英語美文欣賞:培根《論戀愛》雙語

在日常的學習、工作、生活中，大家或多或少都接觸過美文吧？美文是指不帶實用目的專供直覺欣賞的作品，帶有實用目的去寫作，什麼樣的美文才是真正的好美文呢？下面是小編爲大家整理的英語美文欣賞:培根《論戀愛》雙語，歡迎大家分享。

The stage is more beholding to love, than the life of man. For as to the stage, love is ever matter of comedies, and now and then of tragedies: but in life, it doth much mischief: sometimes like a siren; sometimes like a fury. You may observe, that amongst all the great and worthy persons (whereof the memory remaineth, either ancient or recent) there is not one, that hath been transported to the mad degree of love: which shows, that great spirits, and great business, do keep out this weak passion.

舞臺較人生受惠於戀愛者爲多。因爲在舞臺上，“戀愛”長期可以供給喜劇底材料，有時亦可供給悲劇底材料;但在人生中，“戀愛”只是招致禍患;它有時如一位惑人的魔女，有時似一位復仇的女神。你可以見到，在一切偉大的人物中(無論是古人今人，只要是其盛名仍在人記憶中者)沒有一個是在戀愛中被誘到熱狂的程度者：可見偉大的人與重大的事真能排除這種柔弱之情也。

You must except, nevertheless, Marcus Antonius the half partner of the empire of Rome; and Appius Claudius the decemvir, and lawgiver: whereof the former was indeed a voluptuous man, and inordinate; but the latter was an austere and wise man: and therefore it seems (though rarely) that love can find entrance, not only into an open heart; but also into a heart well fortified, if watch be not well kept It is a poor saying of Epicurus, satis magnum alter alteri theatrum sumus: as if man, made for the contemplation of heaven and all noble objects, should do nothing, but kneel before a little idol, and make himself subject, though not of the mouth (as beasts are) yet of the eye; which was given him for higher purposes. It is a strange thing, to note the excess of this passion; and how it braves the nature and value of things; by this, that the speaking in a perpetual hyperbole is comely in nothing but in love. Neither is it merely in the phrase; for whereas it hath been well said, that the arch-flatterer, with whom all the petty flatterers have intelligence, is a man 8217;s self; certainly, the lover is more. For there was never proud man thought so absurdly well of himself, as the lover doth of me person loved: and therefore, it was well said; mat it is impossible to love, and to be wise. Neither doth (his weakness appear to others only, and not to the party loved; but to the loved, most of all: except the love be reciproque.

然而你必須把曾爲羅馬帝國一半之統治者的安東尼和十人執政之一及立法者阿皮亞斯·克勞底亞斯作爲例外;這兩個人之中前者確是一個好色而無度的人;但是後者卻是一個嚴肅而有智的人;所以好象(雖然這是很少見的)戀愛不但是會入於坦露的心胸，並且也可以進入壁壘森嚴的心胸中(假如把守不嚴的話)似的。埃皮扣拉斯這句話說得不好——“我們互相看起來，就是一座夠大的舞臺了”。好象生來本當曠觀天界及一切高貴之物的人類不應該做別的而只應跪在一座小小的偶像前面，自己把自己做成個奴隸似的，雖然這不是爲口舌底奴隸——如禽獸一般——而是爲眼目底奴隸(而眼目是上帝給人爲高貴的用途的)。可異者，這種情慾底過度，以及它如何欺凌事物底本性及價值之處，是由此可見的，就是，長期的誇張的言辭惟有在關於戀愛的言語中是合適的，在其他的事情中總是不宜。不僅言語如此;昔人說得好，那爲首的諂諛者——一切較小的諂諛者都是與他通消息的——就是一人底自我;而無疑地，情人是比這爲首的諂諛者還厲害的。因爲從無一個驕傲的人重視自己之甚有如一個情人之重視其所愛也。所以昔人說得好。“要戀愛而又要明哲是不可能的”。這一種弱點也不是僅僅在旁人眼中看得出來，而在所愛底眼中看不出來的;反之，這種弱點，在被愛者底眼中是最顯明的，除非其人底愛情是得到了回報。