《四季隨筆》節(jié)選 - 冬 25

《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。

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The dark days are drawing to an end. Soon it will be spring once more; I shall go out into the fields, and shake away these thoughts of discouragement and fear which have lately too much haunted my fireside. For me, it is a virtue to be self-centred; I am much better employed, from every point of view, when I live solely for my own satisfaction, than when I begin to worry about the world. The world frightens me, and a frightened man is no good for anything. I know only one way in which I could have played a meritorious part as an active citizen—by becoming a schoolmaster in some little country town, and teaching half a dozen teachable boys to love study for its own sake. That I could have done, I daresay. Yet, no; for I must have had as a young man the same mind that I have in age, devoid of idle ambitions, undisturbed by unattainable ideals. Living as I do now, I deserve better of my country than at any time in my working life; better, I suspect, than most of those who are praised for busy patriotism.

黑暗的日子就要結(jié)束了。很快就又是春天，我要走到田野中去，將沮喪和恐懼的情緒統(tǒng)統(tǒng)甩掉，近來(lái)在爐火旁，它們常?？M繞在我的心頭。對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)，以自我為中心是一種美德；從各方面來(lái)看，完全為滿(mǎn)足自己而生活，比起開(kāi)始為世界擔(dān)憂(yōu)，能更好地體現(xiàn)我的價(jià)值。世界讓我感到恐懼，一個(gè)嚇壞了的人是一無(wú)是處的。我只知道一種方式，可以讓我作為一名公民對(duì)世界作出積極的貢獻(xiàn)——就是成為某個(gè)鄉(xiāng)村小鎮(zhèn)的教師，為五六個(gè)可教的男孩子授業(yè)，教他們?yōu)閷W(xué)習(xí)本身而熱愛(ài)學(xué)習(xí)。這我敢說(shuō)自己是可以做到的，但是，不。我肯定年輕時(shí)的心態(tài)就和現(xiàn)在差不多，沒(méi)有虛無(wú)縹緲的雄心，也不會(huì)因?yàn)闊o(wú)法實(shí)現(xiàn)理想而煩憂(yōu)。我現(xiàn)在這樣生活，比起當(dāng)初疲于奔命的任何時(shí)候，都更對(duì)得起國(guó)家；我甚至覺(jué)得，比大多數(shù)為愛(ài)國(guó)主義而奔忙并受到頌揚(yáng)的人們做得也更好。

Not that I regard my life as an example for any one else; all I say is, that it is good for me, and in so far an advantage to the world. To live in quiet content is surely a piece of good citizenship. If you can do more, do it, and God-speed! I know myself for an exception. And I ever find it a good antidote to gloomy thoughts to bring before my imagination the lives of men, utterly unlike me in their minds and circumstances, who give themselves with glad and hopeful energy to the plain duties that lie before them. However one's heart may fail in thinking of the folly and baseness which make so great a part of to-day's world, remember how many bright souls are living courageously, seeing the good wherever it may be discovered, undismayed by portents, doing what they have to do with all their strength. In every land there are such, no few of them, a great brotherhood, without distinction of race or faith; for they, indeed, constitute the race of man, rightly designated, and their faith is one, the cult of reason and of justice. Whether the future is to them or to the talking anthropoid, no one can say. But they live and labour, guarding the fire of sacred hope.

我并沒(méi)有把自己的生活看作任何人的榜樣，我只是說(shuō)，它對(duì)我有好處，迄今對(duì)社會(huì)也有益。能夠平靜滿(mǎn)足地生活當(dāng)然是好公民的行為。如果你能做得更多，那就做吧，上帝保佑你！我知道自己是個(gè)例外。我發(fā)現(xiàn)排解沮喪情緒的一個(gè)好方法，就是想象那些和我思想境遇完全不同的人們的生活，他們興致勃勃充滿(mǎn)希望地從事著面前的平常事務(wù)。不管人們?cè)谙氲浇裉焓澜鐝V泛存在的愚蠢和卑鄙時(shí)多么灰心喪氣，請(qǐng)不要忘記還有許多聰明的靈魂在勇敢地生活著，盡力發(fā)現(xiàn)事物美好的方面，不為惡兆而灰心，竭盡全力地做著必須要做的事情。在每塊土地上都有這樣的人，為數(shù)不少，不分種族，不分信仰，像個(gè)大規(guī)模的兄弟會(huì)；他們真正構(gòu)成了名副其實(shí)的人類(lèi)，他們有同樣的信仰，即對(duì)理智和正義的膜拜。未來(lái)是屬于他們，或是屬于能說(shuō)話(huà)的類(lèi)人猿，沒(méi)有人能說(shuō)定。但是他們生存并努力著，捍衛(wèi)著神圣希望之火。

In my own country, dare I think that they are fewer than of old? Some I have known; they give me assurance of the many, near and far. Hearts of noble strain, intrepid, generous; the clear head, the keen eye; a spirit equal alike to good fortune and to ill. I see the true-born son of England, his vigour and his virtues yet unimpaired. In his blood is the instinct of honour, the scorn of meanness; he cannot suffer his word to be doubted, and his hand will give away all he has rather than profit by a plebeian parsimony. He is frugal only of needless speech. A friend staunch to the death; tender with a grave sweetness to those who claim his love; passionate, beneath stoic seeming, for the causes he holds sacred. A hater of confusion and of idle noise, his place is not where the mob presses; he makes no vaunt of what he has done, no boastful promise of what he will do; when the insensate cry is loud, the counsel of wisdom overborne, he will hold apart, content with plain work that lies nearest to his hand, building, strengthening, whilst others riot in destruction. He was ever hopeful, and deems it a crime to despair of his country. "Non, si male nunc, et olim sic erit."24 Fallen on whatever evil days and evil tongues, he remembers that Englishman of old, who, under every menace, bore right onwards; and like him, if so it must be, can make it his duty and his service to stand and wait.

在我自己的國(guó)家，我敢設(shè)想這樣的人比以前少了嗎？有一些人我是認(rèn)識(shí)的，他們讓我確信在遠(yuǎn)近各處還有很多這樣的人。他們心靈高尚，無(wú)畏而慷慨，頭腦清醒，目光犀利，不管好運(yùn)噩運(yùn)都同樣的精神煥發(fā)。我看到英格蘭真正的兒子，他的活力和美德還沒(méi)有受到損害。他的血液中涌動(dòng)著追求榮譽(yù)的本能和對(duì)卑鄙的蔑視；他無(wú)法忍受自己的話(huà)遭到質(zhì)疑，他寧可拋棄所有一切也不愿靠卑俗的節(jié)儉獲利。他所吝嗇的只有不必要的廢話(huà)。他是一位忠實(shí)不渝的朋友；對(duì)所愛(ài)的人，他是溫柔甜蜜的；對(duì)奉為神圣的事業(yè)，他在克制的表面下滿(mǎn)懷著一腔熱情。他憎惡混亂和無(wú)聊的噪音，他從不在人群洶涌的地方出現(xiàn)；對(duì)做過(guò)的事情，他不事夸耀，對(duì)將要做的事情，也不作自夸的允諾；在失去理性的喧嚷聲中，在智慧的意見(jiàn)被壓制時(shí)，他會(huì)遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)躲開(kāi)，安心從事手邊最近的工作；在其他人暴亂搞破壞時(shí)，他在建造，在加固。他從來(lái)都是充滿(mǎn)希望的，把對(duì)自己的國(guó)家絕望視為一種罪行?！安唬绻F(xiàn)在不好，未來(lái)不一定不好”。不管遭遇怎樣的惡劣境遇或惡語(yǔ)中傷，他會(huì)記得，從前的英國(guó)人不管面臨任何威脅，都會(huì)勇往直前；如果有必要，他會(huì)效仿前人，把站穩(wěn)腳跟等待作為自己的責(zé)任和義務(wù)。