致即將畢業(yè)的我們

《不要拋棄學(xué)問(wèn)》

Never Give up the Pursuit of Learning

導(dǎo)讀：本文是胡適1928-1930年在上海任中國(guó)公學(xué)校長(zhǎng)時(shí)為畢業(yè)生所作贈(zèng)言，至今仍有參考價(jià)值。(注：本文譯文由我國(guó)著名翻譯家張培基先生完成)

當(dāng)下正值畢業(yè)季，聽(tīng)力課堂謹(jǐn)以此文獻(xiàn)給已經(jīng)畢業(yè)和即將畢業(yè)的莘莘學(xué)子以共勉并祝愿各位在以后的人生之路上一路走好。

諸位同學(xué)們，

Dear students of the Graduating Class,

你們現(xiàn)在要離開(kāi)母校了，我沒(méi)有什么禮物送給你們，只好送你們一句話罷。

As you are leaving your alma mater, I have nothing to offer you as a gift except a word of advice.

這一句話是：“不要拋棄學(xué)問(wèn)。”

My advice is, “Never give up the pursuit of learning.”

以前的功課也許有一大部分是為這張文憑，不得已而做的，從今而后，你們可以依自己的心愿去自由研究了。趁現(xiàn)在年富力強(qiáng)的時(shí)候，努力做一種學(xué)問(wèn)。

You have perhaps finished your college courses mostly for obtaining the diploma, or, in other words, out of sheer necessity. However, from now you are free to follow your own bent in the choice of studies.

少年是一去不復(fù)返的，等到精力衰時(shí)，努力做學(xué)問(wèn)也來(lái)不及了。即為吃飯計(jì)，學(xué)問(wèn)決不會(huì)辜負(fù)人的。吃飯而不求學(xué)問(wèn)，三年五年后，你們都將將是要被后來(lái)少年淘汰掉的。到那時(shí)再想做點(diǎn)學(xué)問(wèn)來(lái)補(bǔ)救，恐怕已太晚了。

While you are in the prime of life, why not devote yourselves to a special field of study? Youth will soon be gone never to return. And it will be too late for you to go into scholarship when in your declining years. Knowledge will do you a good turn even as a means of subsistence. If you give up studies while holding a job, you will in a couple of years have had yourselves replaced by younger people. It will then be too late to remedy the situation by picking up studies again.

有人說(shuō)：“出去做事之后，生活問(wèn)題急需解決，哪有工夫去讀書(shū)?即使要做學(xué)問(wèn)，既沒(méi)有圖書(shū)館，又沒(méi)有實(shí)驗(yàn)室，哪能做學(xué)問(wèn)?”

Some people say, “Once you have a job, you’ll come up against the urgent problem of making a living. How can you manage to find time to study? Even if you want to, will it be possible with no library or no laboratory available?”

我要對(duì)你們說(shuō)：凡是要等到有了圖書(shū)館才讀書(shū)的，有了圖書(shū)館也不肯讀書(shū)。凡是要等到有了實(shí)驗(yàn)室才做研究的，有了實(shí)驗(yàn)室也不肯做研究。

Now let me tell you this. Those who refuse to study for lack of a library will most probably continue to do so even though there is a library. And those who refuse to do research for lack of a laboratory will most probably continue to do so even though a laboratory is available.

你 有了決心要研究一個(gè)問(wèn)題，自然會(huì)撙衣節(jié)食(5)去買(mǎi)書(shū)，自然會(huì)想出來(lái)法子來(lái)設(shè)置儀器。 至于時(shí)間，更不成問(wèn)題。達(dá)爾文一生多病，不能多作工，每天只能做一點(diǎn)鐘的工作。你們看他的成績(jī)!每天花一點(diǎn)鐘看10頁(yè)有用的書(shū)，每年可看3600多 頁(yè)書(shū)，30年可讀11萬(wàn)頁(yè)書(shū)。 諸位，11萬(wàn)頁(yè)書(shū)可以使你成一個(gè)學(xué)者了，可是，每天看三種小報(bào)也得費(fèi)你一點(diǎn)鐘的工夫，四圈麻將也得費(fèi)你一點(diǎn)半鐘的光陰?？葱?bào)呢，還打麻將呢?還是努力做 一個(gè)學(xué)者呢?全靠你們自己的選擇(7)!

As long as you set your mind on studies, you will naturally cut down on food and clothing to buy books or do everything possible to acquire necessary instruments. Time is no object. Charles Darwin could only work one hour a day due to ill health. Yet what a remarkable man he was! If you spend one hour a day reading 10 pages of a book, you can finish more than 3600 pages a year, and 110000 pages in 30 years. Dear students, 110000 pages will be quite enough to make a learned man of man. It will take you one hour to read three tabloids a day, and one and half hours to finish four rounds of mah-jong a day. Reading tabloids, playing mah-jong or striving to be a learned man, the choice lies with you.

易卜生說(shuō)：“你的最大責(zé)任是把你這塊材料鑄造成器。”

Henrik Ibsen says, “It is your supreme duty to cast yourself into a useful implement.”

學(xué)問(wèn)便是鑄器的工具。拋棄了學(xué)問(wèn)便是毀了你們自己。

Learning is the casting mould. Forsake learning, and you will ruin yourself.

再會(huì)了!你們的母校眼睜睜地要看你們十年之后成什么器。

Farewell! Your alma mater is watching eagerly to see what will become of you ten years from now.

【注解】

(1)“不要拋棄學(xué)問(wèn)”在這里的意思是“不要放棄對(duì)學(xué)問(wèn)的追求”，因此不能直譯為Never Give up Learning，必須加字：Never Give up the Pursuit of Learning。

(2) “你們可以依自己的心愿去自由研究了”譯為you are free to follow your personal bent in the choice of studies，其中to follow one’s bent 是成語(yǔ)，和to follow one’s inclination同義，作“做自己感興趣或愛(ài)做的事”解。

(3)“做學(xué)問(wèn)”譯為to go into scholarship, 等于to engage in learning。

(4)“學(xué)問(wèn)決不會(huì)辜負(fù)人的”譯為Knowledge will do you a good turn，其中to do one a good turn 是成語(yǔ)，作“做對(duì)某人有益的事”解.

(5) “撙衣節(jié)食”即“省吃省穿”，現(xiàn)譯為 cut down on food and clothing, 其中 to cut down on 是成語(yǔ)，與 to economize on 同義，作“節(jié)約”解。又，上語(yǔ)也可譯為 to live frugally。

(6)“至于時(shí)間，更不成問(wèn)題”譯為T(mén)ime is no object,其中no object是成語(yǔ)，等于no problem，作“不成問(wèn)題”或“不在話下”解。

(7)“全靠你們自己的選擇”譯為the choice lies with you或it is up to you to make the choice。

(8)“你們的母校眼睜睜地要看……”中的“眼睜睜地”通常的意思是“無(wú)可奈何地”，現(xiàn)在這里作“熱切地”解，故譯為eagerly。

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