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Part 6 Lord Chesterfield to His Son
第六部分 切斯特菲爾德勛爵致兒子
London,March 6, 1747
1747年3月6日于倫敦
Dear boy,
親愛的孩子:
Whatever you do, will always affect me, very sensibly, one way or another, and I am now most agreeably by two letters, which I have lately seen from Lausanne, upon your subject; the one from Madame St. Germain, the other from Monsieur Pampigny: they both give so good account of you, that I thought myself obliged, in justice both to them and to you, to let you know it.
無論你做什么，都會一直影響著我，在某種程度上會對我產生非常明顯的影響最近我收到了兩封洛桑的來信，信中他談到了你，讀完后我倍感喜悅; 我還收到了一封圣·日耳曼夫人和一封龐比尼先生的信，他們都對你贊賞有加。因此，為了不辜負他們，也為了不辜負你，我覺得有必要寫信讓你知道。
Those who deserve a good character, ought to have the satisfaction of knowing that they have it, both as a reward and as an encouragement. They write, that you are not only decrotte, but well-bred; and that the English crust of awkward bashfulness, shyness, and roughness (of which, by the bye, you had your share) is pretty well rubbed off. I am most heartily glad of it for, as I have often told you, those lesser talents, of an engaging, insinuating manner, an easy good-breeding, a genteel behaviour and address, are of infinitely more advantage than they are generally thought to be, especially here in England.
那些享有美名的人，應該讓他們知道自己的名望，從而得到心靈的滿足。這不僅是一種獎賞，而且是一種激勵。他們在信中夸你不僅彬彬有禮，而且教養(yǎng)有素; 他們還說，你先前拘謹、害羞、膽怯和粗魯?shù)挠降耐獗?在我看來.你以前的確有過這些毛病)，現(xiàn)在全都消失殆盡了。讀到這些我滿心歡喜，因為就像我經常告誡你的，和藹可親的風度、落落大方的儀表、溫文爾雅的言行舉止等次要的素養(yǎng)，比通常人們想象的還要重要許多，特別是在英國。
Virtue and learning, like gold, have their intrinsic value: but if they are not polished they certainly lose a great deal of their luster; and even polished brass will pass upon more people than rough gold.
美德和學識就像黃金般具有自身珍貴的價值，然而，如果不加打磨，它們肯定會失去大量的光澤，甚至閃閃發(fā)亮的黃銅都會比未加修飾的黃金吸引更多人的視線。
What a number of sins does the cheerful, easy good-breeding of the French frequently cover! Many of them want common sense, many more common learning; but, in general, they make up so much, by their manner, for those defects, that frequently they pass undiscovered.
法國人那歡快的、平易近人的良好儀態(tài)不知掩蓋了多少瑕疵啊! 很多法國人都缺乏常識，甚至有更多的法國人非常孤陋寡聞。但是，他們總會用優(yōu)美的儀態(tài)來彌補這些缺點!而人們往往察覺不到。
I have often said, and do think, that a Frenchman, who, with a fund of virtue, learning and good-sense, has the manners and good-breeding of his country, is the perfection of human nature. This perfection you may, if you please, and I hope you will, arrive at.
我常常這樣說，也這樣想，個品德高尚、學識淵博、,理性健全的法國人，再加上國家教予他們的禮儀禮節(jié)和良好素養(yǎng)，便是完美人格的化身了。只要你愿意，你一樣也能達到這種十全十美的境界，我也期望你達到。
You know what virtue is: you may have it if you will; it is in every man's power, and miserable is the man who has not it. Good sense God has given you. Learning you already possess enough of, to have, in a reasonable time, all that a man need have. With this, you are thrown out early into the world, where it will be your own fault, if you do not acquire all the other accomplishments necessary to complete and adorn your character.
你應該明白何為美德，只要你愿意，你就能得到它，而且人人都有能力得，不具備美德的人是不幸的。上天已經賦予你遠見卓識，你的學問也已經足夠，在不算太長的時間里你將具備人所需的一切。你在擁有這些之后，很早就被送到大千世界中去增長見識。你在外而如果吸取不到其他能使你的品格變得盡善盡美的修養(yǎng)，那就是你自己的過失了。
You will do well to make your compliments to Madame St. Germain and Monsieur Pampigny; and tell them how sensible you are of their partiality to you, in the advantageous testimonies which, you are informed, they have given of you here.
你應該再去拜訪圣·日耳曼夫人和龐比尼先生，告訴他們你從我這里了解到他們對你的偏愛和贊美，并向他們表示感謝。
Adieu! Continue to deserve such testimonies; and then you will not only deserve, but enjoy my truest affection.
再見!繼續(xù)努力吧，孩子!你要讓自己配得上這些溢美之詞，這樣的話，你將不僅值得享有，而且會真正享有我最真摯的愛。
Affectionately
深受著你的父親
