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Attaining¹ Moral Perfection

获取完美品德

In the various enumerations of the moral virtues² 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 virtue³, 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 habitual,would keep me firm in my endeavors to obtain all the subsequent virtues; Frugality and Industry freeing me from my remaining debt, and producing affluence¹⁶ 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。

课堂笔记
1.英语常用搭配“rather... than...”连接两个并列成分，表示“宁可……而不……”。句中连接的并列成分为“more names”以及“a few names”。
2.“so much as”在此等同于“as much as”，表示“和.......样多”。一般而言，“so much as”常用于否定句中。
3.苏格拉底虽然以智慧闻名于世，但他在70岁时仍然说自己还什么都不知道，足见他谦虚的品德。
4.句首的独立主格结构 “my intention being to acquire the habitude of all these virtues” 用作原因状语。
5.此句是只有主语“temperance”的省略句，谓语省略。连词“as”引导原因状语从句，关系代词“which”引导非限制性定语从句，修饰“that coolness and clearness” ,定语从句中的“where”为连词，在此起连接前后分句的作用。
6.这是一个由独立主格结构和两个分词结构共同构成的原因状语，说明作者把沉默摆在第二位的原因。独立主格结构中的“that”从句为定语从句，修饰“knowledge”。两个分词结构之间存在因果关系。第一个分词结构中的“that”从句为宾语从句，其中“it”代“knowledge”。第二个分词结构中的两个定语从句均用于修饰“habit”， 其中一个是省略 “that” 的定语从句 “I was getting into of prattling, punning, and joking” ,另一个为“which”引导的非限制性定语从句“which only made me acceptable to trifling company” 。
7.毕达哥拉斯（Pythagoras)古希腊数学家、哲学家和音乐理论家。他是大家广为熟知的勾股定理的首先发现者。