精美英文欣赏:论读书(在线收听) |
Of Studies 论读书 Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. 读书足以怡情,足以傅彩,足以长才。 Their chief use for delight, is in privateness and retiring; 其怡情也,最见于独处幽居之时; for ornament, is in discourse; 其傅彩也,最见于高谈阔论之中; and for ability, is in the judgment and disposition of business. 其长才也,最见于处世判事之际。 Read not to contradict and confute; 读书时不可存心诘难作者, nor to believe and take for granted; 不可尽信书上所言, nor to find talk and discourse; 亦不可职位寻章摘句; but to weigh and consider. 而应推敲细思。 Some books are to be tasted, 书有可浅尝者, others to be swallowed, 有可吞食者, and some few to be chewed and digested; 少数则须咀嚼消化。 that is, some books are to be read only in parts; 换言之,有只需读其部分者, others to be read, but not curiously; 有只须大体涉猎者, and some few to be read wholly, 少数则须全读, and with diligence and attention. 读时须全神贯注,孜孜不倦。 Some books also may be read by deputy, 书亦可请人代读, and extracts made of them by others; 取其所作摘要, but that would be only in the less important arguments, 但只限题材较次或价值不高者, and the meaner sort of books; else distilled books are, like common distilled waters, flashy things. 否则书经提炼犹如水经蒸馏,淡而无味。 Reading maketh a full man; 读书使人充实, conference a ready man; 讨论使人机智, and writing an exact man. 笔记使人准确。 And therefore, if a man write little,he had need have a great memory; 因此不常做笔记者须记忆力特强, if he confer little, he had need have a present wit; 不常讨论者须天生聪颖, and if he read little, he had need have much cunning, 不常读书者须欺世有术, to seem to know that he doth not. 始能无知而显有知。 Histories make men wise; 读史使人明智, poets witty; 读诗使人灵秀, the mathematics subtile; 数学使人周密, natural philosophy deep; moral grave; 科学使人深刻,伦理学使人庄重, logic and rhetoric able to contend. 逻辑修辞之学使人善辩; Abeunt studia in mores. 凡有所学,皆成性格。 Nay there is no stand or impediment in the wit,but may be wrought out by fit studies: 人之才智但有滞碍,无不可读适当之书使之顺畅, like as diseases of the body may have appropriate exercises. 一如身体百病,皆可借相宜之运动除之。 Bowling is good for the stone and reins; 滚球利睾肾, shooting for the lungs and breast; 射箭利胸肺, gentle walking for the stomach; 慢步利肠胃, riding for the head; and the like. 骑术利头脑,诸如此类。 So if a man's wit be wandering, 如智力不集中, let him study the mathematics; 可令读数学, for in demonstrations, if his wit be called away never so little,he must begin again. 盖演题需全神贯注,稍有分散即须重演; If his wit be not apt to distinguish or find differences,let him study the schoolmen; 如不能辩异,可令读经院哲学, for they are cymini sectores. 盖是辈皆吹毛求疵之人; If he be not apt to beat over matters,and to call up one thing to prove and illustrate another,let him study the lawyers' cases. 如不善求同,不善以一物阐证另一物,可令读律师之案卷。 So every defect of the mind may have a special receipt. 如此头脑中凡有缺陷,皆有特效可医。 |
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