man and superman-第32章

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ago　are　the　cranks；　the　faddists；　the　outsiders　of　to…day。

THE　DEVIL。　It　is　true。　From　the　beginning　of　my　career　I　knew
that　I　should　win　in　the　long　run　by　sheer　weight　of　public
opinion；　in　spite　of　the　long　campaign　of　misrepresentation　and
calumny　against　me。　At　bottom　the　universe　is　a　constitutional
one；　and　with　such　a　majority　as　mine　I　cannot　be　kept
permanently　out　of　office。

DON　JUAN。　I　think；　Ana；　you　had　better　stay　here。

ANA。　＇jealously＇　You　do　not　want　me　to　go　with　you。

DON　JUAN。　Surely　you　do　not　want　to　enter　Heaven　in　the　company
of　a　reprobate　like　me。

ANA。　All　souls　are　equally　precious。　You　repent；　do　you　not？

DON　JUAN。　My　dear　Ana；　you　are　silly。　Do　you　suppose　heaven　is
like　earth；　where　people　persuade　themselves　that　what　is　done
can　be　undone　by　repentance；　that　what　is　spoken　can　be　unspoken
by　withdrawing　it；　that　what　is　true　can　be　annihilated　by　a
general　agreement　to　give　it　the　lie？　No：　heaven　is　the　home　of
the　masters　of　reality：　that　is　why　I　am　going　thither。

ANA。　Thank　you：　I　am　going　to　heaven　for　happiness。　I　have　had
quite　enough　of　reality　on　earth。

DON　JUAN。　Then　you　must　stay　here；　for　hell　is　the　home　of　the
unreal　and　of　the　seekers　for　happiness。　It　is　the　only　refuge
from　heaven；　which　is；　as　I　tell　you；　the　home　of　the　masters　of
reality；　and　from　earth；　which　is　the　home　of　the　slaves　of
reality。　The　earth　is　a　nursery　in　which　men　and　women　play　at
being　heros　and　heroines；　saints　and　sinners；　but　they　are
dragged　down　from　their　fool's　paradise　by　their　bodies：　hunger
and　cold　and　thirst；　age　and　decay　and　disease；　death　above　all；
make　them　slaves　of　reality：　thrice　a　day　meals　must　be　eaten
and　digested：　thrice　a　century　a　new　generation　must　be
engendered：　ages　of　faith；　of　romance；　and　of　science　are　all
driven　at　last　to　have　but　one　prayer　〃　Make　me　a　healthy
animal。〃　But　here　you　escape　the　tyranny　of　the　flesh；　for　here
you　are　not　an　animal　at　all：　you　are　a　ghost；　an　appearance；　an
illusion；　a　convention；　deathless；　ageless：　in　a　word；　bodiless。
There　are　no　social　questions　here；　no　political　questions；　no
religious　questions；　best　of　all；　perhaps；　no　sanitary　questions。
Here　you　call　your　appearance　beauty；　your　emotions　love；　your
sentiments　heroism；　your　aspirations　virtue；　just　as　you　did　on
earth；　but　here　there　are　no　hard　facts　to　contradict　you；　no
ironic　contrast　of　your　needs　with　your　pretensions；　no　human
comedy；　nothing　but　a　perpetual　romance；　a　universal　melodrama。
As　our　German　friend　put　it　in　his　poem；　〃the　poetically
nonsensical　here　is　good　sense；　and　the　Eternal　Feminine　draws　us
ever　upward　and　on〃without　getting　us　a　step　farther。　And　yet
you　want　to　leave　this　paradise！

ANA。　But　if　Hell　be　so　beautiful　as　this；　how　glorious　must
heaven　be！

The　Devil；　the　Statue；　and　Don　Juan　all　begin　to　speak　at　once　in
violent　protest；　then　stop；　abashed。

DON　JUAN。　I　beg　your　pardon。

THE　DEVIL。　Not　at　all。　I　interrupted　you。

THE　STATUE。　You　were　going　to　say　something。

DON　JUAN。　After　you；　gentlemen。

THE　DEVIL。　＇to　Don　Juan＇　You　have　been　so　eloquent　on　the
advantages　of　my　dominions　that　I　leave　you　to　do　equal　justice
to　the　drawbacks　of　the　alternative　establishment。

DON　JUAN。　In　Heaven；　as　I　picture　it；　dear　lady；　you　live　and
work　instead　of　playing　and　pretending。　You　face　things　as　they
are；　you　escape　nothing　but　glamor；　and　your　steadfastness　and
your　peril　are　your　glory。　If　the　play　still　goes　on　here　and　on
earth；　and　all　the　world　is　a　stage；　Heaven　is　at　least　behind
the　scenes。　But　Heaven　cannot　be　described　by　metaphor。　Thither　I
shall　go　presently；　because　there　I　hope　to　escape　at　last　from
lies　and　from　the　tedious；　vulgar　pursuit　of　happiness；　to　spend
my　eons　in　contemplation

THE　STATUE。　Ugh！

DON　JUAN。　Senor　Commander：　I　do　not　blame　your　disgust：　a　picture
gallery　is　a　dull　place　for　a　blind　man。　But　even　as　you　enjoy
the　contemplation　of　such　romantic　mirages　as　beauty　and
pleasure；　so　would　I　enjoy　the　contemplation　of　that　which
interests　me　above　all　things　namely；　Life：　the　force　that　ever
strives　to　attain　greater　power　of　contemplating　itself。　What
made　this　brain　of　mine；　do　you　think？　Not　the　need　to　move　my
limbs；　for　a　rat　with　half　my　brains　moves　as　well　as　I。　Not
merely　the　need　to　do；　but　the　need　to　know　what　I　do；　lest　in　my
blind　efforts　to　live　I　should　be　slaying　myself。

THE　STATUE。　You　would　have　slain　yourself　in　your　blind　efforts
to　fence　but　for　my　foot　slipping；　my　friend。

DON　JUAN。　Audacious　ribald：　your　laughter　will　finish　in　hideous
boredom　before　morning。

THE　STATUE。　Ha　ha！　Do　you　remember　how　I　frightened　you　when　I
said　something　like　that　to　you　from　my　pedestal　in　Seville？　It
sounds　rather　flat　without　my　trombones。

DON　JUAN。　They　tell　me　it　generally　sounds　flat　with　them；
Commander。

ANA。　Oh；　do　not　interrupt　with　these　frivolities；　father。　Is
there　nothing　in　Heaven　but　contemplation；　Juan？

DON　JUAN。　In　the　Heaven　I　seek；　no　other　joy。　But　there　is　the
work　of　helping　Life　in　its　struggle　upward。　Think　of　how　it
wastes　and　scatters　itself；　how　it　raises　up　obstacles　to　itself
and　destroys　itself　in　its　ignorance　and　blindness。　It　needs　a
brain；　this　irresistible　force；　lest　in　its　ignorance　it　should
resist　itself。　What　a　piece　of　work　is　man！　says　the　poet。　Yes：
but　what　a　blunderer！　Here　is　the　highest　miracle　of　organization
yet　attained　by　life；　the　most　intensely　alive　thing　that　exists；
the　most　conscious　of　all　the　organisms；　and　yet；　how　wretched
are　his　brains！　Stupidity　made　sordid　and　cruel　by　the　realities
learnt　from　toil　and　poverty：　Imagination　resolved　to　starve
sooner　than　face　these　realities；　piling　up　illusions　to　hide
them；　and　calling　itself　cleverness；　genius！　And　each　accusing
the　other　of　its　own　defect：　Stupidity　accusing　Imagination　of
folly；　and　Imagination　accusing　Stupidity　of　ignorance：　whereas；
alas！　Stupidity　has　all　the　knowledge；　and　Imagination　all　the
intelligence。

THE　DEVIL。　And　a　pretty　kettle　of　fish　they　make　of　it　between
them。　Did　I　not　say；　when　I　was　arranging　that　affair　of　Faust's；
that　all　Man's　reason　has　done　for　him　is　to　make　him　beastlier
than　any　beast。　One　splendid　body　is　worth　the　brains　of　a
hundred　dyspeptic；　flatulent　philosophers。

DON　JUAN。　You　forget　that　brainless　magnificence　of　body　has　been
tried。　Things　immeasurably　greater　than　man　in　every　respect　but
brain　have　existed　and　perished。　The　megatherium；　the
icthyosaurus　have　paced　the　earth　with　seven…league　steps　and
hidden　the　day　with　cloud　vast　wings。　Where　are　they　now？　Fossils
in　museums；　and　so　few　and　imperfect　at　that；　that　a　knuckle　bone
or　a　tooth　of　one　of　them　is　prized　beyond　the　lives　of　a
thousand　soldiers。　These　things　lived　and　wanted　to　live；　but　for
lack　of　brains　they　did　not　know　how　to　carry　out　their　purpose；
and　so　destroyed　themselves。

THE　DEVIL。　And　is　Man　any　the　less　destroying　himself　for　all
this　boasted　brain　of　his？　Have　you　walked　up　and　down　upon　the
earth　lately？　I　have；　and　I　have　examined　Man's　wonderful
inventions。　And　I　tell　you　that　in　the　arts　of　life　man　invents
nothing；　but　in　the　arts　of　death　he　outdoes　Nature　herself；　and
produces　by　chemistry　and　machinery　all　the　slaughter　of　plague；
pestilence　and　famine。　The　peasant　I　tempt　to…day　eats　and　drinks
what　was　eaten　and　drunk　by　the　peasants　of　ten　thousand　years
ago；　and　the　house　he　lives　in　has　not　altered　as　much　in　a
thousand　centuries　as　the　fashion　of　a　lady's　bonnet　in　a　score
of　weeks。　But　when　he　goes　out　to　slay；　he　carries　a　marvel　of
mechanism　that　lets　loose　at　the　touch　of　his　finger　all　the
hidden　molecular　energies；　and　leaves　the　javelin；　the　arrow；　the
blowpipe　of　his　fathers　far　behind。　In　the　arts　of　peace　Man　is　a
bungler。　I　have　seen　his　cotton　factories　and　the　like；　with
machinery　that　a　greedy　dog　could　have　invented　if　it　had　wanted
money　instead　of　food。　I　know　his　clumsy　typewriters　and　bungling
locomotives　and　tedious　bicycles：　they　are　toys　compared　to　the
Maxim　gun；　the　submarine　torpedo　boat。　There　is　nothing　in　Man's
industrial　machinery　but　his　greed　and　sloth：　his　heart