the more i think of the problems of our lives, the more i am persuaded that we oughtto choose irony and pity for our assessors and judges as the ancient egyptians called upon the goddess isis and the goddess nephthys on behalf of their dead.

irony and pity are both of good counsel; the first with her smiles makes life agreeable; the other sanctifies it with her tears.

the irony which i invoke is no cruel deity. she mocks neither love nor beauty. she is gentle and kindly disposed. her mirth disarms and it is she who teaches us to laugh at rogues and fools, whom but for her we might be so weak as to despise and hate.

讽刺与怜悯

我越思考人生的问题，就越觉得我们应该选择“讽刺”和 “怜悯”作为我们的裁判者，正如古埃及人要求艾西斯女神和奈夫蒂斯女神对他们的死者所做的一样。

讽刺和怜悯都是我们的良师益友；前者以她的微笑是人生愉悦；而后者则以她的眼泪使人生化为圣洁。

我所企求的讽刺并不是一个残酷的神灵。她既不爱嘲笑爱，也不嘲笑美。她的性情温和而仁慈；她的欢笑可以解除对方的武装，教我们嘲笑恶棍和傻瓜的就是她。如果不是有她的指引，我们定会脆弱的对那些人加以轻蔑和憎恨。

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