Of Adversity

Of Adversity Author：Francis Bacon

It was an high speech of Seneca , that the good things, which belong to prosperity, are to be wished; but the good things, that belong to adversity, are to be admired.  Certainly if miracles be the command over nature, they appear most in adversity. It is yet a higher speech of his, than the other . It is true greatness, to have in one the frailty of a man, and the security of a God.  This would have done better in poesy, where transcendences are more allowed.

The virtue of prosperity, is temperance; the virtue of adversity, is fortitude; which in morals is the more heroical virtue.

Prosperity is not without many fears and distastes; and adversity is not without comforts and hopes.

We see in needle-works and embroideries, it is more pleasing to have a lively work, upon a sad and solemn ground, than to have a dark and melancholy work, upon a lightsome ground: judge therefore of the pleasure of the heart, by the pleasure of the eye.

Certainly virtue is like precious odors, most fragrant when they are incensed, or crushed: for prosperity doth best discover vice, but adversity doth best discover virtue.

论逆境 作者：培根 翻译：何新

“一帆风顺固然令人羡慕，但逆水行舟则更令人钦佩。” 这是塞涅卡效仿斯多派哲学讲出的一句名言。确实如此。如果奇迹就是超乎寻常，那么它常常是在对逆境的征服中显现的。塞涅卡还说过一句更深刻的格言：“真正的伟大，即在于以脆弱的凡人之躯而具有神性的不可战胜。” 这是宛如诗句的妙语，其境界意味深长。

面幸运所需要的美德是节制，而面对逆境所需要的美德是坚韧，从道德修养而论，后者比前者更为难能。

一切幸福都绝非没有忧虑和烦恼，而一切逆境也都绝非没有慰藉与希望。

最美好的刺绣，是以暗淡的背景衬托明丽的图案，而绝不是以暗淡的花朵镶嵌于明丽的背景上。让我们从这种美景中去汲取启示吧。

人的美德犹如名贵的檀木，只有在烈火的焚烧中才会散发出最浓郁的芳香。正如恶劣的品质会在幸福而无节制中被显露一样，最美好的品质也正是逆境中而灼放出光辉的。

Rebecca Lin 2008 Summer In USA

[林贝卡]

回复苗青青的评论:

培根写的好，何新译的好。

[苗青青]

说的简洁，译得也好。 美贴箴言。
问好！

[林贝卡]

Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626) was an English philosopher, statesman, and essayist. He is also known as a proponent of the scientific revolution.

His works established and popularized an inductive methodology for scientific inquiry, often called the Baconian method or simply, the scientific method. He has been credited as the creator of the English essay.