富兰克林的语言魅力

William Wirt，1772—1834，an American lawyer and author.From 1817 to 1829 he was Attorney-general of the United States.His last years were spent in Baltimore.His “Life of Patrick Henry，”is the best known of his writings.

Never have I known such a fireside companion.Great as he was both as a statesman and philosopher，he never shone in a light more winning than when he was seen in a domestic circle.It was once my good fortune to pass two or three weeks with him，at the house of a private gentleman，in the back part of Pennsylvania，and we were confined to the house during the whole of that time by the unintermitting constancy and depth of the snows.But confinement never could be felt where Franklin was an inmate；His cheerfulness and his colloquial powers spread around him a perpetual spring.

When I speak，however，of his colloquial powers，I do not mean to awaken any notion analogous to that which Boswell has given us of Johnson.The conversation of the latter continually reminds one of the “pomp and circumstance of glorious war.”It was，indeed，a perpetual contest for victory，or an arbitrary or despotic exaction of homage to his superior talents.It was strong，acute，prompt，splendid，and vociferous；as loud，stormy，and sublime as those winds which he represents as shaking the Hebrides，and rocking the old castle which frowned on the dark-rolling sea beneath.

But one gets tired of storms，however sublime they may be，and longs for the more orderly current of nature.Of Franklin，no one ever became tired.There was no ambition of eloquence，no effort to shine in anything which came from him.There was nothing which made any demand upon either your allegiance or your admiration.His manner was as unaffected as infancy.It was nature's self.He talked like an old patriarch；and his plainness and simplicity put you at once at your ease，and gave you the full and free possession and use of your faculties.His thoughts were of a character to shine by their own light，without any adventitious aid.They only required a medium of vision like his pure and simple style，to exhibit to the highest advantage their native radiance and beauty.

His cheerfulness was unremitting.It seemed to be as much the effect of a systematic and salutary exercise of the mind，as of its superior organization.His wit was of the first order.It did not show itself merely in occasional corusca-tions；but，without any effort or force on his part，it shed a constant stream of the purest light over the whole of his discourse.Whether in the company of commons or nobles，he was always the same plain man；always most perfectly at his ease，with his faculties in full play，and the full orbit of his genius forever clear and unclouded.

And then，the stores of his mind were inexhaustible.He had commenced life with an attention so vigilant that nothing had escaped his observation；and a judgment so solid that every incident was turned to advantage.His youth had not been wasted in idleness，nor overcast by intemperance.He had been，all his life，a close and deep reader，as well as thinker；and by the force of his own powers，had wrought up the raw materials which he had gathered from books，with such exquisite skill and felicity，that he has added a hundred fold to their original value，and justly made them his own.

译文　TRANSLATION

威廉·沃特（1772—1834），美国律师，作家。1817—1829年威廉·沃特任美国司法部长，其代表作为《帕特里克·亨利传》。

我从未认识过这样的炉边挚友。他是位了不起的政治家、哲人，而在家居时最具魅力。在宾夕法尼亚一位绅士的私宅中，我曾有幸与他盘桓过两三个星期，那时，屋外的雪积得很厚且又连日不停，故而，我们只得窝在屋里。但因与富兰克林共处一室，并不觉得幽居的烦闷。他的达观和如珠妙语令人如坐春风。

然而，说到富兰克林的语言魅力，我却无意将其与鲍斯威尔笔下的约翰逊的言谈相提并论。约翰逊的谈吐总让人想起“战争的辉煌与壮丽”。的确，那种吐属是为争胜而进行的不断的竞赛，是专横而任性地勒索对其卓越才能的敬意。约翰逊的谈吐强悍、尖锐、敏捷、华美而又咄咄逼人，仿若他所描绘的长风，在赫伯里兹群岛间鼓荡，摇撼那瞪视着汹涌大海的古老城堡，那般堂皇，热烈，雄浑。

但是，无论暴风雨多么壮美，人总会厌倦，而渴望更宁静的自然之流。对于富兰克林，却没有人倦怠。他不夸夸其谈，也不汲汲于藻饰雕琢；既不要你拥护也不求你钦慕。他的风度像赤子一样毫无矫揉造作。纯然是天性流露。他说话时像一位老族长；那么平易、质朴，即刻让你自如自在，畅所欲言。他的思想闪耀着自身的光辉。不假外援，它们只需纯朴的风格作为媒介就可最有力地展示其本真的风采与美。

他总是乐天达观。这既源于心智系统的磨砺，也来自天赋。他的风趣是第一流的。这种风趣并非灵光一闪；而是以最纯净的光照亮他整个谈话，而又没有丝毫刻意与勉强。无论身边是平民百姓还是达官贵人，他总是那么朴实，那么自然，那么全神贯注，将自己的天资发挥得淋漓尽致。

而他心中的蕴藏是无尽的。涉世之初，他的观察力就是那么敏锐，以至于没有什么能逃脱他的审视；他的判断力是坚实，以至于每件事都有有利的转机。他的青春没有在碌碌无为中虚度，没有蒙上放纵的云翳。终其一生，他是一位缜密、深刻的阅读者、思想者。凭借博学多能，他以纯熟的技巧熨帖地锻造取自书中的原料，不但百倍地提升了原料固有的价值，而且将其化为自身的思想。