TED演讲：暗喻言说(6)

 　　Ralph Waldo Emerson described language as "fossil poetry." 诗人艾默生曾将语言描述为“化石般的诗”。

　　But before it was fossil poetry, language was fossil metaphor¹. 但是在它成为化石般的诗之前，语言是化石般的暗喻。

　　And these fossils still breathe. 而这些化石现在仍具有生气。

　　Take the three most famous words in all of Western philosophy: "Cogito ergo sum." 就拿在西方哲学中最有名的三个词来说：Cogito ergo sum

　　That's routinely translated as, "I think, therefore I am." But there is a better translation. 通常被翻译为“我思故我在。”但是有一种更好的译法。

　　The Latin word "cogito" is derived² from the prefix³ "co," meaning "together," and the verb "agitare," meaning "to shake." 这里拉丁文"cogito"是从前缀"co"而来，意思是"在一起"，而动词"agitare"是“摇动”的意思

　　So, the original meaning of "cogito" is to shake together. 所以"cogito"的原意是一起摇动。

　　And the proper translation of "cogito ergo sum" is "I shake things up, therefore I am." 而"cogito ergo sum"的适切的翻译是"我摇动事物，故我在."

　　Metaphor shakes things up, giving us everything from Shakespeare to scientific discovery in the process. 暗喻摇动事物，它带给我们从莎士比亚到科学发现的各样事情。

　　The mind is a plastic snow dome⁴, the most beautiful, most interesting, 我们的思想是一个圣诞节的雪花球，它最美丽、最有趣，

　　and most itself, when, as Elvis put it, it's all shook up. 也最本色的时候，就是它被使劲摇动的时候，像埃尔维斯所说的一样。

　　And metaphor keeps the mind shaking, rattling⁵ and rolling, long after Elvis has left the building. Thank you very much. 暗喻让我们的思想不住的摇动，叮当作响，滚动不已，尽管埃尔维斯早已离开。谢谢各位。

1 metaphor   

n.隐喻，暗喻

参考例句：

• Using metaphor,we say that computers have senses and a memory.打个比方，我们可以说计算机有感觉和记忆力。
• In poetry the rose is often a metaphor for love.玫瑰在诗中通常作为爱的象征。

2 derived   

vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 prefix   

n.前缀；vt.加…作为前缀；置于前面

参考例句：

• We prefix "Mr."to a man's name.我们在男士的姓名前加“先生”。
• In the word "unimportant ","un-" is a prefix.在单词“unimportant”中“un”是前缀。

4 dome   

n.圆屋顶，拱顶

参考例句：

• The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
• They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

5 rattling   

adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词

参考例句：

• This book is a rattling good read. 这是一本非常好的读物。
• At that same instant,a deafening explosion set the windows rattling. 正在这时，一声震耳欲聋的爆炸突然袭来，把窗玻璃震得当当地响。