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don juan-第2部分

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That which adorn'd the brain of Donna Inez。

Her favourite science was the mathematical;
Her noblest virtue was her magnanimity;
Her wit (she sometimes tried at wit) was Attic all;
Her serious sayings darken'd to sublimity;
In short; in all things she was fairly what I call
A prodigy… her morning dress was dimity;
Her evening silk; or; in the summer; muslin;
And other stuffs; with which I won't stay puzzling。

She knew the Latin… that is; 'the Lord's prayer;'
And Greek… the alphabet… I 'm nearly sure;
She read some French romances here and there;
Although her mode of speaking was not pure;
For native Spanish she had no great care;
At least her conversation was obscure;
Her thoughts were theorems; her words a problem;
As if she deem'd that mystery would ennoble 'em。

She liked the English and the Hebrew tongue;
And said there was analogy between 'em;
She proved it somehow out of sacred song;
But I must leave the proofs to those who 've seen 'em;
But this I heard her say; and can't be wrong
And all may think which way their judgments lean 'em;
''T is strange… the Hebrew noun which means 〃I am;〃

Some women use their tongues… she look'd a lecture;
Each eye a sermon; and her brow a homily;
An all…in…all sufficient self…director;
Like the lamented late Sir Samuel Romilly;
The Law's expounder; and the State's corrector;
Whose suicide was almost an anomaly…
One sad example more; that 'All is vanity'
(The jury brought their verdict in 'Insanity')。

In short; she was a walking calculation;
Miss Edgeworth's novels stepping from their covers;
Or Mrs。 Trimmer's books on education;
Or 'Coelebs' Wife' set out in quest of lovers;
Morality's prim personification;
In which not Envy's self a flaw discovers;
To others' share let 'female errors fall;'
For she had not even one… the worst of all。

Oh! she was perfect past all parallel…
Of any modern female saint's parison;
So far above the cunning powers of hell;
Her guardian angel had given up his garrison;
Even her minutest motions went as well
As those of the best time…piece made by Harrison:
In virtues nothing earthly could surpass her;
Save thine 'inparable oil;' Macassar!

Perfect she was; but as perfection is
Insipid in this naughty world of ours;
Where our first parents never learn'd to kiss
Till they were exiled from their earlier bowers;
Where all was peace; and innocence; and bliss
(I wonder how they got through the twelve hours);
Don Jose; like a lineal son of Eve;
Went plucking various fruit without her leave。

He was a mortal of the careless kind;
With no great love for learning; or the learn'd;
Who chose to go where'er he had a mind;
And never dream'd his lady was concern'd;
The world; as usual; wickedly inclined
To see a kingdom or a house o'erturn'd;
Whisper'd he had a mistress; some said two…
But for domestic quarrels one will do。

Now Donna Inez had; with all her merit;
A great opinion of her own good qualities;
Neglect; indeed; requires a saint to bear it;
And such; indeed; she was in her moralities;
But then she had a devil of a spirit;
And sometimes mix'd up fancies with realities;
And let few opportunities escape
Of getting her liege lord into a scrape。

This was an easy matter with a man
Oft in the wrong; and never on his guard;
And even the wisest; do the best they can;
Have moments; hours; and days; so unprepared;
That you might 'brain them with their lady's fan;'
And sometimes ladies hit exceeding hard;
And fans turn into falchions in fair hands;
And why and wherefore no one understands。

'T is pity learned virgins ever wed
With persons of no sort of education;
Or gentlemen; who; though well born and bred;
Grow tired of scientific conversation:
I don't choose to say much upon this head;
I 'm a plain man; and in a single station;
But… Oh! ye lords of ladies intellectual;
Inform us truly; have they not hen…peck'd you all?

Don Jose and his lady quarrell'd… why;
Not any of the many could divine;
Though several thousand people chose to try;
'T was surely no concern of theirs nor mine;
I loathe that low vice… curiosity;
But if there 's anything in which I shine;
'T is in arranging all my friends' affairs;
Not having of my own domestic cares。

And so I interfered; and with the best
Intentions; but their treatment was not kind;
I think the foolish people were possess'd;
For neither of them could I ever find;
Although their porter afterwards confess'd…
But that 's no matter; and the worst 's behind;
For little Juan o'er me threw; down stairs;
A pail of housemaid's water unawares。

A little curly…headed; good…for…nothing;
And mischief…making monkey from his birth;
His parents ne'er agreed except in doting
Upon the most unquiet imp on earth;
Instead of quarrelling; had they been but both in
Their senses; they 'd have sent young master forth
To school; or had him soundly whipp'd at home;
To teach him manners for the time to e。

Don Jose and the Donna Inez led
For some time an unhappy sort of life;
Wishing each other; not divorced; but dead;
They lived respectably as man and wife;
Their conduct was exceedingly well…bred;
And gave no outward signs of inward strife;
Until at length the smother'd fire broke out;
And put the business past all kind of doubt。

For Inez call'd some druggists and physicians;
And tried to prove her loving lord was mad;
But as he had some lucid intermissions;
She next decided he was only bad;
Yet when they ask'd her for her depositions;
No sort of explanation could be had;
Save that her duty both to man and God
Required this conduct… which seem'd very odd。

She kept a journal; where his faults were noted;
And open'd certain trunks of books and letters;
All which might; if occasion served; be quoted;
And then she had all Seville for abettors;
Besides her good old grandmother (who doted);
The hearers of her case became repeaters;
Then advocates; inquisitors; and judges;
Some for amusement; others for old grudges。

And then this best and weakest woman bore
With such serenity her husband's woes;
Just as the Spartan ladies did of yore;
Who saw their spouses kill'd; and nobly chose
Never to say a word about them more…
Calmly she heard each calumny that rose;
And saw his agonies with such sublimity;
That all the world exclaim'd; 'What magnanimity!'

No doubt this patience; when the world is damning us;
Is philosophic in our former friends;
'T is also pleasant to be deem'd magnanimous;
The more so in obtaining our own ends;
And what the lawyers call a 'malus animus'
Conduct like this by no means prehends;
Revenge in person 's certainly no virtue;
But then 't is not my fault; if others hurt you。

And if your quarrels should rip up old stories;
And help them with a lie or two additional;
I 'm not to blame; as you well know… no more is
Any one else… they were bee traditional;
Besides; their resurrection aids our glories
By contrast; which is what we just were wishing all:
And science profits by this resurrection…
Dead scandals form good subjects for dissection。

Their friends had tried at reconciliation;
Then their relations; who made matters worse。
('T were hard to tell upon a like occasion
To whom it may be best to have recourse…
I can't say much for friend or yet relation):
The lawyers did their utmost for divorce;
But scarce a fee was paid on either side
Before; unluckily; Don Jose died。

He died: and most unluckily; because;
According to all hints I could collect
From counsel learned in those kinds of laws
(Although their talk 's obscure and circumspect);
His death contrived to spoil a charming cause;
A thousand pities also with respect
To public feeling; which on this occasion
Was manifested in a great sensation。

But; ah! he died; and buried with him lay
The public feeling and the lawyers' fees:
His house was sold; his servants sent away;
A Jew took one of his two mistresses;
A priest the other… at least so they say:
I ask'd the doctors after his disease…
He died of the slow fever call'd the tertian;
And left his widow to her own aversion。

Yet Jose was an honourable man;
That I must say who knew him very well;
Therefore his frailties I 'll no further scan
Indeed there were not many more to tell;
And if his passions now and then outran
Discretion; and were not so peaceable
As Numa's (who was also named Pompilius);
He had been ill brought up; and was born bilious。

Whate'er might be his worthlessness or worth;
Poor fellow! he had many things to wound him。
Let 's own… since it can do no good on earth…
It was a trying moment that which found him
Standing alone beside his desolate hearth;
Where all his household gods lay shiver'd round him:
No choice was left his feelings or his pride;
Save death or Doctors' mons… so he died。

Dying intestate; Juan was sole heir
To a chancery suit; and messuages; and lands;
Which; with a long minority and care;
Promised to turn out well in proper hands:
Inez became sole guardian; which was fair;
And answer'd but to nature's just demands;
An only son left with an only mother
Is brought up much more wisely than another。

Sagest of women; even of widows; she
Resolved that Juan should be quite a paragon;
And worthy of the noblest pedigree
(His sire was of Castile; his dam from Aragon):
Then for acplishments of chivalry;
In case our lord the king should go to war again;
He learn'd the arts of riding; fencing; gunnery;
And how to scale a fortress… or a nunnery。

But that which Donna Inez most desired;
And saw into herself each day before all
The learned tutors whom for him she hired;
Was; that his breeding should be strictly moral;
Much into all his studies she inquired;
And so they were submitted first to her; all;
Arts; sciences; no branch was made a mystery
To Juan's eyes; excepting natural history。

The languages; especially the dead;
The sciences; and most of all the abstruse;
The arts; at least all such as could be said
To be the most remote from mon use;
In all these he was much and deeply read;
But not a page of any thing that 's loose;
Or hints continuation of the species;
Was ever suffer'd; lest he should grow vicious。

His classic studies made a little puzzle;
Because of filthy loves of 
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