經(jīng)典英語散文:論美(培根)

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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

美德好比寶石，在樸素背景的襯托下反而更華麗。同樣，一個打扮并不華貴，卻端莊嚴(yán)肅而有美德的人是令人肅然起敬的。

美貌的人并不都有其他方面的才能。許多容貌俊秀的人卻一無所有，他們過于追求外形的美而放棄了內(nèi)在的美。

仔細(xì)分析起來，形體之美要勝于顏色之美，而優(yōu)雅行為之美又勝于形體之美。最高的美是畫家所無法表現(xiàn)的。因為它是難以直觀的。這是一種奇妙的美，曾經(jīng)有兩位畫家――阿皮雷斯和丟勒滑稽地認(rèn)為，可以按照幾何比例，或者通過攝取不同人身上最美的特點，加以合成的方法，畫出最完美的人像。

其實像這樣畫出來的美人，恐怕只有畫家才喜歡。

有些老人顯得很可愛，因為他們的作風(fēng)優(yōu)雅而美。“美人的遲暮也是美的。”而盡管有的年輕人具有美貌，卻由于缺乏優(yōu)美的修養(yǎng)而不配得到贊美。

美有如盛夏的水果，而容易腐爛而難保持的,世上有許多美人,他們有過放蕩青春，卻迎受著愧悔的晚年。

因此，把美的形貌與美的德行結(jié)合起來吧。只有這樣，美會放射出真正的光輝。