谎言的衰落英文王尔德.docx

谎言的衰落英文王尔德.docx

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谎言的衰落英文王尔德

谎言的衰落（英文）王尔德

OscarWilde:

THEDECAYOFLYING

NewYork:

Brentano,1905[1889]

ADIALOGUE.

Persons:

CyrilandVivian.

Scene:

thelibraryofacountryhouseinNottinghamshire.CYRIL（cominginthroughtheopenwindowfromtheterrace）.MydearVivian,

don'tcoopyourselfupalldayinthelibrary.Itisaperfectly

lovelyafternoon.Theairisexquisite.Thereisamistuponthewoods

likethepurplebloomuponaplum.Letusgoandlieonthegrass,and

smokecigarettes,andenjoyNature.

VIVIAN.EnjoyNature!

IamgladtosaythatIhaveentirelylostthatfaculty.PeopletellusthatArtmakesusloveNaturemorethanwelovedherbefore;thatitrevealshersecretstous;andthatafteracarefulstudyofCorotandConstableweseethingsinherthathadescapedourobservation.MyownexperienceisthatthemorewestudyArt,thelesswecareforMature.WhatArtreallyrevealstousisNature's

lackofdesign,hercuriouscrudities,herextraordinarymonotony,herabsolutelyunfinishedcondition.Naturehasgoodintentions,ofcourse,but,asAristotleoncesaid,shecannotcarrythemout.WhenIlookatalandscapeIcannothelpseeingallitsdefects.Itisfortunateforus,however,thatNatureissoimperfect,asotherwiseweshouldhavehadno

artatall.Artisourspiritedprotest,ourgallantattempttoteachNatureherproperplace.AsfortheinfinitevarietyofNature,thatisapuremyth.ItisnottobefoundinNatureherself.Itresidesintheimagination,orfancy,orcultivatedblindnessofthemanwholooksather.

CYRIL.Well,youneednotlookatthelandscape.Youcanlieonthegrassandsmokeandtalk.

VIVIAN.ButNatureissouncomfortable.Grassishardanddumpyanddamp,andfullofdreadfulblackinsects.Why,evenMorris'poorestworkmancouldmakeyouamorecomfortableseatthanthewholeofNaturecan.Naturepalesbeforethefurnitureof"thestreetwhichfromOxford

hasborroweditsname,"asthepoetyoulovesomuchoncevilelyphrasedit.Idon'tcomplain.IfNaturehadbeencomfortable,mankindwouldneverhave

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inventedarchitecture,andIpreferhousestotheopenair.Inahouseweallfeeloftheproperproportions.Everythingissubordinatedtous,fashionedforouruseandourpleasure.Egotismitself,whichissonecessarytoapropersenseofhumandignity'isentirelytheresultofindoorlife.Outofdoorsonebecomesabstractandimpersonal.One'sindividualityabsolutelyleavesone.Andthen

Natureissoindifferent,sounappreciative.WheneverIamwalkingintheparkhere,IalwaysfeelthatIamnomoretoherthanthecattlethatbrowseontheslope,ortheburdockthatbloomsintheditch.

NothingismoreevidentthanthatNaturehatesMind.Thinkingisthemostunhealthythingintheworld,andpeopledieofitjustastheydieofanyotherdisease.Fortunately,inEnglandatanyrate,thoughtisnotcatching.Oursplendidphysiqueasapeopleisentirelyduetoournationalstupidity.Ionlyhopeweshallbeabletokeepthisgreathistoricbulwarkofourhappinessformanyyearstocome;butIamafraidthatwearebeginningtobeovereducated;atleasteverybodywhoisincapableoflearninghastakentoteaching--thatisreallywhatourenthusiasmforeducationhascometo.Inthemeantime,youhadbettergobacktoyourwearisome,uncomfortableNature,andleavemetocorrectmyproofs.

CYRIL.Writinganarticle!

Thatisnotveryconsistentafterwhatyouhavejustsaid.

VIVIANWhowantstobeconsistent?

Thedullardandthedoctrinaire,thetediouspeoplewhocarryouttheirprinciplestothebitterendofaction,tothereductioadabsurdumofpractice.NotI.LikeEmerson,Iwriteoverthedoorofmylibrarytheword"Whim."Besides,myarticleisreallyamostsalutaryandvaluablewarning.Ifitisattendedto,theremaybeanewRenaissanceofArt.

CYRIL.Whatisthesubject?

VIVIAN.Iintendtocallit"TheDecayofLying:

AProtest."CYRIL.

Lying!

Ishouldhavethoughtthatourpoliticianskeptupthathabit.

VIVIAN.Iassureyouthattheydonot.Theyneverrisebeyondthelevelofmisrepresentation,andactuallycondescendtoprove,todiscuss,

toargue.Howdifferentfromthetemperofthetrueliar,withhisfrank,fearlessstatements,hissuperbresponsibility,hishealthy,naturaldisdainofproofofanykind!

Afterall,whatisafinelie?

Simplythatwhichisitsownevidence.Ifamanissufficientlyunimaginativetoproduceevidenceinsupportofalie,hemightjustaswellspeakthetruth

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atonce.No,thepoliticianswon'tdo.Somethingmay,perhaps,beurgedonbehalfoftheBar.ThemantleoftheSophisthasfallenonitsmembers.Theirfeignedardoursandunrealrhetoricaredelightful.Theycanmaketheworseappearthebettercause,asthoughtheywerefreshfromLeontineschools,andhavebeenknowntowrestfromreluctantjuriestriumphantverdictsofacquittalfortheirclients,evenwhen

thoseclients,asoftenhappens,wereclearlyandunmistakeablyinnocent.Buttheyarebriefedbytheprosaic,andarenotashamedtoappealtoprecedent.Inspiteoftheirendeavours,thetruthwillout.Newspapers,even,havedegenerated.Theymaynowbeabsolutelyreliedupon.Onefeelsitasonewadesthroughtheircolumns.Itisalwaystheunreadablethatoccurs.Iamafraidthatthereisnotmuchtobesaidinfavourofeitherthelawyerorthejournalist.BesideswhatIampleadingforisLyinginart.ShallIreadyouwhatIhavewritten?

Itmightdoyouagreatdealofgood.CYRIL.Certainly,ifyougive,meacigarette.Thanks.Bytheway,whatmagazinedoyouintenditfor?

VIVIAN.FortheRetrospectiveReview.IthinkItoldyouthattheelect

hadrevivedit.

CYRIL.Whomdoyoumeanby"theelect"?

VIVIAN.Oh,TheTiredHedonistsofcourse.ItisaclubtowhichIbelong.Wearesupposedtowearfadedrosesinourbuttonholeswhenwemeet,andtohaveasortofcultforDomitian.Iamafraidyouarenoteligible.Youaretoofondofsimplepleasures.

CYRIL.Ishouldbeblackballedonthegroundofanimalspirits,Isuppose?

VIVIAN.Probably.Besides,youarelittletooold.Wedon'tadmitanybodywhoisoftheusualage.

CYRIL.Well,Ishouldfancyyouareallagooddealboredwitheachother.VIVIAN.Weare.Thatisoneoftheobjectsoftheclub.Now,ifyoupromisenottointerrupttoooften,Iwillreadyoumyarticle.

CYRIL.Youwillfindmeallattention.

VIVIAN（readinginaveryclear,musicalvoice）."THEDECAYOFLYING:

APROTEST.--OneofthechiefcausesthatcanbeassignedforthecuriouslycommonplacecharacterofmostoftheliteratureofourageisundoubtedlythedecayofLyingasanart,ascience,andasocialpleasure.Theancienthistoriansgaveusdelightfulfictionintheformoffact;themodern

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novelistpresentsuswithdullfactsundertheguiseoffiction.The

BlueBookisrapidlybecominghisidealbothformethodandmanner.He

hashistedious'documenthumain,'hismiserablelittle'coindelacreation,'intowhichhepeerswithhismicroscope.HeistobefoundattheLibrairieNationale,orattheBritishMuseum,shamelesslyreadinguphissubject.Hehasnoteventhecourageofotherpeople'sideas,butinsistsongoingdirectlytolifeforeverything'andultimately,

betweenencyclopaediasandpersonalexperience,hecomestotheground,havingdrawnhistypesfromthefamilycircleorfromtheweeklywasherwoman,andhavingacquiredanamountofusefulinformationfromwhichnever,eveninhismostmeditativemoments,canhethoroughlyfreehimself."Thelossthatresultstoliteratureingeneralfromthisfalse

idealofourtimecanhardlybeoverestimated.Peoplehaveacarelesswayoftalkingabouta'bornliar,'justastheytalkabouta'born

poet.'Butinbothcasestheyarewrong.Lyingandpoetryarearts--arts,asPlatosaw,notunconnectedwitheachother--andtheyrequirethemostcarefulstudy,themostdisinteresteddevotion.Indeed,theyhavetheirtechnique,justasthemorematerialartsofpaintingandsculpturehave,theirsubtlesecretsofformand.colour,theircraftmysteries,theirdeliberateartisticmethods.Asoneknowsthepoetbyhisfinemusic,soonecanrecognizetheliarbyhisrichrhythmicutterance,andin

neithercasewillthecasualinspirationofthemomentsuffice.Here,aselsewhere,practicemustprecedeperfection.Butinmoderndayswhilethefashionofwritingpoetryhasbecomefartoocommon,andshould,ifpossible,bediscouraged,thefashionoflyinghasalmostfallenintodisrepute.Manyayoungmanstartsinlifewithanaturalgiftfor

exaggerationwhich,ifnurturedincongenialandsympatheticsurroundings,orbytheimitationofthebestmodels,mightgrowintosomethingreallygreatandwonderful.But,asarule,hecomestonothing.Heeitherfallsintocarelesshabitsofaccuracy"

CYRIL.Mydearfellow!

VIVIAN.Pleasedon'tinterruptinthemiddleofasentence."Heeitherfallsintocarelesshabitsofaccuracy,ortakestofrequentingthesocietyoftheagedandthewellinformed.Boththingsareequallyfataltohisimagination,asindeedtheywouldbefataltotheimaginationofanybody,andinashorttimehedevelopsamorbidandunhealthyfacultyoftruthtelling,beginstoverifyallstatementsmade

inhispresence,hasnohesitationincontradictingpeoplewhoaremuchyoungerthanhimself,andoftenendsbywritingnovelswhicharesolikelifethatnoonecanpossiblybelieveintheirprobability.Thisisnoisolatedinstancethatwearegiving.Itissimplyoneexampleoutofmany;andifsomethingcannot

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bedonetocheck,oratleasttomodify,ourmonstrousworshipoffacts,ArtwillbecomesterileandBeautywillpassawayfromtheland."EvenMr.Rober