【我心目中的美】美論（譯文）

美論

作者：弗朗西斯·培根

 

品德如同寶石一樣，以雕飾簡樸為最佳。一個人雖非眉清目秀，但身材勻稱；雖無美貌容顏，但有端莊儀表，其品德則顯得尤為可嘉。美貌之人往往並非德才兼備。造物主仿佛忙於但求無過，而不創造優秀之才。因此美貌之人隻有成績，而無成就。他們過於追求外表行為而忽略內在品德。但這也不盡然，羅馬的奧古斯都凱撒大帝、菲斯帕斯大帝、法國的腓力普王四世、英國的愛德華四世、雅典的阿爾西巴底斯、波斯的伊斯梅爾等等，皆為同時代的偉大人物，而且均為最帥之人。就美而言，容貌之美勝於膚色之美，而端莊優雅之美勝於容貌之美。此乃美之精華，意態由來畫不成；不僅如此，即便乍看一眼也難以名狀。任何一種超凡絕倫之美，比例上無不存在某些奇妙之處。阿皮雷斯和阿爾伯特兩位畫家，滑稽起來難分伯仲，其中一位畫人物肖像按照幾何比例來畫，另一位則提取各種麵孔最好看的部位來畫。這樣畫出來的人物，恐怕除了畫家本人喜歡以外，無人再敢恭維。這並不是說我非要畫家畫得比前人好，但是他最起碼在畫人物畫像時必須采用一種巧妙的技法，（正如樂師營造一種（音樂）上的絕佳氣氛），而不是按照公式來畫。我們需要認真觀察人的麵孔，如果把五官分開單個來看，你永遠找不到一張美麗的麵容，然而把五官合起來看就完全不會差到哪裏了。美的主旨在於優雅端莊，如果此話不假，年長者看起來顯得更可親可愛就不足為奇了。古語雲：“美人之秋，依舊美麗。”除非放寬評判標準，把青春作為美的一個評判要素，否則年輕人沒一個能稱得上美。美猶如盛夏果蓏，容易腐爛且難以長久保存。多數情況下，美可以造就一名行為放蕩的青年，也可以成全一位黯然失色的老者；但還有一點可以肯定的是，美若降臨到品德高尚之人身上時，必讓品德大放光芒，使醜惡羞愧難當。

 

OF BEAUTY

By Francis Bacon

(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 labour to produce excellency. And therefore they prove accomplished, but not of great spirit; and study rather behaviour than virtue. But this holds not always: for Augustus Cæsar, Titus Vespasianus, Philip le Bel 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 favour is more than that of colour; and that of decent and gracious motion more than that of favour. That is the best part of beauty, which a picture cannot express; no nor the first sight of 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.