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