世界英文散文精粹中英对照

世界英文散文精粹中英对照WORD文本

01_Of Beauty论美

Virtue is fairer far than beauty

美德远胜于美貌

Of Beauty 论美By Francis Bacon 弗兰西斯.培根

Virtue is like a rich stone,

美德好比宝石

best plain set; and surely virtue is best,in a body that is comely,

它在朴素背景的衬托下反而更华丽。

though not of delicate features;

同样，一个打扮并不华贵

and that hath rather dignity of presence, than beauty of aspect.

却端庄严肃而有美德者是令人肃然起敬的

Neither is it almost seen,that very beautiful persons

外表美丽的人，

are otherwise of great virtue;

未必也具有内在的美

as if nature were rather busy, not to err,

因为造物主似乎是吝啬的，

than in labor to produce excellency.

他给了此就不再予彼

And therefore they prove accomplished, but not of great spirit;

所以许多容颜俊秀的人往往过于追求外在

and study rather behavior, than virtue.

美丽而忽略了内心的美

But this holds not always:

但这也并非绝对

for Augustus Caesar, Titus V espasianus, Philip le Belle of France,

因为奥古斯都·恺撒、菲斯帕斯、法兰西的菲力普王

Edward the Fourth of England, Alcibiades of Athens, Ismael the Sophy of Persia, 英格兰的爱德华四世、雅典的阿尔西巴底斯、波斯的伊斯梅尔等

were all high and great spirits;

既是大丈夫

and yet the most beautiful men of their times.

又是美男子

In beauty, that of favor, is more than that of color;

美不在颜色艳丽而在面目端正，

and that of decent and gracious motion, more than that of favor.

又不尽在面目端正而在举止文雅合度

That is the best part of beauty, which a picture cannot express;

最高的美是画家所无法表现的

no,nor the first sight of the life.

因为它是难于直观的

There is no excellent beauty,

没有哪种美

that hath not some strangeness in the proportion.

能极致到不存在比例上的暇疵

A man cannot tell whether Apelles, or Albert Durer, were the more trifler;

whereof the one,

曾经有两位画家-阿皮雷斯和艾伯特.丢勒滑稽地认为，

would make a personage by geometrical proportions;

按照几何比例，

the other, by taking the best parts out of divers faces, to make one excellent.

或者通过摄取不同人身上最美的特点，可以用画合成一张最完美的人像

Such personages, I think, would please nobody,

其实像这样画出来的美人

but the painter that made them.

，恐怕只表现了画家本人的某种偏爱。

Not but I think a painter may make a better face than ever was;

画家不能通过这样画出更好看的脸

but he must do it by a kind of felicity

创造它的常常是构思,

(as a musician that maketh an excellent air in music), and not by rule.

(正如为曲子营造的氛围的音乐家)而不是公式。

A man shall see faces, that if you examine them part by part,

you shall find never a good; and yet altogether do well.

看并不优美,但作为整体却非常动人。

If it be true that the principal part of beauty

虽然美之菁华无疑在于

is in decent motion, certainly it is no marvel,

优雅的举止

though persons in years seem many times more amiable;

但有些老人更显得很可爱

pulchrorum autumnus pulcher; for no youth can be comely but by pardon,

这印证了一句拉丁谚语:"暮秋之色更美。"

and considering the youth, as to make up the comeliness.

而尽管有的年轻人具有美貌，却由于缺乏完美的修养而不配得到最好的赞美。Beauty is as summer fruits, which are easy to corrupt, and cannot last;

美犹如盛夏的水果，是容易腐烂而难保持的

and for the most part it makes a dissolute youth,

世上有许多美人他们有过放荡的青春

and an age a little out of countenance;

却迎受着愧悔的晚年

but yet certainly again, if it light well,

因此，应该把美的形貌与美的德行结合起来

it maketh virtue shine, and vices blush.

这样，美才会发出夺目的光辉。