精美英文欣赏:获取完美品德

Part 6 Attaining¹ Moral Perfection

第六部分 获取完美品德

In the various enumerations of the moral virtues³ I had met with in my reading, I found the catalogue more or less numerous，as different writers included more or fewer ideas under the same name. I proposed to myself, for the sake of clearness, to use rather more names，with fewer ideas annexed⁴ to each, than a few names with more ideas; and I included under thirteen names of virtues all that at that time occurred to me as necessary or desirable, and annexed to each a short precept⁵, which fully⁶ expressed the extent I gave to its meaning.

在阅读的过程中，我发现在列举道德品质时，分类繁多，不同的作者对同一个类别的解释多少有些出入，释义有深有浅。为了明确起见，我主张自己多设定几个名称类别，每个名称包含更加简明的含义，而不要分类少而释义多。我提出了十三种品德，这是当时我认为要么必需要么合意的全部品德的名称，每个名称底下我附了一些简单的戒律，充分说明我认为该词应有的含义。

These names of virtues, with their precepts⁷, were:

这些品德的名称和相应的戒律如下：

1.TEMPERANCE. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation⁸.

一、节制。食不过饱；酒不过量。

2.SILENCE. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling⁹ conversation.

二、沉默寡言。言必于人于己有益；避免无益的谈话。

3.ORDER. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.

三、生活有秩序。每一样东西应有安放的位置;每件事务当安排好相应的时间。

4.RESOLUTION. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.

四、决心。当做必做；一旦决定，不可半途而废。

5.FRUGALITY¹⁰. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.

五、俭朴。花钱必须于人或于己有益；比如，不要浪费一分一厘。

6.INDUSTRY. Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.

六、勤勉。不浪费时间；每时每刻做有用的事，终止一切不必要的行动。

7.SINCERITY¹¹. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

七、诚恳。不恶意骗人；思想要纯洁公正，说话也要如此。

8.JUSTICE. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

八、公正。不做损人之事，不要忘记履行对人有益而且是你应尽的义务。

9.MODERATION. Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

九、中庸适度。避免极端；如果对你造成的伤害是应该的，当克制怒火。

10.CLEANLINESS. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.

十、清洁。身体、衣服和住所力求清洁。

11.TRANQUILLITY¹². Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.

十一、镇静。勿因小事或不可避免的事故而惊慌失措。

12.CHASTITY. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.

十二、贞节。除了为了健康或生育后代起见，节制房事，以免伤害身体或损害你自己或他人的安宁或名誉。

13.HUMILITY¹³. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

十三、谦虚。仿效耶稣和苏格拉底。

My intention being to acquire the habitude of all these virtues, I judged it would be well not to distract my attention by attempting the whole at once, but to fix it on one of them at a time; and, when I should be master of that, then to proceed to another, and so on, till I should have gone through the thirteen; and, as the previous acquisition of some might facilitate the acquisition of certain others, I arranged them with that view, as they stand above. Temperance first，as it tends to procure¹⁴ that coolness and clearness of head, which is so necessary where constant vigilance was to be kept up, and guard maintained against the unremitting attraction of ancient habits，and the force of perpetual temptations. This being acquired and established, Silence would be more easy; and my desire being to gain knowledge at the same time that I improved in virtue², and considering that in conversation it was obtained rather by the use of the ears than of the tongue, and therefore wishing to break a habit I was getting into of prattling¹⁵, punning，and joking，which only made me acceptable to trifling company, I gave Silence the second place. This and the next, Order, I expected would allow me more time for attending to my project and my studies. Resolution, once become habitual¹⁶, would keep me firm in my endeavors to obtain all the subsequent virtues; Frugality and Industry freeing me from my remaining debt, and producing affluence¹⁷ and independence, would make more easy the practice of Sincerity and Justice, etc., etc. Conceiving then, that, agreeably to the advice of Pythagoras in his Golden Verses, daily examination would be necessary.

既然我的目的是将这些美德变成一种习惯，我认为最好不要同时尝试所有项目，以致分散注意力，最好是一段时间内集中精力执行其中的一项。当我掌握了一个美德后，接着继续实践下一个，如此类推，直到我做到十三项为止。因为先获得的某些美德可能有利于其他美德的养成，依据这个想法，我就按照上面的次序把它们进行了排列。我把节制放在第一，因为它有助于使人头脑冷静，思维清晰，为了经常保持警惕，抵抗旧习惯不断地吸引以及无穷无尽的诱惑的侵扰，这种冷静的头脑和清晰的思维是非常必要的。在获得和养成了这一美德以后，沉默寡言就容易多了。在提高我品德的同时我还想增进知识，我认为在谈话中用耳朵比用嘴更能增长知识，因此我想打破当时我正在形成的喋喋不休、爱说俏皮话、爱戏谑的习惯，这种习惯只会让我结交到一些轻浮的朋友，因此我把沉默寡言放在第二位。我想沉默寡言和下一条生活有秩序的美德会使我有更多时间致力于我的计划和学习。意志坚决一旦成为习惯，将会使我更坚决地努力获得其余的美德。俭朴和勤勉能使我还清剩下的债款，带给我财富和独立，会使诚恳和公正两项美德的实践更加容易，如此等等。接着，按照毕达哥拉斯在《金诗篇》里提出的建议，我认为每日必须进行自我检查。

1 attaining   

（通常经过努力）实现( attain的现在分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况）

参考例句：

• Jim is halfway to attaining his pilot's licence. 吉姆就快要拿到飞行员执照了。
• By that time she was attaining to fifty. 那时她已快到五十岁了。

2 virtue   

n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。

3 virtues   

美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处

参考例句：

• Doctors often extol the virtues of eating less fat. 医生常常宣扬少吃脂肪的好处。
• She delivered a homily on the virtues of family life. 她进行了一场家庭生活美德方面的说教。

4 annexed   

[法] 附加的，附属的

参考例句：

• Germany annexed Austria in 1938. 1938年德国吞并了奥地利。
• The outlying villages were formally annexed by the town last year. 那些偏远的村庄于去年正式被并入该镇。

5 precept   

n.戒律；格言

参考例句：

• It occurs to me that example is always more efficacious than precept.我想到身教重于言教。
• The son had well profited by the precept and example of the father.老太爷的言传身教早已使他儿子获益无穷。

6 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

7 precepts   

n.规诫，戒律，箴言( precept的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They accept the Prophet's precepts but reject some of his strictures. 他们接受先知的教训，但拒绝他的种种约束。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The legal philosopher's concern is to ascertain the true nature of all the precepts and norms. 法哲学家的兴趣在于探寻所有规范和准则的性质。 来自辞典例句

8 elevation   

n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高

参考例句：

• The house is at an elevation of 2,000 metres.那幢房子位于海拔两千米的高处。
• His elevation to the position of General Manager was announced yesterday.昨天宣布他晋升总经理职位。

9 trifling   

adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的

参考例句：

• They quarreled over a trifling matter.他们为这种微不足道的事情争吵。
• So far Europe has no doubt, gained a real conveniency,though surely a very trifling one.直到现在为止,欧洲无疑地已经获得了实在的便利，不过那确是一种微不足道的便利。

10 frugality   

n.节约，节俭

参考例句：

• We must build up our country with industry and frugality.我们必须勤俭建国。
• By frugality she managed to get along on her small salary.凭着节俭，她设法以自己微薄的薪水生活。

11 sincerity   

n.真诚，诚意；真实

参考例句：

• His sincerity added much more authority to the story.他的真诚更增加了故事的说服力。
• He tried hard to satisfy me of his sincerity.他竭力让我了解他的诚意。

12 tranquillity   

n. 平静, 安静

参考例句：

• The phenomenon was so striking and disturbing that his philosophical tranquillity vanished. 这个令人惶惑不安的现象，扰乱了他的旷达宁静的心境。
• My value for domestic tranquillity should much exceed theirs. 我应该远比他们重视家庭的平静生活。

13 humility   

n.谦逊，谦恭

参考例句：

• Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
• His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和，甚至有点谦卑。

14 procure   

vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条

参考例句：

• Can you procure some specimens for me?你能替我弄到一些标本吗？
• I'll try my best to procure you that original French novel.我将尽全力给你搞到那本原版法国小说。

15 prattling   

v.（小孩般）天真无邪地说话( prattle的现在分词 )；发出连续而无意义的声音；闲扯；东拉西扯

参考例句：

• The meanders of a prattling brook, were shaded with straggling willows and alder trees. 一条小河蜿蜒掩映在稀疏的柳树和桤树的树荫间，淙淙作响。 来自辞典例句
• The villagers are prattling on about the village gossip. 村民们正在闲扯些村里的事。 来自互联网

16 habitual   

adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的

参考例句：

• He is a habitual criminal.他是一个惯犯。
• They are habitual visitors to our house.他们是我家的常客。

17 affluence   

n.充裕，富足

参考例句：

• Their affluence is more apparent than real.他们的富有是虚有其表。
• There is a lot of affluence in this part of the state because it has many businesses.这个州的这一部分相当富有，因为它有很多商行。