伦敦游记（节选）
作者：蒋彝
上海言话、英语朗读：易名
尤摩弗帕勒斯先生的中国艺品收藏不只享誉英国，连中国人也知道。我和他接触过好几次，在我眼中，他对喜爱的事都有极高兴趣。
三年前，中国艺术展在伯灵顿大楼举办期间，我在东方学院就“中国书法与绘画的原则和技巧”发表了一系列演讲，他也是我的听众之一。他付钱上课，并如同许多其他上了年纪的人，从不缺席。
刚开始，身为年轻讲师，面对这么多长者，我还觉得不好意思，毕竟我是在儒家思想的熏陶下长大的。我想，我只能在他们提出关于中国艺术的问题时，作些回答，绝不该高高在上地大发议论。那是我的真心感受。不过，讨论主题和当时环境却自然而然使得情况有所不同。
我来自我们所讨论艺术品的国家，因此，较之其他国家的人，我或许多懂了一点点。虽然如此,他出现在我的演讲会上，还是给了我非常大的鼓舞，使我更细心也更有热情地投入演讲。
他收集艺术品已近半世纪，依我看似平从没中断过，在对些艺术品的钻研上也从不懈息。他不只收集古物，也收集现代作品，这显示他感兴趣的,是艺术品本身,而非年代。有一回，我带着一群朋友参观展览，特别仔细欣赏了展出的画作。我们讨论了两个多小时，期间，他一直待在我左右，一点倦容也没有。后来，很多人离开，闭馆时间也快到了，他向我表示，刚开始，他并不喜欢宋代米芾的谈谈色彩的、雾蒙蒙的山水画，可如今看多了，他却愈来愈喜欢。当时，我无法用言语表达我对这话的认同，也道不出对他想要透彻了解每件事情这种态度的景仰。
我不知道收藏家中，多少人能有这样的浓厚头趣，多少人不会受他们自己的收藏品影响变得充满偏见。噢，学习是无止境的！对艺术的理解也是没有界限的！艺术创作是无休无止的。
我希望，世上拥有权力的人都能以好的艺术收藏家为榜样，收藏家经由艺术收藏而更了解别人，而有权力的人总想着通过网罗知识分子，毁灭别人。尤摩弗帕勒斯先生为世界上的艺术爱好者树立了很好的典范。能够认识他，我真心感激。
Mr. Eumorfopoulos’s collection of Chinese art is known to the whole country as well as to us Chinese. I have had several contacts with him and he is always in my eyes a man with extraordinarily keen interest in the thing he loves. During the Exhibition of Chinese Art at Burlington House three years ago, I gave a series of lectures on “The principles and technique of Chinese calligraphy and painting” at the School of Oriental Studies, and he was a member of my audience. He paid for the course and never failed to attend as well as many other elderly people. At first, I felt embarrassed at being a young lecturer in front of many elders, as I was brought up in the principles of Confucius. I thought I could only answer their questions about Chinese art if they were to ask me, but hardly stand in such a prominent position and give instruction. This was a natural feeling in my heart, but of course the subject and circumstances made a difference as I was a native of the country which produced the art we were discussing, and I might therefore know a little more than those living in other countries. However, his presence at my lectures encouraged me very much in delivering the material carefully and enthusiastically. He has been collecting works of art for nearly half a century and it seems to me that he never stops collecting them as well as learning all about them. He does not confine himself to collecting old objects only, but modern ones too, which shows his keen interest in works of art for themselves, not merely in their antiquity. Once I took a group of friends round the exhibition, especially to examine the paintings. We talked more than two hours and he was always close beside me and never got tired. After many had gone and it was nearly closing time, he pointed out to me that he did not at first like the slightly coloured, misty landscape by Mi Fei of Sung dynasty, and now looking at it more and more he liked it very much. At that time, I could not express my great appreciation of his words and admiration of his desire to know everything thoroughly. I wonder how many collectors are as keen in their interest and how many would not be prejudiced by their own knowledge of the subjects already in their collections. Oh, there is no end to learning! There is no time limit for comprehending the great works of art! Furthermore, there is no boundary to the art that may still be created in the world! I wish all the men of power in the world could follow the example of good collectors of art whose own collection helps them to appreciate others while the men of strength with their collection of intellectuals always try to destroy others. Mr. Eumorfopoulos is an example to be set up to the world for a lover of art. I am grateful to have known him.
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图：网络 | 编辑：渺渺