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，我又沒有什么好友來訪，足以打破我單調的日常生活。

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

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

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

并且把大部分時間消磨在設法揭穿這個秘密上。

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。在回答我的一個問題的時候，他自己證實了斯坦弗在這一點上的說法是正確的。

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學位而在研究任何學科，

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，使他能夠進入學術界。

Yet his zeal for certain studies was remarkable,

然而他對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領域以內，他的學識卻是異常的淵博，因此，他往往出語驚人。

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

肯定地說，如果不是為了某種一定的目的，一個人決不會這樣辛勤地工作，以求獲得這樣確切的知識的。

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

因為漫無目標、無書不讀的人，他們的知識很難是非常精湛的。

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，否則絕不會有人愿意在許多細微末節(jié)上這樣花費精力。

His ignorance was as remarkable as his knowledge.

他的知識疲乏的一面，正如他的知識豐富的一面同樣地驚人。

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

關于現(xiàn)代文學、哲學和政治方面，他幾乎一無所知。

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

當我引用托馬斯·卡萊耳的文章的時候，他傻里傻氣地問我卡萊耳究竟是什么人，他干過些什么事情。

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.

我無意中發(fā)現(xiàn)他竟然對于哥白尼學說以及太陽系的構成，也全然不解。

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

當此十九世紀，一個有知識的人居然不知道

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

地球繞著太陽運行的道理，這件怪事簡直令我難以理解。

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

他看到我吃驚的樣子，不覺微笑著說："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.

我認為人的腦子本來象一間空空的小閣樓，應該有選擇地把一些家具裝進去。

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

只有傻瓜才會把他碰到的各種各樣的破爛雜碎一古腦兒裝進去。

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

這樣一來，那些對他有用的知識反而被擠了出來；

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，最多不過是和許多其他的東西摻雜在一起。因此，在取用的時候也就感到困難了。

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

所以一個會工作的人，在他選擇要把一些東西裝進他的那間小閣樓似的頭腦中去的時候，

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

他確實是非常仔細小心的。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.

如果認為這間小閣樓的墻壁富有彈性，可以任意伸縮，那就錯了。

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

請相信我的話，總有一天，當你增加新知識的時候，你就會把以前所熟習的東西忘了。

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

所以最要緊的是，不要讓一些無用的知識把有用的擠出去。"

“But the Solar System!” I protested.

我分辯說："可是，那是太陽系的問題??！"

“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："這與我又有什么相干？你說咱們是繞著太陽走的，

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，這對于我或者對于我的工作又有什么關系呢？"