“Death is the mother of beauty. Only the perishable can be beautiful, which is why we are unmoved by artificial flowers.”
— Wallace Stevens, Poet
「死亡是美丽之母，会凋零的事物才可能会美丽，这就是为何我们不被人造花感动。」– 华勒斯‧史蒂文斯 (诗人)
perishable (adj.) 易腐坏的。例：It’s important to store perishable food such as milk, fruit and fish in the fridge. (把易腐败的食品如牛奶、水果及鱼放在冰箱里是很重要的。) unmoved (adj.) 不会所动；move (v.) 感动。例：She was deeply moved by Reagan’s speech. (雷根的演说让她深受感动。)
华勒斯‧史蒂文斯 (1879-1955) 为美国现代派诗人，曾获得「普利兹诗作奖」，除了身为诗人，史蒂文斯也投身于保险业担任索赔律师，后来在哈特福意外与保险公司担任副董事长一职。