Of Beauty [🏛️公版经典 B2]
📖 阅读导读
弗朗西斯·培根的《Of Beauty》出自1625年《培根随笔集》，是西方美学短篇经典。本文不单纯谈论外表容貌之美，更着重辨析形体美与内在德行之美。
培根认为：真正可贵的美，是德行所带来的内在光辉；华丽的外表未必伴随高尚品格。文章语言凝练，大量使用对比句式，适合B2级别精读。阅读时重点学习让步从句、并列对比结构，对于英语写作很有借鉴意义。
🇬🇧 英文原文
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 labor to produce excellency. And therefore they accomplish much, but not of great worth. They study countenance much, not virtue; but that also is not always: for Augustus Caesar, Titus Vespasianus, Philip le Belle 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 favor, is more than that of color; and that of decent and gracious motion, more than that of favor. That is the best part of beauty, which a picture cannot express; no, nor the first sight of the 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. I mean not a man, that is out of the way; yet surely I think a face well‑made, but not extraordinary, is better than a beautiful face with some ill proportion. The beauties of spring‑time are not the same with those of autumn. And so are beautiful faces of youth and age. 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 virtues shine, and vices blush.
🇨🇳 中文译文（本站自译）
德行犹如宝石，朴素镶嵌最为华美。德行若寄托在容貌得体的人身上固然最好，不必五官精致，更需要仪态庄重，而非面容艳丽。
我们几乎很少见到，容貌极其俊美的人同时具备伟大德行。仿佛大自然只求不出差错，而非呕心沥血造就卓越。因此这类人可以完成不少事情，却难成就崇高价值。
他们过多关注容貌，忽视德行，但也不尽然：奥古斯都·凯撒、提图斯、美男子菲利普、英王爱德华四世、雅典的阿尔西比亚德斯、波斯的伊斯梅尔，皆是胸怀大志的伟人，同时也是他们时代中容貌最为俊美的人。
论及美，神色之美胜过肤色之美；优雅得体的举止，又胜过神色之美。
有一种美，画作无法描摹，初见之时也难以察觉。凡是极致的美，在比例之中总会带有一丝别样的特质。
说不清阿佩莱斯与阿尔布雷希特·丢勒谁更为荒唐：一人用几何比例绘制人像，另一人从多张不同面孔中提取最美部分，拼接出一张完美面容。我认为，这样的人像，除了作画者本人，难以取悦任何人。
我的意思并非指畸形怪异的相貌；但一张五官匀称、并不惊艳的面孔，相比一张比例略有缺憾的绝美面孔，反倒更胜一筹。
春日之美不同于秋日之美；年轻的容颜之美，也不同于暮年。
美貌如同夏日鲜果，极易腐烂，难以长久留存。大多时候，美貌会让年轻人耽于享乐，待到年岁增长便容颜不再。但反过来说，如果美落到有德之人身上，便能让德行熠熠生辉，令恶行自惭形秽。
📚 重点词汇
comely /ˈkʌmli/ adj. 容貌好看的，得体的
dignity /ˈdɪɡnəti/ n. 庄重，尊严
aspect /ˈæspekt/ n. 面容，外表
accomplish /əˈkʌmplɪʃ/ v. 完成，实现
countenance /ˈkaʊntənəns/ n. 面容，神色
gracious /ˈɡreɪʃəs/ adj. 优雅得体的
proportion /prəˈpɔːʃn/ n. 比例
divers /ˈdaɪvəz/ adj. 各式各样的（古体）
dissolute /ˈdɪsəluːt/ adj. 放纵的，放荡的
corrupt /kəˈrʌpt/ v. 腐烂，败坏
vices /ˈvaɪsɪz/ n. 恶习，恶行
🔍 长难句语法解析
1. Virtue is like a rich stone, best plain set.
省略结构，完整为 (which is) best plain set。set此处是过去分词“镶嵌”。
2. Neither is it almost seen, that very beautiful persons are otherwise of great virtue.
否定词neither置于句首引发部分倒装；it为形式主语，真正主语是that从句。
3. …as if nature were rather busy, not to err, than in labor to produce excellency.
as if引导虚拟语气，were为虚拟be动词；rather…than… 对比结构。
4. That is the best part of beauty, which a picture cannot express.
非限制性定语从句，which指代前面the best part of beauty。
5. Beauty is as summer fruits, which are easy to corrupt, and cannot last.
which非限制性定语修饰summer fruits；“be +形容词+to do”主动表被动：easy to corrupt容易腐坏。