培根散文随笔集中英对照，通过阅读文学名著学语言，是掌握英语的绝佳方法。既可接触原汁原味的英语，又能享受文学之美，一举两得，何乐不为?

2 Of Death 论死亡

Men fear death, as children fear to go in the dark: and as that natural fear in children is increased with tales, so is the other. Certainly, the contemplation of death, as the wages of sin, and passage to another world, is holy and religious; but the fear of it, as a tribute due unto nature, is weak. Yet in religious meditations, there is sometimes mixture of vanity, and of superstition.

成人之怕死犹如儿童之怕入暗处;儿童底天然的恐惧因故事而增加，成人对于死的恐惧亦复如此。当然，静观死亡，以之为罪孽底工资，通往另一世界的去路者，是虔诚而且合乎宗教的;但是恐惧死亡，以之为我们对自然应纳的贡献，则是愚弱的。然而在宗教的沉思中有时亦杂有虚妄和迷信

You shall read, in some of the friars' books of mortifications, that a man should think with himself, what the pain is, if he have but his finger's end pressed, or tortured; and thereby imagine, what the pains of death are, when the whole body is corrupted and dissolved; when many times, death passeth with less pain, then the torture of a limb: for the most vital parts are not the quickest of sense. And by him, that spoke only as a philosopher and natural man, it was well said; pompa mortis magis terret, quam mars ipsa. Groans and convulsions, and a discoloured face, and friends weeping, and blacks, and obsequies, and the like, show death terrible. It is worthy the observing, that there is no passion in the mind of man so weak, but it mates, and masters, the fear of death: and therefore death is no such terrible enemy, when a man hath so many attendants about him that can win the combat of him. Revenge triumphs over death; love slights it; honour aspireth to it; grief flieth to it; fear preoccupieth it; nay we read, after Otho the Emperor had slain himself, pity (which is the tenderest of affections) provoked many to die, out of mere compassion to their sovereign, and as the truest sort of followers. Nay, Seneca adds niceness and satiety; cogita quarn diu. eadem feceris; mori velle, non tantun fortis, out miser, sed etiam fastidiosus potest.

在某种苦行僧底自戒书中你可以看到一种言辞，说是一个人应当自己思量，假如他有一指底末端被压或被刑，其痛苦是如何;由此再想那使人全身腐败溃灭的死亡其痛苦更当如何。实则有多次死亡底经过比一肢之受刑其痛苦尚轻：因为人体最生死攸关的器官并不是最敏于感受的器官也。那位仅以人间哲学家及世人之一的资格说话的古人说得很好：“与死亡俱来的一切，比死亡更骇人”。呻吟与痉挛，变色的面目，朋友哭泣，墨绖及葬仪，诸如此类都显得死底可怕。值得注意者，是人心内的各种感情，无论多么薄弱，没有一种是不能克服对死亡的恐怖的;既然一个人身旁有这样多的侍从，都能打败死亡，可见死亡不算是那样可怕的敌人了。复仇之心胜过死亡;爱恋之心蔑视之;荣誉之心希冀之;忧伤之心奔赴之;恐怖之心先期之;不特如此，我们在书中还读到奥陶大帝自杀之后哀怜之心(感情中之最柔者)使得许多人也死了，他们之死是为了对他们底君上的同情并且要做最忠心的臣子的原故。此外塞奈喀还加上了苛求和厌倦两事。他说：“试想你做同样的事已有多久!不止勇者和贫困者想死，即厌倦无聊者亦想死亡”

A man would die, though he were neither valiant, nor miserable, only upon a weariness to do the same thing, so oft over and over. It is no less worthy to observe, how little alteration, in good spirits, die approaches of death make; for they appear to be the same men, till the last instant Augustus Caesar died in a compliment; Livia, coniugii nostri memor, vive et vale. Tiberius in dissimulation; as Tacitus saith of him; mm Tiberium vires, et corpus, non dissimulatio, deserebant. Vespasian in a jest; sitting upon the stool, ut puto deus fio. Galba with a sentence;feri', si ex re sit populi Romani, holding forth his neck. Septimius Severus in dispatch; adeste,si quid mihi restat agendum. And the like. Certainly, the Stoics bestowed too much cost upon death, and by their great preparations, made it appear more fearful. Better saith he, qui finem vitae extremism inter munera ponat naturae. It is as natural to die, as to be born; and to a little infant, perhaps, the one is as painful as the other. He that dies in an earnest pursuit, is like one that is wounded in hot blood; who, for the time, scarce feels the hurt;and therefore, a mind fixed, and bent upon somewhat that is good, doth avert me dolours of death: but above all, believe it, the sweetest canticle is, minc difmittis; when a man hath obtained worthy ends, and expectations.

一个人虽然既不勇敢，也不困穷，然而为了倦于屡次作同一的事，也会寻死的。同样值得注意者，是死底来临在豪杰之士底心上所引起的改变是如何地小，因为这些人好象到了最后的一刹那仍然是依然故我似的。奥古斯塔斯大帝死时还在赞颂他底皇后：“永别了，里维亚，请你终身不要忘记我们婚后生活底时光”。泰比瑞亚斯至死仍然作伪，如史家泰西塔斯所谓：“泰比瑞亚斯底体力日渐衰退，但他底作伪如故”。外斯帕显死时还说笑话;他坐在一个凳子上说：“我想我正在变神哪”。加尔巴临死作壮语说：“砍罢!假如这是有益于罗马人民的”。一边说着一边伸颈就死。塞普谛米犹斯·塞外拉斯死得爽快。他说：“假如还有什么我应该做的事，快点来吧”。诸如此类。那些画廊派的哲学家把死底价值抬得太高了，并且因为他们对于死准备过甚，遂使死在人看起来更为可怕。“他把生命底终结算做自然底恩惠之一”。说这句话的那人比较说得对的多了。死与生同其自然;也许在一个婴儿方面生与死是一般痛苦的。在某种热烈的行为中死了的人有如在血液正热的时候受伤的人一样，当时是不觉得痛楚的;所以一个坚定的，一心向善的心智是能免死底痛苦的。但是，尤要者，请你相信，最甜美的歌就是在一个人已经达到了某种有价值的目的和希望后所唱的“如今请你让你底仆人离去”。

Death hath this also; that it openeth the gate to good fame, and extinguisheth envy. - exstinctus amabitur idem.

死还有这一点;就是它打开名誉之门，熄灭妒忌之心。“生时受人妒羡的人死后将受人爱”。培根散文随笔集中英对照，通过阅读文学名著学语言，是掌握英语的绝佳方法。既可

接触原汁原味的英语，又能享受文学之美，一举两得，何乐不为?