論書

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論書

John Ruskin

約翰·羅斯金

作者簡介

約翰.羅斯金（John Ruskin，1819—1900），英國著名學(xué)者、作家，也是多產(chǎn)的藝術(shù)家和藝術(shù)評論家。他是藝術(shù)、建筑、意大利文藝復(fù)興史方面的專家，在英國被譽為“美的使者”。

羅斯金因《現(xiàn)代畫家》（Modern Painters）一書成名，后著有《建筑學(xué)的七盞燈》（The Seven Lamps of Architecture）和《威尼斯之石》（The Stones of Venice）等藝術(shù)評論佳作。他的作品語言優(yōu)美，語調(diào)鏗鏘，對列夫.托爾斯泰（Lev Tolstoy）、奧斯卡.王爾德（Oscar Wilde）和馬塞爾.普魯斯特（Marcel Proust）等人有較大影響，普魯斯特甚至為翻譯羅斯金的作品而下決心學(xué)習(xí)英文。

本文選自1864年出版的羅斯金演講文集《芝麻與百合》（Sesame and Lilies）。羅斯金認(rèn)為讀書、生活、藝術(shù)、男人、女人、家庭是這個世界的基本色彩，是打開“國王寶藏”的芝麻，是“王后花園”中的百合。本文論述了著書、讀書之精妙所在，對“暫時之書”與“永久之書”的定義更是發(fā)人深省。且讓我們跟隨作者，拾起一顆芝麻，擷取一朵百合吧。

For all books are divisible into two classes, the books of the hour, and the books of all time. Mark this distinction—it is not one of quality only. It is not merely the bad book that does not last, and the good one that does. It is a distinction of species. There are good books for the hour, and good ones for all time; bad books for the hour, and bad ones for all time. I must define the two kinds before I go farther.

The good book of the hour, then,—I do not speak of the bad ones—is simply the useful or pleasant talk of some person whom you cannot otherwise converse with, printed for you. Very useful often, telling you what you need to know; very pleasant often, as a sensible friend’s present talk would be. These bright accounts of travels; good-humoured and witty discussions of question; lively or pathetic story-telling in the form of novel; firm fact-telling, by the real agents concerned in the events of passing history;—all these books of the hour, multiplying among us as education becomes more general, are a peculiar characteristic and possession of the present age: We ought to be entirely thankful for them, and entirely ashamed of ourselves if we make no good use of them. But we make the worst possible use, if we allow them to usurp the place of true books: for, strictly speaking, they are not books at all, but merely letters or newspapers in good print.

所有的書可分為兩類：應(yīng)時之作和經(jīng)久之書。請注意，它們的區(qū)別不僅在于品質(zhì)。并非說壞書不能經(jīng)久，好書就可長存。兩者純粹是類型不同。應(yīng)時之作和經(jīng)久之書中皆有精華和糟粕。在深入分析之前，我必須對這兩種書下個定義。

應(yīng)時之作中的精品——糟粕我在此不提——就像一次有益或有趣的談話。你無法與說話者當(dāng)面交流，但談話內(nèi)容已為你印刷成書。這類書往往頗為實用，向你傳授必要的知識；往往妙趣橫生，就像通情達(dá)理的友人的談話。那些精彩生動的旅途見聞、風(fēng)趣幽默的話題討論、小說形式呈現(xiàn)的悲喜故事、親歷者對往事的真相揭露，都是應(yīng)時之作。隨著教育的普及，這類書日益普遍，甚至成為當(dāng)代特色。對于這些書，我們應(yīng)當(dāng)表示感謝；如果沒能善加利用，還應(yīng)深感慚愧。但如果讓它們篡奪了真書的地位，那就大錯特錯了。因為嚴(yán)格來說，它們根本算不上是書，只是印刷精美的信件或報紙而已。

Our friend’s letter may be delightful, or necessary, today: whether worth keeping or not, is to be considered. The newspaper may be entirely proper at breakfast time, but assuredly it is not reading for all day. So, though bound up in a volume, the long letter which gives you so pleasant an account of the inns, and roads, and weather last year at such a place, or which tells you that amusing story, or gives you the real circumstances of such and such events, however valuable for occasional reference, may not be, in the real sense of the word, a “book” at all, nor, in the real sense, to be “read.”

A book is essentially not a talked thing, but a written thing; and written, not with the view of mere communication, but of permanence. The book of talk is printed only because its author cannot speak to thousands of people at once; if he could, he would—the volume is mere multiplication of his voice. You cannot talk to your friend in India; if you could, you would; you write instead: that is mere conveyance of voice. But a book is written, not to multiply the voice merely, not to carry it merely, but to perpetuate it. The author has something to say which he perceives to be true and useful, or helpfully beautiful. So far as he knows, no one has yet said it; so far as he knows, no one else can say it. He is bound to say it, clearly and melodiously if he may; clearly at all events. In the sum of his life he finds this to be the thing, or group of things, manifest to him;—this, the piece of true knowledge, or sight which his share of sunshine and earth has permitted him to seize. He would fain set it down for ever; engrave it on rock, if he could; saying, “This is the best of me; for the rest, I ate, and drank, and slept, loved, and hated, like another; my life was as the vapour, and is not; but this I saw and knew; this, if anything of mine, is worth your memory.” That is his “writing”; it is, in his small human way, and with whatever degree of true inspiration is in him, his inscription, or scripture. That is a “Book.”

友人來信或許當(dāng)日讀來饒有趣味，或許當(dāng)時有用，但是否有保存價值則須另說。報紙適于早餐時瀏覽，但顯然無須整天讀報。因此，描述某間旅社、某條道路以及這些地方去年天氣的有趣信件，或是敘述某件趣事或描摹某個場景的長信，哪怕輯錄成冊，即使偶爾可供參考，但都稱不上真正“值得讀的書”。

書在本質(zhì)上并非談話，而是著述。著述不僅是為了溝通，還為經(jīng)久流傳。將談話編印成書，只因作者無法同時向千萬人講述。如果能夠做到，根本無須出書。書無非是作者聲音的延伸。你無法與身處印度的友人聊天，如果能夠做到，根本無須寫信。信無非是個人聲音的傳遞。但著述成書，不僅是為延伸或傳遞聲音，還是為了使其不朽。作者想表達(dá)自認(rèn)為真實、實用、美而有益的東西。據(jù)他所知，這些東西除了自己之外，無人曾寫，無人可寫。他注定要說，而且盡可能娓娓道來，逐事詳述。他認(rèn)定，某些東西是自己一生的證明——這便是真正的知識，或在世間領(lǐng)略的奇觀。他渴望將其寫下，以求永恒；如有可能，將刻于巖石之上——“這是我的精華。至于其他，我的飲食起居、喜惡愛憎與他人無異。我的生活曾如虛幻霧氣，現(xiàn)在則全然不同。對于這些，我看見了，知曉了。如果我有東西值得后世憶起，便是這個。”此即他的“著述”。這是他卑微人生的結(jié)晶，是他的墓志銘，是他的圣典。這便是“書”。

Perhaps you think no books were ever so written?

But, again, I ask you, do you at all believe in honesty, or at all in kindness, or do you think there is never any honesty or benevolence in wise people? None of us, I hope, are so unhappy as to think that. Well, whatever bit of a wise man’s work is honestly or benevolently done, that bit is his book, or his piece of art. It is mixed always with evil fragments—ill-done, redundant, affected work. But if you read rightly, you will easily discover the true bits, and those are the book.

Now books of this kind have been written in all ages by their greatest men;—by great leaders, great statesmen, and great thinkers. These are all at your choice; and Life is short. You have heard as much before;—yet have you measured and mapped out this short life and its possibilities? Do you know, if you read this, that you cannot read that—that what you lose today you cannot gain tomorrow? Will you go and gossip with your housemaid, or your stable-boy, when you may talk with queens and kings; or flatter yourselves that it is with any worthy consciousness of your own claims to respect, that you jostle with the common crowd for entrée here, and audience there, when all the while this eternal court is open to you, with its society, wide as the world, multitudinous as its days, the chosen, and the mighty, of every place and time? Into that you may enter always; in that you may take fellowship and rank according to your wish; from that, once entered into it, you can never be outcast but by your own fault; by your aristocracy of companionship there, your own inherent aristocracy will be assuredly tested, and the motives with which you strive to take high place in the society of the living, measured, as to all the truth and sincerity that are in them, by the place you desire to take in this company of the Dead.

或許你認(rèn)為，沒有書是如此寫成的。

那么，我要再問你，你相信真誠與善意嗎？你難道認(rèn)為智者不具備這兩種品質(zhì)嗎？我希望，沒有哪個不幸的人會這么想。只要智者以真誠與善意行事，必然體現(xiàn)在著作或藝術(shù)品中。其中可能混有糟粕，例如差勁、冗長、造作的作品。但只要你閱讀方式正確，就能輕易取其精華——這些才是書。

每個時代都有偉人——偉大的領(lǐng)袖、政治家、思想家——寫下這類書。你的選擇眾多，但人生苦短。這番話你從前或許聽過多次。但你是否為自己短暫的一生作過讀書規(guī)劃？你可知道，如果讀了這本書，就可能與那本無緣——今日之所失，明日不復(fù)得。難道你寧愿與女仆、馬夫閑聊，也不愿與國王、皇后交談？當(dāng)永恒的殿堂向你敞開，眼前天地?zé)o垠、空間無限，歷代偉人齊聚一堂，你還會不顧尊嚴(yán)地自吹自擂，還會與庸碌眾人同路而行？你可以隨時進(jìn)入書中，隨心選擇并肩前行的伴侶。一旦置身書海，無人會將你驅(qū)逐，除非你自己不慎退出。你內(nèi)在的貴族氣質(zhì)，必將接受書中貴族的考驗。你在現(xiàn)實社會中提升地位、追尋真理的閱讀動機(jī)，也將接受書中逝者的考驗。