波西?比希?雪莱致约翰?济慈（1）
雪莱与济慈年龄相仿，对济慈也特别照顾。1821年，当雪莱接到济慈病逝的噩耗时，悲痛万分地写了著名的挽歌《天主》（Adonais）。
济慈仅有短短五六年的文学创作生涯，却留下了大量的传世经典之作，如《伊莎贝拉》（1819），以及长诗《安弟明》（1818）、《希腊古瓷颂》（1819）、《夜莺颂》（1819）、《秋颂》（1819）。雪莱曾写过这样一段文字：“诗人是一只夜莺，栖息在黑暗之中，用美妙的歌喉慰藉自己的寂寞。”夜莺就是济慈，夜莺散播美妙的歌声，散播永恒的美，也是济慈身为诗人的使命。
更为不幸的是，1822年，雪莱在与另一位文坛巨星拜伦约会的途中遭遇风暴，船毁人亡，年仅二十九岁。也许是天妒英才，一颗颗文学巨星就这样陨落。叹惋之余，让我们在这些书信中追寻他们当年耀眼的光彩。
亲爱的济慈：
听到你经受危难的消息，我的心情十分沉痛。吉斯博恩先生向我细说了你的情况，而且，他说你看上去仍然像个结核病患者。这种结核病偏偏喜欢眷顾像你这样优秀的诗人，在英国冬天的帮助下，它往往能够肆行无忌。但我决不认为年轻和善良的诗人应该成为它的俘虏，他们与缪斯所签的约定并不是为了这种结果……但说正经的（我一贯在我非常担忧的事情上开玩笑），我认为在经历如此可怕的事情之后，到意大利来度过冬天会对你的健康非常有益。而且（如果你跟我一样认为有这个必要的话），只要你觉得比萨或者它的邻近地区适合你，我的夫人和我都非常欢迎你能跟我们住在一起。你可以乘船到来亨（法国没什么值得看的，海上的空气对你衰弱的肺功能极有益处），那里离我们的住处只有几英里的路程。无论如何，你都应该来看看意大利。我的建议是为你的健康考虑的，或许你也会以此为借口拒绝。我缺少雄辩的力量向你介绍意大利的雕塑、绘画和遗迹——更不用说这里的山川、河流、田野和天空的颜色与天空本身……
近来，我重读了你的诗《恩狄米翁》，它所蕴涵的诗的艺术给了我新的感触，不过，它丰富的艺术表现可能过于绚丽——这也是普通人所难以欣赏的，所以，卖出的作品相对来说没多少。我相信你能创作出最伟大的作品，你一定会的。我总是告诉奥利尔寄给你几本我写的书。我想，在你接到我这封信的同时，你刚好会收到我的诗作《解放了的普罗米修斯》。我希望你已经收到我的诗作《珊奇》，这首诗是我故意使用一种与众不同的风格创作的——“离好有多远啊！但比了不起要强得多。”在诗的创作上，我力求避免程式化和常用的风格，我也希望那些比我更有天赋的人也能追求同样的方法……
不管你是留在英国，还是旅行来意大利，请相信你永远都拥有我殷切的祝福——无论你在什么地方，也无论你承担着什么事，你都能健康、幸福和成功。
你的真诚的P．B．雪莱
1820年7月27日，比萨
P. B. Shelley
To
Pisa,
July 27, 1820
My dear Keats,
I hear with great pain the dangerous accident that you have undergone, and Mr. Gisborne who gives me the account of it, adds that you continue to wear a consumptive appearance. This consumption is a disease particuComrly fond of people who write such good verses as you have done, and with the assistance of an English winter it can often indulge its selection. I do not think that young and ***able poets are at all bound to gratify its taste; they have entered into no bond with the Muses to that effect… But seriously (for I am joking on what I am very anxious about) I think you would do well to pass the winter after so tremendous an accident in Italy, and (if you thinks it as necessary as I do) so long as you could find Pisa or its neighborhood agreeable to you, Mrs. Shelley unites with myself in urging the request, that you would take up your residence with us.You might come by sea to Leghorn(France is not worth seeing, and the sea air is particuComrly good for weak lungs)，which is within a few miles of us. You ought， at all events to see Italy, and your health， which I suggest as a motive, might be an excuse to you. I spare decCommation about the statues and the paintings and the ruins—and what is a greater piece of forbearance—about the mountains the streams and the fields, the colors of the sky, and the sky itself…
I have Comtely read your “Endymion” again and even with a new sense of the treasures of poetry it contains, though treasures poured forth with indistinct profusion—This, people in general will not endure, and that is the cause of the comparatively few copies which have been sold.I feel persuaded that you are capable of the greatest things, so you but will. I always tell Ollier to send you Copies of my books.—“Prometheus Unbound” I imagine you will receive nearly at the same time with this letter. “The Cenci” I hope you have already received—it was studiously composed in a different style “Below the good how far! but far above the great”. In poetry I have sought to avoid system and mannerism; I wish those who excel me in genius would pursue the same pComn…T.xt.小.说.天.堂