羊皮卷之七（1）

The Scroll¹ Marked 7

羊皮卷之七

I will laugh at the world.

我要笑遍世界。

No living creature can laugh except man.

只有人类才会笑。

Trees may bleed when they are wounded,

树木受伤时也会流“血”，

and beasts in the field will cry in pain and hunger,

禽兽也会因痛苦和饥饿而哭嚎哀鸣，

yet only I have the gift of laughter

然而，只有我们才具备笑的天赋，

and it is mine to use whenever I choose.

可以随时开怀大笑。

Henceforth I will cultivate the, habit of laughter.

从今往后，我要培养笑的习惯。

I will smile and my digestion³ will improve;

笑有助于消化，

I will chuckle⁴ and my burdens will be lightened;

笑能减轻压力，

I will laugh and my life will be lengthened⁵

笑，是长寿的秘方。

for this is the great secret of long life and now it is mine.

现在我终于掌握了它。

I will laugh at the world.

我要笑遍世界。

And most of all, I will laugh at myself

我笑自己，

for man is most comical when he takes himself too seriously.

因为自视甚高的人往往显得滑稽。

Never will I fall into this trap of the mind.

千万不能跌进这个精神陷阱，

For though I be nature's greatest miracle

虽说我们是造物主最伟大的奇迹，

am I not still a mere⁶ grain tossed about by the winds of time?

我不也是沧海一栗吗？

Do I truly know whence I came or whither I am bound?

我真的知道自己从那里来，到那里去吗？

Will my concern for this day not seem foolish ten years hence?

我现在所关心的事情，十年后看来，不会显得愚蠢吗？

Why should I permit the petty happenings of today to disturb me?

为什么我要现在发生的微不足道的琐事烦扰我？

What can take place before this sun sets which will not seem insignificant⁷

这漫漫的历史长河中，

in the river of centuries?

能留下多少日落的记忆？

I will laugh at the world.

我要笑遍世界。

And how can I laugh when confronted with man or deed which offends me so as to bring forth² my tears or my curses?

当我受别人的冒犯时，当我遇到不如意的事情时，我只会流泪诅咒，却怎么笑得出来？

Four words I will train myself to say until they become a habit so strong

有一句至理名言，我要反复练习，

that immediately they will appear in my mind

直到它深入我的骨髓，出口成言，

whenever good humor threatens to depart from me.

让我永远保持良好的心境。

These words, passed down from the ancients,

这句话，传自远古时代，

will carry me through every adversity and maintain my life in balance.

它们将陪我度过难关，使我的生活保持平衡。

These four words are:

这句至理名言就是：

This too shall pass.

这一切都会过去。

I will laugh at the world.

我要笑遍世界。

For all worldly things shall indeed pass.

世上种种到头来都会成为过去。

When I am heavy with heartache I shall console myself that this too shall pass;

心力衰竭时，我安慰自己，这一切都会过去：

when I am puffed⁸ with success I shall warn myself that this too shall pass.

当我因成功洋洋得意时，我提醒自己，这一切都会过去。

When I am strangled in poverty I shall tell myself that this too shall pass;

穷困潦倒时，我告诉自己，这一切都会过去。

when I am burdened with wealth I shall tell myself that this too shall pass.

腰缠万贯时，我也告诉自己，这一切都会过去。

Yea, verily, where is he who built the pyramid?

是的，昔日修建金字塔的人早已作古，

Is he not buried within its stone?

埋在冰冷的石头下面，

And will the pyramid, one day, not also be buried under sand?

而金字塔有朝一日，也会埋在沙土下面。

If all things shall pass why should I be of concern for today?

如果世上种种终必成空，我又为何对今天的得失斤斤计较？

1 scroll   

n.卷轴，纸卷；(石刻上的)漩涡

参考例句：

• As I opened the scroll,a panorama of the Yellow River unfolded.我打开卷轴时，黄河的景象展现在眼前。
• He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements.他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。

2 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

3 digestion   

n.消化，吸收

参考例句：

• This kind of tea acts as an aid to digestion.这种茶可助消化。
• This food is easy of digestion.这食物容易消化。

4 chuckle   

vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑

参考例句：

• He shook his head with a soft chuckle.他轻轻地笑着摇了摇头。
• I couldn't suppress a soft chuckle at the thought of it.想到这个，我忍不住轻轻地笑起来。

5 lengthened   

（时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The afternoon shadows lengthened. 下午影子渐渐变长了。
• He wanted to have his coat lengthened a bit. 他要把上衣放长一些。

6 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

7 insignificant   

adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的

参考例句：

• In winter the effect was found to be insignificant.在冬季，这种作用是不明显的。
• This problem was insignificant compared to others she faced.这一问题与她面临的其他问题比较起来算不得什么。

8 puffed   

adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧

参考例句：

• He lit a cigarette and puffed at it furiously. 他点燃了一支香烟，狂吸了几口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He felt grown-up, puffed up with self-importance. 他觉得长大了，便自以为了不起。 来自《简明英汉词典》