Gifts of one who loved me, —
’T was high time they came;
When he ceased to love me,
Time they stopped for shame.
ESSAY V Gifts
It is said that the world is in a state of bankruptcy1, that the world owes the world more than the world can pay, and ought to go into chancery, and be sold. I do not think this general insolvency2, which involves in some sort all the population, to be the reason of the difficulty experienced at Christmas and New Year, and other times, in bestowing3 gifts; since it is always so pleasant to be generous, though very vexatious to pay debts. But the impediment lies in the choosing. If, at any time, it comes into my head, that a present is due from me to somebody, I am puzzled what to give, until the opportunity is gone. Flowers and fruits are always fit presents; flowers, because they are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world. These gay natures contrast with the somewhat stern countenance5 of ordinary nature: they are like music heard out of a work-house. Nature does not cocker us: we are children, not pets: she is not fond: everything is dealt to us without fear or favor, after severe universal laws. Yet these delicate flowers look like the frolic and interference of love and beauty. Men use to tell us that we love flattery, even though we are not deceived by it, because it shows that we are of importance enough to be courted. Something like that pleasure, the flowers give us: what am I to whom these sweet hints are addressed? Fruits are acceptable gifts, because they are the flower of commodities, and admit of fantastic values being attached to them. If a man should send to me to come a hundred miles to visit him, and should set before me a basket of fine summerfruit, I should think there was some proportion between the labor6 and the reward.
For common gifts, necessity makes pertinences and beauty every day, and one is glad when an imperative7 leaves him no option, since if the man at the door have no shoes, you have not to consider whether you could procure8 him a paint-box. And as it is always pleasing to see a man eat bread, or drink water, in the house or out of doors, so it is always a great satisfaction to supply these first wants. Necessity does everything well. In our condition of universal dependence9, it seems heroic to let the petitioner10 be the judge of his necessity, and to give all that is asked, though at great inconvenience. If it be a fantastic desire, it is better to leave to others the office of punishing him. I can think of many parts I should prefer playing to that of the Furies. Next to things of necessity, the rule for a gift, which one of my friends prescribed, is, that we might convey to some person that which properly belonged to his character, and was easily associated with him in thought. But our tokens of compliment and love are for the most part barbarous. Rings and other jewels are not gifts, but apologies for gifts. The only gift is a portion of thyself. Thou must bleed for me. Therefore the poet brings his poem; the shepherd, his lamb; the farmer, corn; the miner, a gem11; the sailor, coral and shells; the painter, his picture; the girl, a handkerchief of her own sewing. This is right and pleasing, for it restores society in so far to its primary basis, when a man’s biography is conveyed in his gift, and every man’s wealth is an index of his merit. But it is a cold, lifeless business when you go to the shops to buy me something, which does not represent your life and talent, but a goldsmith’s. This is fit for kings, and rich men who represent kings, and a false state of property, to make presents of gold and silver stuffs, as a kind of symbolical12 sin-offering, or payment of black-mail.
The law of benefits is a difficult channel, which requires careful sailing, or rude boats. It is not the office of a man to receive gifts. How dare you give them? We wish to be self-sustained. We do not quite forgive a giver. The hand that feeds us is in some danger of being bitten. We can receive anything from love, for that is a way of receiving it from ourselves; but not from any one who assumes to bestow4. We sometimes hate the meat which we eat, because there seems something of degrading dependence in living by it.
“Brother, if Jove to thee a present make,
Take heed13 that from his hands thou nothing take.”
We ask the whole. Nothing less will content us. We arraign14 society, if it do not give us besides earth, and fire, and water, opportunity, love, reverence15, and objects of veneration16.
He is a good man, who can receive a gift well. We are either glad or sorry at a gift, and both emotions are unbecoming. Some violence, I think, is done, some degradation17 borne, when I rejoice or grieve at a gift. I am sorry when my independence is invaded, or when a gift comes from such as do not know my spirit, and so the act is not supported; and if the gift pleases me overmuch, then I should be ashamed that the donor18 should read my heart, and see that I love his commodity, and not him. The gift, to be true, must be the flowing of the giver unto me, correspondent to my flowing unto him. When the waters are at level, then my goods pass to him, and his to me. All his are mine, all mine his. I say to him, How can you give me this pot of oil, or this flagon of wine, when all your oil and wine is mine, which belief of mine this gift seems to deny? Hence the fitness of beautiful, not useful things for gifts. This giving is flat usurpation19, and therefore when the beneficiary is ungrateful, as all beneficiaries hate all Timons, not at all considering the value of the gift, but looking back to the greater store it was taken from, I rather sympathize with the beneficiary, than with the anger of my lord Timon. For, the expectation of gratitude20 is mean, and is continually punished by the total insensibility of the obliged person. It is a great happiness to get off without injury and heart-burning, from one who has had the ill luck to be served by you. It is a very onerous21 business, this of being served, and the debtor22 naturally wishes to give you a slap. A golden text for these gentlemen is that which I so admire in the Buddhist23, who never thanks, and who says, “Do not flatter your benefactors24.”
The reason of these discords25 I conceive to be, that there is no commensurability between a man and any gift. You cannot give anything to a magnanimous person. After you have served him, he at once puts you in debt by his magnanimity. The service a man renders his friend is trivial and selfish, compared with the service he knows his friend stood in readiness to yield him, alike before he had begun to serve his friend, and now also. Compared with that good-will I bear my friend, the benefit it is in my power to render him seems small. Besides, our action on each other, good as well as evil, is so incidental and at random26, that we can seldom hear the acknowledgments of any person who would thank us for a benefit, without some shame and humiliation27. We can rarely strike a direct stroke, but must be content with an oblique28 one; we seldom have the satisfaction of yielding a direct benefit, which is directly received. But rectitude scatters29 favors on every side without knowing it, and receives with wonder the thanks of all people.
I fear to breathe any treason against the majesty30 of love, which is the genius and god of gifts, and to whom we must not affect to prescribe. Let him give kingdoms or flower-leaves indifferently. There are persons, from whom we always expect fairy tokens; let us not cease to expect them. This is prerogative31, and not to be limited by our municipal rules. For the rest, I like to see that we cannot be bought and sold. The best of hospitality and of generosity32 is also not in the will, but in fate. I find that I am not much to you; you do not need me; you do not feel me; then am I thrust out of doors, though you proffer33 me house and lands. No services are of any value, but only likeness34. When I have attempted to join myself to others by services, it proved an intellectual trick, — no more. They eat your service like apples, and leave you out. But love them, and they feel you, and delight in you all the time.
收听单词发音 |
1
bankruptcy
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| n.破产；无偿付能力 | |
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insolvency
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| n.无力偿付，破产 | |
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3
bestowing
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| 砖窑中砖堆上层已烧透的砖 | |
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bestow
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| v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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imperative
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| n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的 | |
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procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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dependence
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| n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属 | |
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petitioner
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| n.请愿人 | |
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gem
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| n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel | |
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symbolical
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| a.象征性的 | |
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13
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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14
arraign
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| v.提讯；控告 | |
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15
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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veneration
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| n.尊敬，崇拜 | |
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17
degradation
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| n.降级；低落；退化；陵削；降解；衰变 | |
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18
donor
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| n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体 | |
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19
usurpation
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| n.篡位；霸占 | |
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20
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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onerous
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| adj.繁重的 | |
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22
debtor
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| n.借方，债务人 | |
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23
Buddhist
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| adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒 | |
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24
benefactors
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| n.捐助者，施主( benefactor的名词复数 )；恩人 | |
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discords
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| 不和（discord的复数形式） | |
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random
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| adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动 | |
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humiliation
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| n.羞辱 | |
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oblique
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| adj.斜的，倾斜的，无诚意的，不坦率的 | |
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scatters
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| v.（使）散开， （使）分散，驱散( scatter的第三人称单数 )；撒 | |
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30
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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31
prerogative
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| n.特权 | |
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32
generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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33
proffer
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| v.献出，赠送；n.提议，建议 | |
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34
likeness
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| n.相像，相似（之处） | |
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