佚名/Anonymous
There is a certain delicacy of passion to which some people are subj ect that makes them extremely sensible to all the accidents of life,and gives them a lively joy up on every prosperous event,as well as a pierc ing a grief when they meet with crosses and adversity.Favours and good offices easily engage their friendship,while the smallest injury provok es their resentment.Any honour or mark of distinction elevates them abo ve measure;but they are as sensibly touched with contempt.People of th is character have,no doubt,more lively enjoyments,as well as more pun gent sorrows,than men of more cool and sedate tempers.But,I believe,when every thing is balanced,there is no one that would not rather chos e to be of the latter character,were he entirely master of his own disp osition.Good or ill fortune is very little at our disposal and when a p erson that has this sensibility of temper meets with any misfortune,his sorrow or resentment takes entire possession of him,and deprives him of all relish in the common occurrences of life,the right enjoyment of whi ch forms the greatest part of our happiness.Great pleasures are much le ss frequent than great pains,so that a sensible temper must meet with f ewer trials in the former way than in the latter.
There is a delicacy of taste observable in some men,which very much resembles this delicacy of passion,and produces the same sensibility to beauty and deformity of every kind,as that does to prosperity and adver sity,obligations and injuries.When you present a poem or a picture to a man possessed of this talent,the delicacy of his feelings or sentimen ts makes him be touched very sensibly by every part of it;nor are the m asterly strokes perceived with a more exquisite relish and satisfaction,than the negligences or absurdities with disgust and uneasiness.A polit e and judicious conversation affords him the highest entertainment.R udeness or impertinence is as great a punishment to him.In short,delic acy of taste has the same effect as delicacy of passion:it enlarges th e sphere both of our happiness and misery,and makes us sensible to pain s as well as pleasures that escape the rest of mankind.
I believe,however,there is no one who will not agree with me,that notwithstanding this resemblance,a delicacy of taste is as much to be d esired and cultivated,as a delicacy of passion is to be lamented,and t o be remedied,if possible.Every wise man will endeavour to place his h appiness on such objects as depend most upon himself and that is not to be attained so much by any other means as by this delicacy of sentiment.When a man is possessed of that talent,he is more happy by what please s his taste,than by what gratifies his appetites,and receives more enj oyment from a poem,or a piece of reasoning,than the most expensive lux ury can afford.
世界上有些人受控於一種細膩的**，他們會對生活中的每件事極為敏感。他們會為每一件愉悅的事歡呼雀躍，也會為遭遇的挫折和不幸悲痛欲絕。小恩小惠能輕易贏得他們的友誼，同樣，即使是再小的傷害也會招來他們的憎恨。任何榮耀或顯赫的頭銜都會讓他們忘乎所以，但他們也會極為敏感地感受到輕蔑。與那種性格平和、穩重的人比起來，這種性格的人無疑會感受到更多的快樂，同時也會感受到更深的痛苦。但是，我相信，如果一個人可以完全控製自己的性格取向，當一切和諧時，沒有人願意選擇後一種性格。但我們很少能夠掌控命運，而且，當一個人的性格對任何不幸如此敏感時，悲痛和怨恨就會占據他生命的全部，剝奪他對生活中平常事物的興趣和權利去感受快樂，而這是我們最大快樂的源泉。巨大的喜悅並不像巨大的悲痛那樣經常發生，所以，敏感的性格接受後者的考驗一定會遠遠多於前者。
在另外一些人身上，還有一種精妙的雅致引人注目，它跟這種細膩的**很相似，也能對每一件或美好或殘缺的事產生同樣的敏感性。（如果前者就順境、逆境而論，它則是對於美、醜而言。）如果你給這種性格的人看一首詩或一幅畫，他細膩豐富的情感會被作品的每一部分深深觸動，他不僅能欣賞其精湛的技藝，獲得滿足感，也能對其中的疏忽或荒謬感到厭惡和不安。他能從有禮貌而有見地的談話中獲得最大的快樂，對他來說，無禮或者魯莽是最大的虐待。簡言之，精妙的雅致能產生與細膩的**一樣的效果：它使我們快樂和痛苦的範疇擴大，讓我們敏銳地體會到他人無法體會到的開心和傷痛。
但是，我相信，沒有人會否認我的觀點，盡管兩者有相似之處，但我們更渴望得到和培養出精妙的雅趣，而悲歎細膩的**，如果可能的話，我們還會去彌補後者。每一個明智的人都會竭力把自己的幸福置於由自己決定的事物之上，而培養這種微妙的情感是達到這種境界最好的方法。當一個人擁有了這種品質，他就會對滿足自己品位的事物感受到更多的快樂，而不是出於自我欲望的滿足。他會從一首詩或一篇論文中，而不是從那些昂貴的奢侈品中，獲得更多的快樂。
1.Any honour or____of distinction elevates them above measure;____they are as sensibly touched with contempt.People of this char acter____,no doubt,more lively enjoyments,as well as more punge nt____,than men of more cool and sedate tempers.
2.When you present a poem or a____to a man possessed of this talent,the delicacy of his feelings or sentiments____him be touche d very sensibly by every____of it;nor are the masterly strokes percei ved____a more exquisite relish and satisfaction,than the negligen ces or absurdities____disgust and uneasiness.
1.世界上有些人受控於一種細膩的**。
2.對他來說，無禮或者魯莽是最大的虐待。
3.每一個明智的人都會竭力把自己的幸福置於由自己決定的事物之上。
1....his sorrow or resentment takes entire possession of him...
take possession：成為……的所有者；占有
2.I believe,however,there is no one who will not agree with me,t hat not with standing this resemblance,a delicacy of taste is as much t o be desired and cultivated,as a delicacy of passion is to be lamented,and to be remedied,if possible.
as much：同樣多的；也