Narcissus; or Self-Love
Francis Bacon (1561 -- 1626)
那喀索斯----論自戀
弗蘭西斯·培根 （楊自伍 譯）
Narcissus is said to have been a young man of wonderful beauty, but intolerably proud, fastidious, and disdainful. Pleased with himself and despising all others, he led a solitary life in the woods and hunting grounds; with a few companions to whom he was all in all; followed also wherever he went by a nymph called Echo. Living thus, he came by chance one day to a clear fountain, and (being in the heart of noon) lay down by it; when beholding in the water his own image, he fell into such a study and then into such a rapturous admiration of himself, that he could not be drawn away from gazing at the shadowy picture, but remained rooted to the spot till sense left him; and at last he was changed into the flower that bears his name; and a flower which appears in the early spring; and is sacred to the infernal deities, --Pluto, Proserpine, and the Furies.
那喀索斯，人稱風度翩翩美少年，惟心性高傲錙銖必較蔑視一切，令人不堪。自我陶醉，目無余子，常年出沒于林泉獵場，優(yōu)游歲月，與世人不相往來；有鑄侶二 三，如魚得水；行蹤所至，仙女跬步不離，芳名厄科。朝夕如此，一日偶至清泉一泓，時值晌午，天氣炎熱，遂臥躺泉邊；俯觀水中倒影，始而不覺凝神觀照，繼而 自我戀慕，如癡如狂，諦視自家面貌若隱若現(xiàn)，良久不去；出神入定，有如樹木扎根，直至感覺消失；終于變作水仙，名曰那喀索斯；水仙早春開花；遂為冥府諸神 之祭品---普路托，普羅塞耳皮娜，復仇三女神。
In this fable are represented the disposition, and the fortunes too, of those persons who from consciousness either of beauty or some other gift with which unaided by any industry of their own has graced them, fall in love as it were with themselves. For with this state of mind there is commonly joined an indisposition to appear much in public or engaged in business; because business would expose them to many neglects and scorns, by which their minds would be dejected and troubled. Therefore they commonly live a solitary, private, and shadowed life; with a small circle of chosen companions, all devoted admirers, who assent like an echo to everything they say, and entertain them with mouth-homage; till being by such habits gradually depraved and puffed up, and besotted at last with self-admiration, they fall into such a sloth and listlessness that they grow utterly stupid, and lose all vigor and alacrity. And it was a beautiful thought to choose the flower of spring as an emblem of characters like this: characters which in the opening of their career flourish and are talked of, but disappoint in maturity the promise of their youth. The fact too that this flower is sacred to the infernal deities contains an allusion to the same thing. For men of this disposition turn out utterly useless and good for nothing whatever; and anything that yields no fruit, but like the way of a ship in the sea passes and leaves no trace, was by the ancients held sacred to the shades and infernal gods.
爾輩自覺造化賦予美貌，或別具天賦，故不假自身勤奮，煞有介事自戀自愛，此輩中人性情命運，寓言之中暴露無疑。如此心境者，每每無意出現(xiàn)于大庭廣眾，或以營生為務；因營生未免多受冷落鄙夷，懷抱如此心境則沮喪煩惱。故爾輩一生獨來獨往，與世睽離，黯然無光；交游挑剔，門戶狹隘，彼此五體投地，一呼眾和，同聲相應，口角春風應酬同好；習性相染，久而久之，品性淪喪，趾高氣揚，最終沉迷于自我崇拜，墜入懶散萎靡之境地，從而變得絕頂愚蠢，活力銳氣喪失殆盡。以春天水仙為同類性格之標志，堪稱妙想，事業(yè)開創(chuàng)之際一帆風順，為人稱道，風華正茂時豪情滿懷，盛年時則俱為泡影。水仙成為冥府諸神之祭品，寓意亦在于斯。如此性情者，終于毫無用處，一無所能；凡事無所結(jié)果，猶如滄海行舟，飄然而過，不留痕跡，古人遂奉為陰魂與地獄神明。
Francis Bacon (1561 -- 1626)
那喀索斯----論自戀
弗蘭西斯·培根 （楊自伍 譯）
Narcissus is said to have been a young man of wonderful beauty, but intolerably proud, fastidious, and disdainful. Pleased with himself and despising all others, he led a solitary life in the woods and hunting grounds; with a few companions to whom he was all in all; followed also wherever he went by a nymph called Echo. Living thus, he came by chance one day to a clear fountain, and (being in the heart of noon) lay down by it; when beholding in the water his own image, he fell into such a study and then into such a rapturous admiration of himself, that he could not be drawn away from gazing at the shadowy picture, but remained rooted to the spot till sense left him; and at last he was changed into the flower that bears his name; and a flower which appears in the early spring; and is sacred to the infernal deities, --Pluto, Proserpine, and the Furies.
那喀索斯，人稱風度翩翩美少年，惟心性高傲錙銖必較蔑視一切，令人不堪。自我陶醉，目無余子，常年出沒于林泉獵場，優(yōu)游歲月，與世人不相往來；有鑄侶二 三，如魚得水；行蹤所至，仙女跬步不離，芳名厄科。朝夕如此，一日偶至清泉一泓，時值晌午，天氣炎熱，遂臥躺泉邊；俯觀水中倒影，始而不覺凝神觀照，繼而 自我戀慕，如癡如狂，諦視自家面貌若隱若現(xiàn)，良久不去；出神入定，有如樹木扎根，直至感覺消失；終于變作水仙，名曰那喀索斯；水仙早春開花；遂為冥府諸神 之祭品---普路托，普羅塞耳皮娜，復仇三女神。
In this fable are represented the disposition, and the fortunes too, of those persons who from consciousness either of beauty or some other gift with which unaided by any industry of their own has graced them, fall in love as it were with themselves. For with this state of mind there is commonly joined an indisposition to appear much in public or engaged in business; because business would expose them to many neglects and scorns, by which their minds would be dejected and troubled. Therefore they commonly live a solitary, private, and shadowed life; with a small circle of chosen companions, all devoted admirers, who assent like an echo to everything they say, and entertain them with mouth-homage; till being by such habits gradually depraved and puffed up, and besotted at last with self-admiration, they fall into such a sloth and listlessness that they grow utterly stupid, and lose all vigor and alacrity. And it was a beautiful thought to choose the flower of spring as an emblem of characters like this: characters which in the opening of their career flourish and are talked of, but disappoint in maturity the promise of their youth. The fact too that this flower is sacred to the infernal deities contains an allusion to the same thing. For men of this disposition turn out utterly useless and good for nothing whatever; and anything that yields no fruit, but like the way of a ship in the sea passes and leaves no trace, was by the ancients held sacred to the shades and infernal gods.
爾輩自覺造化賦予美貌，或別具天賦，故不假自身勤奮，煞有介事自戀自愛，此輩中人性情命運，寓言之中暴露無疑。如此心境者，每每無意出現(xiàn)于大庭廣眾，或以營生為務；因營生未免多受冷落鄙夷，懷抱如此心境則沮喪煩惱。故爾輩一生獨來獨往，與世睽離，黯然無光；交游挑剔，門戶狹隘，彼此五體投地，一呼眾和，同聲相應，口角春風應酬同好；習性相染，久而久之，品性淪喪，趾高氣揚，最終沉迷于自我崇拜，墜入懶散萎靡之境地，從而變得絕頂愚蠢，活力銳氣喪失殆盡。以春天水仙為同類性格之標志，堪稱妙想，事業(yè)開創(chuàng)之際一帆風順，為人稱道，風華正茂時豪情滿懷，盛年時則俱為泡影。水仙成為冥府諸神之祭品，寓意亦在于斯。如此性情者，終于毫無用處，一無所能；凡事無所結(jié)果，猶如滄海行舟，飄然而過，不留痕跡，古人遂奉為陰魂與地獄神明。