《智慧书·第三辑·一〇一至一五〇》第27则
Grace in Everything. 'Tis the life of talents, the breath of speech, the soul of action, and the ornament of ornament. Perfections are the adornment of our nature, but this is the adornment of perfection itself. It shows itself even in the thoughts. 'Tis most a gift of nature and owes least to education; it even triumphs over training. It is more than ease, approaches the free and easy, gets over embarrassment, and adds the finishing touch to perfection. Without it beauty is lifeless, graciousness ungraceful: it surpasses valour, discretion, prudence, even majesty itself. "Tis a short way to dispatch and an easy escape from embarrassment.
注释摘要
这则格言的标题“Grace in Everything”本身就是一个浓缩的论断。正文紧接着展开：风度是才能的生命、语言的呼吸、行动的灵魂，更是“装饰的装饰”。后面的论述建立了一个等级——具体的美德和完美是我们天性的装饰，而风度则是这些完美本身的装饰。换言之，风度位于一个比所有具体优点更高的层面，它不做什么，却让一切所做的都活起来。 西班牙原文里这个概念对应…