精美英文欣赏:切斯特菲尔德勋爵致儿子

Part 6 Lord Chesterfield to His Son

第六部分 切斯特菲尔德勋爵致儿子

London,March 6, 1747

1747年3月6日于伦敦

Dear boy,

亲爱的孩子:

Whatever you do, will always affect me, very sensibly, one way or another, and I am now most agreeably by two letters, which I have lately seen from Lausanne, upon your subject; the one from Madame St. Germain, the other from Monsieur Pampigny: they both give so good account of you, that I thought myself obliged, in justice both to them and to you, to let you know it.

无论你做什么，都会一直影响着我，在某种程度上会对我产生非常明显的影响最近我收到了两封洛桑的来信，信中他谈到了你，读完后我倍感喜悦; 我还收到了一封圣·日耳曼夫人和一封庞比尼先生的信，他们都对你赞赏有加。因此，为了不辜负他们，也为了不辜负你，我觉得有必要写信让你知道。

Those who deserve a good character, ought to have the satisfaction of knowing that they have it, both as a reward and as an encouragement. They write, that you are not only decrotte, but well-bred; and that the English crust of awkward bashfulness, shyness, and roughness (of which, by the bye, you had your share) is pretty well rubbed off. I am most heartily¹ glad of it for, as I have often told you, those lesser² talents, of an engaging, insinuating³ manner, an easy good-breeding, a genteel behaviour and address, are of infinitely⁴ more advantage than they are generally thought to be, especially here in England.

那些享有美名的人，应该让他们知道自己的名望，从而得到心灵的满足。这不仅是一种奖赏，而且是一种激励。他们在信中夸你不仅彬彬有礼，而且教养有素; 他们还说，你先前拘谨、害羞、胆怯和粗鲁的英国式的外表(在我看来.你以前的确有过这些毛病)，现在全都消失殆尽了。读到这些我满心欢喜，因为就像我经常告诫你的，和蔼可亲的风度、落落大方的仪表、温文尔雅的言行举止等次要的素养，比通常人们想象的还要重要许多，特别是在英国。

Virtue⁵ and learning, like gold, have their intrinsic value: but if they are not polished they certainly lose a great deal of their luster⁶; and even polished brass⁷ will pass upon more people than rough gold.

美德和学识就像黄金般具有自身珍贵的价值，然而，如果不加打磨，它们肯定会失去大量的光泽，甚至闪闪发亮的黄铜都会比未加修饰的黄金吸引更多人的视线。

What a number of sins does the cheerful, easy good-breeding of the French frequently cover! Many of them want common sense, many more common learning; but, in general, they make up so much, by their manner, for those defects, that frequently they pass undiscovered.

法国人那欢快的、平易近人的良好仪态不知掩盖了多少瑕疵啊! 很多法国人都缺乏常识，甚至有更多的法国人非常孤陋寡闻。但是，他们总会用优美的仪态来弥补这些缺点!而人们往往察觉不到。

I have often said, and do think, that a Frenchman, who, with a fund of virtue, learning and good-sense, has the manners and good-breeding of his country, is the perfection of human nature. This perfection you may, if you please, and I hope you will, arrive at.

我常常这样说，也这样想，个品德高尚、学识渊博、,理性健全的法国人，再加上国家教予他们的礼仪礼节和良好素养，便是完美人格的化身了。只要你愿意，你一样也能达到这种十全十美的境界，我也期望你达到。

You know what virtue is: you may have it if you will; it is in every man's power, and miserable⁸ is the man who has not it. Good sense God has given you. Learning you already possess enough of, to have, in a reasonable time, all that a man need have. With this, you are thrown out early into the world, where it will be your own fault, if you do not acquire all the other accomplishments⁹ necessary to complete and adorn¹⁰ your character.

你应该明白何为美德，只要你愿意，你就能得到它，而且人人都有能力得，不具备美德的人是不幸的。上天已经赋予你远见卓识，你的学问也已经足够，在不算太长的时间里你将具备人所需的一切。你在拥有这些之后，很早就被送到大千世界中去增长见识。你在外而如果吸取不到其他能使你的品格变得尽善尽美的修养，那就是你自己的过失了。

You will do well to make your compliments to Madame St. Germain and Monsieur Pampigny; and tell them how sensible you are of their partiality to you, in the advantageous¹¹ testimonies¹² which, you are informed, they have given of you here.

你应该再去拜访圣·日耳曼夫人和庞比尼先生，告诉他们你从我这里了解到他们对你的偏爱和赞美，并向他们表示感谢。

Adieu! Continue to deserve such testimonies; and then you will not only deserve, but enjoy my truest affection.

再见!继续努力吧，孩子!你要让自己配得上这些溢美之词，这样的话，你将不仅值得享有，而且会真正享有我最真挚的爱。

Affectionately

深受着你的父亲

1 heartily   

adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很

参考例句：

• He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse.他痛快地吃了一顿，就出去找他的马。
• The host seized my hand and shook it heartily.主人抓住我的手，热情地和我握手。

2 lesser   

adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地

参考例句：

• Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
• She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。

3 insinuating   

adj.曲意巴结的，暗示的v.暗示( insinuate的现在分词 )；巧妙或迂回地潜入；（使）缓慢进入；慢慢伸入

参考例句：

• Are you insinuating that I' m telling a lie ? 你这是意味着我是在说谎吗？ 来自辞典例句
• He is extremely insinuating, but it's a vulgar nature. 他好奉承拍马，那是种庸俗的品格。 来自辞典例句

4 infinitely   

adv.无限地，无穷地

参考例句：

• There is an infinitely bright future ahead of us.我们有无限光明的前途。
• The universe is infinitely large.宇宙是无限大的。

5 virtue   

n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。

6 luster   

n.光辉；光泽，光亮；荣誉

参考例句：

• His great books have added luster to the university where he teaches.他的巨著给他任教的大学增了光。
• Mercerization enhances dyeability and luster of cotton materials.丝光处理扩大棉纤维的染色能力，增加纤维的光泽。

7 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

8 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

9 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

10 adorn   

vt.使美化，装饰

参考例句：

• She loved to adorn herself with finery.她喜欢穿戴华丽的服饰。
• His watercolour designs adorn a wide range of books.他的水彩设计使许多图书大为生色。

11 advantageous   

adj.有利的；有帮助的

参考例句：

• Injections of vitamin C are obviously advantageous.注射维生素C显然是有利的。
• You're in a very advantageous position.你处于非常有利的地位。

12 testimonies   

（法庭上证人的）证词( testimony的名词复数 )； 证明，证据

参考例句：

• Davie poured forth his eloquence upon the controversies and testimonies of the day. 戴维向他滔滔不绝地谈那些当时有争论的问题和上帝的箴言。
• Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies. 22求你除掉我所受的羞辱和藐视，因我遵守你的法度。