雙語·少年維特的煩惱 一七七一年十月二十日
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OCTOBER 20.
We arrived here yesterday. The ambassador is indisposed, and will not go out for some days. If he were less peevish and morose, all would be well. I see but too plainly that Heaven has destined me to severe trials; but courage! a light heart may bear anything. A light heart! I smile to find such a word proceeding from my pen. A little more lightheartedness would render me the happiest being under the sun. But must I despair of my talents and faculties, whilst others of far inferior abilities parade before me with the utmost self-satisfaction? Gracious Providence, to whom I owe all my powers, why didst thou not withhold some of those blessings I possess, and substitute in their place a feeling of self-confidence and contentment?
But patience! all will yet be well; for I assure you, my dear friend, you were right: since I have been obliged to associate continually with other people, and observe what they do, and how they employ themselves, I have become far better satisfied with myself. For we are so constituted by nature, that we are ever prone to compare ourselves with others; and our happiness or misery depends very much on the objects and persons around us. On this account, nothing is more dangerous than solitude: there our imagination, always disposed to rise, taking a new flight on the wings of fancy, pictures to us a chain of beings of whom we seem the most inferior. All things appear greater than they really are, and all seem superior to us. This operation of the mind is quite natural: we so continually feel our own imperfections, and fancy we perceive in others the qualities we do not possess, attributing to them also all that we enjoy ourselves, that by this process we form the idea of a perfect, happy man,—a man, however, who only exists in our own imagination.
But when, in spite of weakness and disappointments, we set to work in earnest, and persevere steadily, we often find, that, though obliged continually to tack, we make more way than others who have the assistance of wind and tide; and, in truth, there can be no greater satisfaction than to keep pace with others or outstrip them in the race.
一七七一年十月二十日
我們昨天抵達此地。公使覺著身體不舒服，要在家里休息幾天。他要是脾氣隨和些，就一切都好了。我發(fā)現(xiàn)，一再地發(fā)現(xiàn)，命運總是安排給我種種嚴峻的考驗。可要鼓起勇氣??！心情一輕松，便什么都能忍受了。好個心情輕松，這話竟然出自我的筆下，簡直令人好笑！唉，豈知我只需心情稍微輕松一點兒，就可以成為天底下最幸福的人。可不是么，別人有一點點能力，一點點才分，便到處夸夸其談，沾沾自喜，我干嗎還要悲觀失望，懷疑自己的能力和天賦呢？仁慈的上帝，是你賜予了我這一切；可你為什么不少給我一半才能，多給我一丁點自信與自足喲！
別急！別急！情況會好起來的。告訴你，好朋友，你的意見完全對。自從我每天在人們中間忙忙碌碌，看見他們干什么和怎么干以來，我的心緒已經好多了。的確，我們生來就愛拿自己和其他人反反復復比較；所以，我們是幸?；蚴遣恍?，全取決于我們與之相比的是些什么人；所以，最大最大的危險，就莫過于孤身獨處了。我們的腦子生就是朝上想的，加之受到詩里的幻境的激發(fā)，便常常臆造出一些地位無比優(yōu)越于我們的人來，好像他們個個都比自己杰出，個個都比自己完美。而且這似乎理所當然。經常地，我們感到自己身上有這樣那樣的缺陷；在我們看來，我們所欠缺的，別人偏偏都有。不僅如此，我們還把自己所有的品質全加在他們身上，外搭著某種心滿意足。這樣，一個幸福的人就完成了，只不過是我們自己的創(chuàng)造而已。
反之，如果我們不顧自己的衰弱和吃力，只管一個勁兒往前趕，我們常常便會發(fā)現(xiàn)，我們雖然步履踉蹌，不斷迷路，卻仍比其他又張帆又劃槳的人走得遠——而且，一當你與其他人并駕齊驅，或者甚至超越了他們，你就會真正感覺到自身的價值。
