普鲁塔克写给因丧女而悲伤的妻子的安慰信，亲密感人，信中关于德行、幸福和制怒的论述优美生动，安慰和激励的话语智慧有力，引导世人至今。
《慰妻书》一书中，普鲁塔克与提摩泽娜夫妻相爱甚笃、和睦美满的家庭生活跃然纸上，我们可以读出两人携手共度难关、相互扶持、风雨同行的恩爱。文字的描述成为触碰你我灵魂的精华，在如今这个浮躁的商业社会里，读一点普鲁塔克的文章，培养一点人文精神吧！不需大段时间，抽空浅斟慢饮，细细品啜，犹如炎热夏日，饮一杯碧绿的龙井，真的让人感觉舒爽。
普鲁塔克写给因丧女而悲伤的妻子的安慰信，亲密感人，信中关于德行、幸福和制怒的论述优美生动，安慰和激励的话语智慧有力，引导世人至今。
译者导读
慰妻书
认识德行的进步
论制怒
论知足
我们可以从远古祖先的风俗与规则中更好地看到这些事物的真相。人们不为夭折的婴儿举行祭酒仪式，也不为死者举行其他的仪式，因为这些婴儿尚未经历尘世和世俗之事。再者，人们不在他们的葬礼上或墓穴边流连，也不为修筑死者的安身之所而拖延时间，因为法律规定禁止对在那个年龄死亡的人这样做。为即将进入一个更加美好世界的人哀悼，会被认为是亵渎神灵。既然怀疑这一点比相信这一点更加困难，那就让我们的外在行为遵守禁令，并保持内心世界不被玷污，比外在行为更纯洁、更自制。
Our ancient ancestral customs and rules are a better guide to the truth in these matters. People do not pour libations for their infant children when they die or perform any of the other rites that in other cases one is expected to perform for the dead, because babies have not been pervaded by earth or any earthly things. Again, people do not linger over their burial or at their grave or in laying out their bodies, because the laws regarding death at that age do not allow it, on the grounds that it is irreligious to grieve for those who have exchanged this world for a fate, and a place too, that is better and more divine. Since mistrusting these laws is more problematic than trusting them, let us make sure that our external actions conform to their injunctions, and that our internal state is even more untainted, pure and restrained than our external activity.
