【导读】

本杰明·贝利（1791—1853）于牛津求学期间，与济慈结下了深厚友谊。在致贝利的这封信中，济慈探讨了想象的神圣与真实，强调了想象在创造和感知美中的核心作用。而在另一封写给贝利的信中，他更是指出，“创造力是诗歌的北极星，而幻想是帆，想象是舵”。他渴望表达的是，真正的幸福和真理不仅存在于当下的感触与思考中，更在于来世对美好体验的重温与升华。通过比喻与自我反思，济慈描绘了一个既依赖感官经验，又追求真理的复杂心灵形象，并认为这样的心灵需要在岁月的磨砺中不断成长，既要沉浸于想象的美妙世界，也要不断追求知识的广度与深度。

November 22nd， 1817

1817年11月22日

My dear Bailey，

亲爱的贝利：

I will get over the first part of this （unsaid1） Letter2 as soon as possible for it relates to the affair of poor Crips. To a Man of your nature， such a Letter as Haydon’s3 must have been extremely cutting. What occasions the greater part of the World’s Quarrels？ Simply this， two Minds meet and do not understand each other time enough to prevent any shock or surprise at the conduct of either party. As soon as I had known Haydon three days I had got enough of his character not to have been surprised at such a Letter as he has hurt you with. Nor when I knew it， was it a principle with me to drop his acquaintance， although with you it would have been an imperious4 feeling.

我要尽快写完这封（上述未及的）信的开头部分，因为它与可怜的克里普斯有关。对于你这样性情的人，海登的来信必定让你倍感伤痛。世间大多数的纷争缘何而起？究其根本，不过是两心相遇，却尚未来得及心意相通，因而难免对彼此的行为感到震惊或诧异。我认识海登才只三天，便已洞察了他的性情，得知他写了那封伤害你的信，我并未感到意外。即便知晓此事，我也无意就此与他断绝来往，不过你也许会立刻与他断绝关系吧。

I wish you knew all that I think about Genius and the Heart， and yet I think you are thoroughly acquainted with my innermost breast in that respect or you could not have known me even thus long and still hold me worthy to be your dear friend. In passing， however， I must say of one thing that has pressed upon me lately and encreased my Humility and capability of submission， and that is this truth： Men of Genius are great as certain ethereal5 Chemicals operating on the Mass of neutral intellect， but they have not any individuality， any determined Character. I would call the top and head of those who have a proper self Men of Power.

我希望你能了解我关于天才与心灵的一切看法，但我相信，在这方面，你已对我知根知底，否则你我之间的友谊何以历经漫长岁月而坚固依然。不过顺便一提，有件事已在我心头萦绕许久，它使我愈发谦逊且懂得顺从，那便是这一真谛——天才人物之伟大，就如某些虚无缥缈的化学物质，作用于芸芸众生，但他们并无鲜明的个性，也无坚定的品格。我愿意将那些固守真我的人中之杰称为“强者”。

But I am running my head into a Subject which I am certain I could not do justice to under five years study and 3 vols. Octavo6， and moreover long to be talking about the Imagination. So， my dear Bailey， do not think of this unpleasant affair if possible， do not. I defy7 any harm to come of it—I defy. I shall write to Crips this Week and request him to tell me all his goings on from time to time by Letter wherever I may be. It will all go on well， so don’t because you have suddenly discover’d a Coldness in Haydon suffer yourself to be teased. Do not， my dear fellow. O， I wish I was as certain of the end of all your troubles as that of your momentary start about the authenticity of the Imagination.

不过，我正苦心钻研一个命题，我确信，就算花上五年时间研究，写满三卷八开本，肯定也难以尽述其要，此外，我还盼望与你探讨关于想象力的话题。所以，我亲爱的贝利，如果可能的话，不要再想那件令人不快的事了，千万不要想！我敢说此事不会造成任何伤害——绝无可能。这周我就给克里普斯去信，请求他无论我身在何处，都能随时来信告诉我他的近况。一切都会好起来的，所以不要因为突然察觉了海登的冷淡而心生烦恼。别这样想，我亲爱的朋友。噢，我多么希望，能够确信你所有的不快都将迅速消散，一如坚信你对想象真实性的疑虑仅如过眼云烟。

I am certain of nothing but of the holiness of the Heart’s affections and the truth of Imagination. What the imagination seizes as Beauty must be truth—whether it existed before or not—for I have the same Idea of all our Passions as of Love; they are all in their sublime， creative of essential Beauty. In a Word， you may know my favorite Speculation by my first Book and the little song I send in my last， which is a representation from the fancy of the probable mode of operating in these Matters.

我唯一笃信的，是内心情感的圣洁及想象的真实。想象所捕捉到的美必定是真实的，无论这美先前是否存在。因为我对人类一切激情与爱的看法也是一样的：它们在达到崇高境界时，皆能创造出本质之美。简而言之，你或许能从我的第一部作品和我上次寄去的那首小诗之中，窥见我最热衷的思辨，那首诗以幻想勾勒出了此类事物可能的运作方式。

The Imagination may be compared to Adam’s dream—he awoke and found it truth.8 I am the more zealous in this affair， because I have never yet been able to perceive how anything can be known for truth by consecutive reasoning—and yet it must be. Can it be that even the greatest Philosopher ever arrived at his goal without putting aside numerous objections？ However it may be， O for a Life of Sensation rather than of Thoughts！ It is ‘a Vision in the form of Youth，’ a Shadow of reality to come， and this consideration has further convinced me for it has come as auxiliary9 to another favorite Speculation of mine， that we shall enjoy ourselves hereafter by having what we called happiness on Earth repeated in a finer tone and so repeated. And yet such a fate can only befall those who delight in sensation rather than hunger as you do after Truth. Adam’s dream will do here， and seems to be a conviction that Imagination and its empyreal10 reflection is the same as human Life and its spiritual repetition.

想象可以与亚当的梦作比，他醒来后发现梦境成了现实。我之所以对这件事尤为热心，是因为我至今尚未领悟，如何通过连续的推理来认识事物的真实性——然而推理是必须的。即便是最伟大的哲学家，若不排除无数异议，难道就能找到真理吗？无论如何，我宁愿过一种富于感官享受的生活，而非耽于思考！这是“青春的幻象”，也是未来现实的投影。这种看法进一步坚定了我的信念，因为它与我另一个热衷的推测相辅相成，即我们终将在来世享受所谓的尘世幸福，以更美妙的方式重温世间欢乐，如此往复。然而，这样的命运只会降临于那些沉醉于感官体验之人，而非像你一样渴求真理的人。亚当之梦在此也能适用，它似乎确凿无疑地表明，想象以及它在天堂的映射，与人类生命及其精神上的反映一般无二。

But as I was saying. The simple imaginative Mind may have its rewards in the repetition of its own silent Working coming continually on the spirit with a fine suddenness. To compare great things with small： have you never by being surprised with an old Melody—in a delicious place—by a delicious voice， felt over again your very speculations and surmises at the time it first operated on your soul？ Do you not remember forming to yourself the singer’s face more beautiful than it was possible， and yet with the elevation of the Moment you did not think so？ Even then you were mounted on the Wings of Imagination so high that the Prototype must be hereafter that delicious face you will see. What a time！ I am continually running away from the subject; sure this cannot be exactly the case with a complex Mind， one that is imaginative and at the same time careful of its fruits， who would exist partly on sensation， partly on thought， to whom it is necessary that years should bring the philosophic Mind. Such an one I consider your’s and therefore it is necessary to your eternal Happiness that you not only drink this old Wine of Heaven， which I shall call the redigestion of our most ethereal Musings on Earth; but also increase in knowledge and know all things.

然而正如我先前所说，单纯而富于想象力的心灵，或许会在自身反复的无声运作之间，获得精神上突如其来的持续回报。以小见大地说，难道你从未为一段熟悉的旋律触动？场所宜人、嗓音佳妙，那一刻你再次沉浸于初听此曲时种种震撼心灵的猜测与遐思。你可还记得，那时在心中勾勒出的歌者面容，比现实中的更美，而那一时的飘飘然让你毫不怀疑这份美化。当时你乘着想象的翅膀翱翔高空，坚信想象的原型便是那张令人心醉的脸庞，日后也必将得见。多么美妙的时刻啊！我总是偏离正题，当然，对于复杂的心灵而言，情况定非全然如此。拥有这样心灵的人，既富于想象又珍惜成果，其存在既依赖于感官体验，又依存于理性思考；唯有岁月才能锤炼出他们的哲思。我认为你便是这一类人。因此，为了你的永恒幸福，你不仅要啜饮这杯天赐的陈酿——我愿称其为以世间最崇高的思想酝制而成——还要增长见识、悉知万物。

I am glad to hear you are in a fair Way for Easter. You will soon get through your unpleasant reading and then！ But the world is full of troubles and I have not much reason to think myself pestered with many. I think Jane or Marianne11 has a better opinion of me than I deserve， for really and truly I do not think my Brother’s illness12 connected with mine. You know more of the real Cause than they do， nor have I any chance of being rack’d as you have been. You perhaps at one time thought there was such a thing as Worldly Happiness to be arrived at， at certain periods of time marked out; you have of necessity from your disposition been thus led away. I scarcely remember counting upon any Happiness. I look not for it if it be not in the present hour. Nothing startles me beyond the Moment. The setting sun will always set me to rights， or if a Sparrow come before my Window， I take part in its existence and pick about the Gravel.

听说你将迎来一个愉快的复活节，我很高兴。你很快就能捱过这段艰难的阅读历程，然后柳暗花明！不过，这世间烦恼重重，我没有太多理由觉得自己愁事缠身。我想，简和玛丽安娜对我的评价有些过誉了，因为我真的不认为弟弟的病情与我的有何关联。你比她们更了解真相，而且我也未曾像你那样饱受折磨。或许你曾认为，在某个特定时刻能获得尘世的幸福，这是你的性情使然，容易受外物牵引。而我几乎不曾记得期盼过什么幸福，如果幸福不在此时此刻，我便不去刻意寻求。超出此刻的任何事物都惊扰不了我。暮色总能让我的心绪安宁，如有一只麻雀飞至窗前，我便与它共感生存之乐，同它一起在碎石间啄食嬉戏。

The first thing that strikes me on hearing a Misfortune having befallen another is this： ‘Well， it cannot be helped. He will have the pleasure of trying the resources of his spirit.’ And I beg now， my dear Bailey， that hereafter should you observe anything cold in me not to put it to the account of heartlessness but abstraction13， for I assure you I sometimes feel not the influence of a Passion or Affection during a whole week. And so long this sometimes continues I begin to suspect myself and the genuineness of my feelings at other times， thinking them a few barren14 Tragedy-tears.

每每听闻他人遭遇不幸，我首先想到的是，“唉，这也是无可奈何；但他有机会试炼自己精神的力量，亦为乐事”。所以，亲爱的贝利，此刻，我恳请你，日后若你察觉到我态度冷漠，请勿将其归咎于无情，而应把它看作是我心神恍惚。我必须向你坦言，有时，整整一周我都感受不到激情或喜爱之情，有时这种情况持续太久，我就开始怀疑自己，也怀疑自己在其他时刻情感的真挚，认为那些不过是几滴空洞而忧伤的泪水罢了。

Your affectionate friend，

你的挚友，

John Keats

约翰·济慈

（译者单位：广东工业大学外国语学院）

1 said一词作法律用语时，意思是“上述的”。此处为作者故意双关。  2文内部分句中词汇的首字母大写，系作者本人习惯，皆予保留。  3指本杰明·罗伯特·海登（1786—1846），英国历史画家、作家，济慈的朋友。海登在当时文学界的交游甚广，以看人眼光独到、言辞犀利著称。

4 imperious迫切的。  5 ethereal缥缈的；超凡的。  6 octavo八开本。

7 defy蔑视；无法相信（解释、描绘等）。  8典出约翰·弥尔顿的长诗《失乐园》第八卷：亚当在乐园中睡去，梦见造物主从他的身体中抽出一条肋骨创造夏娃。亚当醒来后发现梦境成真，夏娃就在眼前。

9 auxiliary辅助的；备用的；后备的。  10 empyreal苍天的，天上的；崇高的。

11指简·雷诺兹和玛丽安娜·雷诺兹，是英国诗人约翰·汉密尔顿·雷诺兹（1794—1852）的姐妹。济慈与雷诺兹一家关系很好，有许多往来信件。  12济慈的弟弟汤姆（1799—1818）患有肺结核。

13 abstraction出神；心不在焉。  14 barren贫瘠的；无效果的。