OfYouthandAge
?弗朗西斯·培根/FrancisBacon
Amanthatisyounginyears,maybeoldinhours,ifhehavelostnotime.Butthathappenedrarely.Generally,youthislikethefirstcogitations,notsowiseasthesecond.Forthereisayouthinthoughts,aswellasinages.
Andyettheinventionofyoungmen,ismorelivelythanthatofold;andimaginationsstreamintotheirmindsbetter,and,asitwere,moredivinely.Naturesthathavemuchheat,andgreatandviolentdesiresandperturbations,arenotripeforaction,tilltheyhavepassedthemeridianoftheiryears;asitwaswithJuliusCaesarandSeptimiusSeverus
Youngmenarefittertoinvent,thantojudge;fitterforexecution,thanforcounsel;andfitterfornewprojects,thanforsettledbusiness.Fortheexperienceofage,inthingsthatfallwithinthecompassofit,directeththem;butinnewthings,abuseththem.
Theerrorsofyoungmen,aretheruinofbusiness;buttheerrorsofagedmen,amountbuttothis,thatmoremighthavebeendone,orsooner.Youngmen,intheconductandmanageofactions,embracemorethantheycanhold;stirmorethantheycanquiet;flytotheend,withoutconsiderationofthemeansanddegrees;pursuesomefewprinciples,whichtheyhavechanceduponabsurdlycarenottoinnovate,whichdrawsunknowninconveniences;useextremeremediesatfirst;and,thatwhichdoublethallerrors,willnotacknowledgeorretractthem;likeanunreadyhorse,thatwillneitherstopnorturn.Menofageobjecttoomuch,consulttoolong,adventuretoolittle,repenttoosoon,andseldomdrivebusinesshometothefullperiod,butcontentthemselveswithamediocrityofsuccess.Certainlyitisgoodtocompoundemploymentsofboth;forthatwillbegoodforthepresent,becausethevirtuesofeitherage,maycorrectthedefectsofboth;andgoodforsuccession,thatyoungmenmaybelearners,whilemeninageareactors;and,lastly,goodforexternaccidents,becauseauthorityfollowetholdmen,andfavorandpopularity,youth.Butforthemoralpart,perhapsyouthwillhavethepre-eminence,asagehathforthepolitic.
假使一個人不曾虛度年華，即使年歲不大也可表現得成熟老練，只不過此種情況甚少。深思未必出自風霜，歲月同樣可見年輕，可一般的青年畢竟謀劃不過長輩，智慧也不及他們少年老成的同齡人。
但青年的創造性是更為豐富的，想像力也如湧泉一樣奔放靈活，這似乎更得益於神助。天性剛烈、心懷熱望、情緒敏感的人，未歷經中年時行事總是青澀，愷撒和塞維拉斯即為例證……
青年擅長創造卻缺乏判斷，擅長行動卻缺乏商討，擅長革新卻缺乏對經驗的借鑒。日積月累的經驗可以引導他們掌握舊事物，但也會遮住他們看見新事物的視線。
青年人犯錯往往毀壞大局，而老年人的錯則是邁步太小或行動太緩。無論謀事還是操行，青年都好高騖遠，基調高，動幅大，好走極端；他們藐視前例，目空一切，革新的勇氣綽綽有餘，卻欠方式和分寸上的考慮，結果反而招致意外的麻煩。他們猶如不羈的野馬，行事極端而不自知自救，一旦起步犯錯，就瀉至千里，不可復回。老年人則顧忌太多，議論過長，寧求安穩，不願冒險，總是滿足於成績平平而不嚮往極致的輝煌。毫無疑問，最好是將兩者特點結合。就現在來說，青年和老年可以互相取長補短。就發展來說，老年人是主事者，而青年人可以學習取經。最後就社會來說，老年人以權威之姿指引方向，青年人則能振奮民心、鼓舞士氣。如果從政治上講，老年人的閱歷是珍貴的，那麼，青年人的純真則在人性中熠熠閃光。
1.Amanthatis_______inyears,maybeoldinhours,ifhehavelostno_______.Butthathappenedrarely.Generally,youthis_______thefirstcogitations,notsowiseasthesecond.Forthereisayouth_______thoughts,aswellasinages.
2.Youngmenare_______toinvent,thantojudge;fitterforexecution,_______forcounsel;andfitterfornewprojects,thanforsettled_______.Fortheexperienceofage,inthingsthatfallwithinthecompass_______it,directeththem;butin_______things,abuseththem.
1.假使一個人不曾虛度年華，即使年歲不大也可表現得成熟老練。
2.深思未必出自風霜，歲月同樣可見年輕。
3.天性剛烈、心懷熱望、情緒敏感的人，未歷經中年時行事總是青澀。
1arenotripeforaction.
ripefor：時機成熟的
2.Youngmenarefittertoinvent,thantojudge.
fitterto：適當的；勝任的