1891年，處在寫作生涯巔峰期的王爾德遇見了阿爾弗雷德·“波西”·道格拉斯(Alfred "Bosie" Douglas)，兩人很快成為了同性戀人。四年后，因為這段“不敢說出名字的愛”，王爾德被判“有傷風化”罪而入獄。在獄中，王爾德開始反思從前的生活，思索痛苦和人生的意義，藝術和愛的真諦，最終將那些痛苦的淚水都化作優美而深沉的文字，寫成了這封名為"de profundis"(從深處)的長信。

　　作者簡介：奧斯卡·王爾德(Oscar Wilde, 1854-1900)，英國維多利亞時代著名作家，“唯美主義運動”的領軍人物，倡導“為藝術而藝術”(Art for art's sake)。他的代表作有戲劇《莎樂美》(Salome)《認真的重要性》(The Importance of Being Earnest)，童話《快樂王子》(The Happy Prince) 《夜鶯與玫瑰》(The Nightingale and the Rose)，小說《道連·格雷的畫像》(The Picture of Dorian Gray)，以及書信《自深深處》(De Profundis)等。

　　【原著選段】

　　Many men on their release carry their prisonalong with them into the air, hide it as a secretdisgrace in their hearts, and at length like poorpoisoned things creep into some hole and die. It iswretched that they should have to do so, and it iswrong, terribly wrong, of Society that it shouldforce them to do so. Society takes upon itself theright to inflict appalling punishments on theindividual, but it also has the supreme vice ofshallowness, and fails to realise what it has done.When the man’s punishment is over, it leaves him to himself: that is to say it abandons him at thevery moment when its highest duty towards himbegins. It is really ashamed of its own actions,and shuns those whom it has punished, as peopleshun a creditor whose debt they cannot pay, orone on whom they have inflicted an irreparable,an irredeemable wrong. I claim on my side that if I realise what I have suffered, Society shouldrealise what it has inflicted on me: and that thereshould be no bitterness or hate on either side.

　　【朱純深譯本】

　　不少人出獄后還帶著他們的囚牢踏入外面的天地，當作恥辱秘密地藏在心底，最終就像一頭頭什么東西中了毒似的，可憐兮兮地爬進哪個洞里死了。他們落到這步田地真是可悲，而社會把他們逼成這樣，很不應該，太不應該了。社會自認有權對個人施以令人發指的懲罰，可它也表現了浮淺這一大惡，領悟不到自己干下了什么事。當那個人受過懲罰之后，社會就撇下他不管了，也就是說把他拋棄了，而這時，社會對那個人所負的最責無旁貸的義務才剛開始呢。社會真的是愧對自己的行為， 避而不敢面對它懲罰過的人，就像有人欠了債還不起就躲起來，或者給人造成了不可挽回、無可補救的損害后就逃之夭夭。我從我這方面要求，如果我領悟了自己所受的苦，那社會也該領悟它對我所施的懲罰，于是雙方就不得再胸懷芥蒂、心存仇恨了。

　　【讀書筆記】

　　1、at length最終；詳盡地；啰嗦地

　　【舉例】At length, we began to understand what he wanted.最終我們總算弄明白了他想要什么。

　　He talked at length about his family.他詳盡地談了他的家庭。

　　She spoke at length about nothing at all. 她啰嗦了半天，根本沒說出什么名堂。

　　2、wretcheda.不幸的；可憐的；討厭的；極壞的

　　【舉例】The wretched man has lost his left leg in the war.這不幸的人在戰爭中失去了左腿。

　　What wretched weather!多么討厭的天氣！

　　wretched health 極差的健康狀況

　　3、inflictv.給予(打擊等)；使遭受(損傷、苦痛)；強加

　　【舉例】He had no idea of the anguish he could inflict with only one sentence.他根本沒想到他只消一句話就會給人帶來痛苦。

　　I try hard not to inflict my values on them.我盡量不把自己的價值觀強加給他們。

　　4、shunv.(故意或習慣地)回避；逃避

　　【舉例】shun this storm避開這場風暴

　　shun publicity 避免拋頭露面

　　He was shuned by his former friends.他的老朋友們都躲著他。