《四季隨筆》節(jié)選 - 冬 19

《四季隨筆》是吉辛的散文代表作。其中對(duì)隱士賴(lài)克羅夫特醉心于書(shū)籍、自然景色與回憶過(guò)去生活的描述，其實(shí)是吉辛的自述，作者以此來(lái)抒發(fā)自己的情感，因而本書(shū)是一部富有自傳色彩的小品文集。

吉辛窮困的一生，對(duì)文學(xué)名著的愛(ài)好與追求，以及對(duì)大自然恬靜生活的向往，在書(shū)中均有充分的反映。本書(shū)分為春、夏、秋、冬四個(gè)部分，文筆優(yōu)美，行文流暢，是英國(guó)文學(xué)中小品文的珍品之一。

以下是由網(wǎng)友分享的《四季隨筆》節(jié)選 - 冬 19的內(nèi)容，讓我們一起來(lái)感受吉辛的四季吧!

The Christmas bells drew me forth this morning. With but half-formed purpose, I walked through soft, hazy sunshine towards the city, and came into the Cathedral Close, and, after lingering awhile, heard the first notes of the organ, and so entered. I believe it is more than thirty years since I was in an English church on Christmas Day. The old time and the old faces lived again for me; I saw myself on the far side of the abyss of years—that self which is not myself at all, though I mark points of kindred between the beings of then and now. He who in that other world sat to hear the Christmas gospel, either heeded it not at all—rapt in his own visions—or listened only as one in whose blood was heresy. He loved the notes of the organ, but, even in his childish mind, distinguished clearly between the music and its local motive. More than that, he could separate the melody of word and of thought from their dogmatic significance, enjoying the one whilst wholly rejecting the other. "On earth peace, goodwill to men"—already that line was among the treasures of his intellect, but only, no doubt, because of its rhythm, its sonority. Life, to him, was a half-conscious striving for the harmonic in thought and speech—and through what a tumult of unmelodious circumstance was he beginning to fight his way!

今天早晨，圣誕鐘聲引我前行。我穿過(guò)柔和朦朧的陽(yáng)光，走向市區(qū)，心里并沒(méi)有明確的目的，到了教堂的院子，稍作停留，聽(tīng)到管風(fēng)琴響起來(lái)，我便走了進(jìn)去。我相信自己已經(jīng)三十多年沒(méi)有在圣誕節(jié)來(lái)過(guò)英國(guó)教堂了。昔日時(shí)光和舊時(shí)面孔重新在心頭復(fù)活，我看到自己在歲月鴻溝的另一邊——那個(gè)我根本不是我，盡管我注意到昔日和今時(shí)的我之間有很多相似之處。他坐在另一個(gè)世界，聆聽(tīng)著圣誕福音，也許根本沒(méi)聽(tīng)進(jìn)去——沉浸在自己的思緒中——或者在聆聽(tīng)時(shí)滿(mǎn)懷異端邪說(shuō)。他喜歡管風(fēng)琴的樂(lè)聲，然而在他幼稚的頭腦中，他便將音樂(lè)與它的狹隘動(dòng)機(jī)區(qū)分得很清楚。不僅如此，他能夠?qū)⒃?huà)語(yǔ)及思想的音樂(lè)性與它們的教條意義分開(kāi)，享受前者，而完全摒棄后者。“世上有和平，善意在人間”——這句話(huà)已經(jīng)成為他智慧的珍寶之一，但無(wú)疑只是因?yàn)樗墓?jié)奏、它的響亮。生活對(duì)他而言，是一種半自覺(jué)的對(duì)思想和言語(yǔ)和諧的追求——而在怎樣刺耳的喧囂境況中，他開(kāi)始為自己辟出一條路來(lái)！

To-day, I listen with no heretical promptings. The music, whether of organ or of word, is more to me than ever; the literal meaning causes me no restiveness. I felt only glad that I had yielded to the summons of the Christmas bells. I sat among a congregation of shadows, not in the great cathedral, but in a little parish church far from here. When I came forth, it astonished me to see the softly radiant sky, and to tread on the moist earth; my dream expected a wind-swept canopy of cold grey, and all beneath it the gleam of new-fallen snow. It is a piety to turn awhile and live with the dead, and who can so well indulge it as he whose Christmas is passed in no unhappy solitude? I would not now, if I might, be one of a joyous company; it is better to hear the long-silent voices, and to smile at happy things which I alone can remember. When I was scarce old enough to understand, I heard read by the fireside the Christmas stanzas of "In Memoriam."12 To-night I have taken down the volume, and the voice of so long ago has read to me once again—read as no other ever did, that voice which taught me to know poetry, the voice which never spoke to me but of good and noble things. Would I have those accents overborne by a living tongue, however welcome its sound at another time? Jealously I guard my Christmas solitude.

今天，我在聆聽(tīng)教堂音樂(lè)時(shí)沒(méi)有任何異端想法。無(wú)論是管風(fēng)琴的樂(lè)聲，還是語(yǔ)言的韻律，對(duì)我都有比以往更大的意義，歌詞的意義也沒(méi)有讓我不耐煩。這樣接受了圣誕鐘聲的召喚，我感到的只是愉快。我在教眾的影子里坐著，不是在大教堂，而是在離這里很遠(yuǎn)的一個(gè)小教區(qū)的教堂。我走出來(lái)時(shí)，看見(jiàn)柔和燦爛的天空，踩在濕潤(rùn)的泥土上，感覺(jué)很驚訝，因?yàn)槲冶緛?lái)夢(mèng)想看到的會(huì)是冷風(fēng)席卷灰色寒冷的天空，大地上閃耀著新降的白雪。離開(kāi)人世和死者相處一會(huì)兒是一種虔誠(chéng)，有誰(shuí)能像那個(gè)在愉快的孤獨(dú)中度過(guò)圣誕節(jié)的人一樣，充分地放縱這種心情？就算可以，我也不愿成為歡樂(lè)人群中的一員。聽(tīng)聽(tīng)那久已沉默的聲音，微笑面對(duì)那些只有我自己能記住的快樂(lè)事物，我覺(jué)得更好。在年紀(jì)尚輕還無(wú)法理解的時(shí)候，我聽(tīng)到有人在壁爐旁念《紀(jì)念詩(shī)》中關(guān)于圣誕節(jié)的章節(jié)。今晚，我取下了這本書(shū)，很久以前的那個(gè)聲音又響在我的耳畔——這閱讀的聲音是獨(dú)一無(wú)二的，這聲音教我理解詩(shī)歌，這聲音跟我談起的只是美好高尚的事物。不管在世的人發(fā)出的聲音在其他時(shí)候聽(tīng)來(lái)多么地悅耳，我能愿意它壓過(guò)這種詩(shī)音嗎？我小心翼翼地守護(hù)著自己圣誕節(jié)的孤獨(dú)。