【英语散文】培根《论美》Of Beauty Reading by Nichola

培根《论美》Of Beauty

Virtue is like a rich stone, best plain set; and surely（ ad.formal certainly 必定，无疑） virtue is best, in a body that is comely（a.〔女性〕标致的，秀丽的） , though not of delicate features; and that hath（has的异写）rather dignity of presence, than beauty of aspect. Neither is it almost seen, that very beautiful persons are otherwise of great virtue; as if nature were rather busy, not to err（n. old use to make a mistake 犯错误;人非圣贤，孰能无过；If you say that to err is human, you mean that it is natural for human beings to make mistakes.）, than in labor to produce excellency.

德行犹如宝石，朴素最美：其于人也，则有德者但须形体悦目，不必面貌俊秀，与其貌美，不若气度恢宏。人不尽知：绝色无大德也；一如自然劳碌终日，但求无过，而无力制成上品。

And therefore they prove accomplished, but not of great spirit; and study rather behavior, than virtue. But this holds not always: for Augustus Caesar（n. 凯撒（罗马皇帝））, Titus Vespasianus（提图斯·弗拉维乌斯·维斯帕西亚努斯，罗马帝国弗拉维王朝的第二任皇帝）, Philip le Belle of France, Edward the Fourth of England, Alcibiades of Athens, Ismael the Sophy of Persia, were all high and great spirits; and yet the most beautiful men of their times.

因而美男子有才而无壮志，重行而不重德。但亦不尽然。罗马大帝奥古斯都与泰特斯，法王腓力四世，英王爱德华四世，古雅典之亚西拜提斯，波斯之伊斯迈帝，皆有宏图壮志而又为当时最美之人也。

In beauty, that of favor, is more than that of color; and that of decent and gracious motion, more than that of favor. That is the best part of beauty, which a picture cannot express; no, nor the first sight of the life. There is no excellent beauty, that hath not some strangeness in the proportion. A man cannot tell whether Apelles（n. 阿佩利斯（公元前4世纪希腊宫廷画师））, or Albert Durer, were the more trifler（琐事；无价值的东西）; whereof（<old use> of what or of which 关于那个） the one, would make a personage（n.名人，要人） by geometrical（a.几何的，几何学的） proportions; the other, by taking the best parts out of divers faces, to make one excellent. Such personages, I think, would please nobody, but the painter that made them.

美不在颜色艳丽而在面目端正，又不尽在面目端正而在举止文雅合度。美之极致，非图画所能表，乍见能所识。举凡最美之人，其部位比例，必有异于常人之处。阿尔贝与杜勒皆画家也，其画人像也，一则按照几何学之比例，一则集众脸型之长于一身。二者谁更不智，实难断言，窃以为此等画像除画家本人外，恐无人喜爱也。

Not but I think a painter may make a better face than ever was; but he must do it by a kind of felicity（n.；恰当[巧妙]的措辞[细节]；幸福；恰当，巧妙，贴切） (as a musician that maketh an excellent air in music), and not by rule. A man shall see faces, that if you examine them part by part, you shall find never a good; and yet altogether do well.

恐无人喜爱也。余不否认画像之美可以超越人寰，但此美必为神笔，而非可依规矩得之者，乐师之谱成明曲亦莫不皆然。人面如逐部细察，往往一无是处，观其整体则光彩夺目。

If it be true that the principal part of beauty is in decent motion, certainly it is no marvel（n.不可思议的事(或人);奇迹；）, though persons in years seem many times more amiable（a.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的）; pulchrorum autumnus pulcher; for no youth can be comely but by pardon, and considering the youth, as to make up the comeliness（n. 漂亮的,好看的；comely a. <literary old-fashioned>〔女性〕标致的，秀丽）. Beauty is as summer fruits, which are easy to corrupt, and cannot last; and for the most part it makes a dissolute（a.〔生活〕放荡的，放纵的） youth, and an age a little out of countenance（n.面容；面部表情）; but yet certainly again, if it light well, it maketh virtue shine,and vices blush（v.感到羞愧；尴尬）.

美之要素既在于举止，则年长美过年少亦无足怪。古人云：“万美之中秋为最。”年少而著美名，率由宽假，盖鉴其年事之少，而补其形体之不足也。美者犹如夏日蔬果，易腐难存；要之，年少而美者常无形，年长而美者不免面有惭色。虽然，但须托体得人，则德行因美尔益彰，恶行见美而愈愧。