英國(guó)語(yǔ)文第六冊(cè)(雙語(yǔ)):人類(lèi)和工業(yè)藝術(shù)(4)

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Man may be defined as the only animal that can strike alight, —the solitary creature that knows how to kindle a fire. This is a very fragmentary definition of the "Paragon of animals," but it is enough to make him the conqueror of all the rest. The most degraded savage has discovered how to rub two sticks together, or whirl the point of one in a socket in the other till the wood is kindled.

人類(lèi)被界定為唯一一種懂得用火進(jìn)行攻擊的生物，也是唯一一種懂得如何造火的生物。這只是“萬(wàn)物之靈”擁有的極小一部分才藝，但已經(jīng)足夠使其成為萬(wàn)物之主。落后的野蠻人已經(jīng)懂得通過(guò)摩擦兩根木棍或者將一根木棍的尖端放在一個(gè)凹槽里來(lái)回旋轉(zhuǎn)來(lái)進(jìn)行生火。

And civilized man, as much as his savage brother, is a fire-worshipper in his practical doings. The great conquering peoples of the world have been those who knew best how to deal with fire. The most wealthy of the active nations are those which dwell in countries richly provided with fuel. No inventions have changed the entire world more than steam and gunpowder. We are what we are, largely because we are the ministers and masters of Fire.

智化的人類(lèi)和其野蠻兄弟一樣，他們?cè)趯?shí)踐活動(dòng)中都對(duì)火有著近乎一致的迷戀。只有懂得如何對(duì)抗火才能成為世界上最牛氣哄哄的征服者，只有占據(jù)燃料充足的領(lǐng)土才能成為最富裕的國(guó)家，也只有蒸汽和火藥是唯一改變了世界的兩種發(fā)明。人類(lèi)之所以能成為萬(wàn)物之主，很大程度上是因?yàn)槿祟?lèi)是火的主人并懂得如何馭火。

Clothe-less creatures by birth, we are also tool-less ones. Every other animal is by nature fully equipped and caparisoned for its work; its tools are ready for use, and it is ready to use them. We have first to invent our tools, then to fashion them, and then to learn how to handle them. Two-thirds at least of our industrial doings are thus preliminary. Before two rags can be sewed together, we require a needle, which embodies the inventiveness of a hundred ingenious brains; and a hand, which only a hundred botchings and failures have, in the lapse of years, taught to use the instrument with skill.

人類(lèi)無(wú)天生的毛皮護(hù)體、無(wú)天生的工具可用，而其他的生物則自生來(lái)就擁有足夠的裝備和毛皮供自己使用和生存。所以人類(lèi)生來(lái)就要先發(fā)明工具，然后改造工具，最后學(xué)會(huì)使用工具。所以說(shuō)，人類(lèi)自一開(kāi)始的實(shí)踐活動(dòng)就包含了至少三分之二的工業(yè)化行為。人類(lèi)懂得需要用一根針將兩塊布縫到一起，，此舉便體現(xiàn)了一百個(gè)天才大腦的創(chuàng)造力。而人類(lèi)的雙手也是在時(shí)間的不停流逝中進(jìn)行了無(wú)數(shù)次的修修補(bǔ)補(bǔ)、經(jīng)歷了無(wú)數(shù)次的坎坷失敗才最終做到了熟練使用工具。