福爾摩斯探案集·血字的研究 第7期:演繹法(2)

My health forbade me from venturing out unless the weather was exceptionally genial,

除非是天氣特別晴和，我的健康情況又不允許我到外面去；

and I had no friends who would call upon me and break the monotony of my daily existence.

同時(shí)，我又沒(méi)有什么好友來(lái)訪，足以打破我單調(diào)的日常生活。

Under these circumstances, I eagerly hailed the little mystery which hung around my companion,

在這種情況下，我自然就對(duì)圍繞在我伙伴周圍的這個(gè)小小的秘密發(fā)生了極大的興趣，

and spent much of my time in endeavouring to unravel it.

并且把大部分時(shí)間消磨在設(shè)法揭穿這個(gè)秘密上。

He was not studying medicine. He had himself, in reply to a question, confirmed Stamford’s opinion upon that point.

他并不是在研究醫(yī)學(xué)。在回答我的一個(gè)問(wèn)題的時(shí)候，他自己證實(shí)了斯坦弗在這一點(diǎn)上的說(shuō)法是正確的。

Neither did he appear to have pursued any course of reading which might fit him for a degree in science

他既不象是為了獲得科學(xué)學(xué)位而在研究任何學(xué)科，

or any other recognized portal which would give him an entrance into the learned world.

也不象是在采取其他任何一般的途徑，使他能夠進(jìn)入學(xué)術(shù)界。

Yet his zeal for certain studies was remarkable,

然而他對(duì)某些方面研究工作的熱忱卻是驚人的；

and within eccentric limits his knowledge was so extraordinarily ample and minute that his observations have fairly astounded me.

在一些稀奇古怪的知識(shí)領(lǐng)域以內(nèi)，他的學(xué)識(shí)卻是異常的淵博，因此，他往往出語(yǔ)驚人。

Surely no man would work so hard or attain such precise information unless he had some definite end in view.

肯定地說(shuō)，如果不是為了某種一定的目的，一個(gè)人決不會(huì)這樣辛勤地工作，以求獲得這樣確切的知識(shí)的。

Desultory readers are seldom remarkable for the exactness of their learning.

因?yàn)槁o(wú)目標(biāo)、無(wú)書(shū)不讀的人，他們的知識(shí)很難是非常精湛的。

No man burdens his mind with small matters unless he has some very good reason for doing so.

除非是為了某種充分的理由，否則絕不會(huì)有人愿意在許多細(xì)微末節(jié)上這樣花費(fèi)精力。

His ignorance was as remarkable as his knowledge.

他的知識(shí)疲乏的一面，正如他的知識(shí)豐富的一面同樣地驚人。

Of contemporary literature, philosophy and politics he appeared to know next to nothing.

關(guān)于現(xiàn)代文學(xué)、哲學(xué)和政治方面，他幾乎一無(wú)所知。

Upon my quoting Thomas Carlyle, he inquired in the naivest way who he might be and what he had done.

當(dāng)我引用托馬斯·卡萊耳的文章的時(shí)候，他傻里傻氣地問(wèn)我卡萊耳究竟是什么人，他干過(guò)些什么事情。

My surprise reached a climax,

最使我驚訝不止的是：

however, when I found incidentally that he was ignorant of the Copernican Theory and of the composition of the Solar System.

我無(wú)意中發(fā)現(xiàn)他竟然對(duì)于哥白尼學(xué)說(shuō)以及太陽(yáng)系的構(gòu)成，也全然不解。

That any civilized human being in this nineteenth century should not be aware that

當(dāng)此十九世紀(jì)，一個(gè)有知識(shí)的人居然不知道

the earth travelled round the sun appeared to me to be such an extraordinary fact that I could hardly realize it.

地球繞著太陽(yáng)運(yùn)行的道理，這件怪事簡(jiǎn)直令我難以理解。

“You appear to be astonished,” he said, smiling at my expression of surprise.

他看到我吃驚的樣子，不覺(jué)微笑著說(shuō)："你似乎感到吃驚吧。

“Now that I do know it I shall do my best to forget it.”

即使我懂得這些，我也要盡力把它忘掉。"

“To forget it!”

"把它忘掉！"

“You see,” he explained,

他解釋道："你要知道，

“I consider that a man’s brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose.

我認(rèn)為人的腦子本來(lái)象一間空空的小閣樓，應(yīng)該有選擇地把一些家具裝進(jìn)去。

A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across,

只有傻瓜才會(huì)把他碰到的各種各樣的破爛雜碎一古腦兒裝進(jìn)去。

so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out,

這樣一來(lái)，那些對(duì)他有用的知識(shí)反而被擠了出來(lái)；

or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it.

或者，最多不過(guò)是和許多其他的東西摻雜在一起。因此，在取用的時(shí)候也就感到困難了。

Now the skilful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic.

所以一個(gè)會(huì)工作的人，在他選擇要把一些東西裝進(jìn)他的那間小閣樓似的頭腦中去的時(shí)候，

He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work,

他確實(shí)是非常仔細(xì)小心的。除了工作中有用的工具以外，

but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order.

他什么也不帶進(jìn)去，而這些工具又樣樣具備，有條有理。

It is a mistake to think that that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent.

如果認(rèn)為這間小閣樓的墻壁富有彈性，可以任意伸縮，那就錯(cuò)了。

Depend upon it there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before.

請(qǐng)相信我的話，總有一天，當(dāng)你增加新知識(shí)的時(shí)候，你就會(huì)把以前所熟習(xí)的東西忘了。

It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones.”

所以最要緊的是，不要讓一些無(wú)用的知識(shí)把有用的擠出去。"

“But the Solar System!” I protested.

我分辯說(shuō)："可是，那是太陽(yáng)系的問(wèn)題?。?quot;

“What the deuce is it to me?” he interrupted impatiently: “you say that we go round the sun.

他不耐煩地打斷我的話說(shuō)："這與我又有什么相干？你說(shuō)咱們是繞著太陽(yáng)走的，

If we went round the moon it would not make a pennyworth of difference to me or to my work.”

可是，即使咱們繞著月亮走，這對(duì)于我或者對(duì)于我的工作又有什么關(guān)系呢？"