PREFACE

 IMITATION OF HORACE Ep. 20.—B. 1.

 

     Methinks, Oh! vain ill-judging Book,

I see thee cast a wishful look,

Where reputations won and lost are

In famous row called Paternoster.

Incensed¹ to find your precious olio

Buried in unexplored port-folio,

You scorn the prudent² lock and key,

And pant well bound and gilt³ to see

Your Volume in the window set

Of Stockdale, Hookham, or Debrett.

     Go then, and pass that dangerous bourn

Whence never Book can back return:

And when you find, condemned⁴, despised,

Neglected, blamed, and criticised,

Abuse from All who read you fall,

(If haply you be read at all

Sorely will you your folly⁵ sigh at,

And wish for me, and home, and quiet.

     Assuming now a conjuror's office, I

Thus on your future Fortune prophesy:—

Soon as your novelty is o'er,

And you are young and new no more,

In some dark dirty corner thrown,

Mouldy with damps, with cobwebs strown,

Your leaves shall be the Book-worm's prey⁶;

Or sent to Chandler-Shop away,

And doomed⁷ to suffer public scandal,

Shall line the trunk, or wrap the candle!

     But should you meet with approbation⁸,

And some one find an inclination⁹

To ask, by natural transition

Respecting me and my condition;

That I am one, the enquirer¹⁰ teach,

Nor very poor, nor very rich;

Of passions strong, of hasty nature,

Of graceless form and dwarfish¹¹ stature¹²;

By few approved, and few approving;

Extreme in hating and in loving;

     Abhorring all whom I dislike,

Adoring who my fancy strike;

In forming judgements never long,

And for the most part judging wrong;

In friendship firm, but still believing

Others are treacherous¹³ and deceiving,

And thinking in the present aera

That Friendship is a pure chimaera:

More passionate¹⁴ no creature living,

Proud, obstinate¹⁵, and unforgiving,

But yet for those who kindness show,

Ready through fire and smoke to go.

     Again, should it be asked your page,

'Pray, what may be the author's age?'

Your faults, no doubt, will make it clear,

I scarce have seen my twentieth year,

Which passed, kind Reader, on my word,

While England's Throne held George the Third.

     Now then your venturous course pursue:

Go, my delight! Dear Book, adieu!

Hague,

Oct. 28, 1794.         M. G. L.

1 incensed   

盛怒的

参考例句：

• The decision incensed the workforce. 这个决定激怒了劳工大众。
• They were incensed at the decision. 他们被这个决定激怒了。

2 prudent   

adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的

参考例句：

• A prudent traveller never disparages his own country.聪明的旅行者从不贬低自己的国家。
• You must school yourself to be modest and prudent.你要学会谦虚谨慎。

3 gilt   

adj.镀金的；n.金边证券

参考例句：

• The plates have a gilt edge.这些盘子的边是镀金的。
• The rest of the money is invested in gilt.其余的钱投资于金边证券。

4 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

5 folly   

n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话

参考例句：

• Learn wisdom by the folly of others.从别人的愚蠢行动中学到智慧。
• Events proved the folly of such calculations.事情的进展证明了这种估计是愚蠢的。

6 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

7 doomed   

命定的

参考例句：

• The court doomed the accused to a long term of imprisonment. 法庭判处被告长期监禁。
• A country ruled by an iron hand is doomed to suffer. 被铁腕人物统治的国家定会遭受不幸的。

8 approbation   

n.称赞；认可

参考例句：

• He tasted the wine of audience approbation.他尝到了像酒般令人陶醉的听众赞许滋味。
• The result has not met universal approbation.该结果尚未获得普遍认同。

9 inclination   

n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好

参考例句：

• She greeted us with a slight inclination of the head.她微微点头向我们致意。
• I did not feel the slightest inclination to hurry.我没有丝毫着急的意思。

10 enquirer   

寻问者，追究者

参考例句：

• The "National Enquirer" blazoned forth that we astronomers had really discovered another civilization. 《国民询问者》甚至宣称，我们天文学家已真正发现了其它星球上的文明。
• Should we believe a publication like the national enquirer? 我们要相信像《国家探秘者》之类的出版物吗？

11 dwarfish   

a.像侏儒的，矮小的

参考例句：

• Her dwarfish spouse still smoked his cigar and drank his rum without heeding her. 她那矮老公还在吸他的雪茄，喝他的蔗酒，睬也不睬她。
• Rest no longer satisfied with thy dwarfish attainments, but press forward to things and heavenly. 不要再满足于属世的成就，要努力奔向属天的事物。

12 stature   

n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材

参考例句：

• He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
• The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。

13 treacherous   

adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的

参考例句：

• The surface water made the road treacherous for drivers.路面的积水对驾车者构成危险。
• The frozen snow was treacherous to walk on.在冻雪上行走有潜在危险。

14 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

15 obstinate   

adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的

参考例句：

• She's too obstinate to let anyone help her.她太倔强了，不会让任何人帮她的。
• The trader was obstinate in the negotiation.这个商人在谈判中拗强固执。