Of Beauty

 

Francis Bacon

 

(1561-1626)

 

VIRTUE is like a rich stone, best plain set; and surely virtue is best, in a body that is comely, though not of delicate features; and that hath rather dignity of presence, than beauty of aspect4. Neither is it almost seen, that very beautiful persons are otherwise of great virtue; as if nature were rather busy, not to err, than in labor to produce excellency. And therefore they prove accomplished, but not of great spirit; and study rather behavior, than virtue. 

 

But this holds not always: for Augustus Caesar, Titus Vespasianus, Philip le Belle of France, Edward the Fourth of England, Alcibiades of Athens, Ismael the Sophy of Persia, were all high and great spirits; and yet the most beautiful men of their times. In beauty, that of favor, is more than that of color; and that of decent and gracious motion, more than that of favor. That is the best part of beauty, which a picture cannot express; no, nor the first sight of the life. 

 

There is no excellent beauty, that hath not some strangeness in the proportion. A man cannot tell whether Apelles, or Albert Durer, were the more trifler; whereof the one, would make a personage by geometrical proportions; the other, by taking the best parts out of divers faces, to make one excellent. Such personages, I think, would please nobody, but the painter that made them. Not but I think a painter may make a better face than ever was; but he must do it by a kind of felicity (as a musician that maketh an excellent air in music), and not by rule. 

 

A man shall see faces, that if you examine them part by part, you shall find never a good; and yet altogether do well. If it be true that the principal part of beauty is in decent motion, certainly it is no marvel, though persons in years seem many times more amiable; pulchrorum autumnus pulcher; for no youth can be comely but by pardon, and considering the youth, as to make up the comeliness. 

 

Beauty is as summer fruits, which are easy to corrupt, and cannot last; and for the most part it makes a dissolute youth, and an age a little out of countenance; but yet certainly again, if it light well, it maketh virtue shine, and vices blush.

 

论美貌

弗朗西斯•培根

徐英才译

美德如宝石。宝石者，非素雅之镶嵌不能尽显其光彩。故尽显美德之光彩者，俊雅而非娇艳也、端庄而非仅仅美艳之身躯也。然，大美之人中鲜见美德者，仿佛造化忙不择优，为求无过而舍求至美。此何为美人虽有相貌但乏品性，重外表而轻美德也。

然，此非恒理，奥古斯都•凯撒大帝、提图斯•威斯帕咸努斯大帝、法王菲利普、英王爱德华四世、雅典人阿尔西巴阿底斯、波斯王伊斯迈耳皆属其时代品性高尚且相貌极美之人。就美而言，自然优于打扮，端庄、优雅胜于自然。此系美中极品，非绘画所能表达，非一目而能了然。

大美者，其骨骼比例自有某些特征。阿佩利斯与艾伯特•丢勒一样荒唐，此二者，一人按几何比例、一人取数人面部最佳部位绘极品之美像。而吾以为，此法造像，除画工本人，无人垂爱。此非意指画工无法画出前所未有之好像；而仅指，画工作画不能循规蹈矩，而必须巧思妙创（恰似乐工创作美音那样）。

容貌，分而察之，难以悦目；合而观之，却能赏心。若美貌实出于端庄，温文尔雅之气质随年岁倍增则不足为奇。谚曰：“美哉，金秋！”故，若非仗其青春优势，若非观者宽心以待，青年无俊者。

美貌似夏日之鲜果，易腐，难存；美貌常使青春放浪，老年出格。当然，无须重申，如其辉映美德，必使其增色；如其光照恶行，定使其愧疚。