《智慧书·第五辑·二〇一至二五〇》第43则
Do not be too much of a Dove. Alternate the cunning of the serpent with the candour of the dove. Nothing is easier than to deceive an honest man. He believes in much who lies in naught; who does no deceit, has much confidence. To be deceived is not always due to stupidity, it may arise from sheer goodness. There are two sets of men who can guard themselves from injury: those who have experienced it at their own cost, and those who have observed it at the cost of others. Prudence should use as much suspicion as subtlety uses snares, and none need be so good as to enable others to do him ill. Combine in yourself the dove and the serpent, not as a monster but as a prodigy.
注释摘要
这一则的核心隐喻来自《马太福音》第十章第十六节，耶稣差遣门徒时说：“我差你们去，如同羊进入狼群，所以你们要灵巧像蛇，驯良像鸽子。”葛拉西安把这句话从传道语境直接移进了宫廷生存的语境里，做了一个相当大胆的世俗化改造。原文中蛇的“灵巧”在他笔下变成了“cunning”，即狡黠与机诈，而鸽子的“驯良”变成了“candour”，即坦诚与单纯。这个置换本身就是整则格…