公众人物毕业演讲 第140期:2012年Michael Lewis普林斯顿大学(4)

 　　But I didn't need to think about it

　　我根本不需要考虑

　　I knew what intellectual passion felt like because I'd felt it here, at Princeton and I wanted to feel it again

　　我知道知性表达的激情是什么感觉 因为在这里 普林斯顿 我曾感受过 而我想重燃那份激情

　　I was 26 years old. Had I waited until I was 36

　　我那时26岁 如果我真的等到36岁

　　I would never have done it

　　我将永远无法写成那本书

　　I would have forgotten the feeling, and would feel too risky¹

　　我会已经忘记了那种感觉 我会觉得太冒险

　　The book I wrote was called Liar's Poker²

　　我的这本书名叫《说谎者的扑克牌》

　　It sold a million copies

　　卖了100万册

　　I was 28 years old. I had a career, a little fame a small fortune and a new life narrative³

　　我那时28岁 我有了一项事业 一点名气 一笔财富和一个新的生命传奇

　　All of a sudden people were telling me I was a born writer

　　突然间所有的人都告诉我我天生就是作家的料

　　This was absurd. Even I could see there was another more true narrative, with luck as its theme

　　这太扯淡了 即使我都能看的明白 有另一种更真实的传奇 它的主题是运气

　　What were the odds⁴ of being seated at that dinner next to that Salomon Brothers lady?

　　那顿晚宴刚好坐在 所罗门兄弟女士身旁的几率有多大呢？

　　Of landing inside the best Wall Street firm to write the story of an age?

　　空降在一个最好的华尔街公司从而有机会 写这个时代的故事的几率有多大呢？

　　Of landing in the seat with the best view of the business?

　　正好坐在一个可以俯瞰行业全景的职位上的 几率又有多大呢？碰巧遇到这样父母

　　Of having parents who didn't disinherit me but instead sighed and said do it if you must?

　　没有与我断绝关系 而只是叹了口气 说 如果你非要这样就去做吧 这样的几率又是多大呢？

　　Of having had that sense of must kindled⁵ inside me by a professor of art history at Princeton?

　　有幸心中有被普林斯顿艺术史教授点燃的 那种非做不可的激情的几率又有多大呢？

　　Of having been let into Princeton in the first place?

　　而最初能够入读普林斯顿的几率又是多大呢？

　　This isn't just false humility⁶. It's false humility with a point

　　我不是在装谦虚 我是在有目的的装谦虚

　　My case illustrates how success is always rationalized

　　我的经历表明了 成功一直是如何被世人理解的

　　People really don't like to hear success explained away as luck especially successful people

　　人们真的不喜欢听到的成功被归结到运气上面 尤其是成功人士

　　As they age, and succeed people feel their success was somehow inevitable

　　当他们年龄增长 当他们步向成功 他们觉得自己的成功根本是历史的必然

1 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

2 poker   

n.扑克；vt.烙制

参考例句：

• He was cleared out in the poker game.他打扑克牌，把钱都输光了。
• I'm old enough to play poker and do something with it.我打扑克是老手了，可以玩些花样。

3 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

4 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

5 kindled   

（使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光

参考例句：

• We watched as the fire slowly kindled. 我们看着火慢慢地燃烧起来。
• The teacher's praise kindled a spark of hope inside her. 老师的赞扬激起了她内心的希望。

6 humility   

n.谦逊，谦恭

参考例句：

• Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
• His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和，甚至有点谦卑。