常春藤名家散文精選 第6期:以書為伴

Unit6 Companionship of Books

第六課 以書為伴

A man may usually be known by the books he readsas well as the company he keeps;

通?？捎梢粋€人所閱讀的書以及所結(jié)交的朋友而知其為人;

for there is a companionship of books as well as ofmen;

因為書可作伴就和人可作伴一樣;

and one should always live in the best company,whether it be of books or of men.

而且人們應該永遠與最好的為伴，不管是書或是人。

A good book may be among the best of friends.

一本好書可能就是最好的朋友之一。

It is the same today that it always was, and it will never change.

這本書往昔如此，今日亦復如此，而且永不改變。

It is the most patient and cheerful of companions.

所有同伴中，它是最有耐心而且最令人愉悅的一位。

It does not turn its back upon us in times of adversity or distress.

我們不論身處逆境或困境，它都不會背棄我們。

It always receives us with the same kindness, amusing and instructing us in youth，andcomforting and consoling us in age.

它永遠總是那么仁慈地接納我們，我們年輕時，它給我們快樂與教導，而我們年華老去時，則給我們安撫與慰藉。

Men often discover their affinity to each other by the love they each have for a book.

人們常發(fā)現(xiàn)他們對彼此的喜愛乃是由于他們對某本書的共同愛好所使然。

The book is a truer and higher bond of union.

書更能真實而又強有力地凝聚感情。

Men can think, feel，and sympathize with him each other through their favorite author.

人們可以透過他們共同喜愛的作者彼此作心靈、感情的交流。

They live in together, and he, in them.

他們活在作者的世界里，而作者亦活在他們的心中。

A good book is often the best urn of a life enshrining the best that life could think out，

好書往往是人生的寶庫，里頭蘊含著人生的思想精華，

for the world of a man's life is, for the most part, but the world of his thoughts.

因為大體而言，一個人的生活世界不過就是他的思想世界。

Thus the best books are treasuries of good words，the golden thoughts, which，rememberedand cherished, become our constant companions and comforters.

因此最好的書就是藏有金玉良言一一亦即偉大思想的寶庫，我們?nèi)裟芾斡洸⒄湎н@些金玉良言，它們就會一輩子跟著我們、安慰我們。

Books possess an essence of immortality.

書具有不朽的特性。

They are by far the most lasting products of human effort.

它們是為人類努力創(chuàng)造的最為持久的成果。

Temples and statues decay，but books survive.

廟宇和雕像會腐朽，而書依然長存。

Time is of no account with great thoughts, which are as fresh today as when they first passedthrough their authors' minds ages ago.

與偉大的思想相較，時間則顯得微不足道，這些偉大的思想至今仍然鮮明，鮮明得就像多年前它們才從作者的腦海里浮現(xiàn)出來一樣。

What was then said and thought still speaks to us as vividly as ever from the printed page.

當時的言詞及思想至今仍透過書本生動地與我們溝通。

Books introduce us into the best society; they bring us into the presence of the greatest mindsthat have ever lived.

書引導我們與最優(yōu)秀的人為伍;它們帶領我們到古今最偉大的思想家的面前。

We hear what they said and did; we see them as if they were really alive; we sympathize withthem, enjoy with them，grieve with them;

我們可以聽見他們的所言所行: 我們可以見到他們，仿佛他們?nèi)曰钤谑郎?我們與他們情感交流，與他們共喜共悲;

their experience becomes ours, and we feel as if we were in a measure actors with them in thescenes which they describe.

他們的經(jīng)驗變成我們自己的經(jīng)驗，而我們覺得自己仿佛了有些像演員，與他們共同在他們所描述的場景中一塊演出。