培根經典散文隨筆兩篇

弗朗西斯·培根是英國文藝復興時期最重要的散文家、哲學家。他不但在文學、哲學上多有建樹，在自然科學領域裏，也取得了重大成就。他的第一部重要著作《隨筆》最初發表於1597年，以後又逐年增補。該書文筆言簡意賅、智睿奪目，它包含許多洞察秋毫的經驗之談，其中不僅論及政治而且還探討許多人生哲理。下面本站小編爲大家帶來培根經典散文隨筆，希望大家喜歡!

　培根經典散文隨筆：論復仇

Revenge is a kind of wild justice; which the more man's nature runs to, the more ought law to weed it out For as for the first wrong, it doth but offend the law; but the revenge of that wrong, putteth the law out of office. Certainly, in taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy; but in passing it over, he is superior: for it is a prince's part to pardon. And Solomon, I am sure, saith, It is the glory of a man to pass by an offence. That which is past, is gone, and irrevocable; and wise men have enough to do, with things present, and to come: therefore, they do but trifle with themselves, that labour in past matters. There is no man doth a wrong, for the wrong's sake; but thereby to purchase himself profit, or pleasure, or honour, or the like. Therefore why should I be angry with a man, for loving himself better than me?

復仇是一種野生的裁判。人類底天性越是向着它，法律就越應當耘除它。因爲頭一個罪惡不過是觸犯了法律;可是報復這件罪惡的舉動卻把法律底位子奪了。無疑地，復了仇不過使一個人和他底仇人得平而已，但若置而不較，他就比他底仇人高出一等了;因爲寬宥仇敵是君王底氣概也。確信所羅門有言：“人有怨仇而不報是他底光榮”。過去的事情是已經過去了，並且是叫不回來了;明智的人留心現在和將來的事情已經夠忙的了;所以那些勞勞於過去的事情的人簡直是枉費心力而已。沒有人是爲了作惡而作惡的;而是爲了要給自己取得利益、樂趣、或榮譽、或類此的事情的。因此爲什麼我要對着某人因爲他愛自己勝於愛我而生氣呢?

And if any man should do wrong, merely out of ill nature, why, yet it is but like the thorn, or briar, which prick, and scratch, because they can do no other. The most tolerable sort of revenge, is for those wrongs which there is no law to remedy: but then, let a man take heed the revenge be such as there is no law to punish: else, a man's enemy is still before hand, and it is two for one. Some, when they take revenge, are desirous the party should know whence it cometh: this is the more generous. For the delight seemeth to be, not so much in doing the hurt, as in making the party repent: but base and crafty cowards are like the arrow that flieth in the dark. Cosmus, Duke of Florence, had a desperate saying, against perfidious or neglecting friends, as if those wrongs were unpardonable: You shall read (saith he) mat we are commanded to forgive our enemies; but you never read, that we are commanded to forgive our friends. But yet the spirit of Job, was in a better tune; Shall we (saith he) take good at God's hands, and not be content to take evil also? And so of friends in a proportion. This is certain; that a man that studieth revenge, keeps his own wounds green, which otherwise would heal, and do well. Public revenges, are, for the most part, fortunate; as that for the death of Caesar, for the death of Pertinax; for the death of Henry the Third of France; and many more. But in private revenges it is not so. Nay rather, vindictive persons live the life of witches; who as they are mischievous, so end they unfortunate.

並且即令有人純粹因爲生性本惡而作了惡，那又怎麼樣?也不過象荊棘一樣;荊棘刺人抓人因爲它們不會作別的事啊。復仇中最可原諒的一種就是爲了報沒有法律糾正的那一種仇的;可是在這種情形裏那報仇的人也應當留神，他那報復的行爲要沒有法律懲罰纔好;否則他底仇人仍然要佔先的，因爲二人之間吃虧底比例乃是二比一也。有些人在報仇底時節要對方知道這報復是從那裏來的。這是比較地大量;因爲報仇底痛快處似乎不在使對方受苦而在使對方悔罪也。那些卑劣狡猾的懦夫則有如暗中的飛箭。科斯謨斯，佛羅棱司底大公，曾有句鋒銳的話是說無義和忘恩的朋友的。他底意思好象這些罪過是不可恕似的，他說：“你可以在聖書中讀到基督教我們饒恕我們底敵人的話，可是你永遠讀不到有教我們饒恕我們底朋友的話”。然而約伯底精神則調高一格。他說：“難道我們從上帝手中只要好的而不要壞的麼”?以此例推於朋友，亦當如斯。的確，一個人要是念念不忘復仇，他就是把自己底傷口常使其如新，這傷口若不是這人老在思想報復，是會痊癒的。公仇底報復多半是結局較佳的：例如爲凱撒之死，爲破提拿克斯之死，爲法蘭西王亨利第三之死以及許多類此的復仇事件是也。然而在私仇底報復上則不如斯。反之，銜怨深而喜報復的人所度的生活是妖巫一般的生活。這種人活着的時候於人不利，死了也是於己不幸。

培根經典散文隨筆：論困厄

It was an high speech of Seneca (after the manner of the Stoics) that the good things which belong to prosperity are to be wished; but the good things that belong to adversity are to be admired. Bona rerum secudarum optabilia; adversarum mirabilia.

“幸運底好處是應當希望的;但是厄運底好處是應當驚奇歎賞的”，這是塞奈喀仿畫廊派的高論。

Certainly if miracles be the command over nature, they appear most in adversity. It is yet a higher speech of his than the other (much too high for a heathen): It is true greatness to have in one the fragility of a man and the security of a God. Vere magnum habere fragilitaterm hominis securitatem da. This would have done better in poesy; where transcendencies are more allowed. And the poets indeed, have been busy with it; for it is, in effect, the thing which is figured in that strange fiction of the ancient poets, which seemeth not to be without mystery; nay, and to have some approach to the state of a Christian: that Hercules when he went to unbind Prometheus (by whom human nature is represented) sailed the length of the great ocean in an earthen pot or pitcher: lively describing Christian resolution; that saileth, in the frail barque of the flesh, through the waves of the world.

無疑地，如果奇蹟底意思是“超越自然”，那麼奇蹟多是在厄運中出現的。塞氏還有一句比這更高的話(這話由一個異教徒說出，幾乎是太高了)：“一個人有凡人底脆弱而又有神仙底自在無憂，那就是真正的偉大”。這句話如果是一句詩，也許更好一點，因爲在詩裏頭，高誇的說法，好象是更爲可許似的。詩人們也真的常說這句話，因爲這句話實際就是古詩人常述的那個奇談中所表現的——而這個奇談又似乎非無深義的;不特如此，它所描寫的還很有點接近_底情形呢——那就是當赫扣力斯去解放普羅密修斯的時候(普羅密修斯是象徵人性的)他坐在一個瓦盆或瓦罐裏渡過了大海。基督_肉之軀的輕舟渡過世間底波濤的決心，這故事很生動地描寫出來了。

But to speak in a virtue of prosperity is temperance; the virtue of adversity is fortitude:which in morals is the more heroical virtue. Prosperity is the blessing of the Old Testament; adversity is the blessing of the New; which carrieth the greater benediction, and the clearer revelation of God's favour. Yet, even in the Old Testament, if you listen to David's harp, you shall hear as many hearselike airs, as carols: and the pencil of the Holy Ghost hath laboured more, in describing the afflictions of Job, than the felicities of Solomon. Prosperity is not without many fears and distastes; and adversity is not without comforts and hopes. We see in needlework, 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 odours, most fragrant when they are incensed, or crushed: for prosperity doth best discover vice; but adversity doth best discover virtue.

但是用平凡的話來說，幸運所生的德性是節制，厄運所生的德性是堅忍;在倫理上講起來，後者是更爲偉大的一種德性。幸運是《舊約》中的福祉;厄運是《新約》中的福祉;而厄運所帶來的福祉更大，所詔示的上帝底恩惠更爲明顯。然而即在《舊約》之中，如諦聽大衛底琴音，就一定可以聽見與歡頌一般多的哀歌;並且聖靈的畫筆在形容約伯底苦難上比在形容所羅門底幸福上致力得多了。幸運並非沒有許多的恐懼與煩惱;厄運也並非沒有許多的安慰與希望。 在針工與刺繡中， 我們常見，若在一片陰沉的底子上安排一種漂亮的花樣， 比在一片淺色的底子上安排一種暗鬱的花樣悅目得多; 從這眼中的樂趣上推斷心中的樂趣罷。 無疑地， 美德如名香，經燃燒或壓榨而其香愈烈，蓋幸運最能顯露惡德而厄運最能顯露美德也。