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You send me a very nice poem,[26.1] of the undergraduate school of verse, for my approval: I reply by a letter of fantastic literary conceits: I compare you to Hylas, or Hyacinth, Jonquil or Narcisse,[26.2] or someone whom the great god of Poetry favoured, and honoured with his love[26a]. The letter is like a passage from one of Shakespeare’s sonnets, transposed to a minor key[26b]. It can only be understood by those who have read the Symposium of Plato, or caught the spirit of a certain grave mood made beautiful for us in Greek marbles. It was, let me say frankly, the sort of letter I would, in a happy if wilful moment, have written to any graceful young man of either University who had sent me a poem of his own making, certain that he would have sufficient wit or culture to interpret rightly its fantastic phrases. Look at the history of that letter! It passes from you into the hands of a loathsome companion: from him to a gang of blackmailers: copies of it are sent about London to my friends, and to the manager of the theatre where my work is being performed: every construction but the right one is put on it[26c]: Society is thrilled with the absurd rumours that I have had to pay a huge sum of money for having written an infamous letter to you: this forms the basis of your father’s worst attack: I produce the original letter myself in Court to show what it really is: it is denounced by your father’s Counsel as a revolting and insidious attempt to corrupt Innocence: ultimately it forms part of a criminal charge: the Crown takes it up: the Judge sums up on it with little learning and much morality: I go to prison for it at last. That is the result of writing you a charming letter[26d].
你送过来一首很好的诗，给本科生诗社的，要我审核，我在回信中兴之所至地作了一些文学上俏皮诙谐的比附，把你比作海拉斯、海尔辛托斯、琼奎伊尔或纳西斯，或者受到伟大的诗神宠爱、眷顾和礼遇[26a]的哪个人。那信听着就像一首莎士比亚商籁诗中的一段，被转为小调式似的[26b]。只有那些读过柏拉图的《会饮篇》，或者对希腊雕像优美地为我们传达出来的某种凝重情调得其神韵的人，才能理解信中的意思。让我坦白地说吧，这样的信，在我心情愉快、如果说是随心所欲的时候，要是两所中随便哪所大学的任何一位风雅的年轻人送我一首自己写的诗的话，我都会写给他的；确信他会有足够的才智，或教养，来正确阐释信中兴笔所至的那些话。看看那封信是怎样辗转流传的吧！先是从你传到了你一个缺德的同伴手中，从他再传到一伙敲诈之徒那里，弄成许多份在伦敦到处传流，寄给了我的朋友，还寄给了我的作品正在上演的剧院的经理：人们众说纷纭，可就是没有一个解释切中信的原意[26c]。社会为各种荒唐的谣言撩得耳热心跳：说是我因为写了一封不光彩的信给你而不得不付出一笔巨款。而你父亲又据此进行最为恶毒的攻击：我自己在法庭出示原信，说明真相，却被你父亲的辩护律师指为意在暗中败坏纯真心灵的邪恶企图，最终列为刑事罪状的一部分。刑事庭接受了这一指控，法官对此的总结陈词道学多而见识少：我到底还是因为这个进了监狱。情辞并茂地给你写了一封信，却落得个如此收场[26d]。
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