美文三译

Of Beauty

by Francis Bacon (点击查看作家简介）

　　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 Bel of France, Edward the Fourth of England, Alicibiades 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 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(<废>have的第三人称单数现在式) not some strangeness in the proportion. A man cannot tell whether Apelles or Albert Durer were the more trifler(不务正业的人；吊儿郎当的人); whereof the one would make a personage(要人, 名流, 个人) by geometrical(几何学的，几何的) 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. 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 as 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 [beautiful persons have a beautiful autumn]; 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 make the virtue shine, and vices blush.

　　Apelles: Greek painter whose works, none of which survives, are described in ancient writings.阿佩利斯古代文献里描写的一位古希腊画家，其作品全部失传

　　divers: Various; several; sundry.

　　felicity: Great happiness; bliss.

　　dissolute: Lacking moral restraint; indulging in sensual pleasures or vices. 放纵的，生活放荡的缺少道德限制；沉溺于性快乐或堕落中

　　译文一：王佐良译（谈美）

　　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。因此美男子有才而无壮志，重行而不重德。但亦不尽然。罗马大帝奥古斯提与泰特思，法王菲律浦，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。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，乍见所能识。举凡最美之人，其部位比例，必有异于常人之处。阿贝尔与杜勒皆画家也，其画人像也，一则按照几何学之比例，一则集众脸形之长于一身，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。余不否认画像之美可以超绝尘寰，但此美必为神笔，而非可依规矩得之者，乐师之谱成名曲亦莫不皆然。人面如逐部细察，往往一无是处，观其整体则光彩夺目。美之要素既在于举止，则年长美过年少亦无足怪。古人云：“美者秋日亦美。”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，年少而美者常无行，年长而美者不免面有惭色。虽然，但须托体得人，则德行因美而益彰，恶行见美而愈愧。

　　译文二：曹明伦译文（论美）

　　善犹如宝石，以镶嵌自然为美；而善附于美者无疑最美，不过这美者倒不必相貌俊秀，只须气度端庄，仪态宜人。世人难见绝美者兼而至善，仿佛造物主宁愿专心于不出差错，也不肯努力创造出美善兼备之上品。故世间美男子多有身躯之完美而无精神之高贵，多注重其行而不注重其德。但此论并非放之四海而皆准，因古罗马皇帝奥古斯都和韦斯帕萝、法兰西国王腓力四世、英格兰国王爱德华四世、古雅典将军亚西比德、以及伊朗国王伊思迈尔一世皆为志存高远者，但也都是当时的冠王美男。至于美女，天生容貌胜过粉黛胭脂，而优雅举止又胜过天生容貌。优雅之态乃美之极致，非丹青妙笔所能绘之，亦非乍眼一看所能识之。绝色者之形体比例定有异处。世人难断阿佩利斯和丢勒谁更可笑，后者画人像总是按几何比例，前者则将诸多面孔的最美之处汇于一颜。笔者以为除画家本人之外，此等画像谁也不会喜欢。虽说笔者认为画家可以画出比真颜更美的容貌，但他必须得靠神来之笔，而非凭藉什么规则尺度，这就像音乐家谱写妙曲得靠灵感一般。世人可见这样的面庞，若将其五官分而视之则一无是处，但合在一起却堪称花容五颜。倘美之要素果真在于仪态之优雅，那长者比少者更美就不足为奇，须知美人之秋亦美。假如不把春青视为优雅得体之补足，年少者多半都难称俊秀。美貌如夏日鲜果易腐难存，而且它每每使年少者放荡，并给年长者几分难堪;但笔者开篇所言仍然不谬,若美貌依附于善者,便会使善举光彩夺目,使恶行无地自容。

　　译文三：何新译（论美）

　　美德好比宝石，它在朴素背景的衬托下反而更华丽。同样，一个打扮并不华贵却端庄严肃而有美德的人是令人肃然起敬的。美貌的人并不都有其他方面的才能。因为造物是吝啬的，他给了此就不再予彼。所以许多容颜俊秀的人却一无作为，他们过于追求外形美而放弃了内在美。但这话也不全对，因为奥古斯都、菲斯帕斯、腓力普王、爱德华四世、阿尔西巴底斯、伊斯梅尔等，都既是大丈夫，又是美男子。仔细考究起来，形体之美要胜于颜色之美，而优雅行为之美又胜于形体之美。的美是画家所无法表现的，因为它是难于直观的。这是一种奇妙的美。曾经有两位画家——阿皮雷斯和丢勒滑稽地认为，可以按照几何比例，或者通过摄取不同人身上最美的特点，用画合成一张最完美的人像。其实象这样画出来的美人，恐怕只有画家本人喜欢。美是不能制订规范的，创造它的常常是机遇，而不是公式。有许多脸型，就它的部分看并不优美，但作为整体却非常动人。有些老人显得很可爱，因为他们的作风优雅而美。拉丁谚语说过：“晚秋的秋色是最美好的。”而尽管有的年轻人具有美貌，却由于缺乏优美的修养而不配得到赞美。美犹如盛夏的水果，是容易腐烂而难保持的。世上有许多美人，他们有过放荡的青春，却迎受着愧悔的晚年。因此，把美的形貌与美的德行结合起来吧。只有这样，美才会放射出真正的光辉。