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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
导言阅读
威廉·福克纳（1897—1962），美国作家，先后创作了十几篇长篇小说和几十篇短篇小说，描述了以美国南方200年来南北战争为中心事件的社会变迁，各种家族的兴衰，各种人物的沉浮。他的小说常描写美国的黑暗面，本篇演讲的内容，是福克纳在1949年诺贝尔文学奖获奖时所作的答词。这是一篇脍炙人口的演讲词。文中勉励作家必须提升自己的心灵层次，时时以爱、怜悯与牺牲来唤醒人类亘古的真理。
演讲实录
I feel that this award was not made to me as a man, but to my work—life's work in the agonyand sweat of the human spirit, not for glory and least of all for profit, but to create out of thematerials of the human spirit something which did not exist before. So this award is only mine intrust. It will not be difficult to find a dedication1 for the money part of it commensurate with thepurpose and significance of its origin. But I would like to do the same with the acclaim2 too, byusing this moment as a pinnacle3 from which I might be listened to by the young men and womenalready dedicated4 to the same anguish5 and travail6 , among whom is already that one who willsome day stand where I am standing7.
Our tragedy today is a general and universal physical fear so long sustained by now that wecan even bear it. There are no longer problems of the spirit. There is only the question: When willI be blown up?
Because of this, the young man or woman writing today has forgotten the problems of thehuman heart in conflict with itself which alone can make good writing because only that is worthwriting about, worth the agony and the sweat.
He must learn them again. He must teach himself that the basest of all things is to be afraid;and teaching himself that, forget it forever, leaving no room in his workshop for anything but theold verities8 and truths of the heart, the universal truths lacking which any story is ephemeral anddoomed -- love and honor and pity and pride and compassion10 and sacrifice. Until he does so, helabors under a curse. He writes not of love but of lust11, of defeats in which nobody loses anythingof value, of victories without hope and, worst of all, without pity or compassion. His grievesgrieve on no universal bones, leaving no scars. He writes not of the heart but of the glands12.
Until he learns these things, he will write as though he stood among and watched the end ofman. I decline to accept the end of man. It is easy enough to say that man is immortal13 simplybecause he will endure : that when the last ding-dong of doom9 has clanged and faded from the lastworthless rock hanging tideless in the last red and dying evening, that even then there will still beone more sound: that of his puny14 inexhaustible voice, still talking. I refuse to accept this. Ibelieve that man will not merely endure: he will prevail . He is immortal, not because he aloneamong creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable ofcompassion and sacrifice and endurance.
The poet's, the writer's duty is to write about these things. It is his privilege to help manendure by lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride andcompassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past. The poet's voice need notmerely be the record of man, it can be one of the props15, the pillars to help him endure and prevail.
参考译文
我感到这份奖励不是授予我个人，而是授予我的工作——一生用辛劳和汗水为人类精神所做的工作，不是为了名，更不是为了利，而是为了用人类精神的原材料创造一些原先不存在的东西。所以这份奖励只是暂时给我保管。为这笔奖金发表一篇与它的本来目的和象征相符合的演说辞并不困难，但我更愿意在欢呼声中做另一件事情，把这个激动人心的时刻献给那些可能正在聆听我讲话的、同样献身于艰苦的文学事业的年轻男女们，在这些人当中肯定有人将来会站在我现在站着的地方。
我们今天的悲剧是一种肉体上的恐惧，它已经持续了那么久，以至于我们几乎都能忍受它了。现在已经没有任何关于灵魂的话题，有的只是一个问题：“我什么时候会被炸得粉身碎骨？”
正因为如此，今天从事写作的年轻人已经忘记了关于人类内心深处的自我斗争的题材，只有这个题材能写出好的文章，因为只有它是值得去写的，是值得付出辛劳和汗水的。
人们必须重新回忆它，必须告诉自己，世界上最可卑的事情就是恐惧；并且告诉自己，永远忘记它，在自己的工作室里不给任何东西留下位置，除了那些古老的真理和心灵的真实。缺少了这些普遍的真理，任何故事都是短命的、注定要被忘记的——这些真理就是爱与荣誉，怜悯与自尊，同情与牺牲。如果人们不注意这些真理，他们的工作就是无用的。他们不是在写爱情而是在写情欲，在他们描写的失败中没有任何人失去任何有价值的东西；在他们描写的胜利中找不到希望，更糟糕的是找不到怜悯和同情。他们的悲剧没有建立在普遍的基础上，不能留下任何伤痕；他们不是在写心灵，而是在写器官。
在人们学到这些真理以前，他们在写作中会认为自己已经高高在上，并且看见了人类的末日。我拒绝接受关于人类末日的说法。当然，我们可以很轻易地认为人类是不朽的，因为他可以永远存在：当最后一块无用的礁石在血红色的、死气沉沉的黄昏中伫立，世界末日的钟声在它上空渐渐远去时，仍然会有一个声音，那是人类仍然在用微弱但永不停息的声音说话。我拒绝接受这种情景。我相信人类不会仅仅存在，他还将胜利。人类是不朽的，这不是因为万物当中仅仅他拥有发言权，而是因为他有一个灵魂，一种有同情心、牺牲精神和忍耐力的精神。
诗人、作家的责任就是书写这种精神。他们有权力升华人类的心灵，使人类回忆起过去曾经使他无上光荣的东西——勇气、荣誉、希望、自尊、同情、怜悯和牺牲，从而帮助人类生存下去。诗人的声音不应该仅仅成为人类历史的记录，更应该成为人类存在与胜利的支柱和栋梁。
Vocabulary Bank
1. agony ［'?ɡ?ni ］n （精神或肉体的）极大痛苦The wounded man was in agony.
那个受伤的人非常痛苦。
2. sweat ［swet ］n 汗水
They built it with the sweat of their brow.
他们辛辛苦苦地把它建成了。
3. dedication ［?dedi'kei??n ］n ~ (to sth.) 对某事业的奉献I admire the priest's dedication.
我钦佩这位牧师的奉献精神。
4. commensurate ［k?'men??rit ］adj ~ (to/with sth.) 成比例的，相称的Her low salary is not commensurate with her abilities.
她的薪水很低，与她的能力不相称。
5. anguish ［'??ɡwi? ］n 极度痛苦
I was in anguish until I knew she was still alive.
我以前不知道她还活着，所以一直万分痛苦。
6. travail ［'tr?veil ］n 艰辛的努力
He did whatever he could to ease their travail.
他想尽力减轻他们的痛苦。
7. verity16 ［'veriti ］n （陈述等的）真实性
These are some verities of human nature.
这些是一些关于人性的真实描述。
8. ephemeral ［i'fem?r?l ］adj （生存、持续等）短暂的Slang words are often ephemeral.
俚语往往只流行于一时。
9. immortal ［i'm?:tl ］adj 不朽的，永世的
The soul is immortal.
灵魂不灭。
10. endure ［in'dju? ］v 忍受，忍耐
He endured three years in prison for his religious beliefs.
他因其宗教信仰而被迫忍受三年的牢狱之苦。
11. puny ［'pju:ni ］adj 未充分发展的，可怜的They laughed at my puny efforts at rock-climbing.
他们取笑我在攀岩活动中的那副可怜相。
12. inexhaustible ［?iniɡ'z?:st?bl ］adj 无穷尽的，用不完的My patience is not inexhaustible.
我的耐心是有限度的。
13. prevail ［pri'veil ］v (~ against/over sb./sth.) 战胜（某人/某物）Virtue will prevail against evil.
美德定将战胜邪恶。
14. privilege ［'privili? ］n 特有的权利、利益或好处Parking in this street is the privilege of the residents.
在这条街上停车是此处居民特有的权利。
15. sacrifice ［'s?krifais ］n 放弃某事物（通常为获得更重要的东西）Getting rich isn't worth the sacrifice of your principles.
为了致富而牺牲原则是不值得的。
Grammar Master
1. worth意为“值得……，有……的价值”，常常用作形容词，在句中有时可用作定语。
例 It's a place worth seeing.
那儿是个值得一看的地方。
例 I have a dictionary worth $50.
我有本价值50美元的词典。
worth在句中也经常用作表语，但不能单独使用，其后通常接动词的ing形式，不能接动词不定式，常用的句式有：
“主语 + be + worth + 动词的ing形式 + ……”此时，句子的主语就是worth之后动词ing形式的逻辑宾语。
例 Now John is worth talking to.
现在值得与约翰谈一谈。
例 He isn't worth getting angry with.
你犯不上跟他生气。
注意：动词的ing形式之后的介词不可省去。worth后面的动词ing形式一般用主动形式表示被动意义，而不能直接用被动形式。
例 The film isn't worth seeing.（正）
这部电影不值得去看。
The film isn't worth being seen.（误）
“It（形式主语）+ be + worth + 动词的ing形式 + ……”。
例 It is not worth repairing the bike.
这辆自行车不值得修理了。
例 Is it worth visiting the city?
这个城市值得参观吗？
一般来说，worth前面可用well，really，very much，hardly，easily等词语修饰，但一般不用very修饰。
This is really worth trying.
这确实值得一试。
He has something very much worth saying.
他有些话很值得讲。
2. merely指“仅仅，而已”，与only是近义词，但merely表示最多要达到的程度，范围较大一点，而only意为“只是”，表示唯一性，范围较小。
例 I merely wanted to talk with her, not to make her angry.
我只是想和她说说话，并没有想让她生气。
例 I only wanted to talk with her, not to make her angry.
我只想和她说话，不是让她生气。
这句话中，only与merely不能轻易互换，否则意思及口气都会有所改变。only显然使口气变硬变冷了不少，人情味也少了很多。
收听单词发音 |
1
dedication
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| n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞 | |
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acclaim
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| v.向…欢呼，公认；n.欢呼，喝彩，称赞 | |
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pinnacle
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| n.尖塔，尖顶，山峰；(喻)顶峰 | |
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dedicated
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| adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的 | |
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anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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travail
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| n.阵痛；努力 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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verities
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| n.真实( verity的名词复数 )；事实；真理；真实的陈述 | |
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doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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lust
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| n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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glands
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| n.腺( gland的名词复数 ) | |
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13
immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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puny
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| adj.微不足道的，弱小的 | |
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15
props
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| 小道具； 支柱( prop的名词复数 )； 支持者； 道具； （橄榄球中的）支柱前锋 | |
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verity
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| n.真实性 | |
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