LEIGH HUNT is an English author, born in 1784. He has written poetry and prose of a lively and interesting character, and is popular, both in England and America. The following is in his best style, and is not only interesting, but has a valuable moral.

1. WHY does not every one (who can afford it) have a geranium in his window, or some other flower? It is very cheap its cheapness is next to nothing, if you raise it from seed, or from a slip and it is a beauty and a companion. It sweetens the air, rejoices the eye, links you with nature and innocence, and is something to love. And if it can not love you in return, it can not hate you it can not utter a hateful thing even for your neglecting it for, though it is all beauty, it has no vanity and such being the case, and living as it does purely to do you good and afford pleasure, how will you be able to neglect it?

2. But, pray, if you choose a geranium, or possess but a few of them, let us persuade you to choose the scarlet kind, the "old original" geranium, and not a variety of it, not one of the numerous diversities of red and white, blue and white, ivy-leaved, etc. Those are all beautiful, and very fit to vary a large collection but to prefer them to the originals of the race, is to run the hazard of preferring the curious to the beautiful, and costliness to sound taste. It may be takenas a good general rule, that the most popular plants are the best for otherwise they would not have become such. And what the painters call "pure colors" are preferable to mixed ones, for reasons which Nature herself has given when she painted the sky of one color, and the fields of another, and divided the rainbow itself into a few distinct colors, and made the red rose the queen of fowers.

3. Every thing is handsome about the geranium, not excepting its name which can not be said of all fowers, though we get to love ugly words when associated with pleasing ideas. The word "geranium" is soft and pleasant the meaning is poor, for it comes from a Greek word which signifes a crane, the fruit having the form of a crane's head or bill. Cranesbill is the English name for geranium, though the learned appellation has superseded the vernacular. But what a reason for naming the fower! as if the fruit were any thing in comparison, or any one cared about it. Such distinctions, it is true, are useful to botanists, but as a plenty of learned names are sure to be reserved for the freemasonry of the science, it would be well for the world at large to invent joyous and beautiful names for these images of joy and beauty. In some instances we have them such as heartsease, honeysuckle, marigold, mignonette, (little darling,) daisy, (day's eye,) etc. And many flowers are so lovely, and have associated names, otherwise unmeaning, so pleasantly with one's memory, that no new ones would sound so well, or seem even to have such proper signifcations.

4. In pronouncing the words lilies, roses, tulips, pinks, jonquils, we see the things themselves, and seem to taste all their beauty and sweetness. Pink is a harsh, petty word in itself, and yet assuredly it does not seem so for in the word we have the flower. It would be diffcult to persuade ourselves, that the word rose is not very beautiful. Pea is a poor, Chinese-like monosyllable and brier is rough and ferce, as it ought to be but when we think of sweet-pea and sweet-brier, the words appear quite worthy of their epithets. The poor monosyllable becomes rich in sweetness and appropriation, the rougher dissyllable also and the sweeter for its contrast.

5. The names of fowers, in general, among the polite, are neither pretty in themselves, nor give us information. The country people are apt to do them more justice. Goldylocks, ladies’ fingers, rose-a-ruby, shepherd's clock, shepherd's purse, sauce-alone, scarlet runners, sops-in-wine, sweet-william, etc., give us some ideas, either useful or pleasant. But from the peasantry come many uncongenial names, as bad as those of the botanist. It is a pity that all fruits and fowers, and animals too, except those with good names, could not be passed in review before somebody with a genius for christening, as the creatures did before Adam in paradise, and so have new names given them, worthy of their creation.

6. Suppose flowers themselves were new! Suppose they had just come into the world, a sweet reward for some new goodness, and that we had not yet seen them quite developed, that they were in the act of growing had just issued, with their green stalks, out of the ground, and engaged the attention of the curious. Imagine what we should feel when we saw the first lateral stem bearing off from the main one, or putting forth a leaf. How we should watch the leaf gradually unfolding its little graceful hand then another, then another then the main stalk rising and producing more then one of them giving indications of astonishing novelty—a bud! then this mysterious bud gradually unfolding, like the leaf, amazing us, enchanting us, almost alarming us with delight, as if we knew not what enchantment were to ensue, till at length, in all its fairy beauty, and odorous voluptuousness, and mysterious elaboration of tender and living sculpture, shone forth—

"The bright consummate fower!”

7. Yet this phenomenon, to a person of any thought and lovingness, is what may be said to take place every day for the commonest objects are wonders at which habit has made us cease to wonder, and the marvelousness of which we may renew at pleasure, by taking thought. Last spring, walking near some cultivated grounds, and seeing a multitude of green stalks peeping forth, we amused ourselves with imagining them the plumes or other head gear of fairies, and wondered what faces might ensue:and from this exercise of the fancy, we fell to considering how true, and not merely fanciful, those speculations were what a perpetual reproduction of the marvelous was carried on by Nature how utterly ignorant we were of the causes of the least and most disesteemed of the commonest vegetables, and what a quantity of life, and beauty, and mystery, and use, and enjoyment, was to be found in them, composed of all sorts of elements, and shaped as if by the hands of fairies. What workmanship with no apparent workman! A tree grows up, and at the tips of his rugged, dark fingers he puts forth,—round, smooth, and shining delicately,—the golden apple, or the cheek-like beauty of the peach.

8. The other day we were in a garden where Indian corn was growing, and some of the ears were plucked to show us. First, one leaf or sheath was picked off, then another, a third, a fourth, and so on, as if a fruit seller were unpacking his papers and at last we came, in the inside, to the grains of corn, packed into cucumber shapes of pale gold, and each of them pressed and fattened against each other, as if some human hand had been doing it in the caverns of the earth. BUT WHAT HAND?

9. The same that made the poor, yet rich hand (for is it not his workmanship also?) that is tracing these marveling lines and if it does not tremble to say so, it is because love sustains, and because the heart also is a flower which has a right to be tranquil in the garden of the All-wise.

(FROM LEIGH HUNT)

中文阅读

利·亨特是英国作家，生于1784年。他的诗歌、散文以生动有趣著称，在英国和美国都家喻户晓，备受欢迎。下面的作品就是他优秀的代表作之一，不仅风趣，而且寓意深刻。

1. 为什么不是每个人（如果负担得起的话）都将一盆天竺葵或是别的花卉摆放在窗前呢？天竺葵价格便宜，如果你种下花籽或是移栽的话，最便宜的养花方式几乎不用破费一分一厘。花卉带给人们美的享受，同时也是人们的好伴侣。它淡雅清香，净化空气，使人赏心悦目、临近自然、净化心灵，值得为人所爱。就算它不能够以爱来回报你，它起码不会恨你。即使你忽视了它的存在，它也不会说出憎恨你的话来，因为虽然它美丽至极，却不自大虚荣。事实既然如此，那么花就是为你而存在，带给你快乐的，你怎么还会忽视花的存在呢？

2. 但是，如果你选择天竺葵，或是想拥有几株的话，那么，请你选择那种“老式的”猩红色的天竺葵，而不要选择其他色彩斑斓的品种——红白色、蓝白色、常春藤颜色等，那些花都很漂亮，非常适合大量搜集，可是，唯独青睐原始品种的话就会有争奇猎艳、以价格决定品位之嫌。通常的规则是：最受欢迎的植物就是最好的植物，否则其怎么会受欢迎呢？画家们所谓的“纯色”，要比混色更受欢迎，原因在于自然女神将天空渲染成单色，让田野呈现出了另外一种颜色，她将彩虹分成几种鲜明的颜色，使红玫瑰成为花中之王。

3. 除了名字之外，天竺葵完美至极，这可不是其他的花卉能够拥有的，尽管当我们要把它与美好的概念联系起来的时候，需得爱上丑陋的字眼。“天竺葵”这个词听起来温婉悦耳，意思却是“贫穷”。它来源于古希腊语，表示“鹤”的意思，指的是一种具有鹤头或鹤嘴形状的果实。“牻牛儿苗科”是天竺葵的英语名称，这一学名已经代替了这种植物的俗名，但是用它来命名鲜花却闻所未闻！似乎这果实是所有事物、所有人都可以用来比喻的，都可以喜欢的。的确，这样的显著区别对植物学家来说是有用的，但是，为了进行科学研究，大量学名被保留了下来，那么，从世界整体来说，为这样想象中赏心悦目的美丽花朵取上可心动人的名字那是再好不过了，例如三色堇、金银花、万寿菊、木犀草（小可爱——丰花月季）、雏菊（白昼的眼睛）等等。许多花朵是那么的可爱，也拥有与之相配的名字，否则就失去了意义。在人的记忆中存在这么美好的回忆，而任何新名字都无法将其替代，这似乎具有极其重要的意义。

4. 读着“百合、玫瑰、郁金香、石竹、长寿花”这样的词汇，我们便会望文生义，体味它们的美丽与清香。“石竹”这个词，本身意味着粗糙、卑微，但是这种植物本身自然并非如此，因为这个词描述的是一种花卉。要说服我们自己去相信玫瑰花并不是特别漂亮并非易事。“豌豆”，是一种低劣的植物，英文发音听起来像汉语的单音节词。“野蔷薇”，听起来应该是一种粗野的植物。可是如果我们想到“香豌豆”“多花蔷薇”，这样的词似乎才能够匹配它的品质。卑劣的单音节词因此变得香气扑鼻、身价倍增，那些更为粗糙的双音节词也是如此，相形之下变得更加馨香扑鼻。

5. 总之，客气地说，这些花朵的名字本身并不美，也不会给我们提供信息。乡下人更倾向于公正地对待它们。羊齿、女人的手指（一种短型香蕉）、红宝石玫瑰、牧羊人的时钟（特徽）、荠菜、单酱汁、猩红色飞人、葡萄酒蘸面包、美女罂粟等等，这些花卉的名字使我们产生语义联想，很实用，也会让人心旷神怡。但是农民们给它们取了一些旨趣不相投的名字，就像植物学家取的名字一样差劲儿。可惜，除却那些拥有好听名字的植物，其他所有的果实、花卉以及动物，都不能在为它们执行命名仪式的人面前重新斟酌一下自己的名字，这正像亚当入住伊甸园之前，其他生物也是如此。只有给它们取新的名字，才配得上这些天地的产物。

6. 假设花朵是全新的，作为送给一些新来的仙女的奖赏，我们还没有看到它们的成长，它们刚刚来到这个世界，刚刚开始发芽，嫩绿的芽苗刚刚破土而出，吸引了人们好奇的眼睛。想象一下，当我们看到第一根枝丫从主干中抽出，或者是长出一片绿叶，我们会有怎样的心境呢？我们是怎样看着这绿叶慢慢地展开它那纤嫩优雅的小手，接着是又一只手，再接下来是另一只手……然后主干一节节拔高，长出更多的枝杈，接着它们其中之一带给我们惊喜———一朵花蕾！然后这美妙的花蕾慢慢地绽开，就像那绿叶。这太让人惊叹了，我们的心都醉了，它几乎是用喜悦来警醒我们，似乎我们还不知道接下来会发生怎样让人痴让人醉的事情，直到最终，这件美若天仙、香气扑鼻、巧夺天工、纤巧而活生生的工艺品绽放开来——“完美而鲜亮的花朵”！

7. 然而这种现象，可能会被称为天天都会发生的常见的事。而对于具有思想以及有所钟爱的人来说，这些最普通的事物就是奇迹，而习惯使我们不再认为它们是奇迹。通过思考，它的奇妙之处可以随心所欲地更改。去年春天，走在耕田边上，看着那么多的嫩苗偷偷地从土里钻了出来，我们觉得很有趣，猜测着它们是仙女的羽毛饰品或是头饰，猜测着接下来它们会长成什么样子；这梦幻般的经历，引发我们进行思考。这不仅仅是幻想而已，这些思考是十分真实的。大自然赋予这世界永恒的生命，真是不可思议。我们去轻视或敬仰最普通的植物，那是多么的愚蠢啊！从这些植物中，我们会发现生命的真谛，发现什么是美，美的奥妙是什么，美有什么用途，以及美会带来一些什么样的享受。所有这一切构成了世间的种种，就像出自仙女之手——这是没有匠人的工艺！一棵树在成长，那粗壮、黝黑的指尖破土而出，慢慢地长得圆圆的，光滑滑的，闪亮亮的，直到最后结出金苹果，或是宛若人面的粉色桃子。

8. 有一天，我们走进果园，那里种着印第安玉米。有人摘下几穗儿来给我们瞧，先剥下一片叶子来，或者叫它外皮，接着剥下第二片、第三片、第四片……卖主好像是在展开报纸一样，最后，我们看到了里面的玉米粒，密密地挤在一起，像条红金色的黄瓜。每粒玉米粒都紧密而平整地挤压在一起，像是有人用手在地下的洞穴中把它们码在一起似的，这是一双什么样的手啊？

9. 同样是那双贫穷却也富有的手（这不正是他的手艺吗？）循着那些令人惊叹的路子，如果能够这样说出来而声音毫不颤抖，那是因为爱的支撑，因为心灵也是一朵花，等候在这睿智的花园中静静地开放。

（利·亨特） zczNxi/vFOErvxhTNcc9or+ABuG/PZ82gm3537KXgpI27u9ScvA83/egKyLuZ3sM