英语沙龙：To George and Tom Keats. Hampstead, Sunday 21st December, 1817

To George and Tom Keats. Hampstead, Sunday 21st December, 1817

My dear Brothers;

I must crave¹ your pardon for not having written ere this. 

I have had two very pleasant evenings with Dilke yesterday &

today; and I am at this moment just come from him and feel in the humour to go on with this, began in the morning. I spent Friday evening with Wells and went the next morning to see Death on the Pale horse. It is a wonderful picture, when West’s age is considered. But there is nothing to be intense upon; no women one feels mad to kiss; no face swelling² into reality the excellence³ of every Art is its intensity⁴, capable of making all disagreeables evaporate, from their being in close relationship with Beauty and Truth-Examine King Lear and you will find this exemplified throughout; but in this picture we have unpleasantness without any momentous⁵ depth of speculation⁶ excited, in which to bury its repulsiveness⁷.

Dilke walked with me and back from the Christmas pantomime. I had not a dispute but a disquisition with Dilke, on various subjects; several things dovetailed in my mind, and at once it struck me, what quality went to form a Man of Achievement enormously—I mean Negative Capability⁸, that is when man is capable of being in uncertainties⁹, Mysteries , doubts, without any irritable¹⁰ reaching after fact and reason—Coleridge, for instance, would let go by a fine isolated¹¹ verisimilitude caught from the Penetralium of mystery, from being incapable¹² of remaining content with half knowledge. This pursued through Volumes would perhaps take us no further than this, that with a great poet the sense of Beauty overcomes every other consideration, or rather obliterates¹³ all consideration.

Write soon to your most sincere friend and affectionate brother.

1 crave   

vt.渴望得到，迫切需要，恳求，请求

参考例句：

• Many young children crave attention.许多小孩子渴望得到关心。
• You may be craving for some fresh air.你可能很想呼吸呼吸新鲜空气。

2 swelling   

n.肿胀

参考例句：

• Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
• There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。

3 excellence   

n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德

参考例句：

• His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
• My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。

4 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

5 momentous   

adj.重要的，重大的

参考例句：

• I am deeply honoured to be invited to this momentous occasion.能应邀出席如此重要的场合，我深感荣幸。
• The momentous news was that war had begun.重大的新闻是战争已经开始。

6 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

7 repulsiveness   

参考例句：

• In proportion therefore, as the repulsiveness of the work increases, the wage decreases. 因此，劳动越使人感到厌恶，工资也就越减少。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

8 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

9 uncertainties   

无把握( uncertainty的名词复数 )； 不确定； 变化不定； 无把握、不确定的事物

参考例句：

• One of the uncertainties of military duty is that you never know when you might suddenly get posted away. 任军职不稳定的因素之一是你永远不知道什么时候会突然被派往它处。
• Uncertainties affecting peace and development are on the rise. 影响和平与发展的不确定因素在增加。 来自汉英非文学 - 十六大报告

10 irritable   

adj.急躁的；过敏的；易怒的

参考例句：

• He gets irritable when he's got toothache.他牙一疼就很容易发脾气。
• Our teacher is an irritable old lady.She gets angry easily.我们的老师是位脾气急躁的老太太。她很容易生气。

11 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

12 incapable   

adj.无能力的，不能做某事的

参考例句：

• He would be incapable of committing such a cruel deed.他不会做出这么残忍的事。
• Computers are incapable of creative thought.计算机不会创造性地思维。

13 obliterates   

v.除去( obliterate的第三人称单数 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭

参考例句：

• He obliterates her signature. 他擦掉了她的签名。 来自互联网
• A curtain is too heavy, too thick, and it obliterates every texture save its own. 但是帏幕太沉重，太厚密了，它抹去了一切纹理，只除了它自己的。 来自互联网