英語(yǔ)美文鑒賞 044

It is physically impossible for a well-educated intellectual, or brave man to make money the chief object① of his thoughts; as physically impossible as it is for him to make his dinner the principal object of them.

一個(gè)受過良好教育、有頭腦的、有膽識(shí)的人完全不可能將金錢當(dāng)作他考慮的主要對(duì)象，正如他完全不可能將美餐當(dāng)做他主要考慮對(duì)象一樣。

All healthy people like their dinner, but their dinner is not the main object of their lives. So all healthy-minded people like making money--ought to like it and to enjoy the sensation② of winning; but the main object of their lives is not money; it is something better than money.

所有健康的人都喜歡享用美餐，但美餐并不是他們生活的主要目標(biāo)。同樣道理，所有思想健全的人都喜歡掙錢--喜歡并體驗(yàn)掙到鈔票的興奮感是正當(dāng)?shù)?然而，他們生活的主要目標(biāo)并不是金錢，而是比金錢更珍貴的東西。

A good soldier, for instance③, mainly wishes to do his fighting well. He is glad of his pay--very properly so --and justly grumbles④ when you keep him ten months without it; still, his main notion⑤ of life is to win battles, not to be paid for winning them.

例如，一位優(yōu)秀的士兵主要想打好仗。他為自己的薪餉感到高興--完全合乎情理;假如，你扣發(fā)他十個(gè)月軍餉，他發(fā)牢騷理所應(yīng)當(dāng)。不過，他的人生主要目標(biāo)仍然是打勝仗，并非為了薪餉而打勝仗。

And so with all other brave and rightly trained men: their work is first, their fee is second, very important always, but still second.

所有其他有膽識(shí)的、受過正當(dāng)培訓(xùn)的人也是如此：他們總是工作第一、報(bào)酬第二。報(bào)酬盡管總是非常重要，但還是第二。

But in every nation, there is a vast class of people who are cowardly⑥, and more or less stupid. And with these people, just as certainly the fee is first and the work second, as with brave people the work is first and the fee second.

可是，在每個(gè)國(guó)家，都有一大批怯懦的、多少有點(diǎn)愚蠢的人。對(duì)于這些人而言，無疑是報(bào)酬第一、工作第二，正如有膽識(shí)的人工作第一、報(bào)酬第二一樣。

And this is no small distinction⑦. It is the whole distinction in a man. You cannot serve two masters; you must serve one or the other. If your work is first with you, and your fee is second, work is your master.

這決非細(xì)微差異，這是根本性差異，區(qū)分一個(gè)人的根本性差異。你不能侍奉兩個(gè)主人，你必須侍奉其中一個(gè)，非此即彼。假如就你而言是工作第一、報(bào)酬第二，那么工作就是你的主人。

Observe, then, all wise work is mainly threefold⑧ in character. It is honest, useful, and cheerful. I hardly know anything stranger than that you recognize honesty in play, and do not in work.

請(qǐng)注意，一切明確的工作本質(zhì)上都具有三重性：誠(chéng)實(shí)、有用和愉悅。人們?cè)趭蕵分兄v究誠(chéng)實(shí)而在工作中卻不講誠(chéng)實(shí)--據(jù)我所知，沒有比這更奇怪的事情了。

In your lightest games you have always someone to see what you call "fair play". In boxing you must hit fair; in racing, start fair. Your watchword is fair play; your hatred, foul play. Did it ever strike you that you wanted another watchword⑨ also, fair work, and another hatred also, foul⑩ work?

在最不重要的比賽中，你總是請(qǐng)人做裁判，確保人們常說的公平競(jìng)賽。拳擊中，你出拳必須公正;賽跑時(shí)，你起跑必須公正。你的口號(hào)就是公正比賽，你所深惡痛絕的就是違反規(guī)則。那么，你可曾想過，你還需要另一個(gè)口號(hào)，那就是老老實(shí)實(shí)地工作;你深惡痛絕的應(yīng)是投機(jī)取巧。

①object n. 目標(biāo)

②sensation n. 感覺

③for instance 比如

④grumble v. 抱怨

⑤notion n. 打算

⑥cowardly a. 膽怯的

⑦distinction n. 區(qū)別

⑧threefold a. 三方面的

⑨watchword n. 口令

⑩foul a. 骯臟的