英语美文口袋书：生活篇

看了下富兰克林那篇《蜉蝣》，有删减。似乎把富兰克林赞美他要追求的法国女士的话都删了，仿佛教科书生怕学生早恋一样。

2023年8月28日 星期一 祝福早安 天气多云 气温18℃ 《英语美文:生活篇》 为什么要每天都跑步？ 为什么每天都会写点东西？ 为什么睡前都要看书？ 因为大多数人都没有每天能坚持的东西， 所以任何一种坚持都能区分别人和自己。 ——刘同 This single stick,which you now behold ingloriously lying in that neglected corner,I once knew in aflourishing state in aforest.It was full of sap,full of leaves,and full of boughs,but now in vain does the busy art of man pretend to vie with nature by tying that withered bundle of twigs to its sapless trunk.It is now at best but the reverse of what it was:a tree turned upside down,the branches on the earth,and the root in the air.It is now handled by every dirty wench,condemned to do her drudgery,and by acapricious kind of fate destined to make other things clean and be nasty itself.At length,worn to the stumps in the service of the maids,it is either thrown out of doors or condemned to its last use of kindling afire. When Ibeheld this,I sighed and said within myself,surely mortal man is abroomstick:nature sent him into the world strong and lusty,in athriving condition,wearing his own hair on his head,the proper branches of this reasoning vegetable,until the axe of intemperance has lopped off his green boughs and left him awithered trunk;he then flies to art,and puts on aperiwig,valuing himself upon an unnatural bundle of hairs,all covered with powder,that never grew on his head.But now should this our broomstick pretend to enter the scene,proud of those birchen spoils it never bore,and all covered with dust,though the sweepings of the finest lady’s chamber,we should be apt to ridicule and despise its vanity,partial judges that we are of our own excellencies and other men’s defaults. But abroomstick,perhaps,you will say,is an emblem of atree standing on its head.And pray,what is man,but atopsy-turvy creature,his animal faculties perpetually mounted on his rational,his head where his heels should be,groveling on the earth?And yet with all his faults,he sets up to be auniversal reformer and corrector of abuses,a remover of grievances;rakes into every slut’s corner of nature,bringing hidden corruption to the light;and raises amighty dust where there was none before,sharing deeply all the while in the very same pollutions he pretends to sweep away.His last days are spent in slavery to women,and generally the least deserving,till,worn out to the stumps,like his brother besom,he is either kicked out of doors,or made use of to kindle flames for others to warm themselves by. 中文译文 关于一把扫帚的沉思 乔纳森·斯威夫特 你眼前这根灰头土脸歪在壁角里的扫帚，我知道它往昔在森林里是何等之繁茂。那时，它汁多叶茂，旁枝丛生。而现在，生性多事的人类，拿一把枯枝绑在它那赤条条的躯干之上，妄想以人工与造化相颉颃，而又终归徒然；它现在的模样恰好跟过去翻了一个个儿；枝条委之于地，根梢朝向天空，成为一株上下颠倒的树，掌握在某个做苦工的女仆手里，受着命运任意拨弄，注定了要把别的东西清扫干净，而自己只落得一身腌臜晦气；而在为女仆效劳、磨损得四肢不全之后，到头来或被随手抛出门外，或则最后被作引火之物一烧了之。 有鉴于此，我喟然自叹：人不过一根扫帚柄而已！造化将人送到世上来的时候，他身强力壮，精神奋发，头上毛发蓬松，恰似一棵有理性的树木枝叶扶疏一般；不料，贪欲失度犹如巨斧，将其青枝绿叶戕伐殆尽，空留光秃枯干一条；此时，他只好乞灵于人工，戴上头套，借助于虽则撒满香粉，却非自己头皮长出的一副假发来撑一撑门面。然而，我们眼前这把扫帚也如此粉墨登场，仗恃这些并非自身所生的桦树枝条而洋洋自得，其实它们全部沾满灰尘，即便是勋贵佳丽的闺房中里的灰尘，我们也会嘲笑和鄙夷！然则，我们是有失公允的法官，只看到自己的优点，专挑别人的缺点。 阁下也许会说：扫帚不过是区区一棵头朝下的树木而已。但请问：如果一个人的动物本能总是凌驾在他的理性本能之上，如果他总是摧眉折腰，把脑袋放在脚后跟才该放的地方，那么，他不正是一种上下颠倒的动物吗？然而，尽管他自身毛病百出，他还要做出改革社会、匡正时弊、消除不平的样子，世间一切腌臜角落都要去亲自探查一番，把隐藏着的败德秽行扫到光天化日之下，结果本来纤尘不染的地方也被搅得尘土飞扬，虽然他自以为是在澄清乾坤，其实自己早已深染尘垢。到了晚年，他又为那些往往不值一提的妇人做牛做马，以此卒岁，直到只剩一根残干，然后就像他的扫帚兄弟一样，不是被一脚踢出门外，就是被用来点火，供他人取暖。 词汇速记 sap　n.　树液 vie　v.　竞争 drudgery　n.　苦差事 capricious　adj.　善变的 stump　n.　树桩 intemperance　n.　不节制；酗酒 periwig　n.　假发 topsy-turvy　adj.　颠倒的；乱七八糟的 grovel　v.　卑躬屈膝 besom　n.　长笤帚 Unmistakable noises are coming through my bedroom wall.Now ascuffling,now abumping,a long,drawn-out scraping.“John,are you moving furniture in there?Again?”I call.The wall muffles his“yes”but does not filter out of his voice the tinge of excitement. I am not upset by these impulsive rearrangements,just amused at their frequency.I remember my own feelings when Iwas13as he is—the startling,rapid evolution of body and mind and emotions,the need to invent and reinvent yourself through clothes,hairstyles and the arrangement and decor of your room. Amid the smothered thuds Iremember how much John longed for the privacy of his own domain,how he took me aside two years ago when he was sharing aroom with his younger brother,Robert.“Mom,”he said,“can Iplease have aroom of my own?I could use Jeff’s.He won’t mind.” It was true that Jeff had graduated from college that past June and had flown from the nest.But would he mind if the place where he had spent countless hours growing up was yanked out from under him?Would he feel ousted from the family,barred from ever coming home again? But beyond his feelings,would Imind?That room was so much apart of our lives over the many years that Jeff had been our only child.In it Itaught him to read;we constructed architectural wonders out of blocks and set up elaborate desks.It was where Jeff perfected his artwork and struggled with college applications.It was the place where Itold him athousand stories and where we had athousand talks. As close as we were,though,the time came when Jeff needed adoor between us,a space of his own to grow in.The door to that bedroom would be shut most of the evening,behind it the muffled sound of aradio or the clack of his secondhand manual typewriter as he banged out one of his marathon letters. I knew those letters to friends must have been filled with thoughts and opinions Jeff did not share with me.His life was spreading into areas that had nothing to do with home and family.I no longer could—or should—know everything about him. As conscientious parents,we strive to foster independence.But when it happens,when you pause outside that door and look at the blank panels it is always alittle unsettling. But we accept—at least we say we do.All of parenting is aseries of letting go by degrees.The child walks and runs and rides abike;he is stricken with the pangs of first love that we are powerless to kiss away.Then he is driving acar,and we are falling asleep before he gets home,alert,even in our dreams,to the sound of his motor gearing down. In my heart Ilet it go.To hold on would be selfish.Now it was time for John,shouldering through the door with an armload of his things,his eyes bright with the promise of independence,to disappear behind the door.It was time for the letting go to begin again. 中文译文 自己的小天地 玛丽·波特 透过我卧室的墙壁清清楚楚地传来嘈杂声。一会儿是拖来拖去的声音，一会儿是咯噔咯噔的撞击声，一会儿是咚咚咚的重击声，一会儿是拉得长长的尖利的刮擦声。“约翰，你又在倒腾家具啦？”我喊道。隔着墙壁，传来他闷声闷气的回答“对！”但墙壁并没有过滤掉他话音里的激动。 对他的这些心血来潮的重新布置我并不感到烦乱，只是对他如此频繁地倒腾感到好笑。我还记得我13岁时，和他现在一样大的时候，自己的那些感觉——身体上、心理上和情感上的惊人的、迅速的变化，想通过衣着、发式以及房间的布置和装饰来塑造和重新塑造自我的那种需求。 就在这些闷声闷气的撞击声中，我记起了约翰是多么向往着拥有一个自己的小天地。两年前，当时他跟弟弟罗伯特同住一间屋子。他把我拉到一边对我说：“妈妈，求求你，我一个人住间屋子好吗？我可以用杰夫的房间，他不会在意的。” 的确，杰夫在那一年的六月份就已大学毕业，飞离了这个鸟窝。但是，如果猛地一下抽掉他曾经在其中成长和度过许多时光的栖息之处，他会不在意吗？他会不会觉得家里人不要他了，并不许他再踏进家门了呢？ 还有，除了他的感情以外，我就不会在意吗？在我们只有杰夫这一个孩子的许多年里，那间屋子在我们一家人的生活中占据了多么重要的地位啊！在这间屋子里，我教他认字读书，我们用积木堆出建筑上的奇迹，安放很精巧的书桌。就在这里，杰夫修改过他的一幅幅美术作品，为申请上大学煞费苦心；就在这里，我给他讲过上千个故事；就在这里，我们交谈过上千次。 尽管我们亲密无间，这样一个时刻终于还是来到了：杰夫需要在我们之间隔一扇门，需要一个他自己的成长空间。晚饭后，那间卧室的门多数时候都是关着的。这扇关闭的门后面总是闷声闷气地传来收音机的声音，或是他在他那台旧打字机上敲出马拉松式的长信时咯嗒咯嗒的响声。 我明白，杰夫从没给我讲过的各种各样的念头和看法都在这些给朋友的信里头。他的生活正在朝着与他的家和家人毫不相干的领域扩展。对他的事，我再也不能——或者说再也不应该——什么都知道了。 作为责任心很强的父母，我们努力培养孩子们的独立性。可是一旦他们有了独立性，当你站在关上的门外边看着光秃秃的门板时，心里总是有那么一点儿不安。 但是我们还是接受了这个事实——至少可以说我们这么做了。养育儿女实际上就是一个逐步撒手、放手的过程。小的时候，他先会走，后会跑，再会骑自行车；接着他为初恋而痛苦，这种痛苦是我们无法吻去的；然后他就会开车了，我们都睡着了他才回家，即使在梦中我们都留意听着他的马达换低速挡的声音。 在我的心底里我已松开了手。抓住不放是自私的。现在，该轮到约翰了，他两眼闪着独立自主的希望之光，抱着自己的东西，用肩膀顶开门，然后消失在门背后。又到了开始撒手、放手的时候了。 （孙建中 译） 词汇速记 scuffling　n.　拖著脚步行走发出的脚步声 muffle　v.　发出低沉的声音 tinge　n.　些许味道 impulsive　adj.　冲动的；受感情驱使的 reinvent　v.　重新使用；彻底改造 yank　v.　猛地一拉 But,as has been true in many other cases,when they were at last married,the most ideal of situations was found to have been changed to the most practical.Instead of having shared their original duties,and as school-boys would say,going halves,they discovered that the cares of life had been doubled. This led to some distressing moments for both our friends;they understood suddenly that instead of dwelling in heaven they were still upon earth,and had made themselves slaves to new laws and limitations.Instead of being fleer and happier than ever before,they had assumed new responsibilities;they had established anew household,and must fulfill in some way or another the obligations of it. They looked back with affection to their engagement;they had been longing to have each other to themselves,apart from the world,but it seemed they never felt so keenly that they were still units in modern society. 中文译文 新生活 莎拉·朱厄特 但是正如其他许多已经发生过的事情一样，当他们最终结婚后，发现最憧憬的生活变得再实际不过了。他们非但没有分担原有的责任，用学生的语言说叫“对半分”，相反却发现生活的负担加重了。 这使得我们那两个结婚的朋友时常觉得沮丧；他们突然发现自己没过上天堂的生活，反而仍是实实在在地活在尘世，且成了新规则和新约束的奴隶。生活并没有比以前更自由、更幸福，因为他们要去承担新的责任。既然成立了一个新的家庭，那就无论如何也要尽一点家庭的义务。 他们深情地回想起订婚的那段时光，曾经如此地渴望拥有彼此而忘掉这个世界，然而现在最深切的感受却是自己仍是这个世界的一分子。 词汇速记 dwell　v.　居住；存在于 affection　n.　喜爱 engagement　n.　婚约

I learn much from this book.And I feel very good.