登陆注册
5590600000015

第15章 ACT III(4)

How ridiculous it is,how disgusting!Less than a year ago I was healthy and strong,full of pride and energy and enthusiasm.Iworked with these hands here,and my words could move the dullest man to tears.I could weep with sorrow,and grow indignant at the sight of wrong.I could feel the glow of inspiration,and understand the beauty and romance of the silent nights which Iused to watch through from evening until dawn,sitting at my worktable,and giving up my soul to dreams.I believed in a bright future then,and looked into it as trustfully as a child looks into its mother's eyes.And now,oh,it is terrible!I am tired and without hope;I spend my days and nights in idleness;Ihave no control over my feet or brain.My estate is ruined,my woods are falling under the blows of the axe.[He weeps]My neglected land looks up at me as reproachfully as an orphan.Iexpect nothing,am sorry for nothing;my whole soul trembles at the thought of each new day.And what can I think of my treatment of Sarah?I promised her love and happiness forever;I opened her eyes to the promise of a future such as she had never even dreamed of.She believed me,and though for five years I have seen her sinking under the weight of her sacrifices to me,and losing her strength in her struggles with her conscience,God knows she has never given me one angry look,or uttered one word of reproach.What is the result?That I don't love her!Why?Is it possible?Can it be true?I can't understand.She is suffering;her days are numbered;yet I fly like a contemptible coward from her white face,her sunken chest,her pleading eyes.

Oh,I am ashamed,ashamed![A pause]Sasha,a young girl,is sorry for me in my misery.She confesses to me that she loves me;me,almost an old man!Whereupon I lose my head,and exalted as if by music,I yell:"Hurrah for a new life and new happiness!"Next day I believe in this new life and happiness as little as Ibelieve in my happiness at home.What is the matter with me?What is this pit I am wallowing in?What is the cause of this weakness?What does this nervousness come from?If my sick wife wounds my pride,if a servant makes a mistake,if my gun misses fire,I lose my temper and get violent and altogether unlike myself.I can't,I can't understand it;the easiest way out would be a bullet through the head!

Enter LVOFF.

LVOFF.I must have an explanation with you,Ivanoff.

IVANOFF.If we are going to have an explanation every day,doctor,we shall neither of us have the strength to stand it.

LVOFF.Will you be good enough to hear me?

IVANOFF.I have heard all you have told me every day,and have failed to discover yet what you want me to do.

LVOFF.I have always spoken plainly enough,and only an utterly heartless and cruel man could fail to understand me.

IVANOFF.I know that my wife is dying;I know that I have sinned irreparably;I know that you are an honest man.What more can you tell me?

LVOFF.The sight of human cruelty maddens me.The woman is dying and she has a mother and father whom she loves,and longs to see once more before she dies.They know that she is dying and that she loves them still,but with diabolical cruelty,as if to flaunt their religious zeal,they refuse to see her and forgive her.You are the man for whom she has sacrificed her home,her peace of mind,everything.Yet you unblushingly go gadding to the Lebedieffs'every evening,for reasons that are absolutely unmistakable!

IVANOFF.Ah me,it is two weeks since I was there!

LVOFF.[Not listening to him]To men like yourself one must speak plainly,and if you don't want to hear what I have to say,you need not listen.I always call a spade a spade;the truth is,you want her to die so that the way may be cleared for your other schemes.Be it so;but can't you wait?If,instead of crushing the life out of your wife by your heartless egoism,you let her die naturally,do you think you would lose Sasha and Sasha's money?Such an absolute Tartuffe as you are could turn the girl's head and get her money a year from now as easily as you can to-day.Why are you in such a hurry?Why do you want your wife to die now,instead of in a month's time,or a year's?

IVANOFF.This is torture!You are a very bad doctor if you think a man can control himself forever.It is all I can do not to answer your insults.

LVOFF.Look here,whom are you trying to deceive?Throw off this disguise!

IVANOFF.You who are so clever,you think that nothing in the world is easier than to understand me,do you?I married Annie for her money,did I?And when her parents wouldn't give it to me,I changed my plans,and am now hustling her out of the world so that I may marry another woman,who will bring me what I want?

You think so,do you?Oh,how easy and simple it all is!But you are mistaken,doctor;in each one of us there are too many springs,too many wheels and cogs for us to judge each other by first impressions or by two or three external indications.I can not understand you,you cannot understand me,and neither of us can understand himself.A man may be a splendid doctor,and at the same time a very bad judge of human nature;you will admit that,unless you are too self-confident.

LVOFF.Do you really think that your character is so mysterious,and that I am too stupid to tell vice from virtue?

IVANOFF.It is clear that we shall never agree,so let me beg you to answer me now without any more preamble:exactly what do you want me to do?[Angrily]What are you after anyway?And with whom have I the honour of speaking?With my lawyer,or with my wife's doctor?

LVOFF.I am a doctor,and as such I demand that you change your conduct toward your wife;it is killing her.

IVANOFF.What shall I do?Tell me!If you understand me so much better than I understand myself,for heaven's sake tell me exactly what to do!

LVOFF.In the first place,don't be so unguarded in your behaviour.

IVANOFF.Heaven help me,do you mean to say that you understand yourself?[He drinks some water]Now go away;I am guilty a thousand times over;I shall answer for my sins before God;but nothing has given you the right to torture me daily as you do.

同类推荐
  • 遁甲演义

    遁甲演义

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 刘侍御朝命许停官归

    刘侍御朝命许停官归

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 大乘成业论

    大乘成业论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 阿难问事佛吉凶经

    阿难问事佛吉凶经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 东巡记

    东巡记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 即非禅师全录

    即非禅师全录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 神秘富豪来袭:你是我的妻

    神秘富豪来袭:你是我的妻

    她不过是错把他当成劫匪,“轻轻”打了一下,这个小气巴拉的男人竟然使出卑鄙伎俩把她拐回家。她暗喜,有吃有住还有帅哥看,她赚大发了。帅哥诡笑,便宜占够了没?是不是该我占回来了?
  • 不服和我过过招(倒霉蛋阿歪)

    不服和我过过招(倒霉蛋阿歪)

    《倒霉蛋阿歪》系列丛书围绕主人公阿歪展开情节,分别讲述了阿歪在学校、家庭中遭遇到的种种事情,突出反映了小学校园里学生之间、师生之间的有趣情境,以及家庭生活中父母和孩子之间的相处艺术,反映了现代小学生群体活泼灵动的生活面貌及可爱无矫饰的个性特征。故事幽默搞笑,其中不乏关于善良、友谊、家庭教育、学习、成长等启示。
  • 圣八千颂般若波罗蜜多一百八名真实圆义陀罗尼经

    圣八千颂般若波罗蜜多一百八名真实圆义陀罗尼经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 古城集

    古城集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 四如郎君:萌宠妻!

    四如郎君:萌宠妻!

    苏黎一直坚持认为,自己想要的男人就应是“四如”郎君,如师、如父、如兄、如子;且高大、威猛、帅气、英勇,甚至在人生这场大戏上能带着她上天入地、无所不能……可是生活比戏还要精彩!吃不准是为什么,她就是喜欢他的冷酷、严谨、沉默和坚毅,当然还有杨越衡不帅却精致立体的五官,看似温柔实则刚毅的性格,时而沉静如水,时而闷骚狂撩无下限!她承认:他真的是她生命里唯一的一个魅力天成的男人!
  • 班主任婚姻爱情100篇千字妙文

    班主任婚姻爱情100篇千字妙文

    《班主任婚姻爱情100篇千字妙文》汇集了100篇来自一线优秀班主任关于婚姻爱情的美文。借助一篇篇切身感悟和文后的“点点思雨”,向读者展示了他们对于婚姻爱情的思考。其中既描写了初恋情侣的幸福甜蜜,夫妻间的伉俪情深,也讲述了平淡生活中的携手相伴,患难中的相濡以沫,波澜之后感情的历久弥坚,还有婆媳之间的相处之道等婚姻生活中绕不开的话题。
  • 盗版C罗

    盗版C罗

    我叫罗南多,一个有志于吃饱穿暖的中国宅男。欧洲人叫我克里斯蒂亚诺·罗纳尔多,这个名字原本属于一个天才,而我只是一个渺小的凡人。我来了,葡萄牙的小镇上走来了一个不起眼的厨子,而C·罗纳尔多彻底消失了……如果我说自己有一项绝技,可以在三秒钟之内如同上帝附体一般无所不能,你信吗?99新书《战争至上》,军事题材,欢迎阅读!
  • 读心兵王

    读心兵王

    兵王重生,绑系统,有神功,能读心,会医术,擅长撩妹和被妹撩……简单粗暴,谁敢不服?(新书《都市终极神医》已发布)
  • 轮舞

    轮舞

    本剧创作于1900年,凭借10段男女之间的对话来传达当时奥地利道德的堕落,揭示了追寻欲望立即被满足的人性基本面。妓女、士兵、平民、艺术家、贵族等来自社会上、中、下三个阶层的10个人物轮流出场,以AB-BC-CD-DE-EF-FG-GH-HI-IJ-JA的形式轮番出场,不同的人通过“性”这一主题连接在一起,呈现出一种循环复返、首尾相接的构造,同时也暗示着社会不同阶层之间的环环相扣。施尼茨勒在介绍人物的时候故意仅仅说明了他们的身份和地位。剧本出版20年后才全部搬上舞台,演出时引起轩然大波,后被认为色情戏剧而禁演。