精美英文欣赏:论读书

Of Studies

论读书

Studies serve for delight, for ornament¹, 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 discourse²;

其傅彩也，最见于高谈阔论之中；

and for ability, is in the judgment³ and disposition⁴ 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 curiously⁵;

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 distilled⁶ 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 witty⁷;

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，

logic⁸ and rhetoric⁹ able to contend.

逻辑修辞之学使人善辩；

Abeunt studia in mores¹⁰.

凡有所学，皆成性格。

Nay¹¹ there is no stand or impediment in the wit,but may be wrought¹² 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。

Bowling¹³ is good for the stone and reins¹⁴;

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 demonstrations¹⁵, 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 illustrate¹⁶ 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。

1 ornament   

v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物

参考例句：

• The flowers were put on the table for ornament.花放在桌子上做装饰用。
• She wears a crystal ornament on her chest.她的前胸戴了一个水晶饰品。

2 discourse   

n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述

参考例句：

• We'll discourse on the subject tonight.我们今晚要谈论这个问题。
• He fell into discourse with the customers who were drinking at the counter.他和站在柜台旁的酒客谈了起来。

3 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

4 disposition   

n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署

参考例句：

• He has made a good disposition of his property.他已对财产作了妥善处理。
• He has a cheerful disposition.他性情开朗。

5 curiously   

adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地

参考例句：

• He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
• He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。

6 distilled   

adj.由蒸馏得来的v.蒸馏( distil的过去式和过去分词 )；从…提取精华

参考例句：

• The televised interview was distilled from 16 hours of film. 那次电视采访是从16个小时的影片中选出的精华。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Gasoline is distilled from crude oil. 汽油是从原油中提炼出来的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 witty   

adj.机智的，风趣的

参考例句：

• Her witty remarks added a little salt to the conversation.她的妙语使谈话增添了一些风趣。
• He scored a bull's-eye in their argument with that witty retort.在他们的辩论中他那一句机智的反驳击中了要害。

8 logic   

n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性

参考例句：

• What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
• I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。

9 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

10 mores   

n.风俗，习惯，民德，道德观念

参考例句：

• The mores of that village are hard to believe.那村子的习俗让人难以置信。
• We advocate a harmonious society where corruption is swept away,and social mores are cleared.我们提倡弊绝风清，建设一个和谐社会。

11 nay   

adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者

参考例句：

• He was grateful for and proud of his son's remarkable,nay,unique performance.他为儿子出色的，不，应该是独一无二的表演心怀感激和骄傲。
• Long essays,nay,whole books have been written on this.许多长篇大论的文章，不，应该说是整部整部的书都是关于这件事的。

12 wrought   

v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的

参考例句：

• Events in Paris wrought a change in British opinion towards France and Germany.巴黎发生的事件改变了英国对法国和德国的看法。
• It's a walking stick with a gold head wrought in the form of a flower.那是一个金质花形包头的拐杖。

13 bowling   

n.保龄球运动

参考例句：

• Bowling is a popular sport with young and old.保龄球是老少都爱的运动。
• Which sport do you 1ike most,golf or bowling?你最喜欢什么运动，高尔夫还是保龄球？

14 reins   

感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带

参考例句：

• She pulled gently on the reins. 她轻轻地拉着缰绳。
• The government has imposed strict reins on the import of luxury goods. 政府对奢侈品的进口有严格的控制手段。

15 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

16 illustrate   

v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图

参考例句：

• The company's bank statements illustrate its success.这家公司的银行报表说明了它的成功。
• This diagram will illustrate what I mean.这个图表可说明我的意思。