【我心目中的美】美论（译文）

美论

作者：弗朗西斯·培根

 

品德如同宝石一样，以雕饰简朴为最佳。一个人虽非眉清目秀，但身材匀称；虽无美貌容颜，但有端庄仪表，其品德则显得尤为可嘉。美貌之人往往并非德才兼备。造物主仿佛忙于但求无过，而不创造优秀之才。因此美貌之人只有成绩，而无成就。他们过于追求外表行为而忽略内在品德。但这也不尽然，罗马的奥古斯都凯撒大帝、菲斯帕斯大帝、法国的腓力普王四世、英国的爱德华四世、雅典的阿尔西巴底斯、波斯的伊斯梅尔等等，皆为同时代的伟大人物，而且均为最帅之人。就美而言，容貌之美胜于肤色之美，而端庄优雅之美胜于容貌之美。此乃美之精华，意态由来画不成；不仅如此，即便乍看一眼也难以名状。任何一种超凡绝伦之美，比例上无不存在某些奇妙之处。阿皮雷斯和阿尔伯特两位画家，滑稽起来难分伯仲，其中一位画人物肖像按照几何比例来画，另一位则提取各种面孔最好看的部位来画。这样画出来的人物，恐怕除了画家本人喜欢以外，无人再敢恭维。这并不是说我非要画家画得比前人好，但是他最起码在画人物画像时必须采用一种巧妙的技法，（正如乐师营造一种（音乐）上的绝佳气氛），而不是按照公式来画。我们需要认真观察人的面孔，如果把五官分开单个来看，你永远找不到一张美丽的面容，然而把五官合起来看就完全不会差到哪里了。美的主旨在于优雅端庄，如果此话不假，年长者看起来显得更可亲可爱就不足为奇了。古语云：“美人之秋，依旧美丽。”除非放宽评判标准，把青春作为美的一个评判要素，否则年轻人没一个能称得上美。美犹如盛夏果蓏，容易腐烂且难以长久保存。多数情况下，美可以造就一名行为放荡的青年，也可以成全一位黯然失色的老者；但还有一点可以肯定的是，美若降临到品德高尚之人身上时，必让品德大放光芒，使丑恶羞愧难当。

 

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.