If man elevates his loves to the highest spheres of the ideal; if he can be called the most sublime3 lover on the terrestrial planet, he can boast of having had from nature the largest cup at the banquet of voluptuousness; he can also boast of being able, alone among the living creatures, to die of pleasure and to end his life with lasciviousness4. Certainly, a tremendous thing is the embrace of a man and a woman who love each other! So tremendous that, before this hurricane of the senses, the painter lets the brush fall from his hand, the physiologist5 loses the thread of analysis, and the philosopher is bewildered by the ferocious6 grandeur7 and the brutish sublimity8 of that act, in which every human force seems to be offered as a holocaust9 to animal fecundation. The avowed10 or secret aim of every love, the dream of every virgin11 and rage of every lust12, the torment13 and delight of every man, voluptuousness is the greatest pleasure of the senses; but it is also the deepest abyss into which vulgar loves fall at every step, and where the great ones too are submerged. Voluptuousness! Tremendous word that recalls the most ardent14 scene of life and the greatest chaos15, which concentrates wherever an organism is born or destroyed; formless chaos, from which flashes radiate and where elements quiver and earthquakes rumble16 and thunder; chaos in which good and evil are so near as to mingle17, confuse and melt together; chaos in which angel and brute18 join in close embrace, and human individuality vanishes for a moment to give way to a fantastic monster, half man and half woman, half god and half demon19; chaos from which a man is born,[Pg 90] just as from another chaos arose the cry that generated light. I open the book of human deeds and read:
"In Sardinia the San Luri belle20 killed with her exuberance21 of carnality the young King Martin II. of Sicily, of the House of Aragon, him who gave the last blow to the independence of Sardinia, subjecting to his dynasty that part of the island which was still free. In 1409 he had gained a splendid victory over Brancaleone Doria and the Viscount of Narbonne, when he himself was defeated in turn by the belle of San Luri, who, modern Judith, killed the Aragonese king with the fury of her kisses." ("La Marmora, Itinerario in Sardegna," etc., p. 270.)
"The Empress Theodora was the source of such exquisite22 delight that it was said that painting and poetry were incapable23 of delineating the matchless excellence24 of her form. The satirical historian has not blushed to describe the naked scenes which Theodora was not ashamed to exhibit in the theatre. After the mention of a narrow girdle, which she wore, as none could appear stark25 naked in the theatre, Procopius adds: ?ναπεπτωκυ?α [Greek: anapept?kuia]. After exhausting the arts of sensual pleasure, she most ungratefully murmured against the parsimony26 of nature, wishing a fourth altar, on which she might pour libations to the god of love. After having been possessed27 by everybody, she seduced28 Justinian, who made her his wife and called her a gift of the Deity29." (Gibbon, "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.")
"The old age of David was warmed by the young Shunammite, and Hermippus lived to be one hundred and five years old, sustained by the spirit of many young women." (Bible.)
These few examples will be sufficient to delineate in a general way the frontiers within which human voluptuousness struggles, an insatiable author of so much good and so[Pg 91] much evil. And yet, in the eyes of science it is nothing but "the most powerful of chemical affinities30 comprehended by the most perfect of living brains." Prepared in the slow laboratory of a man and a woman, the gemmul? of life intensely seek each other and are reciprocally attracted; and when love gathers them by millions and millions, they kiss and join and, quivering, restore one of the most prodigious31 equilibriums32 of nature and generate a man.
If it is true that at every second a leaf detaches itself and falls from the human tree, it is most true that in the same unit of time ten existences at least are fused in order to relight the torch of life; and if all the gigantic forces which are condensed in those aggregations33 could be summed up, they would certainly be sufficient to send the world through infinite space without the aid of the laws of Newton. In the hut of the savage34 and in the gilded35 halls of the prince, on the soft cushions of new-mown hay and on the glaciers36 of the Sorata; on the swift train and on two camels crossing the desert, within the damp walls of the prison and in the deep mines where the rays of the sun never penetrate37, in the forest and on the sands of the sea-shore, wherever a man and a woman find themselves near and can desire each other, voluptuousness wreathes its garlands and says to the man and the woman: "Be gods for an instant!"
There is no love without voluptuousness, but voluptuousness alone is not love, as that is not love which is ridiculously termed platonic38. Lust and platonic love are maladies or monsters of love and are possible, nay39, even too prevalent, like the deaf-mutes, the lame40, the deformed41, the giants and the dwarfs42.
There is no conquest without possession of the thing conquered, just as there can be no love without voluptuousness. Take the flower from the tree, the fruit from the flower, and you will have a faithful image of all those amorous43 reticences which hypocritically stop at the threshold of the temple and, incapable alike of chastity and courage, of vice44 and virtue45, drag a wretched existence in the limbo46 of bastardly affections. Often duty must be stronger than love,[Pg 92] and, the principles of honesty forbidding, love must be conquered with a cruel and incredible torture; but it is better to be heroes of duty than brigands47 acquitted48 for lack of proofs, often despised, despicable always. If you truly love, if you can love, then love in the name of the most powerful of the gods of Olympus, love in the name of nature, in the name of the most sacred of rights. Leave aside all amorous casuistry, the worst of human hypocrisies49; leave aside the hope of winning with your reticences and your compromises with conscience the Goliath of the sentiments. How many have I beheld50, after long sentimental51 tirades52 on platonic love, and after bitter tears and vows53 of virtue, sink from hypocrisy54 into hypocrisy and down to lasciviousness! How many guilty lovers did not wish sin and had vice, did not wish guilt55 and had prostitution! All or nothing: such is love's command. Break down the tree that you cannot cultivate, be everything to somebody; demand to be everything to your companion; do not try to divide the indivisible; do not attempt to overthrow56 the omnipotent57, to win over the invincible58. With love you cannot jest; any compromise is impossible.
Voluptuousness, even in its purest and simplest forms, without love is always lasciviousness; it is immoral59 even when it seems hygienic. With love, even lust is virtue; and the studied casuistry of theologians is more immodest than the most ardent kiss ever exchanged between two lovers educated by a long experience of embraces. Voluptuousness is as penetrating60 as light, as inexhaustible as the sun, and, enclosed between two infinities61, one of desire and the other of languor62, it will never be all known by the human family, were it to live for millions of centuries. All forms of the beautiful are conquered by the blandishments of art; all forms of virtue are the delight of the sentiment of the good; every great and true idea is the joy of our thought; but voluptuousness relishes63 simultaneously64 all the joys of the senses, of sentiment and of intellect, calms all morbosities, extinguishes all fires, intoxicates65 itself with all inebriations, high and low, with all languors, all human flashes. [Pg 93]Voluptuousness is a light which gilds66 every object it strikes and encircles it with a halo of celestial67 iridescence68. Nor is the embrace of love alone voluptuous2; for voluptuousness is in every contact of quivering robes, of glossy69 hair; voluptuousness is in every quiver of the skin, in every shock of the nerves, in every kiss of the flesh. Unfortunate he who has tasted voluptuousness only out of the one cup of Venus! Let him take lessons of woman, wisest teacher of every exquisite and sublime sensuality. A B?otian in art, let him go to Athens and study the beautiful. There is no worse enemy of voluptuousness than lust, no sister more faithful than chastity. If the poet, the painter, the sculptor70 could conceive this divine group, "the joy of Love guided by the hand of Chastity," that representation, whether due to pen, brush or chisel71, would be as holy a thing as an altar, a lesson in virtue and a great work of art; fire enclosed in alabaster72, the sun abducted73 by the wave, enamored and jealous; Hercules led by a child!
Lovers who love and possess each other, lovers whom voluptuousness inebriates74 every hour, if you still have an instant to devote to prudence75, remember that voluptuousness should not be the bread but the wine of love; that if you wish that your lips be eternally thirsty, your voluptuousness must be chaste76 and modest; you must swim, but not drown; you must quiver, but not fall into convulsions; you must be in the grasp of death, but not dead. Modest voluptuousness, this priceless treasure, was given by nature to woman, that she may restore it to you with unbounded joys; and you should respect it as a palladium of domestic happiness and nurture77 it in your daughters, because verily I say unto you that in modern society there is often more pudicity in the lowest of courtesans than in some married women whose nuptial78 education has been imparted by an aged79 and libertine80 husband.
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1
voluptuousness
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| n.风骚，体态丰满 | |
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voluptuous
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| adj.肉欲的，骄奢淫逸的 | |
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sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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lasciviousness
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physiologist
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| n.生理学家 | |
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ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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sublimity
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| 崇高，庄严，气质高尚 | |
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holocaust
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| n.大破坏；大屠杀 | |
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avowed
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| adj.公开声明的，承认的v.公开声明，承认( avow的过去式和过去分词) | |
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virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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lust
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| n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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torment
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| n.折磨；令人痛苦的东西(人)；vt.折磨；纠缠 | |
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ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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rumble
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| n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说 | |
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mingle
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| vt.使混合，使相混；vi.混合起来；相交往 | |
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brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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belle
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| n.靓女 | |
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exuberance
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| n.丰富；繁荣 | |
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exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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stark
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| adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地 | |
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parsimony
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| n.过度节俭，吝啬 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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seduced
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| 诱奸( seduce的过去式和过去分词 )； 勾引； 诱使堕落； 使入迷 | |
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deity
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| n.神，神性；被奉若神明的人(或物) | |
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affinities
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| n.密切关系( affinity的名词复数 )；亲近；（生性）喜爱；类同 | |
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prodigious
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| adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的 | |
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equilibriums
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| n.平衡，均势（equilibrium的复数形式） | |
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aggregations
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| n.聚集( aggregation的名词复数 )；集成；集结；聚集体 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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gilded
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| a.镀金的，富有的 | |
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glaciers
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| 冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 ) | |
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penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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platonic
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| adj.精神的；柏拉图（哲学）的 | |
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nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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deformed
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| adj.畸形的；变形的；丑的，破相了的 | |
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42
dwarfs
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| n.侏儒，矮子（dwarf的复数形式）vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的第三人称单数形式） | |
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43
amorous
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| adj.多情的；有关爱情的 | |
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vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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45
virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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limbo
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| n.地狱的边缘；监狱 | |
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brigands
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| n.土匪，强盗( brigand的名词复数 ) | |
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48
acquitted
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| 宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现 | |
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49
hypocrisies
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| n.伪善，虚伪( hypocrisy的名词复数 ) | |
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50
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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51
sentimental
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| adj.多愁善感的，感伤的 | |
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52
tirades
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| 激烈的长篇指责或演说( tirade的名词复数 ) | |
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vows
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| 誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿 | |
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hypocrisy
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| n.伪善，虚伪 | |
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guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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overthrow
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| v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆 | |
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omnipotent
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| adj.全能的，万能的 | |
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invincible
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| adj.不可征服的，难以制服的 | |
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immoral
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| adj.不道德的，淫荡的，荒淫的，有伤风化的 | |
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penetrating
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| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
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infinities
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| n.无穷大( infinity的名词复数 )；无限远的点；无法计算的量；无限大的量 | |
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languor
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| n.无精力，倦怠 | |
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relishes
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| n.滋味( relish的名词复数 )；乐趣；（大量的）享受；快乐v.欣赏( relish的第三人称单数 )；从…获得乐趣；渴望 | |
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simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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intoxicates
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| 使喝醉（intoxicate的第三人称单数形式） | |
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gilds
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| 把…镀金( gild的第三人称单数 )； 给…上金色； 作多余的修饰（反而破坏原已完美的东西）； 画蛇添足 | |
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celestial
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| adj.天体的；天上的 | |
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iridescence
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| n.彩虹色；放光彩；晕色；晕彩 | |
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glossy
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| adj.平滑的；有光泽的 | |
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sculptor
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| n.雕刻家，雕刻家 | |
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chisel
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| n.凿子；v.用凿子刻，雕，凿 | |
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alabaster
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| adj.雪白的；n.雪花石膏；条纹大理石 | |
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abducted
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| 劫持，诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展 | |
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inebriates
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| vt.使酒醉，灌醉（inebriate的第三人称单数形式） | |
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prudence
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| n.谨慎，精明，节俭 | |
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chaste
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| adj.贞洁的；有道德的；善良的；简朴的 | |
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nurture
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| n.养育，照顾，教育；滋养，营养品；vt.养育，给与营养物，教养，扶持 | |
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nuptial
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| adj.婚姻的，婚礼的 | |
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aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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libertine
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| n.淫荡者；adj.放荡的，自由思想的 | |
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