英语短文名人故事 哲学思想家 第27期:伊曼努尔·康德

 9 Immanuel Kant 伊曼努尔·康德

Immanuel’s early childhood seems to have been idyllic¹.  康德小时候的生活像田园诗般优美。

The family was rather well off. The parents got along and loved their son.  家境殷实，父母恩爱，又疼爱孩子。

Father appears to have been a gentle and hardworking man, while mother, who took care of the family’s paperwork, was well educated.  父亲看起来像个绅士一样有风度，而且非常勤劳；母亲受过良好教育，安心持家。

Little Immanuel was her constant company, and her influence on him was considerable. 小康德总是跟在妈妈身边，因而，康德受母亲的影响非常大。

After “Manelchen” could walk, Anna Kant took him out for walks in the meadows and fields.  小康德会走以后，妈妈就带着康德出去散步，去田野也去草原。

She taught him what she could, of the seasons, the plants and animals, and the sky.  妈妈尽可能地教康德知识，包括四季景物，各种动植物，甚至包括头顶的天空。

Her little son responded eagerly with questions; and the mother encouraged his outdoor curiosity with praise, patience, and more information. 小康德也用焦急的、一连串的问题来回应妈妈。妈妈总是耐心回答他的问题，不停地表扬他，并教他新鲜的东西，以此来鼓励他的好奇心。

For learning about the details of nature, the child grew up in a good environment.  学习着自然界的一切，拥有如此好的环境，小康德渐渐长大了。

Konigsberg enjoys a cool and gentle climate; typical of high latitudes², the flat Baltic terrain³ has not much biological diversity,  格尼斯堡是典型的高纬度地区的气候，终年温暖凉爽。波罗的海沿岸平原的物种并不是特别丰富，

and its biomes — meadows, moors⁴, deciduous⁵ and conifer forests — are not hostile.  高原沼泽、落叶树、针叶林等当地的生态系统平衡发展。

At Kant’s time, bears and wolves were common, but neither of which are in the habit of attacking humans (despite legends to the contrary).  康德小时候，熊和狼时常出没，但却从来不伤人，（虽然当地的神话可能不这样说)。

Walks as the ones he enjoyed, at the edge of town, were funny and perfectly⁶ safe.  在这个小城镇，康德想去哪就去哪，充满乐趣而且非常安全。

Excursions into nature also have a spiritual subtext. German tradition invests natural places with meaning. 经常到自然中去走走也可以丰富人的精神生活。在德国的传统中，自然也常被赋予深刻的含义。

As for his parents, Kant later described that, “My two parents were perfectly honest, morally decent, and orderly.  对于父母，康德日后这样描述：“我的父母诚实、正直、守法。

They did not leave me a fortune (but neither did they leave me any debts).  他们虽然没有给我留下太多的财产（当然他们也并没有留下任何债务），

Moreover, they gave me an education that could not have been better when considered from the moral point of view.  但他们却给了我良好的教育，如果从道德的角度来说，没有什么比这样的教育再好的了。

Every time I think of this I am touched by feelings of the highest gratitude⁷.  每次想到这里，我心里便由衷地升起对父母的感激之情。

I will never forget my mother, for she implanted and nurtured⁸ in me the first germ of goodness; she opened my heart to the impressions of nature;  我永远也不会忘记我的妈妈，是她在我心灵种下善良的种子，是她让我打开心扉感受自然，

she awakened⁹ and furthered my concepts, and her doctrines¹⁰ have had a continual and beneficial influence in my life.” 也是她唤醒我的头脑，开阔我的视野。她的教育让我受益终生

1 idyllic   

adj.质朴宜人的，田园风光的

参考例句：

• These scenes had an idyllic air.这种情景多少有点田园气氛。
• Many people living in big cities yearn for an idyllic country life.现在的很多都市人向往那种田园化的生活。

2 latitudes   

纬度

参考例句：

• Latitudes are the lines that go from east to west. 纬线是从东到西的线。
• It was the brief Indian Summer of the high latitudes. 这是高纬度地方的那种短暂的晚秋。

3 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

4 moors   

v.停泊，系泊（船只）( moor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• the North York moors 北约克郡的漠泽
• They're shooting grouse up on the moors. 他们在荒野射猎松鸡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 deciduous   

adj.非永久的；短暂的；脱落的；落叶的

参考例句：

• Overgrown deciduous shrubs can be cut back at this time of year.过于繁茂的落叶灌木可以在每年的这个时候修剪。
• Deciduous trees shed their leaves in autumn.落叶树木在秋天落叶。

6 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

7 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

8 nurtured   

养育( nurture的过去式和过去分词 )； 培育； 滋长； 助长

参考例句：

• She is looking fondly at the plants he had nurtured. 她深情地看着他培育的植物。
• Any latter-day Einstein would still be spotted and nurtured. 任何一个未来的爱因斯坦都会被发现并受到培养。

9 awakened   

v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到

参考例句：

• She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。
• The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 doctrines   

n.教条( doctrine的名词复数 )；教义；学说；（政府政策的）正式声明

参考例句：

• To modern eyes, such doctrines appear harsh, even cruel. 从现代的角度看，这样的教义显得苛刻，甚至残酷。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His doctrines have seduced many into error. 他的学说把许多人诱入歧途。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》