第一次看到這幅由19 世紀德國畫家 Franz Kruger
所創作的【Lion's Head】，很容易被它的氣勢所震懾。
只是，看畫的當下，心裡想著，有哪句名言適合來詮釋
這幅畫作的底蘊呢？
【Lion's Head】這幅畫收錄在
【A Year in Art: A Masterpiece a Day -
Art From The Staatliche Museen zu Berlin】
這本萬年曆。The Staatliche Museen zu Berlin 即
The Berlin State Museums 是柏林國家博物館，也是
目前歐洲藝術收藏品最豐富的博物館。
http://www.smb.museum/en/home.html
這本萬年曆的最大特色在於編輯精選了博物館 365 件
典藏，搭配 365 則文采優美的雅士名言而形成。如何
從傳世經典的雋永嘉言裡海選出足以呼喚另一個靈魂，
讓文字響應藝術，讓藝術在文學家、哲學家的孤獨幽谷
裡起共鳴的吉光片羽，是這本日曆最難能可貴之處。
(其他精選圖文請見：
2015年關鍵字 - Explore! Explore! Explore!)
答案真是出人意料 - 睿智的編輯選錄的居然是
女王伊莉莎白一世的名言。
"Fear not, we are of the nature of the lion,
and cannot descend to the destruction
of mice and such small beasts."
---- Elizabeth I of England
女王伊莉莎白一世當年在強敵環伺之下，以一國之君
的氣魄與格局，說出
"Fear not, we are of the nature of the lion,"
來提振軍民同胞。王者無懼的萬千氣概與稱霸叢林的
萬獸之王遙相呼應。如此振奮的圖文輝映來自編輯的
慧眼慧心。
＊＊＊＊＊
"Fear not, we are of the nature of the lion,..." 這段摘錄引起了
我對女王伊莉莎白一世的敬佩與好奇。女兒翻開
另一本書指著其中一段說：更偉大的在這喔！
"Let tyrants fear!... in the midst and heat of
the battle to live or die amongst you all…
I know I have but the body of a weak and
feeble woman, but I have the heart...of a king
- and a king of England, too-... any prince of
Europe should dare to invade the borders of
my realm."
----【Good Queen Bess: The Story of Elizabeth I of England】
多麼波瀾壯闊的宣言！在面對西班牙艦隊威脅時，
以一介弱女子之軀
(the body of a weak and feeble woman)
卻有王者之雄心(the heart... of a king) 來強勢抗敵。先弱
後強、先輕後重、先淡後濃、先軟後硬的轉折語氣法，
是領袖宣言的成功保證。女王伊莉莎白一世披上戰袍，
策馬領軍，願意休戚與共戰死沙場
(in the midst and heat of the battle to live or die
amongst you all)，豈止是 the body of
a weak and feeble woman。
反觀西班牙國王待在私人禮拜堂屈膝祈禱，勝負之局
已然分曉。
「When the Spanish Armada sailed, church bells
rang throughout Spain. In his private chapel,
Philip knelt for hours, praying for a victory.
In England, the army camped on the coast at Tilbury,
expecting the Spanish to land any minute.
The soldiers grew wild with joy and devotion
when they saw their queen riding through the ranks
in steel armor, “ like some Amazonian Empress.”」
----【Good Queen Bess: The Story of Elizabeth I of England】
以上圖文摘錄自【Good Queen Bess:
The Story of Elizabeth I of England】由知名傳記作家
Diane Stanley 精心書寫而成。我們一起來欣賞
Diane Stanley 筆下的Elizabeth I。
(由 Diane Stanley 所撰寫的其他經典傳記
擇日再行介紹。)
＊＊＊＊＊
勤勉好學的伊莉莎白
「…Elizabeth’s teachers were great university scholars.
And she was an intelligent and hardworking student,
with a marvelous memory.
In the morning she studied Greek, and in the afternoon
she studies Latin. Elizabeth had such a gift for languages that
she learned Italian, French, and Spain, too. She was also
talented in music, and her handwriting was admired
for its beauty.」
＊＊＊＊＊
靜觀時局的伊莉莎白
「Elizabeth continued to live quietly under her brother’s rule,
but as she grew into a young woman she came to realize that
being a princess could be dangerous… Elizabeth leanred
very early to choose her friends carefully,
not to put things in writing, & to beware of what she said.」
＊＊＊＊＊
睿智選才的伊莉莎白
「After the banquets and dances were over,
Elizabeth set to work. One of the first things she did
was choose her chief advisor, Sir William Cecil. Elizabeth
was a good judge of men, and Cecil was honest, wise,
and faithful. …Cecil would serve her as Principal Secretary
for forty years,…」
＊＊＊＊＊
權謀機變的伊莉莎白
「…Through clever and subtle manipulation,
she (Elizabeth) managed to keep England out of war for
twenty-seven years.
Elizabeth used these tactics not only with foreign countries,
but also with her own councillors. She rarely met with them
as a group, since they might unite to overwhelm her.
She talked with them separately and sometimes played on
their feelings of rivalry to divide them…」
＊＊＊＊＊
聰明延婚的伊莉莎白
「Elizabeth was far too wise to mary… But how about
Prince Eric of Sweden, who wrote her passionate love letters
in Latin? Or Ivan the Terrible of Russia?... She didn’t say no,
she didn’t say yes, she said maybe. She went on being vague
and inventing difficulties and changing her mind
and taking up time… And besides, as long as she was single,
no one could tell her how to run her country.」
對於蜂擁而至的求婚，She didn’t say no,
she didn’t say yes, she said maybe.。
讀到這一段，女兒和我哄堂大笑，
挺有默契地點頭稱是，好一個 “maybe”。
＊＊＊＊＊
這才是值得收藏閱讀的經典傳記。
對了書名裡的 Bess是 Elizabeth的暱稱。
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