第2章 Of Death——Francis Bacon

内容导读

“伴随死亡而来的比死亡本身更可怕”，死亡只是一瞬的交错，它衍生的东西却往往令人痛苦万分。当死亡临近的时候，我们该如何直面内心的恐惧？作者认为：“于坚定执着且一心向善的有才智之士，死亡之痛苦的确可以避免。”

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英文正文

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 atribute due unto nature,is weak.Yet in religious meditations,there is sometimes mixture of vanity,and of superstition.You shall read,in some of the friars'books of mortifications,that aman 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 than the torture of alimb;for the most vital parts are not the quickest of sense.And by him that spoke only as aphilosopher,and natural man,it was well said,Pompa mortis magis terret,quam mors ipsa.[1]Groans,and convulsions,and adiscolored 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 aman hath so many attendants about him that can win the combat of him.Revenge triumphs over death;love slights it;honor aspireth to it;grief flieth to it;fear preoccupieth it.

Certainly,the Stoics[2]bestowed too much cost upon death,and by their great preparations,made it appear more fearful.Better saith he,qui finem vitae extremum inter munera ponat naturae.[3]It is as natural to die,as to be born;and to alittle 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 the dolors of death.But,above all,believe it,the sweetest canticle is,nunc dimittis;[4]when aman hath obtained worthy ends,and expectations.Death hath this also;that it openeth the gate to good fame,and extinguisheth envy.—Extinctus amabitur idem.[5]

中文译文

论死亡——弗朗西斯·培根

成人畏惧死亡犹如儿童怕进黑暗。儿童对黑暗之天然惧怕因妄言传闻而增长，成人对死亡之畏怯恐惧亦复如此。无可否认，对死亡心生畏怯，视其为罪孽之报应或天国之通途，实乃圣洁虔诚之举；而面对死亡心生畏怯，视其为应向自然交纳的贡物，则属懦弱愚陋之态。不过在虔诚的沉思中偶尔亦有虚妄和迷信混杂。在某些天主教修士的禁欲书中可读到这样的文字：人当自忖，思一指被压或被拶痛当如何，进而想死亡将使全身腐烂分解，此痛又当如何。其实死上千遭也不及一肢受刑之痛，盖维系生命之最重要器官并非人体最敏感的部位。故那位仅以哲学家和正常人身份立言的先哲所言极是：“伴随死亡而来的比死亡本身更可怕。”呻吟与痉挛、面目之变色、亲友之哀悼、丧服与葬礼，诸如此类的场面都显出死亡之可怖。但应注意的是，人类的种种激情并非脆弱得不足以克服并压倒对死亡的恐惧；而既然人有这么多可战胜死亡的随从，那死亡就并非如此可怕的敌人。复仇之心可征服死亡，爱恋之心会蔑视死亡，荣誉之心会渴求死亡，悲痛之心会扑向死亡，连恐惧之心亦会预期死亡。

毫无疑问，斯多葛学派那些哲学家为死亡的开价太高，而由于他们对死亡筹备过甚，遂使其显得更为可怕。尤维纳利斯说得较好，他认为生命之终结乃自然的一种恩惠。死之寻常犹如生之天然，不过在幼童眼里，出生于死亡也许都同样会引起痛苦。在执着追求中牺牲者之不觉死亡就如同在浴血鏖战中受创者之暂时不觉伤痛。由此可见，于坚定执着且一心向善的有才智之士，死亡之痛苦的确可以避免；但尤其是要相信，最美的圣歌乃一个人实现其高尚目标和期望之后所唱的那首：“主啊，现在请你的仆人安然离世。”死亡尚可开启名望之门并消除妒忌之心，因“生前遭人妒忌者死后会受人爱戴”。

（曹明伦 译）

词汇速记

tribute n. （尤其对死者的）致敬；称赞

friar n. （天主教的）男修士

obsequies n. 葬礼

Stoics n. 斯多葛学派；禁欲主义者

dolor n. 悲哀；忧伤

美句欣赏

Death is no such terrible enemy,when aman hath so many attendants about him that can win the combat of him.Revenge triumphs over death;love slights it;honor aspireth to it;grief flieth to it;fear preoccupieth it.既然人有这么多可战胜死亡的随从，那死亡就并非如此可怕的敌人。复仇之心可征服死亡，爱恋之心会蔑视死亡，荣誉之心会渴求死亡，悲痛之心会扑向死亡，连恐惧之心亦会预期死亡。