英語經(jīng)典美文：從培根到伍爾芙

1、英語經(jīng)典美文：從培根到伍爾芙.Of Love - by Francis BaconThe stage is more beholding to love, than the life of man. For as to the stage, love is ever matter of comedies, and now and then of tragedies; but in life it doth much mischief; sometimes like a siren, sometimes like a fury. 舞臺(tái)上的愛情生活比生活中的愛情要美好得多。因?yàn)樵谖枧_(tái)上，愛情只是喜

2、劇和悲劇的素材，而在人生中，愛情卻常常招來不幸。它有時(shí)像那位誘惑人的魔女(1)，有時(shí)又像那位復(fù)仇的女神(2)。 You may observe, that amongst all the great and worthy persons (whereof the memory remaineth, either ancient or recent) there is not one, that hath been transported to the mad degree of love: which shows that great spirits, and great business,

3、do keep out this weak passion. You must except, nevertheless, Marcus Antonius, the half partner of the empire of Rome, and Appius Claudius, the decemvir and lawgiver; whereof the former was indeed a voluptuous man, and inordinate; but the latter was an austere and wise man: and therefore it seems (t

4、hough rarely) that love can find entrance, not only into an open heart, but also into a heart well fortified, if watch be not well kept. 你可以看到，一切真正偉大的人物（無論是古人、今人，只要是其英名永銘于人類記憶中的），沒有一個(gè)是因愛情而發(fā)狂的人。因?yàn)閭ゴ蟮氖聵I(yè)只有羅馬的安東尼和克勞底亞是例外(3)。前者本性就好色荒淫，然而后者卻是嚴(yán)肅多謀的人。這說明愛情不僅會(huì)占領(lǐng)開曠坦闊的胸懷，有時(shí)也能闖入壁壘森嚴(yán)的心靈-假如手御不嚴(yán)的話。 It is a poor sa

5、ying of Epicurus, Satis magnum alter alteri theatrum sumus; as if man, made for the contemplation of heaven, and all noble objects, should do nothing but kneel before a little idol, and make himself a subject, though not of the mouth (as beasts are), yet of the eye; which was given him for higher pu

6、rposes. 埃辟克拉斯(4)曾說過一句笨話：“人生不過是一座大戲臺(tái)?！彼坪醣緫?yīng)努力追求高尚事業(yè)的人類，卻只應(yīng)象玩偶般地逢場(chǎng)作戲。雖然愛情的奴隸并不同于那班只顧吃喝的禽獸，但畢竟也只是眼目色相的奴隸，而上帝賜人以眼睛本來是有更高尚的用途的。 It is a strange thing, to note the excess of this passion, and how it braves the nature, and value of things, by this; that the speaking in a perpetual hyperbole, is comely in no

7、thing but in love. Neither is it merely in the phrase; for whereas it hath been well said, that the arch-flatterer, with whom all the petty flatterers have intelligence, is a man's self; certainly the lover is more. For there was never proud man thought so absurdly well of himself, as the lover

8、doth of the person loved; and therefore it was well said, That it is impossible to love, and to be wise. Neither doth this weakness appear to others only, and not to the party loved; but to the loved most of all, except the love be reciproque. For it is a true rule, that love is ever rewarded, eithe

9、r with the reciproque, or with an inward and secret contempt. 過度的愛情追求，必然會(huì)降低人本身的價(jià)值。例如，只有在愛情中，才總是需要那種浮夸諂媚的詞令。而在其他場(chǎng)合，同樣的詞令只能招人恥笑。古人有一句名言：“最大的奉承，人總是留給自己的?！?只有對(duì)情人的奉承要算例外。因?yàn)樯踔磷铗湴恋娜耍哺试冈谇槿嗣媲白暂p自賤。所以古人說得好：“就是神在愛情中也難保持聰明?！鼻槿说倪@種弱點(diǎn)不僅在外人眼中是明顯的，就是在被追求者的眼中也會(huì)很明顯-除非她（他）也在追求他（她）。所以，愛情的代價(jià)就是如此，不能得到回愛，就會(huì)得到一種深藏于心的輕蔑，這是一條

10、永真的定律。 By how much the more, men ought to beware of this passion, which loseth not only other things, but itself! As for the other losses, the poet's relation doth well figure them: that he that preferred Helena, quitted the gifts of Juno and Pallas. For whosoever esteemeth too much of amorous a

11、ffection, quitteth both riches and wisdom. 由此可見，人們應(yīng)當(dāng)十分警惕這種感情。因?yàn)樗坏珪?huì)使人喪失其他，而且可以使人喪失自己本身。甚至其他方面的損失，古詩人早告訴我們，那追求海倫的人，是放棄了財(cái)富和智慧的(5)。 This passion hath his floods, in very times of weakness; which are great prosperity, and great adversity; though this latter hath been less observed: both which times kind

12、le love, and make it more fervent, and therefore show it to be the child of folly. They do best, who if they cannot but admit love, yet make it keep quarters; and sever it wholly from their serious affairs, and actions, of life; for if it check once with business, it troubleth men's fortunes, an

13、d maketh men, that they can no ways be true to their own ends. 由此可見，人們應(yīng)當(dāng)十分警惕這種感情。因?yàn)樗坏珪?huì)使人喪失其他，而且可以使人喪失自己本身。甚至其他方面的損失，古詩人早告訴我們，那追求海倫的人，是放棄了財(cái)富和智慧的(5)。 I know not how, but martial men are given to love: I think, it is but as they are given to wine; for perils commonly ask to be paid in pleasures. 我不懂是什

14、么緣故，使許多軍人更容易墮入情網(wǎng)，也許這正象他們嗜愛飲酒一樣，是因?yàn)槲ｋU(xiǎn)的生活更需要?dú)g樂的補(bǔ)償。 There is in man's nature, a secret inclination and motion, towards love of others, which if it be not spent upon some one or a few, doth naturally spread itself towards many, and maketh men become humane and charitable; as it is seen sometime in f

15、riars. 人心中可能普遍具有一種博愛傾向，若不集中于某個(gè)專一的對(duì)象身上，就必然施之于更廣泛的大眾，使他成為仁善的人，象有的僧侶那樣。 Nuptial love maketh mankind; friendly love perfecteth it; but wanton love corrupteth, and embaseth it. 夫妻的愛，使人類繁衍。朋友的愛，給人以幫助。但那荒淫縱欲的愛，卻只會(huì)使人墮落毀滅??！ 附注： (1) 古希臘神話，傳說地中海有魔女，歌喉動(dòng)聽，誘使過往船只陷入險(xiǎn)境。(2) 原文為“Flries”，傳說中的地獄之神。(3) 安東尼，愷撒部將。后因迷戀女色而戰(zhàn)

16、敗被殺?？藙诘讈啠帕_馬執(zhí)政官，亦因好色而被殺。(4) 埃辟克拉斯（前342-前270年），古羅馬哲學(xué)家。(5) 古希臘神話，傳說天后赫拉，智慧之神密納發(fā)和美神維納斯，為爭(zhēng)奪金蘋果，請(qǐng)?zhí)芈逡镣踝釉u(píng)判。三神各許一愿， 密納發(fā)許以智慧，維納斯許以美女海倫，天后許以財(cái)富。結(jié)果王子把金蘋果給了維納斯。 .Thoughts in Westminster Abbey by Joseph AddisonWhen I am in a serious humour, I very often walk by myself in Westminster Abbey, where the gloominess of

17、 the place, and the use to which it is applied, with the solemnity of the building, and the condition of the people who lie in it, are apt to fill the mind with a kind of melancholy, or rather thoughtfulness, that is not disagreeable. I yesterday passed a whole afternoon in the churchyard, the clois

18、ters, and the church, amusing myself with the tombstones and inscriptions that I met with in those several regions of the dead. Most of them recorded nothing else of the buried person, but that he was born upon one day, and died upon another: the whole history of his life being comprehended in those

19、 two circumstances, that are common to all mankind. I could not but look upon these registers of existence, whether of brass or marble, as a kind of satire upon the departed persons; who had left no other memorial of them, but that they were born and that they died. They put me in mind ofseveral per

20、sons mentioned in the battles of heroic poems, who have sounding names given them, for no other reason but that they may be killed, and are celebrated for nothing but being knocked on the head. The life of these men is finely described in Holy Writ by "the path of an arrow," which is immed

21、iately closed up and lost. 心情不佳的時(shí)候，我是非常經(jīng)常地獨(dú)自走在西敏寺里，因?yàn)槟抢锏牡胤街幇?，以及?duì)陰暗的應(yīng)用，加上建筑之莊嚴(yán)，以及長(zhǎng)眠于此的人們的狀況，都易于讓頭腦充滿一種憂郁，更確切地說是充滿一種并非令人不快的沉思。昨天，我整個(gè)下午都是在教堂墓地、教堂的回廊以及禮拜堂里度過的，用我在死者的那幾個(gè)地區(qū)碰到的墓碑和碑文打發(fā)時(shí)光。大多數(shù)碑文只記錄了墳?zāi)怪械娜松诤稳?，死于何日：他的人生的整個(gè)歷史在那兩種情況中得到理解，而那兩種情況又為所有的人類所共有。我禁不住把對(duì)生存的這些注冊(cè)，看作是對(duì)逝者的嘲諷，不管那是用黃銅還是大理石注冊(cè)下來的，因?yàn)槌顺錾退廊ブ?，有關(guān)他們

22、這些注冊(cè)并沒有留下任何難忘的東西。他們讓我想起了在史詩的戰(zhàn)斗中提到的幾個(gè)人，他們擁有人民所給予他們的顯赫的名字，這又只是因?yàn)樗麄兛赡軙?huì)被殺死，而他們之所以受到歌頌，又只是因?yàn)樗麄兊念^遭到了打擊。這些人的生命，在圣經(jīng)中被“箭矢的道路”一語精彩地描述了出來，箭矢一飛過去，它在空氣中形成的道路也就立即合攏起來，消失了。     Upon my going into the church, I entertained myself with the digging of a grave; and saw in every shovelful of it

23、 that was thrown up, the fragment of a bone or skull intermixt with a kind of fresh mouldering earth, that some time or other had a place in the compositionof a human body. Upon this, I began to consider with myself what innumerable multitudes of people lay confused together under the pavement of th

24、at ancient cathedral; how men and women, friends and enemies, priests and soldiers, monks and prebendaries, were crumbled amongst one another, and blended together in the same common mass; how beauty, strength, and youth, with old age, weakness and deformity, lay undistinguished in the same promiscu

25、ous heap of matter. 一走進(jìn)教堂，我便饒有興味地觀看人們挖墳?zāi)?；我看到?每挖出一鐵锨，都有骨頭或者頭顱的碎片與一種新的腐土混雜在一起，而曾幾何時(shí)，這碎片曾在人體的構(gòu)成中占據(jù)著一個(gè)位置。此情此景令我自忖，在這座古老的大教堂的路面底下，不知混亂地埋葬著多少人啊！男人和女人、朋友和敵人、教士和士兵、修道士和受俸牧師，在彼此當(dāng)中被壓碎了，混合成了同一堆東西；而在同一堆混雜的物質(zhì)里面，美麗、力量和青春，與老年、體弱和殘疾并無區(qū)別。     After having thus surveyed this great magazine o

26、f mortality, as it were, in the lump; I examined it more particularly by the accounts which I found on several of the monuments which are raised in every quarter of that ancient fabric. Some of them were covered with such extravagant epitaphs, that, if it were possible for the dead person to be acqu

27、ainted with them, he would blush at the praises which his friends have bestowed upon him. There are others soexcessively modest, that they deliver the character of the person departed in Greek or Hebrew, and by that means are not understood once in a twelve month. In the poetical quarter, I found th

28、ere were poets who had no monuments, and monuments which had no poets. I observed indeed that the present warhad filled the church with many of these uninhabited monuments, which had been erected to the memory of persons whose bodies were perhaps buried in the plains of Blenheim, or in the bosom of

29、the ocean.   在這個(gè)古老建筑物的每一個(gè)地方都有墓碑豎立，可以說這是一本巨大的死亡雜志，我先是全都大略地看了一下，然后我又根據(jù)在幾座墓碑上所發(fā)現(xiàn)的描述，更加仔細(xì)地予以審視。有些墓碑上面覆蓋著這樣夸張的墓志銘，倘若死者有知，他就會(huì)因?yàn)榕笥褌兘o予他的溢美之詞而臉紅。還有一些墓志銘又過分地謙虛，因?yàn)樗鼈兪怯孟ＥD文或者希伯來文描述死者的性格，而這樣一來，也就一年之內(nèi)不會(huì)有一次被人們所讀懂。在詩人角，我發(fā)現(xiàn)有些詩人沒有墓碑，而有些墓碑的墓主又不是詩人。我確實(shí)注意到，當(dāng)前的這場(chǎng)戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)讓這座教堂充滿了許多這些無主的墓碑，這些墓碑被豎立起來，是為了紀(jì)念那些其尸體也許是被埋葬在布萊尼

30、姆平原，或者被埋葬在大海里面的人們。     I could not but be very much delighted with several modern epitaphs, which are written with great elegance of expression and justness of thought, and therefore do honour to the living as well as to the dead. As a foreigner is very apt to conceive an id

31、ea of the ignorance or politeness of a nation, from the turn of their public monuments and inscriptions, they should be submitted to the perusal of men of learning and genius, before they are put in execution. Sir Cloudesly Shovels monument has very often given me great offence: instead of the brave

32、 rough English Admiral, which was the distinguishing character of that plain gallant man, he is represented on his tomb by the figure of a beau, dressed in a long periwig, and reposing himself upon velvet cushions under a canopy of state. The inscription is answerable tothe monument; for instead of

33、celebrating the many remarkable actions he had performed in the service of his country, it acquaints us only with the manner of his death, in which it was impossible for him to reap any honour. The Dutch, whom we are apt to despise for want of genius, show an infinitely greater taste of antiquity an

34、d politeness in their buildings and works of this nature, than what we meet with in those of our own country. The monuments of their admirals, which have been erected at the public expense, represent them like themselves; and are adorned with rostral crowns and naval ornaments, with beautiful festoo

35、ns of seaweed, shells, and coral.  我不能不為幾篇現(xiàn)代墓志銘感到高興，它們表達(dá)非常高雅，思想非常公正，因而也就既對(duì)死者表示了敬意，也對(duì)生者表示了敬意。由于外國人往往會(huì)根據(jù)公開的墓碑和碑文的特色來形成對(duì)一個(gè)國家是無知還是文雅的一個(gè)概念，因而在墓碑和碑文做成之前，應(yīng)該提交給有學(xué)問和有天才的人來仔細(xì)推敲?？藙谄澙?#183;肖維爾爵士的墓碑經(jīng)常令我非常反感：在他的墓碑上，他不是被展現(xiàn)為那位勇敢彪悍的英國海軍上將，這是那位樸素而又勇武的人的特色，而是被展現(xiàn)為一個(gè)花花公子的形象，戴著長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的假發(fā)，在華麗的罩棚的下面，倚在天鵝絨的靠墊上歇息。碑文與墓碑相稱；因?yàn)楸?/p>

36、文不是贊頌他在祖國服務(wù)中所作出的許多引人注目的業(yè)績(jī)，而只是使我們了解他的死亡方式，而在他的死亡方式當(dāng)中他是不可能獲得任何榮譽(yù)的。我們一向瞧不起荷蘭人，認(rèn)為他們?nèi)鄙偬觳?，然而在這種性質(zhì)的建筑和作品中他們所表現(xiàn)出來的古色古香和文雅的趣味，比在我們自己的國家里的那些建筑和作品中所表現(xiàn)的，要多得多。他們的海軍上將的墓碑是用公眾的錢建起來的，栩栩如生地再現(xiàn)了他們的英姿：頭頂軍帽，身披戰(zhàn)袍，配掛著用水草、貝殼和珊瑚扎成的美麗垂飾。     But to return to our subject. I have left the repository of

37、 our English kings for the contemplation of another day, when I shall find my mind disposed for so serious an amusement. I know that entertainments of this nature are apt to raise dark and dismal thoughts in timorous minds, and gloomy imaginations; but for my own part, though I am always serious, I

38、do not know what it is to be melancholy; and can therefore take a view of nature in her deep and solemn scenes, with the same pleasure as in her most gay and delightful ones. By this means I can improve myself with those objects, which others consider with terror. When I look upon the tombs of the g

39、reat, every emotion of envy dies in me; when I read the epitaphs of the beautiful, every inordinate desire goes out; when I meet with the grief of parents upon a tombstone, my heart melts with compassion; when I see the tomb of the parents themselves, I consider the vanity of grieving for those whom

40、 we must quickly follow; when I see kings lying by those who deposed them, when I consider rival wits placed side by side, or the holy men that divided the world with their contests and disputes, I reflect with sorrow and astonishment on the little competitions, factions and debates of mankind. When

41、 I read the several dates of the tombs, of some that died yesterday, and some six hundred years ago, I consider that great day when we shall all of us be contemporaries, and make our appearance together.   不過還是言歸正傳吧。英國歷代國王的墓地，我打算留待日后再仔細(xì)予以考慮。我知道，這種性質(zhì)的消遣往往會(huì)使那些頭腦畏怯、想象陰郁的人民產(chǎn)生黑暗而又沮喪的念頭；但就我本人而言，盡管我始終

42、是嚴(yán)肅的，我卻不知道憂郁為何物；因而我能夠持有一種順其自然的觀點(diǎn)，以對(duì)待大自然的最快樂最令人高興的場(chǎng)景的那種愉快心情，來對(duì)待大自然的深刻而又莊嚴(yán)肅穆的場(chǎng)景。這樣一來，我也就能夠用別的人帶著恐懼來考慮的那些對(duì)象，來改進(jìn)自己。當(dāng)我看著這些偉人的墳?zāi)沟臅r(shí)候，每一種嫉妒的情感都在我的身上死去了，當(dāng)我讀著美人的墓志銘的時(shí)候，每一種超出合理限度的欲望都熄滅了；當(dāng)我在墓碑上讀到父母親的傷悲的時(shí)候，我的心被同情所融化；當(dāng)我看到父母本人的墳?zāi)沟臅r(shí)候，又覺得這種悲傷是虛幻的，因?yàn)槲覀兌紩?huì)步其后塵；我看到國王們與他們的廢黜者們躺在一起，當(dāng)我想到勢(shì)不兩立的才子們并列排在一起，或者那些用其競(jìng)爭(zhēng)和爭(zhēng)端而分裂了世界的圣人們

43、，我就帶著悲傷和驚訝反思人類的那些微不足道的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)、傾軋和爭(zhēng)論。我讀到這些墳?zāi)股系膸讉€(gè)日期，有些人死于昨天，有些人死于六百年前，這時(shí)我想到，當(dāng)我們所有的人都成為同時(shí)代的人，并在一起出現(xiàn)的時(shí)候，那將是一個(gè)多么偉大的日子啊。.A Treatise on Good Manners and Good Breeding by Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)Good manners is the art of making those people easy with whom we converse.Whoever makes the fewest persons uneasy is

44、 the best bred in the company. As the best law is founded upon reason, so are the best manners. And as some lawyers have introduced unreasonable things into common law, so likewise many teachers have introduced absurd things into common good manners. One principal point of this art is to suit our be

45、haviour to the three several degrees of men; our superiors, our equals, and those below us. For instance, to press either of the two former to eat or drink is a breach of manners; but a farmer or a tradesman must be thus treated, or else it will be difficult to persuade them that they are welcome. P

46、ride, ill nature, and want of sense, are the three great sources of ill manners; without some one of these defects, no man will behave himself ill for want of experience; or of what, in the language of fools, is called knowing the world. I defy any one to assign an incident wherein reason will not d

47、irect us what we are to say or do in company, if we are not misled by pride or ill nature. Therefore I insist that good sense is the principal foundation of good manners; but because the former is a gift which very few among mankind are possessed of, therefore all the civilized nations of the world

48、have agreed upon fixing some rules for common behaviour, best suited to their general customs, or fancies, as a kind of artificial good sense, to supply the defects of reason. Without which the gentlemanly part of dunces would be perpetually at cuffs, as they seldom fail when they happen to be drunk

49、, or engaged in squabbles about women or play. And, God be thanked, there hardly happens a duel in a year, which may not be imputed to one of those three motives. Upon which account, I should be exceedingly sorry to find the legislature make any new laws against the practice of duelling; because the

50、 methods are easy and many for a wise man to avoid a quarrel with honour, or engage in it with innocence. And I can discover no political evil in suffering bullies, sharpers, and rakes, to rid the world of each other by a method of their own; where the law hath not been able to find an expedient. As

51、 the common forms of good manners were intended for regulating the conduct of those who have weak understandings; so they have been corrupted by the persons for whose use they were contrived. For these people have fallen into a needless and endless way of multiplying ceremonies, which have been extr

52、emely troublesome to those who practise them, and insupportable to everybody else: insomuch that wise men are often more uneasy at the over civility of these refiners, than they could possibly be in the conversations of peasants or mechanics. The impertinencies of this ceremonial behaviour are nowhe

53、re better seen than at those tables where ladies preside, who value themselves upon account of their good breeding; where a man must reckon upon passing an hour without doing any one thing he has a mind to; unless he will be so hardy to break through all the settled decorum of the family. She determ

54、ines what he loves best, and how much he shall eat; and if the master of the house happens to be of the same disposition, he proceeds in the same tyrannical manner to prescribe in the drinking part: at the same time, you are under the necessity of answering a thousand apologies for your entertainmen

55、t. And although a good deal of this humour is pretty well worn off among many people of the best fashion, yet too much of it still remains, especially in the country; where an honest gentleman assured me, that having been kept four days, against his will, at a friend's house, with all the circum

56、stances of hiding his boots, locking up the stable, and other contrivances of the like nature, he could not remember, from the moment he came into the house to the moment he left it, any one thing, wherein his inclination was not directly contradicted; as if the whole family had entered into a combi

57、nation to torment him. But, besides all this, it would be endless to recount the many foolish and ridiculous accidents I have observed among these unfortunate proselytes to ceremony. I have seen a duchess fairly knocked down, by the precipitancy of an officious coxcomb running to save her the troubl

58、e of opening a door. I remember, upon a birthday at court, a great lady was utterly desperate by a dish of sauce let fall by a page directly upon her head-dress and brocade, while she gave a sudden turn to her elbow upon some point of ceremony with the person who sat next her. Monsieur Buys, the Dut

59、ch envoy, whose politics and manners were much of a size, brought a son with him, about thirteen years old, to a great table at court. The boy and his father, whatever they put on their plates, they first offered round in order, to every person in the company; so that we could not get a minute's quiet during the whole dinner. At last their two plates happened to encounter, and with so much violence, that, being china, they broke in twenty pieces, and stained half the company with wet sweetmeats and cream. There is a pedantry in manners, as in all arts and sciences; and sometimes in trades