8. Books 书籍
The good books of the hour, then, --I do not speak of the bad ones—is simply the useful or pleasant talk of some person whom you cannot otherwise converse with, printed for you. Very useful often, telling you what you need to know; very pleasant often, as a sensible friend's present talk would be. These bright accounts of travels; good-humoured and witty discussion of questions; lively or pathetic story-telling in the form of novel; firm fact-telling, by the real agents concerned in the events of passing history; --all these books of the hour, multiplying among us as education becomes more general, are a peculiar characteristic and possession of the present age: we ought to be entirely thankful for them, and entirely ashamed of ourselves if we make no good use of them. But we make the worse possible use, if we allow them to usurp the place of true books: for, strictly speaking, they are not books at all, but merely letters or newspapers in good print. Our friend's letter may be delightful, or necessary, today: whether worth keeping or not, is to be considered.
然则，风行一时的好书(且不谈坏书)，也不过是某人有益或有趣的谈话，不印出来则你无法与之交谈。这类书往往很有用，告诉你需耍知道的东西，也往往颇令人愉快，宛如通情达理的朋友同你当面晤谈。例如风光绮丽的游记，对间题心平气 和、妙趣横生的讨论，小说中栩栩如生或娓娓动人的故事，近代重大事件亲自参加或目击者的详实报导—所有这些风行一 时的书，由于教育日益普及而发行量倍增，实为当代独有的特色与财富。我们应该对这些书深为感谢，若不好好利用，就 该感到十分惭愧。然而，倘若我们任凭这类书籍僧夺了真正有价值的书的位置，则未免利用得太捕，因为严格说来，这类书 根本不算书，无非印刷精致的书信或报纸而已。朋友的书信今天读来或许令人愉快，至或必要多有无保存价值则值得考虑。
The newspaper may be entirely proper at breakfast time, but assuredly it is not reading for all day. So though bound up in a volume, the long letter which gives you so pleasant an account of the inns, the roads, and weather last year at such a place, or which tells you that amusing story, or gives you the real circumstances of such and such events, however valuable for occasional reference, may not be, in the real sense of the word, a "book" at all, nor, in the real sense, to be "read". A book is essentially not a talked thing, but a written thing; and written, not with the view of mere communication, but of permanence. The book of talk is printed only because its author cannot speak to thousands of people at once; if he could, he would-the volume is mere multiplication of his voice. You cannot talk to your friend in India; if you could, you would; you write instead: that is mere conveyance of voice. But a book is written, not to multiply the voice merely, not to carry it merely, but to preserve it.
早餐时间看看报纸，似乎十分相宜，但肯定不必整天看报。因此那封长信几虽然装订成册，对旅舍、道路，对某地去年天气，为你作了种种美妙叙述，或为你讲了有趣的故事，或对如此这般的事件为你提供了真实情况，不论一时有多大参考价值，但从“书”这个词的真正意义来说，它可能根本算不上，也不是真正让你“读”的。究其本质，一本书不是随便谈谈的东酉，而是认真写出来的东西，且不仅为通信或交流而写，而是为了传之久远。一本随便谈谈的书之所以印出来，是由于作者不能同时 和成千上万人讲，倘若可能，他侧愿意。那册书无非让他的声 音化成若干倍而已。你无法同远在印度的朋友谈话，倘若可能，你倒愿意。你代之以写，这也不过是声音的传播，然而著书不仅是为了把声音化做若千倍，也不仅是为了传播声音，而是为了保存。
The author has something to say which he perceives to be true and useful, or helpfully beautiful. So far as he knows, no one has yet said it; so far as he knows, no one else can say it. He is bound to say it, clearly and melodiously if he may; clearly, at all events. In the sum of his life he finds this to be the thing, or group of things, manifest to him; --this the piece of true knowledge, or sight, which his share of sunshine and earth has permitted him to seize. He would fain set it down for ever; engrave it on rock, if he could; saying, "this is the best of me; for the rest, I ate, and drank, and slept, loved and hated, like another; my life was as the vapour, and is not; but this I saw and knew: this, if anything of mine, is worth your memory, " That is his "writing"; it is, in his small human way, and with whatever degree of true inspiration is in him, his inscription, or scripture. That is a "Book".
作者以为有一些真实和有益的东西要讲，有一些美好而对读者有帮助的东西要讲多且据他所知，此事还没有人讲过，也没有别人能讲。他责无旁贷，非说不可，倘有可能，则须力求清楚明白，词章优美，至少务必清楚明白。他发现在他 一生中，这就是他看得十分清楚的一件事或一:,事—且这 就是他通过人生经历得以把握的那一点真知灼见。他乐于将它 水远保存下来，如有可能，不妨铭刻在石头上，并且说:“这是 我毕生精华，至于其他.一饮一食，或眠或醒，或爱或很，概 与他人无异，我的生命过去如同水汽，转眼之间已不存在，惟‘ 独这点是我曾经看清和明白的:设若我有什么值得你记住的， 这就是”。这就是他的“著作，多虽他决非神明，力量微薄，也不论他有几分真正灵感，这就是他的传世之作，或经典之作。这便是书”。 |