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Of Beauty

論美貌

Francis Bacon

弗朗西斯•培根

(1561-1626)

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.

美德如寶石。寶石者，非素雅之鑲嵌不能盡顯其光彩，故美德之光彩，非俊雅而非嬌豔、非端莊而非僅僅美豔之身軀不能盡顯。然，大美之人中鮮見美德者，仿佛造化忙不擇優，為求無過而舍求至美。此何為美人雖有相貌但乏品性，重外表而輕美德也。

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.

然，此非恒理，奧古斯都•凱撒大帝、提圖斯•威斯帕鹹努斯大帝、法王菲利普、英王愛德華四世、雅典人阿爾西巴阿底斯、波斯王伊斯邁耳皆屬其時代品性高尚且相貌極美之人。就美而言，自然優於打扮，端莊、優雅勝於自然。此係美中極品，非繪畫所能表達，非一目而能了然。

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.

大美者，其骨骼比例自有某些特征。阿佩利斯與艾伯特•丟勒一樣荒唐，此二者，一人按幾何比例、一人取數人麵部最佳部位繪極品之美像。而吾以為，此法造像，除畫工本人，無人垂愛。此非意指畫工無法畫出前所未有之好像；而僅指，畫工作畫不能循規蹈矩，而必須巧思妙創（恰似樂工創作美音那樣）。

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.

容貌，分而察之，難以悅目；合而觀之，卻能賞心。若美貌實出於端莊，溫文爾雅之氣質隨年歲倍增則不足為奇。諺曰：“美哉，金秋！”故，若非仗其青春優勢，若非觀者寬心以待，青年無俊者。

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.

美貌似夏日之鮮果，易腐，難存；美貌常使青春放浪，老年出格。當然，無須重申，如其輝映美德，必使其增色；如其光照惡行，定使其愧疚。