英语名篇诵读 快乐的能力

The Faculty¹ of Delight

快乐的能力

Charles Edward Montague(查尔斯·爱德华·蒙塔古)

Among the mind's powers is one that comes of itself to many children and artists. It need

not be lost, to the end of his days, by any one who has ever had it. This is the power of taking

delight in a thing, or rather in anything, everything, not as a means to some other end, but just

because it is what it is, as the lover dotes on whatever may be the traits of the beloved object.

A child in the full health of his mind will put his hand flat on the summer turf, feel it, and give a

little shiver of private glee at the elastic² firmness of the globe. He is not thinking how well it

will do for some game or to feed sheep upon. That would be the way of the wooer whose mind

runs on his mistress's money. The child's is sheer affection, the true ecstatic sense of the thing's

inherent characteristics. No matter what the things may be, no matter what they are good or no

good for, there they are, each with a thrilling unique look and feel of its own, like a face;

...the painted wood familiarly warmer, the clod crumbling³ enchantingly down in the hands, with

its little dry smell of the sun and of hot nettles⁴; each common thing a personality marked by

delicious differences.

The joy of an Adam new to the garden and just looking round is brought by the normal child

to the things that he does as well as those that he sees. To be suffered to do some plain work

with the real spade used by mankind can give him a mystical exaltation; to come home with his

legs...from the fatigue⁵ of helping⁶ the gardener to

weed beds sends him to sleep in the glow of a beatitude that is an end in itself...

在必备的各种能力中，有一种能力对于许多儿童和艺术家来说是与生俱来的。这种能

力，一旦获得，终生不会失去。这就是对一件事物，甚至对每件事物感到喜悦的能力。之

所以感到喜悦，并不是因为那件事物是达到其他目的的手段，而只是因为这件事情本身，

就像一个情人觉得他所喜爱的对象是十全十美的一样。一个头脑健全的儿童会把手平放在

夏日草地上，摸摸它，感受地球那富有弹性的结实表面，心中一阵窃喜。他不是在想在草

地上玩游戏或放羊多好玩。如果这样，那就是一心贪图情人钱财的追求者的恶劣行径了。

孩子内心的喜悦是至真至纯的，是对这种事物的内在特性感到真正的心醉神迷。不管是什

么东西，不管它们有没有用，它们就在那里，每一个都呈现出触动心弦的独特面貌，摸上

去心旷神怡，像人脸一样……温暖而可亲的彩色木料，拿在手中一揉就碎的迷人的土块，

饱含着日晒与荨麻的气味；各种普通事物都有可爱的差别，都显现出独特的个性。

亚当初到伊甸园，四处张望，满心喜悦，这正是一个正常儿童在做什么或看什么时候

所感到的欣喜之情。被允许用人类使用的真正的铲子做些平常的活儿，给他带来神秘的狂

喜；迈步回家……帮助园丁锄草的疲惫，使他在一片纯粹的喜悦之光的照耀下安然入眠。

1 faculty   

n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员

参考例句：

• He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。
• He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。

2 elastic   

n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的

参考例句：

• Rubber is an elastic material.橡胶是一种弹性材料。
• These regulations are elastic.这些规定是有弹性的。

3 crumbling   

adj.摇摇欲坠的

参考例句：

• an old house with crumbling plaster and a leaking roof 一所灰泥剥落、屋顶漏水的老房子
• The boat was tied up alongside a crumbling limestone jetty. 这条船停泊在一个摇摇欲坠的石灰岩码头边。

4 nettles   

n.荨麻( nettle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I tingle where I sat in the nettles. 我坐过在荨麻上的那个部位觉得刺痛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This bleak place overgrown with nettles was the churchyard. 那蔓草丛生的凄凉地方是教堂公墓。 来自辞典例句

5 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

6 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。