经典英语美文 （56）爱美
The love of beauty is an essential part of all healthy human nature. It is a moral quality.The absence of it is not an assured ground of condemnation, but the presence of it is an invariable sign of goodness of heart. In proportion to the degree in which it is felt will probably be the degree in which nobleness and beauty of character will be attained.
Natural beauty is an all pervading presence. The universe is its temple. It unfolds into the numberless flowers of spring. It waves in the branches of trees and the green blades of grass. It haunts the depths of the earth and the sea. It gleams from the hues of the shell and the precious stone. And not only these minute objects but the oceans, the mountains, the clouds, the stars, the rising and the setting sun – all overflow with beauty. This beauty is so precious, and so congenial to our tenderest and noblest feelings, that it is painful to think of the multitude of people living in the midst of it and yet remaining almost blind to it.
All persons should seek to become acquinted with the beauty in nature. There is not a worm we tread upon, nor a leaf that dances merrily as it falls before the autumn winds, but calls for our study and admiration.The power to appreciate beauty not merely increases our sources of happiness -it enlarges our moral nature, too. Beauty calms our restlessness and dispels our cares. Go into the fields or the woods, spend a summer day by the sea or the mountains, and all your little perplexities and anxieties will vanish. Listen to sweet music, and your foolish fears and petty jealousies will pass away. The beauty of the world helps us to seek and find the beauty of goodness.
爱美乃是健全人性不可或缺的一部分。它是道德的一种品质。缺乏这种品质并不能作为责难的真正理由，但是拥有 这种品质则是心灵美好的永恒标志。品德之高尚与完美所达到的程度可能与爱美的感受程度成正比。
大自然之美无处不在。整个宇宙就是其殿堂。美，在春曰 百花中绽放；美，在绿叶嫩枝间摇曳；美，在深海幽谷里游弋；美，在奇石与贝壳的缤纷色彩中闪烁。不只是这些细微之物，甚至大洋大川，云朵繁星，曰出曰落–切都洋溢着美。这样的美如此珍贵，与我们最温柔、最高尚的情感是如此相宜。然而，想到很多人置身于美，却几乎对它视若无睹，真是令人痛心不已。
所有的人都应该去感知大自然之美。我们所踩过的小虫以及秋风拂掠之际飘落飞舞的树叶，皆值得我们探究与赞赏。具有欣赏美的能力不仅可以使我们快乐的源泉汩汩喷涌——它也可以拓展我们的德性。美，抚平我们心中的不安，也驱散了我们的忧虑。走进田野或树林，在夏曰的海滨或山间度过一天的时光，那么你所有微不足道的困惑和焦虑都会烟消云散。倾听美妙的音乐，你那愚蠢的恐惧与琐碎的猜忌都会消逝无踪。世间万物之美总会有助于我们探寻与发现善良之美。