Of Youth and Age 论青年与老年 中英对照

OfYouthandAge论青年与老年中英对照弗朗西斯培根FrancisBacon AMANthatisyounginyears,maybeoldinhours,ifhehavelostnotime.Butthathappenethrarely.Generally,youthislikethefirstcogitations,notsowiseasthesecond.Forthereisayouthinthoughts,aswellasinages.Andyettheinventionofyoungmen,ismorelivelythanthatofold;andimaginationsstreamintotheirmindsbetter,and,asitwere,moredivinely.Naturesthathavemuchheat,andgreatandviolentdesiresandperturbations,arenotripeforaction,tilltheyhavepassedthemeridianoftheiryears;asitwaswithJuliusCaesarandSeptimiusSeverus.Ofthelatter,ofwhomitissaid,Juventutemegiterroribus,imofuroribus,plenam.Andyethewastheablestemperor,almost,ofallthelist.Butreposednaturesmaydowellinyouth.AsitisseeninAugustusCaesar,CosmusDukeofFlorence,GastondeFoix,andothers.Ontheotherside,heatandvivacityinage,isanexcellentcompositionforbusiness.Youngmenarefittertoinvent,thantojudge;fitterforexecution,thanforcounsel;andfitterfornewprojects,thanforsettledbusiness.Fortheexperienceofage,inthingsthatfallwithinthecompassofit,directeththem;butinnewthings,abuseththem.一个年岁不大的人也可以是富于经验的，假如他不曾虚度生活的话；然而这毕竟是罕有的事。一般说来，青年人富于“直觉”，而老年人则长于“深思”。这两者在深刻和正确性上是有着显著差别的。青年的特别是富于创造性，想象力也纯洁而灵活。这似乎是得之于神助的。然而，热情炽烈而情绪敏感的人往往要在中年以后方成大器，尤恺撒和塞维拉斯①就是明显的例证。曾有人评论后一位说：“他曾度过一个荒谬的——甚至是疯狂的青春”。然而他后来成为罗马皇帝中极杰出的一位。少年老成、性格稳健的人则往往青春时代就可成大器，奥古斯都大帝、卡斯曼斯大公、卡斯顿勋爵②即是如此。另一方面，对于老人来说，保持住热情和活力则是难能可贵的。青年人长于创造而短于思考，长于猛干而短于讨论，长于革新而短于守成。老年人的经验，引导他们熟悉旧事物，却蒙蔽他们无视新情况。Theerrorsofyoungmen,aretheruinofbusiness;buttheerrorsofagedmen,amountbuttothis,thatmoremighthavebeendone,orsooner.Youngmen,intheconductandmanageofactions,embracemorethantheycanhold;stirmorethantheycanquiet;flytotheend,withoutconsiderationofthemeansanddegrees;pursuesomefewprinciples,whichtheyhavechanceduponabsurdly;carenottoinnovate,whichdrawsunknowninconveniences;useextremeremediesatfirst;and,thatwhichdoublethallerrors,willnotacknowledgeorretractthem;likeanunreadyhorse,thatwillneitherstopnorturn.Menofageobjecttoomuch,consulttoolong,adventuretoolittle,repenttoosoon,andseldomdrivebusinesshometothefullperiod,butcontentthemselveswithamediocrityofsuccess.Certainlyitisgoodtocompoundemploymentsofboth;forthatwillbegoodforthepresent,becausethevirtuesofeitherage,maycorrectthedefectsofboth;andgoodforsuccession,thatyoungmenmaybelearners,whilemeninageareactors;and,lastly,goodforexternaccidents,becauseauthorityfollowetholdmen,andfavorandpopularity,youth.Butforthemoralpart,perhapsyouthwillhavethepre-eminence,asagehathforthepolitic.Acertainrabbin,uponthetext,Youryoungmenshallseevisions,andyouroldmenshalldreamdreams,inferreththatyoungmen,areadmittednearertoGodthanold,becausevision,isaclearerrevelation,thanadream.Andcertainly,themoreamandrinkethoftheworld,themoreitintoxicateth;andagedothprofitratherinthepowersofunderstanding,thaninthevirtuesofthewillandaffections.Therebesome,haveanover-earlyripenessintheiryears,whichfadethbetimes.Theseare,first,suchashavebrittlewits,theedgewhereofissoonturned;suchaswasHermogenestherhetorician,whosebooksareexceedingsubtle;whoafterwardswaxedstupid.Asecondsort,isofthosethathavesomenaturaldispositionswhichhavebettergraceinyouth,thaninage;suchasisafluentandluxuriantspeech;whichbecomesyouthwell,butnotage:soTullysaithofHortensius,Idemmanebat,nequeidemdecebat.Thethirdisofsuch,astaketoohighastrainatthefirst,andaremagnanimous,morethantractofyearscanuphold.AswasScipioAfricanus,ofwhomLivysaithineffect,Ultimaprimiscedebant. 青年人敏锐果敢，但行事轻率却可能毁坏大局。青年的性格如同不羁的野马，藐视既往，目空一切，好走极端。勇于革新而不去估量实际的条件和可能性，结果常因浮躁而改革不成却招致意外的麻烦。老年人则正相反。他们常常满足于困守已成之局，思考多于行动，议论多于决断。为事后不后悔，宁肯事前不冒险。因此，最好的是把青年的特点与老年的特点在事业上结合在一起。这样，他们各自的优点正好弥补了对方的缺点。从现在的角度说，他们的所长可以互补他们各自的所短。从发展的角度说，青年可以从老年身上学到他们所不具的经验。而从社会的角度说，有经验的老人执事令人放心，而青年人的干劲则鼓舞人心。但是，如果说，老人的经验是可贵的，那么青年人的纯真则是崇高的。《圣经》说：“你们中的年轻人将见到天国，而你们中的老人则只能作梦。”有一位“拉比”（犹太牧师）解释这话说：上帝认为青年比老年更接近他，因为希望总比幻梦切实一些。要知道，世情如酒，越浓越醉人——年龄越大，则在世故增长的同时却愈会丧失正直纯真的感情。早熟的人往往凋谢也早。不足为训的是如下三种人。第一种，是在智力上开发太早的人。小时了了，大未必佳。例如修辞学家赫摩格尼斯③就是如此。他少年时候就写出美妙的著作，但中年以后却成了白痴。第二种，是那种毕生不税稚气的老顽童。正如西塞罗所批评的赫腾修斯④，他早已该成熟却一直幼稚。第三种，是志在才疏的人。年轻时拒负很大，晚年却不足为训。像西兹阿·阿非利卡就是如此。⑤所以历史学家李维批评他：“一生事业有始有终。”