哦，时代！哦，风尚！

哦，时代！哦，风尚！依我之见你们正在可悲地改变你们的主权——我说风尚的流行早已是流水落花，因人已没有风尚，或至少世风日下；至于说时代，尽管许多人众口一词，说“美好的往昔”是最糟的日子，虽然我笃信这至理名言的每个字母，可我仍认为今朝比往昔稍有不如。

我是一种思想——这难道不是格言？——我喜欢你的北方腔调和北方习惯——我是一种思想，不管怎样做最好，是严肃对待人生，还是把人生当玩笑；是学赫拉克利特，那个严厉的老翁，像他一样哭泣，直哭得两眼红肿；还是跟着他笑，那个奇怪的哲人，色雷斯的德谟克利特，笑对人生，他常翻开人生之书，对着折页发笑，仿佛要说“干吗，究竟有谁会在乎？”

This is a question which,oh heaven,withdrawThe luckless query from a member's claw!Instead of two sides,Job has nearly eight,Each fit to furnish forth four hours debate.What shall be done?I'll lay it on the table,And take the matter up when I'm more able;And,in the meantime,to prevent all bother,I'll neither laugh with one,nor cry with t'other,Nor deal in flatt'ry or aspersions foul,But,taking one by each hand,merely growl.

Ah,growl,say you,my friend,and pray at what?Why,really,sir,I almost had forgot—But,damn it,sir,I deem it a disgraceThat things should stare us boldly in the face,And daily strut the street with bows and scrapes,Who would be men by imitating apes.I beg your pardon,reader,for the oath.

The monkeys make me swear,though something loath;I'm apt to be discursive in my style,But pray be patient;yet a little whileWill change me,and as politicians do,I'll mend my manners and my measures too.

Of all the cities—and I've seen no few;

For I have travelled,friend,as well as you—

I don't remember one,upon my soul,

哦，天啊，就是这一个问号，把世人那个不幸的问题一笔勾销！不是两问，约伯几乎有八问，每问都应该花上四小时来辩争。那我该怎么办？先把问题搁一边，待我有能力解答时再回过头来看；而与此同时，我将避开一切烦扰，既不跟着人哭，也不跟着人笑，既不诬蔑诽谤，也不阿谀奉承，而是一手拉一个，只是愤愤不平。

啊哈，我的朋友，你愤愤不平什么？哟，真的，先生，我几乎已忘却——可真该死，先生，我认为那真丢脸，那些家伙竟厚颜无耻盯着咱们看，终日在街头招摇，还不时点头哈腰，那些家伙肯定是学人模样的活宝。我请求读者原谅，原谅我出言不逊，虽说不情愿，可那些猴子使我骂人；我的作风很容易变得自由散漫，但请稍安勿躁，只需一点点时间，我就会像政客们一样摇身一变，恢复我的风度举止和行为规范。

在所有的城市中——我见过不少人；因为，朋友，我和你一样爱旅行——可现在我脑海中一个也想不起。

But take it generally upon the whole,(As Members say they like their logick taken,Because divided,it may chance be shaken)So pat,agreeable and vastly properAs this for a neat,frisky counter—hopper;Here he may revel to his heart's content,Flounce like a fish in his own element,Toss back his fine curls from their forehead fair,And hop o'er counters with a Vester's air,Complete at night what he began A.M.,And having cheated ladies,dance with them;For,at a ball,what fair one can escapeThe pretty little hand that sold her tape,Or who so cold,so callous to refuseThe youth who cut theribbon for her shoes!

One of these fish,par excellence the beau—

God help me!—it has been my lot to know,At least by sight,for I'm a timid man,And always keep from laughing,if I can;But speak to him,he'll make you such grimace,Lord!to be grave exceeds the power of face.The hearts of all the ladies are with him,Their bright eyes on his Tom and Jerry brimAnd dove—tailed coat,obtained at cost;while thenThose eyes won't turn on anything like men.

不过干脆就把他们视为一个整体。（就像有人喜欢他的逻辑保持囫囵，因为一旦被分解，很可能一文不名）如此恰当，如此相宜，如此方便，把这整体比作一个精明活跃的老板，在这世上他沉迷于他心灵的满足，活蹦欢跳如鱼得水，如渴者逢甘露，从优雅的额前把美丽的卷发向后一甩，纵身跳过柜台，以大老板的气派，在夜间来完成他上午开始的任务，骗一个个夫人小姐与他翩翩共舞；因为在舞场上哪位淑女能逃走，从那双卖给她火酒的漂亮小手；或谁会那么无情，竟忍心推辞，撕绶带为她系鞋的年轻绅士！

这些鱼中的一条，杰出的花花公子——愿上帝助我——我注定与他相识，至少见过他，因为我生性害臊，只要能够忍住，我总是忍住不笑；但对他说话，他会对你扮个鬼脸，主啊！那鬼脸的魅力超过了庄严。所有女人的芳心都跟着他转悠，她们明亮的眼中也溢满他的甜酒，还有他那身价格昂贵的燕尾服，除此之外她们对谁都不屑一顾。

His very voice is musical delight,His form,once seen,becomes a part of sight;In short,his shirt collar,his look,his tone isThe“beau ideal”fancied for Adonis.Philosophers have often held disputeAs to the seat of thought in man and brute;For that the power of thought attends the latterMy friend,the beau,hath made a settled matter,And spite of all dogmas,current in all ages,One settled fact is better than ten sages.

For he does think,though I'm oft in doubt

If I can tell exactly what about.

Ah,yes!his little foot and ankle trim,

there the seat of reason lies in him,

A wise philosopher would shake his head,

He then,of course,must shake his foot instead.

At me,in vengeance,shall that foot be shaken—

Another proof of thought,I'm not mistaken—Because to his cat's eyes I hold a glass,And let him see himself,a proper ass!I think he'll take this likeness to himself,But if he won't,he shall,a stupid elf,And,lest the guessing throw the fool in fits,I close the portrait with the name of PITTS.

他那悦耳的声音像音乐一样动听，他那我曾见过的身躯已成为一景；他的衣领、容貌、风度，总而言之，就像是阿多尼，理想中美的极致。哲学家们从来就争论不休，何处是思想之寓所，于人于兽；由于思想的力量伴随着后者，我漂亮的朋友已把这问题解决，虽说有无数定理世世代代流传，但一个解决的问题胜过十个圣贤。

因为他就爱思想，尽管我常疑惑是否我能说出他到底在想些什么。啊，对啦！在想他的脚和脚踝，对他来说那儿就是智慧的寓所，一个睿智的哲学家只会摇头晃脑，而他，则肯定会把脚甩得老高。为了报复，那只脚将向我甩来——

又一个思想的证明，我不会误解——

因为我把镜子凑到他猫眼跟前，让他照一照自己，一个十足的笨蛋！我想他会为自己把这幅肖像画成，但如果他不画，他将是愚蠢的精灵，而且，唯恐猜测惹得这傻瓜发脾气，我来完成这幅肖像，以皮茨的名字。

To Margaret

Who hath seduced thee to this foul revolt From the pure well of Beauty undefiled?So banished from true wisdom to prefer Such squalid wit to honourable rhyme?To write?To scribble?Nonsense and no

more?I will not write upon this argument To write is human—not to write divine.

Milton Par.Lost.Bk.I Somebody

Cowper's Task,Book I

Shakespeare do.Troilus&Cressida Pope Essay on Man