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John Milton/约翰·弥尔顿（1608~1674），17世纪英国杰出的文学家，出生清教徒家庭，自幼爱好文学，博览经典著作与欧陆各国文学，代表作《失乐园》、《复乐园》。
Good and evil we know in the field of this World grow up together almost inseparable; and the knowledge of good is so involved and interwoven with the knowledge of evil and in so many cunning resemblances hardly to be discerned, that those confused seeds which were imposed on Psyche as an incessant labour to cull out and sort asunder were not more intermixed. It was from out the rind of one apple tasted that the knowledge of good and evil as two twins cleaving together leapt forth into the World. And perhaps this is that doom which Adam fell into of knowing good and evil, that is to say of knowing good by evil. As therefore the state of man now is, what wisdom can there be to choose, what continence to forbeare, without the knowledge of evil? He that can apprehend and consider vice with all her baits and seeming pleasures, and yet abstain, and yet distinguish, and yet prefer that which is truly better, he is the true warfaring Christian. I cannot praise a fugitive and cloistered virtue, unexercised and unbreathed, that never sallies out and sees her adversary, but sinks out of the race, where that immotal garland is tobe run for not without dust and heat. Assuredly we bring not innocence into the world, we bring impurity much rather: that which purifies us is trial, and trial is by what is contrary…
我们所认识的善与恶在这个尘世的范围内总是相伴生长，密不可分的；而善与恶的知识又是这样的错综纠缠，且惯以形容酷肖的面目出现，这中间的纷纭程度，较之作为长期苦役而罚使塞娥不停分拣的混杂败种，可能更有过之。谁能料到，善与恶的知识这对紧紧相依的孪生兄弟便是从一只吃过的苹果之中，破皮跃入这个世界的。这或许也即是昔年亚当曾经坠入其间的那个劫数——明善恶之辨，或曰，藉恶以知善。因此，既然人类已成为今天这种情形，试问离开对恶的知识，智慧将何得而选择，坚忍又何从而施行？那种能将罪恶及其一切诱饵与声色之乐一并擒拿在手，细加审视，而仍能知所趋避，而仍能明辨是非，而仍能择善而从的人，这种人方不愧为真正善战的基 督徒。至于那种于德无所施，于行无所表的逋逃隐遁性的道德，那种从未有冲杀应敌之劳，而只是临阵一逃了事的道德，我委实不敢赞一词；须知不朽之花环是很少可以不备极艰苦而后得到的。显然，我们所携入这个世界的并非纯真一片，我们所带来的倒无虑是种种之不洁；致我们于纯洁者是考验，而考验则必借相反的事物……
For as in a body, when the blood is fresh, the spirits pure and vigorous not only to vital but to rational faculties and those in the acutest and the pertest operations of wit and subtlety, it argues in what good plight and constitution the body is, so when the cheerfulness of the people is so sprightly up, as that it has not only wherewith to guard well its own freedom and safety but to spare, and to bestow upon the solidest and sublimest points of controversy and new invention, it betokens us not degenerated, nor drooping to a fatal decay, but casting of fthe old and wrinkled skin of corruption to outlive these pangs and wax young again, entering the glorious ways of Truth and prosperous virtue destined to become great and honourable in these latter ages. Methinks I see in my mind a noble and puissant Nation rousing herself like a strong man after sleep, and shaking her invincible locks. Methinks I see her as an Eagle mewing her mighty youth, and kindling her undazzled eyes at the full midday beam, purging and unscaling her long abused sight at the fountain itself of heavenly radiance, while the whole noise of timorous and flocking birds, with those also that love the twilight, flutter about, amazed at what she means, and in their envious gabble would prognosticate a year of sects and schisms.
正像在躯体方面，当一个人的血液鲜活，各个基本器官与心智官能中的元气精 液纯洁健旺，而这些官能又复于其机敏活泼的运用中恣骋其心智的巧慧的时候，往往可以说明这个躯体的状况与组织异常良好那样，同理，当一个民族心情欢快，意气欣欣，非但能绰有余裕地去保障其自身的自由与安全，且能以余力兼及种种坚实而崇高的争议与发明，这也会向我们表明了它没有倒退，没有陷入一蹶不振的地步，而是脱掉了衰朽腐 败的陈皱表皮，经历了阵痛而重获青春，从此步入足以垂懿范于今兹的真理与盛德的光辉坦途。我觉得，我在自己的心中仿佛瞥见了一个崇高而勇武的国家，好像一个强有力者那样，正从其沉酣之中振身而起，风鬓凛然。我觉得，我仿佛瞥见它是一头苍鹰，正在挣脱着它幼时的健翮，它那目不稍瞬的双睛因睁对中午的炎阳而被燃得火红，继而将它的久被欺诓的目光疾扫而下，俯瞰荡漾着天上光辉的清泉本身，而这时无数怯懦群居的小鸟，还有那些性喜昏暗时分的鸟类，却正在一片鼓噪，上下翻飞，对苍鹰的行径诧怪不已；而众鸟的这种恶毒的唧唧喳喳将预示着未来一年的派派系系。