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第27节

man and superman-第27节

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last; and now I fear it is shockingly mutilated。 My poor father!

DON JUAN。 Hush! Listen! 'Two great chords rolling on syncopated
waves of sound break forth: D minor and its dominant: a round of
dreadful joy to all musicians'。 Ha! Mozart's statue music。 It is
your father。 You had better disappear until I prepare him。 'She
vanishes'。

》From the void comes a living statue of white marble; designed
to represent a majestic old man。 But he waives his majesty with
infinite grace; walks with a feather…like step; and makes every
wrinkle in his war worn visage brim over with holiday joyousness。
To his sculptor he owes a perfectly trained figure; which he
carries erect and trim; and the ends of his moustache curl up;
elastic as watchsprings; giving him an air which; but for its
Spanish dignity; would be called jaunty。 He is on the pleasantest
terms with Don Juan。 His voice; save for a much more
distinguished intonation; is so like the voice of Roebuck Ramsden
that it calls attention to the fact that they are not unlike one
another in spite of their very different fashion of shaving。

DON JUAN。 Ah; here you are; my friend。 Why don't you learn to
sing the splendid music Mozart has written for you?

THE STATUE。 Unluckily he has written it for a bass voice。 Mine is
a counter tenor。 Well: have you repented yet?

DON JUAN。 I have too much consideration for you to repent; Don
Gonzalo。 If I did; you would have no excuse for coming from
Heaven to argue with me。

THE STATUE。 True。 Remain obdurate; my boy。 I wish I had killed
you; as I should have done but for an accident。 Then I should
have come here; and you would have had a statue and a reputation
for piety to live up to。 Any news?

DON JUAN。 Yes: your daughter is dead。

THE STATUE。 'puzzled' My daughter? 'Recollecting' Oh! the one you
were taken with。 Let me see: what was her name?

DON JUAN。 Ana。

THE STATUE。 To be sure: Ana。 A goodlooking girl; if I recollect
aright。 Have you warned Whatshisnameher husband?

DON JUAN。 My friend Ottavio? No: I have not seen him since Ana
arrived。

Ana comes indignantly to light。

ANA。 What does this mean? Ottavio here and YOUR friend! And you;
father; have forgotten my name。 You are indeed turned to stone。

THE STATUE。 My dear: I am so much more admired in marble than I
ever was in my own person that I have retained the shape the
sculptor gave me。 He was one of the first men of his day: you
must acknowledge that。

ANA。 Father! Vanity! personal vanity! from you!

THE STATUE。 Ah; you outlived that weakness; my daughter: you must
be nearly 80 by this time。 I was cut off (by an accident) in my
64th year; and am considerably your junior in consequence。
Besides; my child; in this place; what our libertine friend here
would call the farce of parental wisdom is dropped。 Regard me; I
beg; as a fellow creature; not as a father。

ANA。 You speak as this villain speaks。

THE STATUE。 Juan is a sound thinker; Ana。 A bad fencer; but a
sound thinker。

ANA。 'horror creeping upon her' I begin to understand。 These are
devils; mocking me。 I had better pray。

THE STATUE。 'consoling her' No; no; no; my child: do not pray。 If
you do; you will throw away the main advantage of this place。
Written over the gate here are the words 〃Leave every hope
behind; ye who enter。〃 Only think what a relief that is! For what
is hope? A form of moral responsibility。 Here there is no hope;
and consequently no duty; no work; nothing to be gained by
praying; nothing to be lost by doing what you like。 Hell; in
short; is a place where you have nothing to do but amuse
yourself。 'Don Juan sighs deeply'。 You sigh; friend Juan; but if
you dwelt in heaven; as I do; you would realize your advantages。

DON JUAN。 You are in good spirits to…day; Commander。 You are
positively brilliant。 What is the matter?

THE STATUE。 I have come to a momentous decision; my boy。 But
first; where is our friend the Devil? I must consult him in the
matter。 And Ana would like to make his acquaintance; no doubt。

ANA。 You are preparing some torment for me。

DON JUAN。 All that is superstition; Ana。 Reassure yourself。
Remember: the devil is not so black as he is painted。

THE STATUE。 Let us give him a call。

At the wave of the statue's hand the great chords roll out again
but this time Mozart's music gets grotesquely adulterated with
Gounod's。 A scarlet halo begins to glow; and into it the Devil
rises; very Mephistophelean; and not at all unlike Mendoza;
though not so interesting。 He looks older; is getting prematurely
bald; and; in spite of an effusion of goodnature and friendliness;
is peevish and sensitive when his advances are not reciprocated。
He does not inspire much confidence in his powers of hard work or
endurance; and is; on the whole; a disagreeably self…indulgent
looking person; but he is clever and plausible; though
perceptibly less well bred than the two other men; and enormously
less vital than the woman。

THE DEVIL。 'heartily' Have I the pleasure of again receiving a
visit from the illustrious Commander of Calatrava? 'Coldly' Don
Juan; your servant。 'Politely' And a strange lady? My respects;
Senora。

ANA。 Are you

THE DEVIL。 'bowing' Lucifer; at your service。

ANA。 I shall go mad。

THE DEVIL。 'gallantly' Ah; Senora; do not be anxious。 You come to
us from earth; full of the prejudices and terrors of that
priest…ridden place。 You have heard me ill spoken of; and yet;
believe me; I have hosts of friends there。

ANA。 Yes: you reign in their hearts。

THE DEVIL。 'shaking his head' You flatter me; Senora; but you are
mistaken。 It is true that the world cannot get on without me; but
it never gives me credit for that: in its heart it mistrusts and
hates me。 Its sympathies are all with misery; with poverty; with
starvation of the body and of the heart。 I call on it to
sympathize with joy; with love; with happiness; with beauty。

DON JUAN。 'nauseated' Excuse me: I am going。 You know I cannot
stand this。

THE DEVIL。 'angrily' Yes: I know that you are no friend of mine。

THE STATUE。 What harm is he doing you; Juan? It seems to me that
he was talking excellent sense when you interrupted him。

THE DEVIL。 'warmly shaking the statue's hand' Thank you; my
friend: thank you。 You have always understood me: he has always
disparaged and avoided me。

DON JUAN。 I have treated you with perfect courtesy。

THE DEVIL。 Courtesy! What is courtesy? I care nothing for mere
courtesy。 Give me warmth of heart; true sincerity; the bond of
sympathy with love and joy

DON JUAN。 You are making me ill。

THE DEVIL。 There! 'Appealing to the statue' You hear; sir! Oh; by
what irony of fate was this cold selfish egotist sent to my
kingdom; and you taken to the icy mansions of the sky!

THE STATUE。 I can't complain。 I was a hypocrite; and it served me
right to be sent to heaven。

THE DEVIL。 Why; sir; do you not join us; and leave a sphere for
which your temperament is too sympathetic; your heart too warm;
your capacity for enjoyment too generous?

THE STATUE。 I have this day resolved to do so。 In future;
excellent Son of the Morning; I am yours。 I have left Heaven for
ever。

THE DEVIL。 'again grasping his hand' Ah; what an honor for me!
What a triumph for our cause! Thank you; thank you。 And now; my
friendI may call you so at lastcould you not persuade HIM
to take the place you have left vacant above?

THE STATUE。 'shaking his head' I cannot conscientiously recommend
anybody with whom I am on friendly terms to deliberately make
himself dull and uncomfortable。

THE DEVIL。 Of course not; but are you sure HE would be
uncomfortable? Of course you know best: you brought him here
originally; and we had the greatest hopes of him。 His sentiments
were in the best taste of our best people。 You remember how he
sang? 'He begins to sing in a nasal operatic baritone; tremulous
from an eternity of misuse in the French manner'。

      Vivan le femmine!
      Viva il buon vino!

THE STATUE。 'taking up the tune an octave higher in his counter
tenor'

      Sostegno a gloria
      D'umanita。

THE DEVIL。 Precisely。 Well; he never sings for us now。

DON JUAN。 Do you complain of that? Hell is full of musical
amateurs: music is the brandy of the damned。 May not one lost
soul be permitted to abstain?

THE DEVIL。 You dare blaspheme against the sublimest of the arts!

DON JUAN。 'with cold disgust' You talk like a hysterical woman
fawning on a fiddler。

THE DEVIL。 I am not angry。 I merely pity you。 You have no soul;
and you are unconscious of all that you lose。 Now you; Senor
Commander; are a born musician。 How well you sing! Mozart would
be delighted if he were still here; but he moped and went to
heaven。 Curious how these clever men; whom you would have
supposed born to be popular here; have turned out social
failures; like Don Juan!

DON JUAN。 I am really very sorry to be a social failure。

THE DEVIL。 Not that we don't admire your intellect; you know。 We
do。 But I look at the matter from your own point of view。 You
don't get on with us。 The place doesn't suit you。 The truth is;
you haveI won't say no heart; for we know that beneath all your
affected cynicism you have a warm one。

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