尽管这类友谊与性无关，但它的确与爱情很相似：它以同样的方式产生，很可能也会以同样的方式消退。

This kind of friendship, though sex has no active part in it, is really akin to love: it arises in the same way, and it is not improbable that it declines in the same way.

第二种友谊是知性的。吸引你的是才华和禀赋。他有你不曾有过的观点想法，他见过生活中你未曾见过的东西，他的经历丰富，让人叹为观止。

The second kind of friendship is intellectual. You are attracted by the gifts of your new acquaintance. His ideas are unfamiliar; he has seen sides of life of which you are ignorant; his experience is impressive.

但是每一口井都有底，你朋友也会有一天不再有新东西传授给你：这便是决定你们的友谊能否继续的关键时刻。

But every well has a bottom and finally your friend will come to the end of what he has to tell you: this is the moment decisive for the continuation of your friendship.

如果他只有些从书本和经历中得到的东西，他就没法儿再叫你感兴趣了。这口井已经空了。这就是为什么人们会迅速发展起火热的友谊，又同样迅速地终结交往。

If he has nothing more in him than his experience and his reading have taught him, hecan no longer interest or amuse you. Thes well is empty, and when you let the bucket down, nothing comes up.This explains why one so quickly makes warm friendships with new acquaintances and as quickly breaks them:

这也揭示了为什么后来他会厌恶这些人，因为在发现这些人其实不值得自己欣赏钦佩后，最初的失望会进而转变成鄙视和憎恨。

also dislike one feels for these persons after wards, for the disappoinment one experiences on discovering that one's admiration was misplaced turns into contempt and aversion.

不过有时，由于这样那样的原因，你依然与这些人保持不时的交往。如果是这样，想要从与他们的交往中获益，应该在两次会面之间留足时间，让他们来得及去获得新经验新思想，使他们又能像新交朋友一样给你以好处。

Sometimes, for one reason or another, however, you continue to frequent these people. The way to profit by their society then is to make yield you the advantages of new friends; by seeing them only at sufficiently long intervals to allow them to acquire fresh experiences and new thoughts.

慢慢地，当初发现他们浅薄时的失望渐渐消失，由于习惯了他们，你也就能容忍他们的缺点，于是你们便能长期保持关系融洽。

Gradually, the disappointment you experienced at the discovery of their shallowness will wear off, habit brings with it an indulgence for their defects and you may keep up a pleasant friendship with them for many years.

但是，如果你发现朋友后天习得的知识虽到了头，他身上却还有其他的东西：个性、情感，还有活跃的思想，那么你们的友谊将益发牢固。这段友谊将令人无比愉悦，完全比得上肉体相吸产生的那种友谊。

But if, having got to the end of your friend's acquired knowledge, you find that he has something more, character, sensibility and a restless mind, then you friendship will grow stronger, and you will have a relationship as delightful in its way as the other friendship of physical attraction.

可以设想，这两种友谊的对象若是同一个人，那这个人就一定是最完美的朋友。但想要有这样的朋友无异于想上天揽月。

It is conceivable that these two friendships should find their object in one and the same person; that would be the perfect friend. But to ask for that is to ask for the moon.

另一方面，当一对朋友中一方是被肉体吸引，另一方则是被知性吸引，随之产生的只能是不和。

On the other hand, when, as sometimes happens, there is an animal attraction on one side and an inttellectual one on the other, only discord can ensue.

恋爱时，人们应该控制交往次数。我们谁也没法永远爱一个人。如果在尝到爱情的甜密之前有些障碍、挫折的话，爱情将会更加坚不可摧，天长地久。

In love one should exercise economy of intercourse. None of us can love for ever. Love will be stronger and last longer if there are impediments to its gratification.

如果一个人要么因为爱人不在身边，两人难以见面，要么因为所爱之人反复无常或是冷淡无情，结果没法享受爱情，他便可以想想自己愿望实现之时，收获的喜悦将会多么强烈，于是从中获得一点安慰。

If a lover is prevented from enjoying his love by absence, difficulty of access, or by the caprice or coldness of his beloved, he can find a little consolation in the thought that when his wishes are fulfilled his delight will be intense.

爱就那德性，如果在追求爱情的道上一路畅通无阻，他就不会谨慎行事，最终受到的惩罚便是日久生腻。

But love being what it is, should there be no such hindrances, he will be satiety.

最持久的爱情是永远得不到回报的爱情。

The love lasts longest is the love that is never returned.

威廉·萨默塞特·毛姆，英国小说家、剧作家。代表作有戏剧《圈子》，长篇小说《人生的枷锁》、《月亮和六便士》，短篇小说集《叶的震颤》、《阿金》等。

毛姆1874年1月25日出生在巴黎，中学毕业后，在德国海德堡大学肄业。1892至1897年在伦敦学医，并取得外科医师资格。1897年发表第一部长篇小说《兰贝斯的丽莎》。1915年发表长篇小说《人间的枷锁》。第一次世界大战期间，毛姆赴法国参加战地急救队，不久进入英国情报部门，在日内瓦收集敌情;后又出使俄国，劝阻俄国退出战争，与临时政府首脑克伦斯基有过接触。1916年，毛姆去南太平洋旅行，此后多次到远东。1920年到中国，写了游记《在中国的屏风上》(1922)，并以中国为背景写了一部长篇小说《彩巾》(1925)。以后又去了拉丁美洲与印度。1919年，长篇小说《月亮和六便士》问世。毛姆于1928年定居法国地中海滨。第二次世界大战时曾去英、美宣传联合抗德，并写了长篇小说《刀锋》(1944)。1930年，长篇小说《大吃大喝》出版。1948年以16世纪西班牙为背景的长篇小说《卡塔林纳》出版，此外又发表了回忆录与文艺批评等作品。1954年，英国女王授予其"荣誉侍从"的称号，他成为皇家文学会的会员。1959年，毛姆作了最后一次远东之行。1965年12月16日于法国病逝。

爱心提示

由于微信公号改版不再按时间流推送，互动少的读者会逐渐接收不到(及时)推送。

为防失联，及时看到新内容，推荐大家或可 设个星标，或是多点 在看和 留言。

感恩大家一直以来的支持，期待更多好内容能与大家准时相遇。

文责声明：图文摘编转自网络，仅用于分享交流，内容并不代表本平台观点。版权归原作者所有，若涉及权益纠纷，敬请联系平台妥善处理或编辑删除，感谢！

更多内容请见 微博/B站：@语言学人等更新，欢迎合作投稿，转载敬请获取授权，

希望有帮助，希望一起走得更好更远，感恩支持！

感谢关注。

（清北知名教授辜正坤、罗益民等领讲：莎士比亚英文课—读透十大经典戏剧故事。“四大悲剧”+“四大喜剧”+《罗密欧与朱丽叶》《暴风雨》）

清华北大北外等高校8位名师在线领你精读《西南联大英文课》 （附交流群、电子书等相关资源支持）返回搜狐，查看更多