An Excerpt from Part 2 of An Essay on Criticism (An Essay on Criticism is a didactic poem written in heroic couplets. It consists of 744 lines and is divided into three parts. It sums up the art of poetry as upheld and practised by the ancients like Aristotle, Horace, Boileau, etc. and the eighteenth century European classicists. The poet first laments the dearth of true taste in poetic criticism of his day and calls on people to turn to the old Greek and Roman writers for guidance. After a detailed account of the various problems in literary criticism, he offers his own ideas and presents the classical rules. At the end of the poem, he also traces the history of literary criticism from Aristotle down to Boileau and Roscommon. The poem, as a comprehensive study of the theories of literary criticism, exerted great influence upon Pope's contemporary writers in advocating the classical rules and popularizing the neoclassicist tradition in England.

The whole poem is written in a plain style, hardly containing any imagery or eloquence and therefore makes easy reading.

The excerpt chosen here is taken from Part 2. Here Pope advises the critics not to stress too much the artificial use of Conceit or the external beauty of language but to pay special attention to True

Wit which is best set in a plain style.

译文：

《论批评》节选自第二部分（《论批评》是一首用英雄双韵体写成的说教诗。全诗共744行，分为三个部分。它总结了由亚里士多德、贺拉斯、布瓦洛等古代作家以及十八世纪欧洲古典主义者所推崇和践行的诗歌艺术。诗人首先哀叹当时诗歌批评中真正品味的匮乏，并呼吁人们转向古希腊和罗马作家寻求指导。在详细阐述了文学批评中的各种问题之后，他提出了自己的观点并阐述了古典规则。在诗的结尾，他还追溯了从亚里士多德到布瓦洛和罗切斯特伯爵的文学批评史。这首诗作为对文学批评理论的全面研究，在倡导古典规则和普及英国新古典主义传统方面对蒲柏同时代的作家产生了巨大影响。

整首诗风格平实，几乎没有意象或华丽辞藻，因此易于阅读。

这里选录的节选取自第二部分。在此部分中，蒲柏建议批评家们不要过分强调“奇思妙喻”（Conceit）的人工雕琢或语言的外在美，而应特别关注“真正的才情”（True Wit），它最适合以平实的风格来呈现。）

关键术语和翻译说明：

1.  An Essay on Criticism: 《论批评》 - 标准译名。

2.  didactic poem:说教诗 - 准确传达其教育目的。

3.  heroic couplets:英雄双韵体 - 标准术语。

4.  lament:哀叹 - 表达惋惜之情。

5.  dearth of true taste: 真正品味的匮乏 - 强调缺失。

6.  Conceit: 奇思妙喻 - 文学术语，指刻意雕琢、精巧（有时过度）的比喻或意象。

7.  external beauty of language: 语言的外在美 - 指表面的、形式上的语言美。

8.  True Wit: 真正的才情 - 蒲柏的核心概念，指自然、深刻、得体的思想表达，与浅薄的“机智”或人工雕琢的“奇思妙喻”相对。

9.  plain style:平实的风格 - 与原文的 "plain style" 对应。

10. Aristotle: 亚里士多德 - 标准译名。

11. Horace: 贺拉斯 - 标准译名。

12. Boileau: 布瓦洛 - 标准译名（法国新古典主义批评家）。

13. Roscommon: 罗切斯特伯爵 - 指温特沃斯·狄龙，第四代罗切斯特伯爵（Earl of Roscommon），英国诗人、批评家。

14. neoclassicist tradition: 新古典主义传统 - 标准术语。

15. exerted great influence: 产生了巨大影响 - 强调其重要性。

16. advocating the classical rules:倡导古典规则 - 准确表达其推广作用。

17. popularizing:普及 - 强调其传播作用。

这个翻译力求准确传达原文的信息，特别是关于蒲柏核心论点（反对过度雕琢的“奇思妙喻”和语言外在美，推崇“真正的才情”与“平实风格”）以及诗歌背景和影响的描述，同时保持了学术文本应有的清晰与正式感。

Some to conceit alone their taste confine,

And glittering thoughts struck out at every line;

Pleased with a work where nothing's just or fit.

Poets, like painters, thus unskilled to race

The naked nature and the living grace,With gold and jewels cover every part,

And hide with ornaments their want of art.

True wit is Nature to advantage dressed,

What oft was thought, but ne'er so well expressed;

Something whose truth convinced at sight we find,

That gives us back the image of our mind. 

As shades more sweetly recommend the light, 

So modest plainness sets off sprightly wit;

For works may have more wit than does them good,

As bodies perish through excess of blood.

Others for language all their care express, 

And value books, as women men, for dress.

Their praise is still- the style is excellent;

The sense they humbly take upon contènt.

Words are like leaves; and where they most abound,

Much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found.

False eloquence, like the prismatic glass, Its gaudy colors spreads on every place;

The face of Nature we no more survey, All glares alike, without distinction gay.

But true expression, like the unchanging sun, Clears and improves whate'er it shines upon;

It gilds all objects, but it alters none. Expression is the dress of thought, and still Appears more decent as more suitable.

A vile conceit in pompous words expressed gningey

Is like a clown in regal purple dressed:

For different styles with different subjects sort,

As several garbs with country, town, and court.

Some by old words to fame have made pretense, or Ancients in phrase, mere moderns in their sense. 

Such labored nothings, in so strange a style, Amaze the unlearn'd, and make the learned smile;

Unlucky as Fungoso in the play,

These sparks with awkward vanity display

What the fine gentleman wore yesterday;

And but so mimic ancient wits at best,

As apes our grandsires in their doublets dressed :

In words as fashions the same rule will hold,

Alike fantastic if too new or old: 

Be not the first by whom the new are tried,

Nor yet the last to lay the old aside.

亚历山大·蒲柏（Alexander Pope）《论批评》（An Essay on Criticism）中这段著名诗句的中文翻译：

中文翻译：

有人独爱浮想，趣味受限，

字里行间尽显雕琢之念；

作品全无理据，却欣然满意。

诗人如同画师，技艺低劣，

无力描绘自然本真、生命之美，

便用金玉点缀每一寸地方，

借浮华装饰掩盖才情之荒。

真正才情乃自然妙着华裳，

常萦人心，却从未这般精当；

其真谛一见便令人心悦诚服，

映射出我们心中原有的图。

恰如阴影更衬出光亮之妙，

素朴谦逊反显才智之高；

作品才思过盛反成其害，

犹如气血过旺令躯体衰败。

有人只关心语言是否华美，

评价书本，如同男人品评女人唯看衣袂。

他们的赞誉总是——“文采绝伦！”

至于内涵，则谦卑地悉数承认。

词藻如叶，最是繁茂之处，

真知灼见的果实却鲜能寻睹。

虚浮的雄辩，如同棱镜玻璃，

俗艳的色彩涂抹得遍地皆是；

自然的真容再难被看清，

万物刺目，一片混沌虚华景。

但真正的表达，如同恒常的太阳，

照亮万物，令其澄澈明朗；

它镀金万物，却不改其本相。

表达是思想的衣裳，

愈是合身，愈显端庄。

卑劣的浮想用浮夸辞藻包装，

恰似乡巴佬身着帝王紫袍样：

不同的题材需不同的风格，

正如城乡宫廷，衣着各有所合。

有人借古语妄图博得声名，

实乃穿着古装的现代魂灵。

如此苦心堆砌的虚无篇章，

风格怪诞令无知者惊叹，博学者笑场；

如同剧中笨拙的方古索，

这群浮浪子弟虚荣笨拙地展露

昨日时髦绅士的穿着；

至多不过是模仿古人才子，

犹如猿猴穿祖辈马甲的样子：

言辞如同风尚，规则亦相同，

过分新奇或陈旧皆显怪异空洞：

莫做尝试新词的第一人，

亦勿成最后抛弃旧词者。

翻译说明：

1.  风格与韵律： 尽力保留原文英雄双行体（Heroic Couplet）的韵律感和格言式的警句特点，采用较为典雅、对仗的中文表达，部分使用押韵（如“受限/雕琢之念”、“地方/荒”、“华裳/精当”、“玻璃/遍地”、“太阳/明朗”、“包装/样”、“风格/所合”、“名/灵”、“篇章/笑场”、“索/露”、“相同/空洞”、“人/者”等），但不过分强求严格押韵，以保证意思准确流畅。

2.  关键概念处理：

    Conceit/Wit：根据上下文，“conceit”译为“浮想”（指矫揉造作、牵强附会的奇思妙想），“wit”译为“才情”或“才智”（指真正的智慧、巧思和表达力）。核心句“True Wit is Nature to advantage dressed”译为“真正才情乃自然妙着华裳”，力求传达其精髓。

    Glittering thoughts：译为“雕琢之念”或“炫目之思”，突出其刻意、表面化的特点。

    Unskilled to trace/The naked nature and the living grace`：译为“无力描绘自然本真、生命之美”，点明技艺低劣。

  Want of art：译为“才情之荒”，指缺乏真正的艺术才能。

   What oft was thought, but ne'er so well expressed`：经典名句，译为“常萦人心，却从未这般精当”。

   Shades...recommend the light / Modest plainness...sprightly wit`：译为“阴影更衬出光亮之妙 / 素朴谦逊反显才智之高”，体现对比衬托关系。

    False eloquence / True expression`：译为“虚浮的雄辩”与“真正的表达”。

    Prismatic glass：译为“棱镜玻璃”，准确对应。

    Expression is the dress of thought：核心比喻，译为“表达是思想的衣裳”。

    Vile conceit in pompous words：译为“卑劣的浮想用浮夸辞藻包装”。

    Clown in regal purple：译为“乡巴佬身着帝王紫袍”，形象生动。

    Ancients in phrase, mere moderns in their sense：译为“穿着古装的现代魂灵”，点明其本质。

    Fungoso：保留音译“方古索”，并加注说明其笨拙模仿者的特点。

    Sparks：根据语境译为“浮浪子弟”。

    Apes our grandsires in their doublets：译为“猿猴穿祖辈马甲的样子”，突出滑稽模仿。

3.  流畅性与可读性： 在准确传达原意的基础上，尽量使中文流畅自然，符合中文诗歌的阅读习惯。例如将“Pleased with a work where nothing's just or fit”意译为“作品全无理据，却欣然满意”；将“Words are like leaves; and where they most abound, Much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found”译为“词藻如叶，最是繁茂之处，真知灼见的果实却鲜能寻睹”，使其更具诗意。

4.  最后箴言：最后两行著名的格言“Be not the first by whom the new are tried, Nor yet the last to lay the old aside”译为“莫做尝试新词的第一人，亦勿成最后抛弃旧词者”，力求简洁有力，传达其中庸、审慎的意味。

这个翻译力求在忠实于蒲柏原诗的思想精髓、讽刺力度和艺术风格的同时，使其成为一首流畅、典雅且具有警示意义的中文诗。

Notes:

(1) conceit: fantastic ideas or affected thought.

(2) struck out: devised, invented.

(3) to trace / The naked Nature and the living grace: to portray (in their paintings or writings) nature in its plainness and the beautiful objects from real life.

(4) want of art: lack of artistic skill or talent.

(5) Something whose truth convinced at sight we find, / That gives us back the image of our mind: True wit, whose truth is constantly convinced when we see it bring back to our mind what we have only an imperfect image or notion of.

(6) As shades more sweetly recommend the light:The light looks brighter if seen against the background of shade or darkness.

(7) Others for language all their care express: Other people show all their interest in the language of the poem.

(8) still: always.

Алв: fre

EB

(9) take upon contènt: take for granted.

(10) where they most abound, / Much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found:

Where / When too many words are used, they seldom express much sense.

(11) appears more decent as more suitable: the more suitable the expression is, the more decent it appears. 

(12) clown: fool, a position one held at an old royal court, whose function was to keep the king amused and who was usually dressed in silly-looking patterned clothes.

(13) regal purple: the color supposedly to be dressed in only by the royal members.

(14) sort: agree with, be suitable for.

(15) Ancients in phrase, mere moderns in their sense: (They are) ancients when judged by their language but mere moderns when judged by the ideas they

express.

(16) labored nothings: elaborate but meaningless expressions.

(17) Fungoso: a character in Ben Jonson's Everyman Out of His Humour, a man who is depicted as one "that follows the Fashion far off like a spy. He buys clothes to imitate a spruce courtier, but fails, the fashion changing so fast that his money is thrown away."

(18) sparks: (a contemptuous term) men of fashion.

(19) in their doublets dressed: dressed in the doublets of our grandfathers. Doublet - a tightly-fit dress for men.

(20) Alike fantastic if too new or old: They both are absurd whether the words used are too new or too old for the ideas.