I doubt not that as soon as a Jansenist shall have written a book to demonstrate that one and two are three, a Molinist will start up and demonstrate that two and one are five.
We hope to please and instruct the reader by laying before him the following verses on “Disputation.” They are well known to every man of taste in Paris, but they are less familiar to those among the learned who still dispute on gratuitous2 predestination, concomitant grace, and that momentous3 question — whether the mountains were produced by the sea.
ON DISPUTATION.
Each brain its thought, each season has its mode;
?Manners and fashions alter every day;
?Examine for yourself what others say; —
This privilege by nature is bestowed4; —
But, oh! dispute not — the designs of heaven
To mortal insight never can be given.
What is the knowledge of this world worth knowing?
What, but a bubble scarcely worth the blowing?
“Quite full of errors was the world before;”
Then, to preach reason is but one error more.
?Viewing this earth from Luna’s elevation5,
Or any other convenient situation,
What shall we see? The various tricks of man:
Here is a synod — there is a divan6;
Behold7 the mufti, dervish, iman, bonze,
The lama and the pope on equal thrones.
The modern doctor and the ancient rabbi,
The monk8, the priest, and the expectant abbé:
If you are disputants, my friends, pray travel —
When you come home again, you’ll cease to cavil9.
?That wild Ambition should lay waste the earth,
Or Beauty’s glance give civil discord10 birth;
That, in our courts of equity11, a suit
Should hang in doubt till ruin is the fruit;
That an old country priest should deeply groan13,
To see a benefice he’d thought his own
Borne off by a court abbé; that a poet
Should feel most envy when he least should show it;
And, when another’s play the public draws,
Should grin damnation while he claps applause;
With this, and more, the human heart is fraught14 —
But whence the rage to rule another’s thought;
Say, wherefore — in what way — can you design
To make your judgment15 give the law to mine?
?But chiefly I detest16 those tiresome17 elves,
Half-learned critics, worshipping themselves,
Who, with the utmost weight of all their lead,
Maintain against you what yourself have said;
Philosophers — and poets — and musicians —
Great statesmen — deep in third and fourth editions —
They know all — read all — and (the greatest curse)
They talk of all — from politics to verse;
On points of taste they’ll contradict Voltaire;
In law e’en Montesquieu they will not spare;
They’ll tutor Broglio in affairs of arms;
And teach the charming d’Egmont higher charms.
See them, alike in great and small things clever,
Replying constantly, though answering never;
Hear them assert, repeat, affirm, aver18,
Wax wroth. And wherefore all this mighty19 stir?
This the great theme that agitates20 their breast —
Which of two wretched rhymesters rhymes the best?
?Pray, gentle reader, did you chance to know
One Monsieur d’Aube, who died not long ago?
One whom the disputatious mania21 woke
Early each morning? If, by chance, you spoke22
Of your own part in some well-fought affair,
Better than you he knew how, when, and where;
What though your own the deed and the renown23?
His “letters from the army” put you down;
E’en Richelieu he’d have told — if he attended —
How Mahon fell, or Genoa was defended.
Although he wanted neither wit nor sense,
His every visit gave his friends offence;
I’ve seen him, raving24 in a hot dispute,
Exhaust their logic25, force them to be mute,
Or, if their patience were entirely26 spent,
Rush from the room to give their passion vent27.
His kinsmen28, whom his property allured29,
At last were wearied, though they long endured.
His neighbors, less athletic30 than himself,
For health’s sake laid him wholly on the shelf.
Thus, ’midst his many virtues31, this one failing
Brought his old age to solitary32 wailing33; —
For solitude34 to him was deepest woe35 —
A sorrow which the peaceful ne’er can know
At length, to terminate his cureless grief,
A mortal fever came to his relief,
Caused by the great, the overwhelming pang36,
Of hearing in the church a long harangue37
Without the privilege of contradiction;
So, yielding to this crowning dire38 affliction,
His spirit fled. But, in the grasp of death,
’Twas some small solace39, with his parting breath,
To indulge once more his ruling disposition40
By arguing with the priest and the physician.
?Oh! may the Eternal goodness grant him now
The rest he ne’er to mortals would allow!
If, even there, he like not disputation
Better than uncontested, calm salvation41.
?But see, my friends, this bold defiance42 made
To every one of the disputing trade,
With a young bachelor their skill to try;
And God’s own essence shall the theme supply.
?Come and behold, as on the theatric stage,
The pitched encounter, the contending rage;
Dilemmas43, enthymemes, in close array —
Two-edged weapons, cutting either way;
The strong-built syllogism’s pondering might,
The sophism’s vain ignis fatuus light;
Hot-headed monks44, whom all the doctors dread45,
And poor Hibernians arguing for their bread,
Fleeing their country’s miseries46 and morasses47
To live at Paris on disputes and masses;
While the good public lend their strict attention
To what soars far above their sober comprehension.
?Is, then, all arguing frivolous48 or absurd?
Was Socrates himself not sometimes heard
To hold an argument amidst a feast?
E’en naked in the bath he hardly ceased.
Was this a failing in his mental vision?
Genius is sure discovered by collision;
The cold hard flint by one quick blow is fired; —
Fit emblem49 of the close and the retired50,
Who, in the keen dispute struck o’er and o’er,
Acquire a sudden warmth unfelt before.
?All this, I grant, is good. But mark the ill:
Men by disputing have grown blinder still.
The crooked51 mind is like the squinting52 eye:
How can you make it see itself awry53?
Who’s in the wrong? Will any answer “I”?
Our words, our efforts, are an idle breath;
Each hugs his darling notion until death;
Opinions ne’er are altered; all we do
Is, to arouse conflicting passions, too.
Not truth itself should always find a tongue;
“To be too stanchly right, is to be wrong.”
?In earlier days, by vice54 and crime unstained,
Justice and Truth, two naked sisters, reigned55;
But long since fled — as every one can tell —
Justice to heaven and Truth into a well.
?Now vain Opinion governs every age,
And fills poor mortals with fantastic rage.
Her airy temple floats upon the clouds;
Gods, demons1, antic sprites, in countless56 crowds,
Around her throne — a strange and motley mask —
Ply12 busily their never-ceasing task,
To hold up to mankind’s admiring gaze
A thousand nothings in a thousand ways;
While, wafted57 on by all the winds that blow,
Away the temple and the goddess go.
A mortal, as her course uncertain turns,
To-day is worshipped, and to-morrow burns.
We scoff58, that young Antinous once had priests;
We think our ancestors were worse than beasts;
And he who treats each modern custom ill,
Does but what future ages surely will.
What female face has Venus smiled upon?
The Frenchman turns with rapture59 to Brionne,
Nor can believe that men were wont60 to bow
To golden tresses and a narrow brow.
And thus is vagabond Opinion seen
To sway o’er Beauty — this world’s other queen!
?How can we hope, then, that she e’er will quit
Her vapory throne, to seek some sage’s feet,
And Truth from her deep hiding-place remove,
Once more to witness what is done above?
?And for the learned — even for the wise —
Another snare61 of false delusion62 lies;
That rage for systems, which, in dreamy thought,
Frames magic universes out of naught63;
Building ten errors on one truth’s foundation.
So he who taught the art of calculation,
In one of these illusive64 mental slumbers65,
Foolishly sought the Deity66 in numbers;
The first mechanic, from as wild a notion,
Would rule man’s freedom by the laws of motion.
This globe, says one, is an extinguished sun;
?No, says another, ’tis a globe of glass;
And when the fierce contention’s once begun,
?Book upon book — a vast and useless mass —
On Science’s altar are profusely67 strewn,
While Disputation sits on Wisdom’s throne.
?And then, from contrarieties of speech,
What countless feuds68 have sprung! For you may teach,
In the same words, two doctrines69 different quite
As day from darkness, or as wrong from right.
This has indeed been man’s severest curse;
Famine and pestilence70 have not been worse,
Nor e’er have matched the ills whose aggravations
Have scourged71 the world through misinterpretations.
How shall I paint the conscientious72 strife73?
?The holy transports of each heavenly soul —
Fanaticism74 wasting human life
?With torch, with dagger76, and with poisoned bow;
The ruined hamlet and the blazing town,
?Homes desolate77, and parents massacred,
?And temples in the Almighty’s honor reared
The scene of acts that merit most his frown!
Rape78, murder, pillage79, in one frightful80 storm,
?Pleasure with carnage horribly combined,
?The brutal81 ravisher amazed to find
A sister in his victim’s dying form!
Sons by their fathers to the scaffold led;
The vanquished82 always numbered with the dead.
Oh, God, permit that all the ills we know
May one day pass for merely fabled83 woe!
But see, an angry disputant steps forth84 —
?His humble85 mien86 a proud heart ill conceals87
In holy guise88 inclining to the earth,
?Offering to God the venom89 he distils90.
“Beneath all this a dangerous poison lies;
?So — every man is neither right nor wrong,
And, since we never can be truly wise,
?By instinct only should be driven along.”
“Sir, I’ve not said a word to that effect.”
?“It’s true, you’ve artfully disguised your meaning.”
“But, Sir, my judgment ever is correct.”
?“Sir, in this case, ’tis rather overweening.
Let truth be sought, but let all passion yield;
?‘Discussion’s right, and disputation’s wrong;’
This have I said — and that at court, in field,
?Or town, one often should restrain one’s tongue.”
“But, my dear Sir, you’ve still a double sense;
?I can distinguish —” “Sir, with all my heart;
I’ve told my thoughts with all due deference91,
?And crave92 the like indulgence on your part.”
“My son, all ‘thinking’ is a grievous crime;
So I’ll denounce you without loss of time.”
Blest would be they who, from fanatic75 power,
?From carping censors93, envious94 critics, free,
?O’er Helicon might roam in liberty,
And unmolested pluck each fragrant95 flower!
So does the farmer, in his healthy fields,
?Far from the ills in swarming96 towns that spring,
Taste the pure joys that our existence yields,
?Extract the honey and escape the sting.
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收听单词发音
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1
demons
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| n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念 | |
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gratuitous
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| adj.无偿的，免费的；无缘无故的，不必要的 | |
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momentous
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| adj.重要的，重大的 | |
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bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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divan
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| n.长沙发；（波斯或其他东方诗人的）诗集 | |
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behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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monk
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| n.和尚，僧侣，修道士 | |
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cavil
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| v.挑毛病，吹毛求疵 | |
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discord
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| n.不和，意见不合，争论，（音乐）不和谐 | |
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equity
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| n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票 | |
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ply
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| v.(搬运工等)等候顾客，弯曲 | |
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groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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fraught
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| adj.充满…的，伴有(危险等)的；忧虑的 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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detest
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| vt.痛恨，憎恶 | |
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tiresome
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| adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的 | |
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aver
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| v.极力声明；断言；确证 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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agitates
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| 搅动( agitate的第三人称单数 )； 激怒； 使焦虑不安； （尤指为法律、社会状况的改变而）激烈争论 | |
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mania
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| n.疯狂；躁狂症，狂热，癖好 | |
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22
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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renown
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| n.声誉，名望 | |
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raving
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| adj.说胡话的；疯狂的，怒吼的；非常漂亮的；令人醉心[痴心]的v.胡言乱语(rave的现在分词)n.胡话；疯话adv.胡言乱语地；疯狂地 | |
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25
logic
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| n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性 | |
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26
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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kinsmen
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| n.家属，亲属( kinsman的名词复数 ) | |
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allured
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| 诱引，吸引( allure的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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athletic
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| adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的 | |
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virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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32
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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33
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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34
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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harangue
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| n.慷慨冗长的训话，言辞激烈的讲话 | |
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dire
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| adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的 | |
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solace
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| n.安慰；v.使快乐；vt.安慰(物)，缓和 | |
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40
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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dilemmas
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| n.左右为难( dilemma的名词复数 )；窘境，困境 | |
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monks
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| n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 ) | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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miseries
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| n.痛苦( misery的名词复数 )；痛苦的事；穷困；常发牢骚的人 | |
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morasses
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| n.缠作一团( morass的名词复数 )；困境；沼泽；陷阱 | |
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frivolous
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| adj.轻薄的；轻率的 | |
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emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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51
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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52
squinting
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| 斜视( squint的现在分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看 | |
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awry
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| adj.扭曲的，错的 | |
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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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55
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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57
wafted
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| v.吹送，飘送，（使）浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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58
scoff
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| n.嘲笑，笑柄，愚弄；v.嘲笑，嘲弄，愚弄，狼吞虎咽 | |
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rapture
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| n.狂喜；全神贯注；着迷；v.使狂喜 | |
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wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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61
snare
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| n.陷阱，诱惑，圈套；（去除息肉或者肿瘤的）勒除器；响弦，小军鼓；vt.以陷阱捕获，诱惑 | |
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62
delusion
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| n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑 | |
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naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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illusive
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| adj.迷惑人的，错觉的 | |
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slumbers
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| 睡眠，安眠( slumber的名词复数 ) | |
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66
deity
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| n.神，神性；被奉若神明的人(或物) | |
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profusely
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| ad.abundantly | |
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feuds
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| n.长期不和，世仇( feud的名词复数 ) | |
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doctrines
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| n.教条( doctrine的名词复数 )；教义；学说；（政府政策的）正式声明 | |
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pestilence
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| n.瘟疫 | |
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71
scourged
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| 鞭打( scourge的过去式和过去分词 )； 惩罚，压迫 | |
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72
conscientious
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| adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的 | |
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strife
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| n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争 | |
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74
fanaticism
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| n.狂热，盲信 | |
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75
fanatic
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| n.狂热者，入迷者；adj.狂热入迷的 | |
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76
dagger
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| n.匕首，短剑，剑号 | |
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desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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78
rape
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| n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸 | |
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pillage
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| v.抢劫；掠夺；n.抢劫，掠夺；掠夺物 | |
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80
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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81
brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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82
vanquished
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| v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制 | |
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83
fabled
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| adj.寓言中的，虚构的 | |
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84
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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85
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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86
mien
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| n.风采；态度 | |
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87
conceals
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的第三人称单数 ) | |
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guise
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| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
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venom
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| n.毒液，恶毒，痛恨 | |
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90
distils
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| v.蒸馏( distil的第三人称单数 )；从…提取精华 | |
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deference
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| n.尊重，顺从；敬意 | |
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92
crave
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| vt.渴望得到，迫切需要，恳求，请求 | |
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censors
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| 删剪（书籍、电影等中被认为犯忌、违反道德或政治上危险的内容）( censor的第三人称单数 ) | |
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94
envious
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| adj.嫉妒的，羡慕的 | |
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fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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swarming
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| 密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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