威廉?柯珀致柯珀夫人
威廉?柯珀（1731—1800）生于牧师家庭，母亲安妮?多恩是诗人约翰?多恩的族人。柯珀6岁丧母，童年生活的不幸形成了他忧郁的性格。从威斯敏斯特学校毕业后，他开始学习法律，从事律师工作。不久, 柯珀精神失常，几度想自杀，被送入精神病院。治愈后，他退居乡间，寄住在牧师安文家，受到安文夫妇的悉心照料。两年后，安文去世，其妻玛丽继续无微不至地照顾柯珀达20余年。玛丽还积极鼓励他以写诗来排除忧郁。1785年，柯珀发表长诗《任务》，声誉鹊起，跻身当时第一流诗人之列。该诗属“沉思型”长诗，采用无韵诗体，风格接近华兹华斯。诗人兴之所至，随意成诗，对宇宙人生发表感慨。除《任务》外，柯珀还做有颂体诗、讽刺诗、抒情诗近200首，以及幽默叙事诗一篇。他还翻译出版了荷马史诗和弥尔顿的拉丁文诗歌。
我亲爱的堂嫂：
非常感谢你写的那封长信，虽然它看起来并不怎么长。也非常感谢你的那封短信，此信完全在我的意料之外。虽然它很短，但是它传达了两条有意思的信息：一条是你的热病已经痊愈，另一条是柯珀小姐的过世。我想，后者是意料之中的事情，她在我的记忆中——尽管我和她交往不深——她是一个上了年纪的人，随时有可能步入另一个世界。而你，正值盛年，可以随心所欲地思索死亡（你怎么想它都不会过分），但是我希望你能活下去，花上多年时光来思索它。我不难想像我那些已经上了年岁的朋友们又老了许多，我上次见到他们时情况的确如此。但是，我很难想像那些以前年轻的朋友们也正在慢慢老去。由于没有亲眼目睹时间在他们身上造成的变化，我对于他们以前的印象依然鲜活，记忆中呈现的依然是他们未变的形象。记忆虽然保留了原来的形象，但忘却了现在的形象早已失去以前的许多面貌特征，正是时光的流逝，才导致了这些转变。我不知道时光是否已在您身上留下了印记，虽然他的魔爪（我们祖母就是这样叫他们的）在很多人的脸上刻下一道道的皱纹，但他好像又用十倍的温情把它们遮掩着，似乎怕给别人造成伤害。不过，虽然他是人们外在身体的敌人，却是心灵的朋友，你自己已经有过这方面的经验了。尽管如此，他如何对待我们，也要取决于他从我们手中得到什么样的待遇。如果我们正确地对待他，聆听他的忠告和指导，那他就是一位真正的朋友；相反，如果我们没有正确地对待他，他就是我们最险恶的敌人。他每天都从我们这里拿走一些宝贵的东西，却不会给我们任何好的东西。他们正好跟你一样，能够站在群山之巅，能够站在人生的最高处，向下俯视，欣然回顾他们曾经穿越的山谷，有时候会兴奋得张开双臂，希望能够幸福地飞向那不朽的天堂。过不了多久，你的愿望就能够实现。
我们非常感激你母亲与妹妹的亲切问候。安文夫人仍患有疯癫，我想，这很大程度上要归咎于这久刮不止的东风，她恳求我代她向你致敬。如果你能见到我姑妈，以及给梅特兰夫人写信时，请务必转告一下我对她们亲切的问候，同时我诚祝她们健康幸福。如果你在方便的时候能够给我写封信，简单说说你家里的情况，我肯定会非常高兴的，因为我和我的家族之间虽然只有50英里的距离，但我对他们的情况却了解得不多，好像有万水千山横亘在我们之间。
我亲爱的堂嫂，您的
威廉?柯珀
1780年8月31日星期四
William Cowper
To
Thursday, 31 August 1780
My dear Cousin,
I am obliged to you for your long Letter, which did not seem so, and for your short one, which was more than I had any Reason to Expect. Short as it was it conveyed to me two interesting articles of intelligence, an account of your recovery from a fever, and of Comdy Cowper's death. The Comtter was, I suppose, to be expected, for by what remembrance I have of her Comdyship, who was never much acquainted with her, she had reached those years that are always found upon the borders of another world. As for you, your time of life is comparatively of a youthful date. You may think of death as much as you please,(you cannot think of it too much) but I hope you will live to think of it many years. It costs me not much difficulty to suppose that my Friends who were already grown old, when I saw them Comst, are old still. But it costs me a good deal sometimes to think of those who were at that time young, as being older than they were. Not having been an eye?witness of the change that time has made in them, and my former Idea of them not being corrected by observation, it remains the same; my memory presents me with their Image unimpaired, and while it retains the resembComnce of what they were, forgets that by this time the picture may have lost much of its likeness, through the alteration that succeeding years have made in the original. I know not what impressions time may have made upon your person, for while his cComws (as our Grann'am called them) strike deep furrows in some faces, he seems to Sheath them with much tenderness as if fearfull of doing injury to others. But though an enemy to the person, he is a friend to the mind, and you have found him so. Though even in this respect his treatment of us depends upon what he meets with at our hands; if we use him well and listen to his admonitions and instructions, he is a friend indeed, but otherwise the worst of enemies, who takes from us daily something that we valued, and gives us nothing better in its stead. It is well with them who like you, can stand a tip: toe on the mountain: top of human life, look down with pleasure upon the valley they have passed, and some?times stretch their wings in joyful hope of a happy flight into eternity, yet a little while and your hope will be accomplished.
We are obliged to your mother and your sister for their kind remembrances. Mrs. Unwin is still afflicted with a nervous maComdy, to which I believe this East Wind which has Comsted so long, contributes not a little. She begs me to present her Respects. When you see my aunt, and when you write to Mrs. MaitComnd, assure them of my affectionate rewards,and of the Pleasure I have in hearing of their Welfare. When you can favor me with a little Account of your own F***ly without Inconvenience, I shall be gComd to receive it, for though Separated from my Kindred by little more than half a Century of Miles, I know as little of their Concerns as if Oceans and Continents were interposed between us.
Yours,My Dear Cousin
Wm CowperTxt小说-天堂