Of Youth and Age 論青年與老年 中英對(duì)照
弗朗西斯 培根 Francis Bacon
 
A MAN that is young in years, may be old in hours, if he have lost no time. But that happeneth rarely. Generally, youth is like the first cogitations, not so wise as the second. For there is a youth in thoughts, as well as in ages. And yet the invention of young men, is more lively than that of old; and imaginations stream into their minds better, and, as it were, more divinely. Natures that have much heat, and great and violent desires and perturbations, are not ripe for action, till they have passed the meridian of their years; as it was with Julius Caesar and Septimius Severus. Of the latter, of whom it is said, Juventutem egit erroribus, imo furoribus, plenam. And yet he was the ablest emperor, almost, of all the list. But reposed natures may do well in youth. As it is seen in Augustus Caesar, Cosmus Duke of Florence, Gaston de Foix, and others. On the other side, heat and vivacity in age, is an excellent composition for business. Young men are fitter to invent, than to judge; fitter for execution, than for counsel; and fitter for new projects, than for settled business. For the experience of age, in things that fall within the compass of it, directeth them; but in new things, abuseth them.
一個(gè)年歲不大的人也可以是富于經(jīng)驗(yàn)的，假如他不曾虛度生活的話；然而這畢竟是罕有的事。一般說來，青年人富于“直覺”，而老年人則長(zhǎng)于“深思”。這兩者在深刻和正確性上是有著顯著差別的。青年的特別是富于創(chuàng)造性，想象力也純潔而靈活。這似乎是得之于神助的。然而，熱情熾烈而情緒敏感的人往往要在中年以后方成大器，尤愷撒和塞維拉斯①就是明顯的例證。曾有人評(píng)論后一位說：“他曾度過一個(gè)荒謬的——甚至是瘋狂的青春”。然而他后來成為羅馬皇帝中極杰出的一位。少年老成、性格穩(wěn)健的人則往往青春時(shí)代就可成大器，奧古斯都大帝、卡斯曼斯大公、卡斯頓勛爵②即是如此。另一方面，對(duì)于老人來說，保持住熱情和活力則是難能可貴的。青年人長(zhǎng)于創(chuàng)造而短于思考，長(zhǎng)于猛干而短于討論，長(zhǎng)于革新而短于守成。老年人的經(jīng)驗(yàn)，引導(dǎo)他們熟悉舊事物，卻蒙蔽他們無視新情況。

The errors of young men, are the ruin of business; but the errors of aged men, amount but to this, that more might have been done, or sooner. Young men, in the conduct and manage of actions, embrace more than they can hold; stir more than they can quiet; fly to the end, without consideration of the means and degrees; pursue some few principles, which they have chanced upon absurdly; care not to innovate, which draws unknown inconveniences; use extreme remedies at first; and, that which doubleth all errors, will not acknowledge or retract them; like an unready horse, that will neither stop nor turn. Men of age object too much, consult too long, adventure too little, repent too soon, and seldom drive business home to the full period, but content themselves with a mediocrity of success. Certainly it is good to compound employments of both; for that will be good for the present, because the virtues of either age, may correct the defects of both; and good for succession, that young men may be learners, while men in age are actors; and, lastly, good for extern accidents, because authority followeth old men, and favor and popularity, youth. But for the moral part, perhaps youth will have the pre-eminence, as age hath for the politic. A certain rabbin, upon the text, Your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams, inferreth that young men, are admitted nearer to God than old, because vision, is a clearer revelation, than a dream. And certainly, the more a man drinketh of the world, the more it intoxicateth; and age doth profit rather in the powers of understanding, than in the virtues of the will and affections. There be some, have an over-early ripeness in their years, which fadeth betimes. These are, first, such as have brittle wits, the edge whereof is soon turned; such as was Hermogenes the rhetorician, whose books are exceeding subtle; who afterwards waxed stupid. A second sort, is of those that have some natural dispositions which have better grace in youth, than in age; such as is a fluent and luxuriant speech; which becomes youth well, but not age: so Tully saith of Hortensius, Idem manebat, neque idem decebat. The third is of such, as take too high a strain at the first, and are magnanimous, more than tract of years can uphold. As was Scipio Africanus, of whom Livy saith in effect, Ultima primis cedebant.
 青年人敏銳果敢，但行事輕率卻可能毀壞大局。青年的性格如同不羈的野馬，藐視既往，目空一切，好走極端。勇于革新而不去估量實(shí)際的條件和可能性，結(jié)果常因浮躁而改革不成卻招致意外的麻煩。老年人則正相反。他們常常滿足于困守已成之局，思考多于行動(dòng)，議論多于決斷。為事后不后悔，寧肯事前不冒險(xiǎn)。因此，最好的辦法是把青年的特點(diǎn)與老年的特點(diǎn)在事業(yè)上結(jié)合在一起。這樣，他們各自的優(yōu)點(diǎn)正好彌補(bǔ)了對(duì)方的缺點(diǎn)。從現(xiàn)在的角度說，他們的所長(zhǎng)可以互補(bǔ)他們各自的所短。從發(fā)展的角度說，青年可以從老年身上學(xué)到他們所不具的經(jīng)驗(yàn)。而從社會(huì)的角度說，有經(jīng)驗(yàn)的老人執(zhí)事令人放心，而青年人的干勁則鼓舞人心。但是，如果說，老人的經(jīng)驗(yàn)是可貴的，那么青年人的純真則是崇高的?！妒ソ?jīng)》說：“你們中的年輕人將見到天國(guó)，而你們中的老人則只能作夢(mèng)。”有一位“拉比”（猶太牧師）解釋這話說：上帝認(rèn)為青年比老年更接近他，因?yàn)橄Ｍ偙然脡?mèng)切實(shí)一些。要知道，世情如酒，越濃越醉人——年齡越大，則在世故增長(zhǎng)的同時(shí)卻愈會(huì)喪失正直純真的感情。早熟的人往往凋謝也早。不足為訓(xùn)的是如下三種人。第一種，是在智力上開發(fā)太早的人。小時(shí)了了，大未必佳。例如修辭學(xué)家赫摩格尼斯③就是如此。他少年時(shí)候就寫出美妙的著作，但中年以后卻成了白癡。第二種，是那種畢生不稅稚氣的老頑童。正如西塞羅所批評(píng)的赫騰修斯④，他早已該成熟卻一直幼稚。第三種，是志在才疏的人。年輕時(shí)拒負(fù)很大，晚年卻不足為訓(xùn)。像西茲阿·阿非利卡就是如此。⑤所以歷史學(xué)家李維批評(píng)他：“一生事業(yè)有始有終。”

①、優(yōu)利·凱撒（前100？—44），羅馬政治家。Severus(1462—211），古羅馬皇帝，公元193—211年在位。
②、卡斯曼斯大公，1570年封多斯加納大公。
③、奧古斯都·凱撒（前61—公元14），為羅馬帝國(guó)第一任皇帝，大凱撒的侄孫，原名屋大維。具古斯都意為“至高無上者”，乃其尊號(hào)。統(tǒng)一羅馬，為帝政的建立者。赫摩格尼斯（161—180），古希臘哲學(xué)家。
④、西塞羅（前106—前43），古羅馬政治家、雄辯家和哲學(xué)家。赫騰修斯，約與西塞羅同時(shí)代的人。
⑤、西庇阿·阿非利卡（前236—前184），古羅馬名將。

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