第1章 浮生若梦 (1)

　　Dr. Faustus

　　《浮士德博士的悲剧》取材于德国传奇。浮士德

　　是一位伟大的学者，渴求各领域的知识。他对中世纪

　　一成不变的学科深感厌恶，开始转向一种黑色魔法。

　　通过咒语他结识了魔鬼的仆从。浮士德与魔鬼签订了

　　协议，他将自己的灵魂卖给魔鬼，作为回报魔鬼则要

　　在此后的24 年中满足浮士德所有求知的愿望。在魔

　　鬼的帮助下，他尽情施展魔法，见到了教皇、亚历山

　　大大帝以及绝代佳人希腊王后海伦。与此同时，浮士

　　德经历了内心的矛盾与斗争。以下选段出自该剧的第

　　一幕，是有关与魔鬼签协议的情节。

　　[ 英] 克里斯托夫·马洛（Christopher Marlowe）

　　浮士德博士的悲剧

　　Faust. Now that the gloomy shadow of the night，

　　Longing to view Orion’s drizzling look，

　　Leaps from the antarctic world unto the sky

　　And dims the welkin with her pitchy breath.

　　Faustus，begin thine incantations

　　And try if devils will obey thy hest，

　　Seeing thou has prayed and sacrificed to them.

　　Within this circle is Jehovah’s name

　　[He draws the circle on the ground.]

　　Forward and backward anagrammatized，

　　The breviated names of holy saints，

　　Figures of every adjunct to the heavens

　　And characters of signs and erring stars，

　　By which the spirits are enforced to rise.

　　Then fear not，Faustus，but be resolute

　　And try the uttermost magic can perform.

　　[Enter MEPHISTOPHILIS in the shape of a dragon.]

　　I charge thee to return and change thy shape ；

　　Thou art too ugly to attend on me.

　　Go，and return an old Franciscan friar ；

　　That holy shape becomes a devil best.

　　I see there’s virtue in my heavenly words:

　　Who would not be proficient in this art?

　　How pliant is this Mephistophilis，

　　Full of obedience and humility!

　　Such is the force of magic and my spells.

　　Now，Faustus，thou art conjurer laureate

　　That canst command great Mephistophilis:

　　Quin redis，Mephistophilis，fratris imagine!

　　[Re-enter Mephistophil is like a Friar.]

　　Meph. Now，Faustus，what wouldst thou have me do?

　　Faust. I charge thee wait upon me whilst I live

　　To do whatever Faustus shall command，

　　Be it be make the moon drop from her sphere

　　Or the ocean to overwhelm the world.

　　Meph. I am a servant to great Lucifer

　　And may not follow thee without his leave:

　　No more than he commands must we perform.

　　Faust. Did not he charge thee to appear to me?

　　Meph. No，I came now hither of my own accord.

　　Faust. Did not my conjuring speeches raise thee?

　　Speak!

　　Meph. That was the cause，but yet per accident，

　　For when we hear one rack the name of God，

　　Abjure the Scriptures and his Saviour Christ，

　　We fly in hope to get his glorious soul ；

　　Nor will we come unless he use such means

　　Whereby he is in danger to be damned ；

　　Therefore the shortest cut for conjuring

　　Is stoutly to abjure the Trinity

　　And pray devoutly to the prince of hell.

　　Faust. So I have done，and hold this principle，

　　There is no chief but only Belzebub

　　To whom Faustus doth dedicate himself.

　　This word“damnation”terrifies not me

　　For I confound hell in Elysium ；

　　My ghost be with the old philosophers!

　　But leaving these vain trifles of men’s souls—

　　Tell me，what is that Lucifer thy lord?

　　Meph. Arch-regent and commander of all spirits.

　　Faust. Was not that Lucifer an angel once?

　　Meph. Yes，Faustus，and most dearly loved of God.

　　Faust. How comes it，then，that he is prince of devils?

　　Meph. O，by aspiring pride and insolence，

　　For which God threw him from the face of heaven.

　　Faust. And what are you that live with Lucifer?

　　Meph. Unhappy spirits that fell with Lucifer，

　　Conspired against our God with Lucifer，

　　And are forever damned with Lucifer.

　　Faust. Where are you damned?

　　Meph. In hell.

　　Faust. How comes it，then，that thou art out of hell?

　　Meph. Why，this is hell，nor am I out of it:

　　Thinkst thou that I who saw the face of God

　　And tasted the eternal joys of heaven

　　Am not tormented with ten thousand hells

　　In being deprived of everlasting bliss?

　　O Faustus，leave these frivolous demands

　　Which strike a terror to my fainting soul!

　　Faust. What，is great Mephistophilis so passionate

　　For being deprived of the joys of heaven?

　　Learn thou of Faustus manly fortitude