培根《論美》

VIRTUE is like a rich stone, best plain set; and surely virtue is best, in a body that is comely, though not of delicate features; and that hath rather dignity of presence, than beauty of aspect.

德行猶如寶石，樸素最美;其于人也：則有德者但須形體悅目，不必面貌俊秀，與其貌美，不若氣度恢宏。

Neither is it almost seen, that very beautiful persons are otherwise of great virtue; as if nature were rather busy, not to err, than in labor to produce excellency. And therefore they prove accomplished, but not of great spirit; and study rather behavior, than virtue. But this holds not always: for Augustus Caesar, Titus Vespasianus, 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.

人不盡知：絕色無(wú)大德也;一如自然勞碌終日，但求無(wú)過(guò)，而無(wú)力之制成上品。因此美男子有才而無(wú)壯志，重行而不重德。但亦不盡然。羅馬大帝奧古斯提與泰特思，法王菲律浦，英王愛(ài)德華四世，古雅典之亞西拜提斯，波斯之伊斯邁帝，皆有宏圖壯志而又為當(dāng)時(shí)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, or Albert Durer, were the more trifler; whereof the one, would make a personage by geometrical 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. Not but I think a painter may make a better face than ever was; but he must do it by a kind of felicity (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.

美不在顏色艷麗而在面目端正，又不盡在面目端正而在舉止文雅合度。美之極致，非圖畫(huà)所能表，乍見(jiàn)所能識(shí)。舉非凡最美之人，其部位比例，必有異于常人之處。阿貝爾與杜勒皆畫(huà)家也，共畫(huà)人像也，一則按照幾何學(xué)之比例，一則集眾臉形之長(zhǎng)于一身，二者誰(shuí)更不智，實(shí)難斷言，竊以為此等畫(huà)像除畫(huà)家本人外，恐無(wú)人喜愛(ài)也。余不否認(rèn)畫(huà)像之美可以超絕塵寰，但此美必為神筆，而非可依規(guī)矩得之者，樂(lè)師之譜成名曲亦莫不皆然。人面如逐部細(xì)察，往往一無(wú)是處，觀其整體則光彩奪目。

If it be true that the principal part of beauty is in decent motion, certainly it is no marvel, though persons in years seem many times more amiable; pulchrorum autumnus pulcher; for no youth can be comely but by pardon, and considering the youth, as to make up the comeliness.

美之要素既在于舉止，則年長(zhǎng)美過(guò)年少亦無(wú)足怪。古人云："美者秋日亦美"。年少而著美名，率由寬假，蓋鑒其年事之少，而補(bǔ)其形體之不足也。

Beauty is as summer fruits, which are easy to corrupt, and cannot last; and for the most part it makes a dissolute youth, and an age a little out of countenance; but yet certainly again, if it light well, it maketh virtue shine, and vices blush.

美者猶如夏日蔬果，易腐難存;要之，年少而美者常無(wú)行，年長(zhǎng)而美者不免面有慚色。雖然，但須托體得人，則德行因美益彰，惡行見(jiàn)美而愈愧。(王佐良譯)