I confessthat when first I made acquaintance with Charles Strickland I never for amoment discerned that there was in him anything out of the ordinary. Yet nowfew will be found to deny his greatness. I do not speak of that greatness whichis achieved by the fortunate politician or the successful soldier; that is aquality which belongs to the place he occupies rather than to the man; and achange of circumstances reduces it to very discreet proportions. The PrimeMinister out of office is seen, too often, to have been but a pompousrhetorician, and the General without an army is but the tame hero of a markettown. The greatness of Charles Strickland was authentic. It may be that you donot like his art, but at all events you can hardly refuse it the tribute ofyour interest. He disturbs and arrests. The time has passed when he was anobject of ridicule, and it is no longer a mark of eccentricity to defend or ofperversity to extol him. His faults are accepted as the necessary complement tohis merits. It is still possible to discuss his place in art, and the adulationof his admirers is perhaps no less capricious than the disparagement of hisdetractors; but one thing can never be doubtful, and that is that he hadgenius.

老实说，我刚刚认识查理斯·思特里克兰德的时候，从来没注意到这个人有什么与众不同的地方，但是今天却很少有人不承认他的伟大了。我所谓的伟大不是走红运的政治家或是立战功的军人的伟大；这种人显赫一时，与其说是他们本身的特质倒不如说沾了他们地位的光，一旦事过境迁，他们的伟大也就黯然失色了。人们常常发现一位离了职的首相当年只不过是个大言不惭的演说家；一个解甲归田的将军无非是个平淡乏味的市井英雄。但是查理斯·思特里克兰德的伟大却是真正的伟大。你可能不喜欢他的艺术，但无论如何你不能不对它感到兴趣。他的作品使你不能平静，扣紧你的心弦。思特里克兰德受人挪揄讥嘲的时代已经过去了，为他辩护或甚至对他赞誉也不再被看作是某些人的奇行怪癖了。他的瑕疵在世人的眼中已经成为他的优点的必不可少的派生物。他在艺术史上的地位尽可以继续争论。崇拜者对他的赞颂同贬抑者对他的诋毁固然都可能出于偏颇和任性，但是有一点是不容置疑的，那就是他具有天才。