首页 >出版文学> Tartuffe>第3章

第3章

  DORINE
  No,no,adaughtermustobeyherfather,Thoughheshouldwanttomakeherwedamonkey。
  Besides,yourfatefine。Whatcouldbebetter!
  You’lltakethestage—coachtohlittlevillage,Andfinditfullofunclesandofcousins,Whoseconversationwilldelightyou。ThenYou’llbepresentedintheirbestsociety。
  You’llevengotocall,bywayofwelcome,OnMrs。Bailiff,Mrs。Tax—Collector,Who’llpatroneyouwithafolding—stool。
  There,onceayear,atcarnival,you’llhavePerhaps——aball;withorchestra——twobag—pipes;
  Andsometimesatrainedape,andPunchandJudy;
  Thoughifyourhusband
  MARIANE
  Oh,you’llkillme。PleaseContrivetohelpmeoutwithyouradvice。
  DORINE
  Ithankyoukindly。
  MARIANE
  Oh!Dorine,Ibegyou
  DORINE
  Toserveyouright,thmarriagemustgothrough。
  MARIANE
  Deargirl!
  DORINE
  No。
  MARIANE
  IfIsayIloveValere
  DORINE
  No,no。Tartuffe’syourman,andyoushalltastehim。
  MARIANE
  YouknowI’vealwaystrustedyou;nowhelpme
  DORINE
  No,youshallbe,myfaith!Tartuffified。
  MARIANE
  Well,then,sinceyou’venopityformyfateLetmetakecounselonlyofdespair;
  Itwilladveandhelpandgivemecourage;
  There’sonesurecure,Iknow,forallmytroubles。
  (Shestartstogo。)
  DORINE
  There,there!Comeback。Ican’tbeangrylong。
  Imusttakepityonyou,afterall。
  MARIANE
  Oh,don’tyousee,Dorine,ifImustbearThmartyrdom,Icertainlyshalldie。
  DORINE
  Nowdon’tyoufret。We’llsurelyfindsomeway。
  TohinderthButhere’sValere,yourlover。
  SCENEIV
  VALERE,MARIANE,DORINE
  VALERE
  Madam,apieceofnews——quitenewtome——
  Hasjustcomeout,andveryfineit。
  MARIANE
  Whatpieceofnews?
  VALERE
  YourmarriagewithTartuffe。
  MARIANE
  ’Ttruemyfatherhasthplaninmind。
  VALERE
  Yourfather,madam
  MARIANE
  Yes,he’schangedhplans,Anddidbutnowproposeittome。
  VALERE
  What!
  Seriously?
  MARIANE
  Yes,hewasserious,Andopenlyinstedonthematch。
  VALERE
  Andwhat’syourresolutioninthematter,Madam?
  MARIANE
  Idon’tknow。
  VALERE
  That’saprettyanswer。
  Youdon’tknow?
  MARIANE
  No。
  VALERE
  No?
  MARIANE
  Whatdoyouadve?
  VALERE
  I?Myadvice,marryhim,byallmeans。
  MARIANE
  That’syouradvice?
  VALERE
  Yes。
  MARIANE
  Doyoumeanit?
  VALERE
  Surely。
  Asplendidchoice,andworthyofyouracceptance。
  MARIANE
  Oh,verywell,sir!Ishalltakeyourcounsel。
  VALERE
  You’llfindnotroubletakingit,Iwarrant。
  MARIANE
  Nomorethanyoudidgivingit,besure。
  VALERE
  Igaveit,truly,toobligeyou,madam。
  MARIANE
  AndIshalltakeittoobligeyou,sir。
  Dorine(withdrawingtothebackofthestage)
  Let’sseewhatthaffairwillcometo。
  VALERE
  So,Thatyourlove?AnditwasalldeceitWhenyou
  MARIANE
  Ibegyou,saynomoreofthat。
  Youtoldme,squarely,sir,IshouldacceptThehusbandthatofferedme;andI
  WilltellyousquarelythatImeantodoso,Sinceyouhavegivenmethgoodadvice。
  VALERE
  Don’tshieldyourselfwithtalkofmyadvice。
  Youhadyourmindmadeup,that’sevident;
  Andnowyou’resnatchingatatriflingpretextTojustifythebreakingofyourword。
  MARIANE
  Exactlyso。
  VALERE
  Ofcourseit;yourheartHasneverknowntrueloveforme。
  MARIANE
  Alas!
  You’refreetothinkso,ifyouplease。
  VALERE
  Yes,yes,I’mfreetothinkso;andmyoutragedloveMayyetforestallyouinyourperfidy,Andofferelsewherebothmyheartandhand。
  MARIANE
  Nodoubtofit;theloveyourhighdesertsMaywin
  VALERE
  GoodLord,havedonewithmydeserts!
  IknowIhavebutfew,andyouhaveprovedit。
  ButImayfindmorekindnessinanother;
  Iknowofsomeone,who’llnotbeashamedTotakeyourleavings,andmakeupmyloss。
  MARIANE
  Thelossnotsogreat;you’lleasilyConsoleyourselfcompletelyforthchange。
  VALERE
  I’lltrymybest,thatyoumaywellbelieve。
  Whenwe’reforgottenbyawoman’sheart,Ourpridechallenged;we,too,mustforget;
  Orifwecannot,mustatleastpretendto。
  Nootherwaycanmansuchbasenessprove,Asbealoverscorned,andstillinlove。
  MARIANE
  Infaith,ahighandnoblesentiment。
  VALERE
  Yes;andit’sonethatallmenmustapprove。
  What!Wouldyouhavemekeepmylovealive,Andseeyouflyintoanother’sarmsBeforemyveryeyes;andneverofferTosomeoneelsetheheartthatyouhadscorned?
  MARIANE
  Oh,no,indeed!Formypart,IcouldwhThatitweredonealready。
  VALERE
  What!Youwhit?
  MARIANE
  Yes。
  VALERE
  Thinsultheapedoninjury;
  I’llgoatonceanddoasyoudesire。
  (Hetakesasteportwoasiftogoaway。)
  MARIANE
  Oh,verywellthen。
  VALERE(turningback)
  Butrememberth。
  ’Twasyouthatdrovemetothdesperatepass。
  MARIANE
  Ofcourse。
  VALERE(turningbackagain)
  AndintheplanthatIhaveformedIonlyfollowyourexample。
  MARIANE
  Yes。
  VALERE(atthedoor)
  Enough;youshallbepunctuallyobeyed。
  MARIANE
  Somuchthebetter。
  VALERE(comingbackagain)
  Thonceforall。
  MARIANE
  Sobeit,then。
  VALERE(Hegoestowardthedoor,butjustashereachesit,turnsaround)
  Eh?
  MARIANE
  What?
  VALERE
  Youdidn’tcallme?
  MARIANE
  I?Youaredreaming。
  VALERE
  Verywell,I’mgone。Madam,farewell。
  (Hewalksslowlyaway。)
  MARIANE
  Farewell,sir。
  DORINE
  ImustsayYou’velostyoursensesandbothgonecleandaft!
  I’veletyoufightitouttotheendo’thechapterToseehowfarthethingcouldgo。Oho,there,MterValere!
  (Shegoesandseizeshimbythearm,tostophim。Hemakesagreatshowofrestance。)
  VALERE
  Whatdoyouwant,Dorine?
  DORINE
  Comehere。
  VALERE
  No,no,I’mquitebesidemyself。
  Don’thindermefromdoingasshewhes。
  DORINE
  Stop!
  VALERE
  No。Yousee,I’mfixed,resolved,determined。
  DORINE
  So!
  MARIANE(aside)
  Sincemypresencepainshim,makeshimgo,I’dbettergomyself,andleavehimfree。
  DORINE(leavingValere,andrunningafterMariane)
  Nowt’other!Whereareyougoing?
  MARIANE
  Letmebe。
  DORINE。
  Comeback。
  MARIANE
  No,no,itn’tanyuse。
  VALERE(aside)
  ’Tclearthesightofmetorturetoher;
  Nodoubt,t’werebetterIshouldfreeherfromit。
  DORINE(leavingMarianeandrunningafterValere)
  Samethingagain!Deucetakeyouboth,Isay。
  Nowstopyourfooling;comehere,you;andyou。
  (Shepullsfirstone,thentheother,towardthemiddleofthestage。)
  VALERE(toDorine)
  What’syouridea?
  MARIANE(toDorine)
  Whatcanyoumeantodo?
  DORINE
  Setyoutorights,andpullyououto’thescrape。
  (ToValere)
  Areyouquitemad,toquarrelwithhernow?
  VALERE
  Didn’tyouhearthethingsshesaidtome?
  DORINE(toMariane)
  Areyouquitemad,togetinsuchapassion?
  MARIANE
  Didn’tyouseethewayhetreatedme?
  DORINE
  Fools,bothofyou。
  (ToValere)
  ShethinksofnothingelseButtokeepfaithwithyou,Ivouchforit。
  (ToMariane)
  Andhelovesnonebutyou,andlongsfornothingButjusttomarryyou,Istakemylifeon’t。
  MARIANE(toValere)
  Whydidyougivemesuchadvicethen,pray?
  VALERE(toMariane)
  Whyaskformyadviceonsuchamatter?
  DORINE
  Youbotharedaft,Itellyou。Here,yourhands。
  (ToValere)
  Come,yours。
  VALERE(givingDorinehhand)
  Whatfor?
  DORINE(toMariane)
  Now,yours。
  MARIANE(givingDorineherhand)
  Butwhat’stheuse?
  DORINE
  Oh,quicknow,comealong。There,bothofyou——
  Youloveeachotherbetterthanyouthink。
  (ValereandMarianeholdeachother’shandssometimewithoutlookingateachother。)
  VALERE(atlastturningtowardMariane)
  Come,don’tbesoungraciousnowaboutit;
  Lookatamanasifyoudidn’thatehim。
  (MarianelookssidewaystowardValere,withjustabitofasmile。)
  DORINE
  Myfaithandtroth,whatfoolstheseloversbe!
  VALERE(toMariane)
  Butcomenow,haveInotajustcomplaint?
  Andtruly,areyounotawickedcreatureTotakedelightinsayingwhatwouldpainme?
  MARIANE
  Andareyounotyourselfthemostungrateful?
  DORINE
  Leavethdcussiontillanothertime;
  Now,thinkhowyou’llstaveoffthplaguymarriage。
  MARIANE
  Thentellushowtogoaboutit。
  DORINE
  Well,We’lltryallsortsofways。
  (ToMariane)
  Yourfather’sdaft;
  (ToValere)
  Thplannonsense。
  (ToMariane)
  YouhadbetterhumourHnotionsbyasemblanceofconsent,Sothatincaseofdanger,youcanstillFindmeanstoblockthemarriagebydelay。
  Ifyougaintime,theresteasy,trustme。
  Onedayyou’llfoolthemwithasuddenillness,Causingdelay;anotherday,illomens:
  You’vemetafuneral,orbrokeamirror,Ordreamedofmuddywater。Bestofall,TheycannotmarryyoutoanyoneWithoutyoursayingyes。Butnow,methinks,Theymustn’tfindyouchatteringtogether。
  (ToValere)
  You,goatonceandsetyourfriendsatworkTomakehimkeephwordtoyou;whileweWillbringthebrother’sinfluencetobear,Andgetthestep—motheronourside,too。
  Good—bye。
  VALERE(toMariane)
  Whatevereffortswemaymake,Mygreatesthope,besure,mustrestonyou。
  MARIANE(toValere)
  Icannotanswerformyfather’swhims;
  ButnoonesaveValereshalleverhaveme。
  VALERE
  Youthrillmethroughwithjoy!Whatevercomes
  DORINE
  Oho!Theselovers!Neverdonewithprattling!
  Nowgo。
  VALERE(startingtogo,andcomingbackagain)
  Onelastword
  DORINE
  Whatagabbleandpother!
  Beoff!Bythdoor,you。Andyou,byt’other。
  (Shepushesthemoff,bytheshoulders,inoppositedirections。)
  ACTIII
  SCENEI
  DAM,DORINE
  DAM
  Maylightningstrikemedeadthveryinstant,MayIbeeverywhereproclaimedascoundrel,Ifanyreverenceorpowershallstopme,AndifIdon’tdostraightwaysomethingdesperate!
  DORINE
  Ibegyou,moderatethtoweringpassion;
  Yourfatherdidbutmerelymentionit。
  Notallthingsthataretalkedofturntofacts;
  Theroadlong,sometimes,fromplanstoacts。
  DAM
  No,Imustendthpaltryfellow’splots,Andheshallhearfrommeatruthortwo。
  DORINE
  Soho!Goslownow。Justyouleavethefellow——
  Yourfathertoo——inyourstep—mother’shands。
  ShehassomeinfluencewiththTartuffe,Hemakesapointofheedingallshesays,AndIsuspectthathefondofher。
  WouldGod’tweretrue!——’TwouldbetheheightofhumourNow,shehassentforhim,inyourbehalf,Tosoundhimonthmarriage,tofindoutWhathideasare,andtoshowhimplainlyWhattroubleshemaycause,ifheperstsIngivingcountenancetothdesign。
  Hmansays,he’satprayers,Imustn’tseehim,Butlikewesays,he’llpresentlybedown。
  Sooffwithyou,andletmewaitforhim。
  DAM
  Imaybepresentatthinterview。
  DORINE
  No,no!Theymustbeleftalone。
  DAM
  Iwon’tSomuchasspeaktohim。
  DORINE
  Goon!WeknowyouAndyourhightantrums。Justthewaytospoilthings!
  Beoff。
  DAM
  No,Imustsee——I’llkeepmytemper。
  DORINE
  Outonyou,whataplague!He’scoming。Hide!
  (Damgoesandhidesintheclosetatthebackofthestage。)
  SCENEII
  TARTUFFE,DORINE
  TARTUFFE(speakingtohvalet,offthestage,assoonasheseesDorinethere)
  Lawrence,putupmyhair—clothshirtandscourge,AndpraythatHeavenmaysheditslightuponyou。
  Ifanycometoseeme,sayI’mgoneTosharemyalmsamongtheproners。
  DORINE(aside)
  Whataffectationandwhatshowingoff!
  TARTUFFE
  Whatdoyouwantwithme?
  DORINE
  Totellyou
  TARTUFFE(takingahandkerchieffromhpocket)
  Ah!
  Beforeyouspeak,praytakethhandkerchief。
  DORINE
  What?
  TARTUFFE
  Coverupthatbosom,whichIcan’tEnduretolookon。ThingslikethatoffendOursouls,andfillourmindswithsinfulthoughts。
  DORINE
  Areyousotendertotemptation,then,Andhasthefleshsuchpoweruponyoursenses?
  Idon’tknowhowyougetinsuchaheat;
  Formypart,Iamnotsopronetolust,AndIcouldseeyoustrippedfromheadtofoot,Andallyourhidenottemptmeintheleast。
  TARTUFFE
  Showinyourspeechsomelittlemodesty,OrImustinstantlytakeleaveofyou。
  DORINE
  No,no,I’llleaveyoutoyourself;I’veonlyOnethingtosay:Madamwillsoonbedown,Andbegsthefavourofawordwithyou。
  TARTUFFE
  Ah!Willingly。
  DORINE(aside)
  Howgentleallatonce!
  Myfaith,IstillbelieveI’vehituponit。
  TARTUFFE
  Willshecomesoon?
  DORINE
  IthinkIhearhernow。
  Yes,heresheherself;I’llleaveyouwithher。
  SCENEIII
  ELMIRE,TARTUFFE
  TARTUFFE
  MayHeaven’soverflowingkindnesseverGiveyougoodhealthofbodyandofsoul,AndblessyourdaysaccordingtothewhesAndprayersofitsmosthumblevotary!
  ELMIRE
  I’mverygratefulforyourpiouswhes。
  Butlet’ssitdown,sowemaytalkatease。
  TARTUFFE(aftersittingdown)
  Andhowareyourecoveredfromyourillness?
  ELMIRE(sittingdownalso)
  Quitewell;thefeversoonletgoitshold。
  TARTUFFE
  Myprayers,Ifear,havenotsufficientmeritTohavedrawndownthfavourfromonhigh;
  ButeachentreatythatImadetoHeavenHadforitsobjectyourrecovery。
  ELMIRE
  You’retoosolicitousonmybehalf。
  TARTUFFE
  Wecouldnotcherhyourdearhealthtoomuch;
  Iwouldhavegivenmine,tohelprestoreit。
  ELMIRE
  That’spushingChrtiancharitytoofar;
  Ioweyoumanythanksforsomuchkindness。
  TARTUFFE
  Idofarlessforyouthanyoudeserve。
  ELMIRE
  ThereamatterthatIwhedtospeakofInprivate;Iamgladthere’snoonehereTolten。
  TARTUFFE
  Madam,Iamoverjoyed。
  ’Tsweettofindmyselfalonewithyou。
  ThanopportunityI’veaskedOfHeaven,manyatime;tillnow,invain。
  ELMIRE
  AllthatIwh,justawordfromyou,Quitefrankandopen,hidingnothingfromme。
  (DAM,withouttheirseeinghim,openstheclosetdoorhalfway。)
  TARTUFFE
  Itoocouldwh,asHeaven’sespecialfavour,Tolaymysoulquiteopentoyoureyes,Andsweartoyou,thetroublethatImadeAboutthosevitswhichyourcharmsattract,Doesnotresultfromanyhatredtowardyou,Butratherfromapassionatedevotion,Andpurestmotives
  ELMIRE
  ThathowItakeit,Ithink’tmysalvationthatconcernsyou。
  TARTUFFE(pressingherfingertips)
  Madam,’tso;andsuchmydevotion
  ELMIRE
  Ouch!butyousqueezetoohard。
  TARTUFFE
  Excessofzeal。
  InnowaycouldIevermeantohurtyou,AndI’dassoon
  (Heputshhandonherknee。)
  ELMIRE
  What’syourhanddoingthere?
  TARTUFFE
  Feelingyourgown;thestuffverysoft。
  ELMIRE
  Letbe,Ibegyou;Iamveryticklh。
  (Shemovesherchairaway,andTartuffebringshnearer。)
  TARTUFFE(handlingthelaceyokeofElmire’sdress)
  DearmehowwonderfulinworkmanshipThlace!Theydomarvels,nowadays;
  Thingsofallkindswereneverbettermade。
  ELMIRE
  Yes,verytrue。Butletuscometobusiness。
  Theysaymyhusbandmeanstobreakhword。
  AndmarryMarianetoyou。’tso?
  TARTUFFE
  Hedidhintsomesuchthing;buttruly,madam,That’snotthehappinessI’myearningafter;
  IseeelsewherethesweetcompellingcharmsOfsuchajoyasfillsmyeverywh。
  ELMIRE
  Youmeanyoucannotloveterrestrialthings。
  TARTUFFE
  Theheartwithinmybosomnotstone。
  ELMIRE
  IwellbelieveyoursighsalltendtoHeaven,Andnothingherebelowcanstayyourthoughts。
  TARTUFFE
  LoveforthebeautyofeternalthingsCannotdestroyourloveforearthlybeauty;
  OurmortalsenseswellmaybeentrancedByperfectworksthatHeavenhasfashionedhere。
  Itscharmsreflectedshineinsuchasyou,Andinyourself,itsrarestmiracles;
  Ithasdplayedsuchmarvelsinyourface,Thateyesaredazed,andheartsareraptaway;
  Icouldnotlookonyou,theperfectcreature,WithoutadmiringNature’sgreatCreator,AndfeelingallmyheartinflamedwithloveForyou,HfairestimageofHimself。
  AtfirstItrembledlestthsecretloveMightbetheEvilSpirit’sartfulsnare;
  Ievenschooledmyhearttofleeyourbeauty,Thinkingitwasabartomysalvation。
  Butsoon,enlightened,Oalllovelyone,Isawhowthmypassionmaybeblameless,HowImaymakeitfitwithmodesty,Andthuscompletelyyieldmyhearttoit。
  ’TImustown,agreatpresumptioninmeTodaremakeyoutheofferofmyheart;
  Mylovehopesallthingsfromyourperfectgoodness,Andnothingfrommyownpoorweakendeavour。
  Youaremyhope,mystay,mypeaceofheart;
  Onyoudependsmytormentormybls;
  Andbyyourdoomofjudgment,IshallbeBlest,ifyouwill;ordamned,byyourdecree。
  ELMIRE
  Yourdeclaration’sturnedmostgallantly;
  Buttruly,itjustabitsurpring。
  Youshouldhavebetterarmedyourheart,methinks,Andtakenthoughtsomewhatonsuchamatter。
  Apiousmanlikeyou,knowneverywhere
  TARTUFFE
  Thoughpious,Iamnonethelessaman;
  Andwhenamanbeholdsyourheavenlycharms,Theheartsurrenders,andcanthinknomore。
  Iknowsuchwordsseemstrange,comingfromme;
  But,madam,I’mnoangel,afterall;
  IfyoucondemnmyfranklymadeavowalYouonlyhaveyourcharmingselftoblame。
  SoonasIsawyourmorethanhumanbeauty,Youwerethenceforththesovereignofmysoul;
  Sweetnessineffablewasinyoureyes,Thattookbystormmystillrestingheart,Andconqueredeverything,fasts,prayers,andtears,Andturnedmyworshipwhollytoyourself。
  Mylooks,mysighs,havespokeathousandtimes;
  Now,toexpressitall,myvoicemustspeak。
  IfbutyouwilllookdownwithgraciousfavourUponthesorrowsofyourworthlessslave,IfinyourgoodnessyouwillgivemecomfortAndcondescenduntomynothingness,I’lleverpayyou,Osweetmiracle,Anunexampledworshipanddevotion。
  Thentoo,withmeyourhonourrunsnork;
  Withmeyouneednotfearapublicscandal。
  Thesecourtgallants,thatwomenaresofondof,Areboastfuloftheiracts,andvaininspeech;
  Theyalwaysbraginpublicoftheirprogress;
  Soonasafavour’sgranted,they’lldivulgeit;
  Theirtattlingtongues,ifyoubuttrusttothem,Willfoulthealtarwheretheirheartshaveworshipped。
  Butmenlikemearesodcreetinlove,Thatyoumaytrusttheirlastingsecrecy。
  ThecarewetaketoguardourowngoodnameMayfullyguaranteetheonewelove;
  Soyoumayfind,withheartslikeourssincere,Lovewithoutscandal,pleasurewithoutfear。
  ELMIRE
  I’veheardyouthrough——yourspeechclear,atleast。
  Butdon’tyoufearthatImaytakeafancyTotellmyhusbandofyourgallantpassion,AndthatapromptreportofthaffairMaysomewhatchangethefriendshipwhichhebearsyou?
  TARTUFFE
  Iknowthatyou’retoogoodandgenerous,Thatyouwillpardonmytemerity,Excuse,uponthescoreofhumanfrailty,Theviolenceofpassionthatoffendsyou,Andnotforget,whenyouconsultyourmirror,ThatI’mnotblind,andmanmadeofflesh。
  ELMIRE
  Somewomenmightdootherwe,perhaps,ButIamwillingtoemploydcretion,Andnotrepeatthemattertomyhusband;
  Butinreturn,I’llaskonethingofyou:
  Thatyouurgeforward,franklyandsincerely,ThemarriageofValeretoMariane;
  ThatyougiveuptheunjustinfluenceBywhichyouhopetowinanother’srights;
  And
  SCENEIV
  ELMIRE,DAM,TARTUFFE
  DAM(comingoutofthecloset—roomwherehehadbeenhiding)
  No,Isay!Ththingmustbemadepublic。
  Iwasjustthere,andoverhearditall;
  AndHeaven’sgoodnessmusthavebroughtmethereOnpurposetoconfoundthscoundrel’sprideAndgrantmemeanstotakeasignalvengeanceOnhhypocryandarrogance,Andundeceivemyfather,showingupTherascalcaughtatmakinglovetoyou。
  ELMIRE
  No,no;itenoughifhereforms,Endeavouringtodeservethefavourshownhim。
  AndsinceI’vepromed,donotyoubelieme。
  ’Tnotmywaytomakeapublicscandal;
  Anhonestwifewillscorntoheedsuchfollies,Andneverfretherhusband’searswiththem。
  DAM
  You’vereasonsofyourownforactingthus;
  AndIhaveminefordoingotherwe。