雙語(yǔ)閱讀：論虛榮

　　以下是學(xué)習(xí)啦小編整理的哲理類英語(yǔ)美文欣賞：論虛榮， 希望對(duì)你有所感觸。

　　It was prettily devised of AEsop, The fly sat upon the axle-tree of the chariot wheel, andsaid, What a dust do I raise! So are there some vain persons, that whatsoever goeth alone, ormoveth upon greater means, if they have never so little hand in it, they think it is they thatcarry it. They that are glorious, must needs be factious; for all bravery stands uponcomparisons.

　　“蒼蠅坐在戰(zhàn)車底輪軸上說(shuō)道，我揚(yáng)起了多少塵土啊”!伊索這個(gè)寓言說(shuō)得實(shí)是巧妙。類此，有些個(gè)妄人，無(wú)論任何事情，或是事情自動(dòng)，或由大力者推動(dòng)，只要他們?cè)谄渲杏幸稽c(diǎn)關(guān)系，他們就以為這些事情是完全依仗著他們底力量的。

　　They must needs be violent, to make good their own vaunts. Neither can they besecret, and therefore not effectual; but according to the French proverb, Beaucoup de bruit,peu de fruit; Much bruit little fruit. Yet certainly, there is use of this quality in civil affairs.Where there is an opinion and fame to be created, either of virtue or greatness, these men aregood trumpeters.

　　好夸之人一定是好黨爭(zhēng)的;因?yàn)橐磺械目湟际强恐容^的。這種人也必然是過(guò)分的，因?yàn)槿绱朔娇梢灾С肿约悍N種的夸耀。他們又不能守秘密，所以他們是沒(méi)有什么實(shí)際上的用處的;反之，他們是和法國(guó)底一句成語(yǔ)所說(shuō)的一樣，“聲音很大，結(jié)果很小”的。然而在政事中這一種品性也是確有其用的。每逢人們需要造成一種大才或大德底名聲的時(shí)候，這些人就是很好的吹鼓手。

　　Again, as Titus Livius noteth, in the case of Antiochus and the AEtolians,There are sometimes great effects, of cross lies; as if a man, that negotiates between twoprinces, to draw them to join in a war against the third, doth extol the forces of either of them,above measure, the one to the other: and sometimes he that deals between man and man,raiseth his own credit with both, by pretending greater interest than he hath in either. And inthese and the like kinds, it often falls out, that somewhat is produced of nothing; for lies aresufficient to breed opinion, and opinion brings on substance. In militar commanders andsoldiers, vain-glory is an essential point; for as iron sharpens iron, so by glory, one couragesharpeneth another. In cases of great enterprise upon charge and adventure, a compositionof glorious natures, doth put life into business; and those that are of solid and sober natures,have more of the ballast, than of the sail. In fame of learning, the flight will be slow withoutsome feathers of ostentation. Qui de contemnenda gloria libros scribunt, nomen, suuminscribunt.

　　再者，如里維關(guān)于安提奧喀斯和哀陶立安人之事的話：“對(duì)雙方的謊言有時(shí)是有大效的”，例如，一個(gè)人在兩位君王之間交涉，想引他們聯(lián)合起來(lái)向第三者作戰(zhàn)，他就對(duì)兩方面都言過(guò)其實(shí)地夸張對(duì)方底兵力;又如在兩個(gè)私人之間交涉的人，他對(duì)雙方都夸張他在對(duì)方的影響，結(jié)果是把他自己底聲望提高了。所以在上述的以及類此的事件中，往往會(huì)由無(wú)物之中竟生有物;蓋謊言足以引起意見(jiàn)，而意見(jiàn)能引起實(shí)行也。在將帥與軍人方面，虛榮心乃是一種不可缺的性質(zhì);因?yàn)槿缤粔K鐵由別的鐵而磨得銳利一樣，由于夸張而人們底勇氣就互相磨利了。在冒著資財(cái)或身體之危險(xiǎn)的大事業(yè)中加入一種天性好夸的人可以使事務(wù)更有活力;而那些天性厚重莊肅的人則有似壓艙物而不類風(fēng)帆。在學(xué)問(wèn)底名聲方面，若沒(méi)有一些夸耀底羽毛，則這種名聲底飛騰是很慢的。“寫《虛榮之輕視》一書的人也不反對(duì)叫自己底名字出現(xiàn)于題頁(yè)上”。

　　Socrates, Aristotle, Galen, were men full of ostentation. Certainly vain-gloryhelpeth to perpetuate a man’s memory; and virtue was never so beholding to human nature,as it received his due at the second hand. Neither had the fame of Cicero, Seneca, PliniusSecundus, borne her age so well, if it had not been joined with some vanity in themselves; likeunto varnish, that makes ceilings not only shine but last. But all this while, when I speak ofvain-glory, I mean not of that property, that Tacitus doth attribute to Mucianus; Omniumquae dixerat feceratque arte quadam ostentator: for that proceeds not of vanity, but ofnatural magnanimity and discretion; and in some persons, is not only comely, but gracious.For excusations, cessions, modesty itself well governed, are but arts of ostentation.

　　蘇格拉底、亞里士多德、蓋倫，都是富于夸耀性的人。虛榮心確是使一個(gè)人留名的一種助力，而才德之所受于人性的酬勞其直受于人類底好德之心者決沒(méi)有受之于才德自己底努力者為多也。西塞羅、塞奈喀、小普利尼底名聲若不是與這些人本身底某種虛榮心連在一起的話，也不會(huì)經(jīng)久如新的;這種虛榮心就如同天花板上的一層油漆一樣，它使得那天花板不但能夠發(fā)亮而且能夠持久。但是說(shuō)了這么久，我用“虛榮”這個(gè)字眼兒的時(shí)候，卻并不是指泰西塔斯說(shuō)繆西阿努斯有的那種性質(zhì)，所謂“他有一種能夠漂亮地炫耀他底一切言行的本領(lǐng)”：因?yàn)檫@種性質(zhì)并非是出自虛榮心的，而是出自天生的豪氣和見(jiàn)識(shí)的;并且這種性質(zhì)在有些人方面是不但漂亮而且優(yōu)美高尚的。因?yàn)檫d謝、退讓與節(jié)制得宜的自謙，都不過(guò)是炫耀之術(shù)也。

　　And amongst those arts, there is none better than that which Plinius Secundus speaketh of, which isto be liberal of praise and commendation to others, in that, wherein a man’s self hath anyperfection. For saith Pliny, very wittily, In commending another, you do yourself right; for hethat you commend, is either superior to you in that you commend, or inferior. If he beinferior, if he be to be commended, you much more; if he be superior, if he be not to becommended, you much less. Glorious men are the scorn of wise men, the admiration of fools,the idols of parasites, and the slaves of their own vaunts.

　　在這些炫耀之術(shù)中，沒(méi)有比小普利尼所說(shuō)的那一種更好的了，那就是在你自己所長(zhǎng)的某方面，如果別人也有一點(diǎn)長(zhǎng)處，當(dāng)不吝惜地多多地贊譽(yù)稱揚(yáng)那人。因?yàn)槠绽嵴f(shuō)得很巧妙：“在稱揚(yáng)別人的時(shí)候你其實(shí)是替自己做好事;因?yàn)槟闼Q揚(yáng)的那人在那一方面若不是比你還強(qiáng)就是不如你。如果他是不如你，那末他既然值得稱揚(yáng)，你自然更加值得稱揚(yáng)了;如他是勝過(guò)你的，那末假如他不值得稱揚(yáng)的話，你就更不值得稱揚(yáng)了”。好炫耀的人是明哲之士所輕視的，愚蠢之人所艷羨的，諂佞之徒所奉承的，同時(shí)他們也是自己所夸耀的言語(yǔ)底奴隸。