第 34 节
作者:这就是结局      更新:2021-04-30 15:46      字数:9322
  lawyer。 And the women loved me for it; bless them!
  DON JUAN。 They made you think so。 What will you say when I tell
  you that though I played the lawyer so callously; they made me
  think so too? I also had my moments of infatuation in which I
  gushed nonsense and believed it。 Sometimes the desire to give
  pleasure by saying beautiful things so rose in me on the flood of
  emotion that I said them recklessly。 At other times I argued
  against myself with a devilish coldness that drew tears。 But I
  found it just as hard to escape in the one case as in the others。
  When the lady's instinct was set on me; there was nothing for it
  but lifelong servitude or flight。
  ANA。 You dare boast; before me and my father; that every woman
  found you irresistible。
  DON JUAN。 Am I boasting? It seems to me that I cut the most
  pitiable of figures。 Besides; I said 〃when the lady's instinct
  was set on me。〃 It was not always so; and then; heavens! what
  transports of virtuous indignation! what overwhelming defiance to
  the dastardly seducer! what scenes of Imogen and Iachimo!
  ANA。 I made no scenes。 I simply called my father。
  DON JUAN。 And he came; sword in hand; to vindicate outraged honor
  and morality by murdering me。
  THE STATUE。 Murdering! What do you mean? Did I kill you or did
  you kill me?
  DON JUAN。 Which of us was the better fencer?
  THE STATUE。 I was。
  DON JUAN。 Of course you were。 And yet you; the hero of those
  scandalous adventures you have just been relating to us; you had
  the effrontery to pose as the avenger of outraged morality and
  condemn me to death! You would have slain me but for an accident。
  THE STATUE。 I was expected to; Juan。 That is how things were
  arranged on earth。 I was not a social reformer; and I always did
  what it was customary for a gentleman to do。
  DON JUAN。 That may account for your attacking me; but not for the
  revolting hypocrisy of your subsequent proceedings as a statue。
  THE STATUE。 That all came of my going to Heaven。
  THE DEVIL。 I still fail to see; Senor Don Juan; that these
  episodes in your earthly career and in that of the Senor
  Commander in any way discredit my view of life。 Here; I repeat;
  you have all that you sought without anything that you shrank
  from。
  DON JUAN。 On the contrary; here I have everything that
  disappointed me without anything that I have not already tried
  and found wanting。 I tell you that as long as I can conceive
  something better than myself I cannot be easy unless I am
  striving to bring it into existence or clearing the way for it。
  That is the law of my life。 That is the working within me of
  Life's incessant aspiration to higher organization; wider;
  deeper; intenser self…consciousness; and clearer
  self…understanding。 It was the supremacy of this purpose that
  reduced love for me to the mere pleasure of a moment; art for me
  to the mere schooling of my faculties; religion for me to a mere
  excuse for laziness; since it had set up a God who looked at the
  world and saw that it was good; against the instinct in me that
  looked through my eyes at the world and saw that it could be
  improved。 I tell you that in the pursuit of my own pleasure; my
  own health; my own fortune; I have never known happiness。 It was
  not love for Woman that delivered me into her hands: it was
  fatigue; exhaustion。 When I was a child; and bruised my head
  against a stone; I ran to the nearest woman and cried away my
  pain against her apron。 When I grew up; and bruised my soul
  against the brutalities and stupidities with which I had to
  strive; I did again just what I had done as a child。 I have
  enjoyed; too; my rests; my recuperations; my breathing times; my
  very prostrations after strife; but rather would I be dragged
  through all the circles of the foolish Italian's Inferno than
  through the pleasures of Europe。 That is what has made this place
  of eternal pleasures so deadly to me。 It is the absence of this
  instinct in you that makes you that strange monster called a
  Devil。 It is the success with which you have diverted the
  attention of men from their real purpose; which in one degree or
  another is the same as mine; to yours; that has earned you the
  name of The Tempter。 It is the fact that they are doing your
  will; or rather drifting with your want of will; instead of doing
  their own; that makes them the uncomfortable; false; restless;
  artificial; petulant; wretched creatures they are。
  THE DEVIL。 'mortified' Senor Don Juan: you are uncivil to my
  friends。
  DON JUAN。 Pooh! why should I be civil to them or to you? In this
  Palace of Lies a truth or two will not hurt you。 Your friends are
  all the dullest dogs I know。 They are not beautiful: they are
  only decorated。 They are not clean: they are only shaved and
  starched。 They are not dignified: they are only fashionably
  dressed。 They are not educated they are only college passmen。
  They are not religious: they are only pewrenters。 They are not
  moral: they are only conventional。 They are not virtuous: they
  are only cowardly。 They are not even vicious: they are only
  〃frail。〃 They are not artistic: they are only lascivious。 They
  are not prosperous: they are only rich。 They are not loyal; they
  are only servile; not dutiful; only sheepish; not public
  spirited; only patriotic; not courageous; only quarrelsome; not
  determined; only obstinate; not masterful; only domineering; not
  self…controlled; only obtuse; not self…respecting; only vain; not
  kind; only sentimental; not social; only gregarious; not
  considerate; only polite; not intelligent; only opinionated; not
  progressive; only factious; not imaginative; only superstitious;
  not just; only vindictive; not generous; only propitiatory; not
  disciplined; only cowed; and not truthful at allliars every one
  of them; to the very backbone of their souls。
  THE STATUE。 Your flow of words is simply amazing; Juan。 How I
  wish I could have talked like that to my soldiers。
  THE DEVIL。 It is mere talk; though。 It has all been said before;
  but what change has it ever made? What notice has the world ever
  taken of it?
  DON JUAN。 Yes; it is mere talk。 But why is it mere talk? Because;
  my friend; beauty; purity; respectability; religion; morality;
  art; patriotism; bravery and the rest are nothing but words which
  I or anyone else can turn inside out like a glove。 Were they
  realities; you would have to plead guilty to my indictment; but
  fortunately for your self…respect; my diabolical friend; they are
  not realities。 As you say; they are mere words; useful for duping
  barbarians into adopting civilization; or the civilized poor into
  submitting to be robbed and enslaved。 That is the family secret
  of the governing caste; and if we who are of that caste aimed at
  more Life for the world instead of at more power and luxury for
  our miserable selves; that secret would make us great。 Now; since
  I; being a nobleman; am in the secret too; think how tedious to
  me must be your unending cant about all these moralistic
  figments; and how squalidly disastrous your sacrifice of your
  lives to them! If you even believed in your moral game enough to
  play it fairly; it would be interesting to watch; but you don't:
  you cheat at every trick; and if your opponent outcheats you; you
  upset the table and try to murder him。
  THE DEVIL。 On earth there may be some truth in this; because the
  people are uneducated and cannot appreciate my religion of love
  and beauty; but here
  DON JUAN。 Oh yes: I know。 Here there is nothing but love and
  beauty。 Ugh! it is like sitting for all eternity at the first act
  of a fashionable play; before the complications begin。 Never in
  my worst moments of superstitious terror on earth did I dream
  that Hell was so horrible。 I live; like a hairdresser; in the
  continual contemplation of beauty; toying with silken tresses。 I
  breathe an atmosphere of sweetness; like a confectioner's
  shopboy。 Commander: are there any beautiful women in Heaven?
  THE STATUE。 None。 Absolutely none。 All dowdies。 Not two pennorth
  of jewellery among a dozen of them。 They might be men of fifty。
  DON JUAN。 I am impatient to get there。 Is the word beauty ever
  mentioned; and are there any artistic people?
  THE STATUE。 I give you my word they won't admire a fine statue
  even when it walks past them。
  DON JUAN。 I go。
  THE DEVIL。 Don Juan: shall I be frank with you?
  DON JUAN。 Were you not so before?
  THE DEVIL。 As far as I went; yes。 But I will now go further; and
  confess to you that men get tired of everything; of heaven no
  less than of hell; and that all history is nothing but a record
  of the oscillations of the world between these two extremes。 An
  epoch is but a swing of the pendulum; and each generation thinks
  the world is progressing because it is always moving。 But when
  you are as old as I am; when you have a thousand times wearied of
  heaven; like myself and the Commander; and a thousand times
  wearied of hell; as you are wearied now; you will no longer
  imagine that every swing from heaven to hell is an emancipation;
  every swing from hell to heaven an evolution。 Where you now see
  reform; progress; fulfilment of upward tendency; continual ascent
  by Man on the stepping stones of his dead selves to higher
  things; you will see nothing but an i