Dr. Faustus

《浮士德博士的悲劇》取材于德國傳奇。浮士德

是一位偉大的學者，渴求各領域的知識。他對中世紀

一成不變的學科深感厭惡，開始轉向一種黑色魔法。

通過咒語他結識了魔鬼的仆從。浮士德與魔鬼簽訂了

協議，他將自己的靈魂賣給魔鬼，作為回報魔鬼則要

在此后的24 年中滿足浮士德所有求知的愿望。在魔

鬼的幫助下，他盡情施展魔法，見到了教皇、亞歷山

大大帝以及絕代佳人希臘王后海倫。與此同時，浮士

德經歷了內心的矛盾與斗爭。以下選段出自該劇的第

一幕，是有關與魔鬼簽協議的情節。

[ 英] 克里斯托夫·馬洛（Christopher Marlowe）

浮士德博士的悲劇

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