万物简史 第561期:达尔文的非凡见解(10)

 Darwin was placed in an agonizing¹ quandary². 达尔文被置于一种左右为难的境地。

If he rushed into print to preserve his priority, he would be taking advantage of an innocent tip-off from a distant admirer. 如果他抢先发表自己的作品以确保自己的优先权，他就会占了一位远在千山万水之外的无辜的仰慕者的便宜；

But if he stepped aside, as gentlemanly conduct arguably required, he would lose credit for a theory that he had independently propounded³. 如果他退让一步，就如发扬绅士风度所必须做的那样，他就会失去他自己独立研究所得的理论的发现权。

Wallace's theory was, by Wallace's own admission, the result of a flash of insight; 华莱士自己也承认，他的理论是灵光一现的产物；

Darwin's was the product of years of careful, plodding⁴, methodical thought. 而达尔文的理论则是十几年仔细研究、周密思考的结果。

It was all crushingly unfair. 因此，这是绝对不公正的。

To compound his misery⁵, Darwin's youngest son, also named Charles, had contracted scarlet⁶ fever and was critically ill. 好像是为了增加他的痛苦似的，达尔文那和他同名的小儿子查尔斯感染了猩红热，病情极为严重。

At the height of the crisis, on June 28, the child died. 6月28日，病况危急到了顶点，小查尔斯去世了。

Despite the distraction⁷ of his son's illness, Darwin found time to dash off letters to his friends Charles Lyell and Joseph Hooker, 尽管悲痛之极，达尔文还是抽时间给他的朋友查尔斯·莱尔和约瑟夫·胡克匆匆写了一封信，

offering to step aside but noting that to do so would mean that all his work, "whatever it may amount to, will be smashed." 提出愿意给华莱士让路，但说要是这么做，那就是意味着他所有的工作“都将付诸东流，无论那成果有多大意义”。

Lyell and Hooker came up with the compromise solution of presenting a summary of Darwin's and Wallace's ideas together. 莱尔和胡克找到了一种两全其美的方法。

The venue⁸ they settled on was a meeting of the Linnaean Society, 他们将达尔文和华莱士观点的概要同时提交给林奈学会的一次会议，

which at the time was struggling to find its way back into fashion as a seat of scientific eminence⁹. 当时该学会正在为恢复自己作为科学权威的地位而努力。

On July 1, 1858, Darwin's and Wallace's theory was unveiled to the world. 1858年7月1日，达尔文和华菜士的理论被公之于世。

Darwin himself was not present. 达尔文本人并没有参加会议。

On the day of the meeting, he and his wife were burying their son. 开会的那一天，他和他的妻子正在安葬他们的小儿子。

 

1 agonizing   

adj.痛苦难忍的；使人苦恼的v.使极度痛苦；折磨(agonize的ing形式)

参考例句：

• I spent days agonizing over whether to take the job or not. 我用了好些天苦苦思考是否接受这个工作。
• his father's agonizing death 他父亲极度痛苦的死

2 quandary   

n.困惑，进迟两难之境

参考例句：

• I was in a quandary about whether to go.我当时正犹豫到底去不去。
• I was put in a great quandary.我陷于进退两难的窘境。

3 propounded   

v.提出（问题、计划等）供考虑[讨论]，提议( propound的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• the theory of natural selection, first propounded by Charles Darwin 查尔斯∙达尔文首先提出的物竞天择理论
• Indeed it was first propounded by the ubiquitous Thomas Young. 实际上，它是由尽人皆知的杨氏首先提出来的。 来自辞典例句

4 plodding   

a.proceeding in a slow or dull way

参考例句：

• They're still plodding along with their investigation. 他们仍然在不厌其烦地进行调查。
• He is plodding on with negotiations. 他正缓慢艰难地进行着谈判。

5 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

6 scarlet   

n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的

参考例句：

• The scarlet leaves of the maples contrast well with the dark green of the pines.深红的枫叶和暗绿的松树形成了明显的对比。
• The glowing clouds are growing slowly pale,scarlet,bright red,and then light red.天空的霞光渐渐地淡下去了，深红的颜色变成了绯红，绯红又变为浅红。

7 distraction   

n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注，不能有丝毫分神。
• Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。

8 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

9 eminence   

n.卓越，显赫；高地，高处；名家

参考例句：

• He is a statesman of great eminence.他是个声名显赫的政治家。
• Many of the pilots were to achieve eminence in the aeronautical world.这些飞行员中很多人将会在航空界声名显赫。