【双语有声阅读】培根论真理

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Truth, which only doth judge itself, teacheth that the inquiry¹ of truth, which is the love-making or wooing of it,

 

真理只能自我判别，教导人们追寻真理，即对真理的追求；

the knowledge of truth, which is the presence of it, and the belief of truth, which is the enjoying of it,

对真理的认知，对真理的信仰，也意味着对真理的享受。

is the sovereign good of human nature.

这三个要素组成了人性中无比高尚的美德。

The first creature of God, in the works of the days, was the light of the sense; the last was the light of reason;

感性之光是上帝创造世界时创造的第一件东西，最后创造的才是理性之光。

and his sabbath work ever since is the illumination of his Spirit.

上帝精神的再现则是安息日。

First he breathed light upon the face of the matter or chaos²;

起初，上帝将光明赋予混乱的物质世界，

then he breathed light into the face of man;

然后用光明悄然地点亮人类的心灵世界；

and still he breatheth and inspireth light into the face of his chosen.

现在他依然把圣光赐予其所恩选的臣民。

The poet that beautified the sect³ that was otherwise inferior to the rest saith yet excellently well:

有一派哲学在其他方面没有什么实际作用，可其中有一位诗人说了一句经典名言：

It is a pleasure to stand upon the shore and to see ships tossed upon the sea;

依在海岸边，注视着在大海中飘荡的船帆，是一件快乐的事情；

a pleasure to stand in the window of a castle and to see a battle and the adventures thereof below;

靠在城堡垛口，注视激战中的战场，也是一件快乐的事；

but no pleasure is comparable to the standing⁴ upon the vantage ground of truth, and to see the errors and wanderings and mists and tempests in the vale below;

但没有什么能赶得上站在真理的前沿，观察山谷中迷茫、薄雾与风暴，那更是叫人欢欣雀跃。

so always that this prospect⁵ be with pity, and not with swelling⁶ or pride.

并且这种期望的态度是同情，而非自满或自大。

Certainly, it is heaven upon earth to have a man’s mind move in charity, rest in providence⁷, and turn upon the poles of truth.

的确，假如一个人的想法中满是仁爱，顺应天意，走在真理的前沿，即便生活在人间，也不逊于天堂。

To pass from theological and philosophical⁸ truth to the truth of civil business:

前面讲了神学与哲学意义上的真理，现在来讨论一下日常生活中的真理。

it will be acknowledged even by those that practice it not that clear and round dealing⁹ is the honor of man’s nature;

品格恶劣、精于世故的人，也被迫接受光明正大—人类的一种崇高品德。

and that mixture of falsehood is like alloy¹⁰ in coin of gold and silver, which may make the metal work the better, but it embaseth it.

虚伪如同用金银合金制成硬币，即便可以增大金属的硬度，却贬低了其内在的真正价值。

For these winding¹¹ and crooked¹² courses are the goings of the serpent, which goeth basely upon the belly¹³, and not upon the feet.

虚伪与欺诈如同弯曲的小路，唯有走路时依靠肚腹而不是双脚的毒蛇，才选择这条道路。

There is no vice¹⁴ that doth so cover a man with shame as to be found false and perfidious¹⁵.

假如一个说谎话、背信弃义的人露出了破绽，由此带来的羞耻感是没有办法掩盖的。

And therefore Montaigne said prettily¹⁶, when he inquired the reason why the word of the lie should be such a disgrace and such an odious¹⁷ charge.

因此，蒙田在议论“谎言”一词为何如此让人厌恶时，说过这样一句至理明言：

Saith he, If it be well weighed, to say that a man lieth is as much to say as that he is brave toward God and a coward toward men.

“我们不如这样想，一个人说自己在上帝面前肆意妄为，而在凡人面前却很懦弱，这同说谎没有什么区别。”

For a lie faces God, and shrinks from man.

因为谎言可以面对上帝，却不敢面对凡人。

Surely the wickedness of falsehood and breach¹⁸ of faith cannot possibly be so highly expressed as in that it shall be the last peal¹⁹ to call the judgments²⁰ of God upon the generations of men;

当然，在描述虚伪与背信弃义的危害性时，恳求上帝对世世代代的人类进行裁决，他们无疑是最后的警钟。

it being foretold²¹ that when Christ cometh, he shall not find faith upon the earth.

人们预示：耶稣灵魂来到世上后，他在地球上不会找到丝毫信仰。

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