meditation of past

Love, the common passion, in which chance and sensation take place of choice and reason, is in some degree, felt by the mass of mankind; for it is not necessary to speak, at present, of the emotions that rise above or sink below love. This passion, naturally increased by suspense and difficulties, draws the mind out of its accustomed state, and exalts the affections; but the security of marriage, allowing the fever of love to subside, a healthy temperature is thought insipid, only by those who have not sufficient intellect to substitute the claim tenderness of friendship, the confidence of respect, instead of blind admiration, and the sensual of fondness.

愛情，通常是在毫不經意時刻下的選擇，某方面來說，它不一定要說出口才算數，然而，愛情有時會被這類話語所左右。愛情最自然的昇華來自於憂慮以及遭遇的種種困難，這些事件會逐一刻畫出愛情的原貌，甚至於提高愛情的地位；但是婚姻，削弱我們對愛情的某些考量，避免這個削弱的力量發生則是仰賴某人的智慧，愛情像真正的友情一般溫和，也就是說，愛情不是盲目的眷戀，而是自然的追尋。

This is, must be, the course of nature -- friendship or indifference inevitably succeeds love. And this constitution seems perfectly to harmonize with the system of government which prevails in the moral world. Passions are spurs to action, and open the mind; but they sink into mere appetites, become a personal momentary gratification, when the object is gained, and the satisfied mind rests in enjoyment. The man who had some virtue whilst he was struggling for a crown, often becomes a voluptuous tyrant when it graces his brow; and, when the lover is not lost in the husband, the dotard a prey to childish caprices, and fond jealousies, neglects the serious duties of life, and the caresses which should excite confidence in his children are lavished on the overgrown child, his wife.

這個自然的追尋，像是友情，或者說它不同於預謀好的愛情。它就像是和煦的光亮，在照進道德約束的世界之後逐漸黯去。愛情促使我們追尋，以及打開我們的心房；但若陷入盲目的欲望，它也不過就是短暫的滿足而已，得到了就不再有意義。專橫的男子會追求屬於他自己的家族，對他付出忠誠，只要他的伴侶還未離去，他會盡其所能滿足家族的需要，好比那些經濟所需，也是他自己視為義務的東西，而他的妻子也無所顧忌地揮霍這些東西。

In order to fulfil the duties of life, and to be able to pursue with vigour the various employments which form the moral character, a master and mistress of a family ought not to continue to love each other with passion. I mean to say, that they ought not to indulge those emotions which disturb the order of society, and engross the thoughts that should be otherwise employed. The mind that has never been engrossed by one object wants vigour -- if it can long be so, it is weak.

為了滿足他的自認為的義務，以及完成道德約束賦與他的角色，而掌權的女主人則負責繼續假裝這份愛情。我要說的是，他們都不應該執著在這份虛偽、社會的建構角色上，這種社會賦予的角色控制他們對婚姻的想法。他們從未排除預謀的愛情 -- 即使他們有，這份愛也相當薄弱。

A mistaken education, a narrow, uncultivated mind, and many sexual prejudices, tend to make woman more constant than man; but, for the present, I shall not touch on this branch of the subject. I will go still further, and advance, without dreaming of a paradox, that an unhappy marriage is often very advantageous to a family, and that the neglected wife is, in general, the best mother. And this would almost always be the consequence, if the female mind was more enlarged; for, it seems to be the common dispensation of Providence, that what we gain in present enjoyment should be deducted from the treasure of life, experience; and that when we are gathering the flowers of the day and revelling in pleasure, the solid fruit of toil and wisdom should not be caught at the same time. The way lies before us, we must turn to the right or left; and he who will pass life away in bounding from one pleasure to another, must not complain if he neither acquires wisdom nor respectability of character.

一種偏見和錯誤的教育，性別式的區別男人與女人，而我將不在這裡談論這件事。我要談的是更加實際，沒有幻想成分的悲劇婚姻，很不幸地都是由於考量家族的利益所造成，同時他們忽視妻子，或者更貼切地說，最好的母親。通常，加諸於女性的母愛以及婦人之仁，這種經由教育所獲得的性情應該從對生活的態度上去除掉，好比她被贈送花朵或是沉浸在享樂的歡愉時，智慧果實的汁液對她毫無作用。至於我們眼前能做什麼，就像你必須在岔路上選擇；男人能將你從快樂帶回現實的人生當中，卻不一定抱怨你是否有智慧或是分辨是非的能力。

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But, supposing a woman, trained up to obedience, be married to a sensible man, who directs her judgment, without making her feel the servility of her subjection, to act with as much propriety by this reflected light as can be expected when reason is taken at second hand, yet she cannot ensure the life of her protector; he may die and leave her with a large family.

不過，設想一個女人可能被訓練成馴服性情的，嫁給一個性情溫和的男人，他成為她生活中的判斷標準，卻部會將她當做奴僕般對待，他們相敬如賓而且婚姻沒有因性別差異的差別對待，然而，她不可能總是仰賴另一半的保護；他總有一天會死亡，並留下她和他們的家人。

A double duty devolves on her; to educate them in the character of both father and mother; to form their principles and secure their property. But, alas ! she has never thought, much less acted for herself. She has only learned to please men, to depend gracefully on them; yet, encumbered with children, how is she to obtain another protector; a husband to supply the place of reason? A rational man, for we are not treading on romantic ground, though he may think her a pleasing docile creature, will not choose to marry a FAMILY for love, when the world contains many more pretty creatures. What is then to become of her? She either falls an easy prey to some mean fortune hunter, who defrauds her children of their paternal inheritance, and renders her miserable; or becomes the victim of discontent and blind indulgence. Unable to educate her sons, or impress them with respect; for it is not a play on words to assert, that people are never respected, though filling an important station, who are not respectable; she pines under the anguish of unavailing important regret. The serpent's tooth enters into her very soul, and the vices of licentious youth bring her with sorrow, if not with poverty also, to the grave.

對她而言，義務並不完全貼切，教育她的父母用舊有的道德原則來教育她並保障自己的角色地位。但這真是，悲哀啊！這個女人從小就沒有想過這件事實。她只知道如何取悅男人，以及如何溫柔地對待他們，甚至教她自己的孩子也這麼做，而她還能期待另一個保障她生活的男人嗎? 一個理性的男人，我們說的會是距離幻想很遠的事實，也許他會認為這個女人既溫和又容易訓服，但他也不會因為對她家族的愛而選擇結婚，畢竟這個世界上和她一樣的女人仍然很多。她會如何呢? 她可能變成那類不幸而尋找庇護的人，並且還得告訴她的孩子，所謂父親是什麼樣子，這些都將她浸在痛苦之中；或者她會成為不滿於犧牲，只盲從於享樂的人。她無法告訴他的兒子，或誠心地尊重他；因為她說不出口，其他人也說不出口，即使情況允許她說，她也會像被針刺痛一樣，連連嘆息。這種痛苦在她心中不會消失，也會使她變得狹隘而放蕩自己，並不是因為她貧困，而是她並不想這麼痛苦地活著。

>>>摘自《女權辯》