英语PK台 第296期:培根思想名篇《论读书》

 　　Studies serve for delight,for ornament,and for ability.Their chief use for delight is in private ness and retiring;for ornament,is in discourse¹; and for ability, is in the judgment² and disposition³ of business.

　　读书可以陶冶情操，可以藻饰文采，也可以长才益智。读书的作用于陶冶情操而言，常见于幽居独处之时；于藻饰文采而言，常见于高谈阔论之中；至于长才益智，则表现在裁断事物之上。

　　For expert men can execute,and perhaps judge of particulars,one bye one ; but the general counsels,and the plots and marshaling of affairs,come best from those that are learned.

　　富于经验之士虽能就事物之枝节一一处理或辨明是非，但纵观全局，运筹帷幄惟有博学之士最能胜任。

　　To spend too much time in studies,is sloth;to use them too much for ornament,is affectation;to make judgment only by their rules,is the humor of a scholar.

　　读书耗时过多为懒惰；文采藻饰过滥则显造作；只循章办事，实为学究怪僻。

　　They perfect nature,and are perfected by experience: for natural abilities are like natural plants that need pruning⁴ by study; and studies themselves do give forth⁵ directions too much at large,except they be bounded in by experience.

　　读书可完善天性之不足，而经验又可弥补读书之不足；因为人的天性犹如自然界之草木，需借助学识予以修整；读书本身漫无边际，需通过经验加以制约。

　　Crafty⁶ men contemn⁷ studies,simple men admire them,and wise men use them;for they teach not their own use;but that is wisdom without them,and above them,won by observation.

　　投机取巧者轻视学习，无知者羡慕学习，明智者则学以致用。因为学问本身并未教人如何加以运用；学以致用的智慧不在书中，而在书外，全凭观察所得。

　　Read not to contradict and confute;nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse;but to weigh and consider.

　　读书时不要对作者吹毛求疵；也不要轻信、盲从书中所言；更不要寻章摘句作为炫耀之本；而应权衡轻重，斟酌推敲。

　　Some books are to be tasted,others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is ,some books are to be read only in parts;others to be read,but not curiously;and some few to be read wholly,and with diligence and attention.

　　有些书浅尝即可，有些书只需吞食，而有少数书则应细细咀嚼，将其消化。换言之，有些书只需读其中部分章节足以；有些书可通读，但无需太认真；而少数书则应认真细致地通读。

　　Some books also may be read by deputy,and extracts made of them by others; but that would be only in the less important arguments,and the meaner sort of books;else distilled⁸ books are like common distilled waters,flashy things.

　　有些书还可以请人代读，摘录其中要点即可；但这只限于不甚重要的内容和较次的书籍；否则，经过摘录的书就犹如蒸馏水般淡而无味。

　　Reading makes a full man; conference a ready man;and writing an exact man.

　　读书使人充实；交谈使人机敏；笔记使人精确。

　　And therefore, if a man write little, he had need have a great memory; if he confer little,he had need have a present wit;and if he read little,he had need have much cunning, to seem to know that he doth not.

　　因此，不常做笔记者读书时需有超群的记忆；不常交谈者则应有随机应变之才；不常阅读者则需要取巧有术，以让自己的无知显得有知。

　　Histories make men wise; poets witty;the mathematics subtle;natural philosophy deep;moral grave;logic and rhetoric⁹ able to contend. Abeunt studia in mores¹⁰. Nay¹¹,there is no stand or impediment in the wit,but may be wrought¹² out by fit studies.

　　历史使人明智，诗歌使人灵秀；数学使人缜密；物理使人深刻；道德使人庄重；逻辑与修辞使人能言善辩；读书可以陶冶性情。读书得当，绝不会使人心智受损，只会益智增才。

　　Nay there is no stand or impediment in the wit, but may be wrought out by fit studies: like as diseases of the body may have appropriate exercises. Bowling¹³ is good for the stone and reins¹⁴; shooting for the lungs and breast; gentle walking for the stomach ; riding for the head; and the like. So if a man's wit be wandering, let him study the mathematics; for in demonstrations¹⁵, if his wit be called away never so little, he must begin again. If his wit be not apt to distinguish or find differences, let him study the schoolmen; for they are cymini sectores. (Hair-splitters sim-mini sek-torr-es) If he be not apt to beat over matters, and to call up one thing to prove and illustrate¹⁶ another, let him study the lawyers' cases. So every defect of the mind may have a special receipt.

　　人之才智但有滞碍，无不可读适当之书使之顺畅，一如身体百病，皆可借相宜之运动除之。滚球利睾肾，射箭利胸肺，慢步利肠胃，骑术利头脑，诸如此类。如智力不集中，可令读数学，盖演题全神贯注，稍有分散即须重演；如不能辩异，可令读经院哲学，盖是辈皆吹毛求疵之人；如不善求同，不善以一物阐证另一物，可令读律师之案卷。如此头脑中凡有缺陷，皆有特效可医。

1 discourse   

n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述

参考例句：

• We'll discourse on the subject tonight.我们今晚要谈论这个问题。
• He fell into discourse with the customers who were drinking at the counter.他和站在柜台旁的酒客谈了起来。

2 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

3 disposition   

n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署

参考例句：

• He has made a good disposition of his property.他已对财产作了妥善处理。
• He has a cheerful disposition.他性情开朗。

4 pruning   

n.修枝，剪枝，修剪v.修剪（树木等）( prune的现在分词 )；精简某事物，除去某事物多余的部分

参考例句：

• In writing an essay one must do a lot of pruning. 写文章要下一番剪裁的工夫。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• A sapling needs pruning, a child discipline. 小树要砍，小孩要管。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 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。

6 crafty   

adj.狡猾的，诡诈的

参考例句：

• He admired the old man for his crafty plan.他敬佩老者的神机妙算。
• He was an accomplished politician and a crafty autocrat.他是个有造诣的政治家，也是个狡黠的独裁者。

7 contemn   

v.蔑视

参考例句：

• The wicked contemn God.恶人轻侮上帝。
• I contemn the people who treat children so cruelly.我蔑视如此虐待孩子的人。

8 distilled   

adj.由蒸馏得来的v.蒸馏( distil的过去式和过去分词 )；从…提取精华

参考例句：

• The televised interview was distilled from 16 hours of film. 那次电视采访是从16个小时的影片中选出的精华。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Gasoline is distilled from crude oil. 汽油是从原油中提炼出来的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

10 mores   

n.风俗，习惯，民德，道德观念

参考例句：

• The mores of that village are hard to believe.那村子的习俗让人难以置信。
• We advocate a harmonious society where corruption is swept away,and social mores are cleared.我们提倡弊绝风清，建设一个和谐社会。

11 nay   

adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者

参考例句：

• He was grateful for and proud of his son's remarkable,nay,unique performance.他为儿子出色的，不，应该是独一无二的表演心怀感激和骄傲。
• Long essays,nay,whole books have been written on this.许多长篇大论的文章，不，应该说是整部整部的书都是关于这件事的。

12 wrought   

v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的

参考例句：

• Events in Paris wrought a change in British opinion towards France and Germany.巴黎发生的事件改变了英国对法国和德国的看法。
• It's a walking stick with a gold head wrought in the form of a flower.那是一个金质花形包头的拐杖。

13 bowling   

n.保龄球运动

参考例句：

• Bowling is a popular sport with young and old.保龄球是老少都爱的运动。
• Which sport do you 1ike most,golf or bowling?你最喜欢什么运动，高尔夫还是保龄球？

14 reins   

感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带

参考例句：

• She pulled gently on the reins. 她轻轻地拉着缰绳。
• The government has imposed strict reins on the import of luxury goods. 政府对奢侈品的进口有严格的控制手段。

15 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

16 illustrate   

v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图

参考例句：

• The company's bank statements illustrate its success.这家公司的银行报表说明了它的成功。
• This diagram will illustrate what I mean.这个图表可说明我的意思。