湖畔大诗人Wordsworth在《抒情歌谣集》（Lyrical Ballads, with Pastoral and Other Poems）1800年版序言里——那是一篇有名的文学评论——其中有关于诗与科学的论述。我不知道湖畔的朋友们是不是真的紧跟科学走过，他的心愿倒是与我心有戚戚焉：

Poetry is the breath and finer spirit of all knowledge; it is the impassioned expression which is in the countenance of all Science.

诗是一切知识的呼吸和菁华，它强烈的表情就洋溢在一切科学的脸面。

The objects of the Poet's thoughts are every where; though the eyes and senses of man are, it is true, his favorite guides, yet he will follow wheresoever he can find an atmosphere of sensation in which to move his wings.

    随处是诗人思想的对象，尽管他喜欢用眼睛和感觉，但哪儿有能鼓起他翅膀的心气，他就会跟到哪儿去——跟谁去哪儿呢？跟科学：

Poetry is the first and last of all knowledge – it is as immortal as the heart of man. If the labours of Men of Science should ever create any material revolution, direct or indirect, in our condition, and in the impressions which we habitually receive, the Poet will sleep then no more than at present, but he will be ready to follow the steps of the Man of Science, not only in those general indirect effects, but he will be at his side, carrying sensation into the midst of the objects of the Science itself.

诗歌是知识的源头，也是知识的终结，因为它和人的精神一样是不朽的。不过，诗人也会跟着科学走——倘若科学能在我们的环境和我们习惯的印象里带来实在的变革。

我们站在科学的一边，该怎样呼应诗人呢？那就是像诗人那样去发现令人感动的的东西——W在这几句话的前面说：人的心灵能照出自然的最美最有趣的东西，他像科学家一样与自然交谈，发生爱慕。诗人和科学家的知识都是快乐。

He [the poet] considers man and nature as essentially adapted to each other, and the mind of man as naturally the mirror of the fairest and most interesting qualities of nature. And thus the Poet, prompted by this feeling of pleasure which accompanies him through the whole course of his studies, converses with general nature with affections akin to those, which, through labour and length of time, the Man of Science has raised up in himself, by conservation with those particular parts of nature which are the objects of his studies. The knowledge both of the Poet and the Man of Science is pleasure…

把这段话里的诗人与“科学人”换个位置，我们的科学会更有诗意——现在，还有多少诗意的科学呢？