
  of life; so he called me Philistine and went his way。
  ANA。 It seems that Woman taught you something; too; with all her
  defects。
  DON JUAN。 She did more: she interpreted all the other teaching
  for me。 Ah; my friends; when the barriers were down for the first
  time; what an astounding illumination! I had been prepared for
  infatuation; for intoxication; for all the illusions of love's
  young dream; and lo! never was my perception clearer; nor my
  criticism more ruthless。 The most jealous rival of my mistress
  never saw every blemish in her more keenly than I。 I was not
  duped: I took her without chloroform。
  ANA。 But you did take her。
  DON JUAN。 That was the revelation。 Up to that moment I had never
  lost the sense of being my own master; never consciously taken a
  single step until my reason had examined and approved it。 I had
  come to believe that I was a purely rational creature: a thinker!
  I said; with the foolish philosopher; 〃I think; therefore