Xu Zhimo is one of the most talented poet in 20th century. Zhimo was having an affair with May Lu, the wife of his friend. He had written countless love letters to May. May was a charming girl with a luxury lifestyle, Zhimo had to take several jobs in order to cover her expanse. Let’s see how Zhimo wrote a “Romantic” love letter to May, and how he “advised” May to save money in the same letter :
徐志摩是最有才气的近代诗人之一, 他为了追求朋友的妻子陆小曼(原名「陆眉」, 英文名May Lu . 此情书中提到的”眉”就是陆小曼), 曾经写了无数的情书. 陆小曼风华万千, 生活非常奢侈, 徐志摩需要做好几份工作才能维持陆小曼的开销. 我们来看看徐志摩如何写出一封浪漫又文雅的情书, 同时又在信中规劝陆小曼少花点钱买衣服:
I love you when you dress simply, not in luxury styles.
我爱你朴素，不爱你奢华。
When you put on blue cotton dress,
你穿上一件蓝布袍，
I see the special glow between your eyes,
你的眉目间就有一种特异的光彩，
Blissfulness beyond words fills my heart.
我看了心里就觉著不可名状的欢喜。
Simple is the true elegance.
朴素是真的高贵。
Of course you look great when dressed up,
你穿戴齐整的时候当然是好看，
Yet that’s just the common style,
但那好看是寻常的，
Recognized by everybody.
人人都认得的，
The beauty of you in simple style,is the joy solely for me.
素服时的眉，有我独到的领略。
Well said the words “People who dally, lose their virtue, Those indulge in luxuries, lose their heart.”
“玩人丧德，玩物丧志”，这话确有道理。
I disgust the mediocre, the ordinary, the trivial,and the tawdry,
我恨的是庸凡，平常，琐细，俗；
I adore uniqueness.
我爱个性的表现。
— 徐志摩
感谢 Jolie 小乔老师 提供翻译