On beauty
Where shall you seek beauty, and how shall you find her unless she herself be your way and your guide? And how shall you speak of her except she be the 1)weaver of your speech?
The 2)aggrieved and the 3)injured say, "Beauty is kind and gentle. Like a young mother half-shy of her own 4)glory she walks among us."
And the 5)passionate say, "Nay, beauty is a thing of 6)might and 7)dread. Like the 8)tempest she shakes the earth beneath us and the sky above us."
The tired and the 9)weary say, "Beauty is of soft 10)whisperings. She speaks in our spirit. Her voice 11)yields to our silences like a 12)faint light that 13)quivers 14)in fear of the shadow."
But the 15)restless say, "We have heard her shouting among the mountains, and with her cries came the sound of hoofs, and the beating of wings and the 16)roaring of lions."
At night the watchmen of the city say, "Beauty shall rise with the dawn from the east."
And at 17)noon-time the 18)toilers and the 19)wayfarers say, "We have seen her leaning over the earth from the windows of the sunset."
In winter say the 20)snow-bound, "She shall come with the spring leaping upon the hills."
And in the summer heat the 21)reapers say, "We have seen her dancing with the autumn leaves, and we saw a drift of snow in her hair."
All these things have you said of beauty, yet in truth you spoke not of her but of needs unsatisfied, and beauty is not a need but an 22)ecstasy. It is not a mouth 23)thirsting nor an empty hand stretched forth, but rather a heart 24)enflamed and a soul 25)enchanted. It is not the image you would see nor the song you would hear, but rather an image you see though you close your eyes and a song you hear though you shut your ears. It is not the 26)sap within the 27)furrowed 28)bark, nor a wing attached to a 29)claw, but rather a garden for ever in bloom and a flock of angels for ever in flight.
Beauty is life when life 30)unveils her holy face.
1) weaver n. 編織者，織工
2) aggrieved a. 苦惱的，悲傷的 the aggrieved指苦惱的人，悲傷的人
3) injured a. 受傷的，受損害的 the injured指受傷的人，受損害的人
4) glory n. 榮譽，光榮
5) passionate a. 熱情的 the passionate指充滿熱情的人
6) might n. 力量，威力
7) dread n. 懼怕，擔心
8) tempest n. 暴風雨
9) weary a. 疲倦的 the weary指疲倦的人
10) whispering n. 耳語
11) yield to 屈服於，屈從於
12) faint a. 微弱的，模糊的
13) quiver v. 顫抖
14) in fear of 對……懼怕，擔憂
15) restless a. 不能安靜的 the restless指好動的人
16) roaring n. 咆哮，呼喊
17) noon-time n. 正午，白晝
18) toiler n. 辛勞者
19) wayfarer n. 旅人，徒步旅行者
20) snow-bound a. 被大雪困阻的 the snowbound指被大雪困阻的人
21) reaper n. 收割者
22) ecstasy n. 入迷
23) thirsting a. 口渴的
24) enflame v. 燃燒
25) enchant v. 施魔法，使迷惑
26) sap n. 樹液
27) furrowed a. 有犁溝的，有皺紋的
28) bark n. 樹皮
29) claw n. 爪
30) unveil v. 揭開，除去面紗
美
如果美不以自身為途徑，為嚮導，你們到哪裡，又如何能找到她呢？如果她不是你們言語的編織者，你們又如何能談論她呢？
傷心痛苦者說：“美是善良而溫柔的。她像一位因自己的榮耀而半含羞澀的年輕母親，走在我們的身邊。”
熱情奔放者說：“不，美是強烈而令人驚畏的。她如暴風雨般震動我們腳下的大地，搖撼我們頭上的天空。”
疲憊怠倦者說：“美是溫柔的低語，她在我們的心中訴說。她的'聲音波動在我們的沉默中，猶如一道微弱的光在對陰影的恐懼中顫抖。”
但活潑好動者說：“我們曾聽到她在山谷中大聲呼叫，隨其吶喊而來的是足蹄踏地、翅膀拍擊和雄獅怒吼的聲音。”
夜晚，城市的守夜人說：“美將與晨光一同從東方升起。”
正午，辛勤勞作者和長途跋涉者說：“我們曾看到她透過黃昏之窗眺望大地。”
嚴冬，困在風雪中的人說：“她將與春同至，雀躍于山巒之間。”
酷暑，收割莊稼的人說：“我們曾看到她與秋葉共舞，雪花點綴於她的髮梢。”
你們談到關於美的所有這些，實際並非關於她本身，而是關於你們未被滿足的需求，但美並不是一種需求，而是心醉神迷的欣喜。她不是焦渴的脣，也不是伸出的空空的手，而是一顆燃燒的心，一個充滿喜悅的靈魂。她不是你們想看到的形象，也不是你們想聽到的歌聲，而是你們閉上眼睛看到的形象，堵住耳朵聽到的歌聲。她不是傷殘樹皮下的樹液，也不是懸在利爪下的翅膀。而是一座鮮花永遠盛開的花園，一群永遠在天空飛翔的天使。
當生命摘去遮蓋她聖潔面容的面紗時，美就是生命。
