富兰克林自传——The-Autobiography-of-Benjamin-Franklin

富兰克林自传——TheAutobiographyofBenjaminFranklinAboutthistimeImetwithanoddvolumeoftheSpectator.Ihadneverbeforeseenanyofthem.Iboughtit,readitoverandover,andwasmuchdelightedwithit.Ithoughtthewritingexcellent,andwished,ifpossible,toimitateit.WiththatviewItooksomeofthepapers,and,makingshouthintsofthesentimentsineachsentence,laidthembyafewdays,andthen,withoutlookingathehook,triedtocompletethepapersagain,byexpressingeachhintedsentimentatlength,andasfullyasithadbeenexpressedbefore,inanysuitablewordsthatshouldoccurtome.ThenIcomparedthem.ButIfoundIwantedastockofwords,orareadinessinrecollectingandusingthem,whichIthoughtIshouldhaveacquiredbeforethattimeifIhadgoneonmakingverse;sincethecontinualsearchforwordsofthesameimport,butdofdifferentlength,tosuitthemeasure,orofdifferentsoundfortherhythm,wouldhavelaidmeunderaconstantnecessityofsearchingforvariety,andalsohavetendedtofixthatvarietyinmymind,andmakememasterofit.ThereforeItooksomeofthetalesintheSpectator,andturnedthemintoverse;and,afteratime,whenIhadprettywllforgottentheprose,turnedthembackagain.Ialsosometimesjumbledmycollectionofhintsintoconfusion,andaftersomeweeksendeavoredtoreducethemintothebestorder,beforeIbegantoformthefullsentencesandcompletethesubject.Thiswastoteachmemethodinthearragementofthethoughts.Bycomparingmyworkwiththeorginal,Idiscoveredmanyfaultsandcorrectedthem;butIsometimeshadthepleasuretofancythat,inparticularsofsmallconsequence,Ihadbeenfortunateenoughtoimprovethemethodorthelanguage,andthisencouragedmetothinkthatImightintimecomttobetolerateEnglishwriter,ofwhichIwasextremelyambitious.差不多这一时期我得到一本叫《旁观者》的奇怪册子。以前我从未卡过任何一本。我买了它，读了又读，我认为书中的文章极佳，如果可以的话，甚至想模仿它。所以，我把一些文章的每一句的大意节录出来，放了几天，并不看这本书，尝试再完成这些文章，即自己用适合的词来概括大意，要和以前所表示的一样。于是我把我的《旁观者》和原文相较，找出我的错误之处而加以更正。但是我觉得我缺乏单词的累积，不能够随时忆起与引用，我想我如果一直继续作诗便能够办得到，因为常常要用同义且长短不同和音韵各异的词以合辙与押韵，那么我则必须经常搜寻许多词汇，也可使这许多词萦留脑中，以便能运用它。于是我把有些故事转为诗歌，隔了一阵子，等我把这散文全忘了时，重新把它们转为散文，有时还将我所集合的大意打乱，隔了几星期，再努力使它们成为极佳的顺序，然后再写出完整的句子，写出整篇文章。这样我学会了思想排列法。后来把我的文章与原文比较，发现了很多错误并改正。但是我有时引以为乐，尤其取得了小小的成果，那就是我非常幸运地在思想方法与语言上都有进步，而这个想像鼓励我想到以后我也许可能成为以为不错的英文作家，关于这点我既有信心。WhenIadbancedanythingthatmightpossiblybedisputed,thewordscertainly,undoubteldly,otanyothersthatgavetheairofpositivenesstoanopinion;butrathersaid,Iconceiveorapprehendathingtobesoandso;itappearstome,orIshouldnotthinkitsoorso,forsuchandsuchreasons;orIimagineittobeso;oritisso,ifIamnotmistaken.Thishabit,Ibelieve,hasbeenofgreatadvantagtomewhenIhavehadoccasiontoinculcatemyopinions,andpersuademenintomeasuresthatIhavebeenfromtimetotimeengagedinpromting;and,asthechiefendsofconversationaretoinformortobeinformed,topleaseortopersuade,Iwishwellmeaningandsensiblemenwouldnotlessentheirpowerofdoinggoodbyapositive,assumingmanner,thatseldomfailstodisgust,tendstocreateopposition,andtodefeatmostofthosepurposesforwhichspeechwasgiventous.当我进行一件必须辩驳的事情时，如“确实”、“无疑”和其他产生一种意见执拗的神态者的词，我是绝不用的，只好说“我猜想”或“恐怕这事是这样”“我似乎认为”或“因为这样的理由我想也许是如此的”或者“我猜想这该是如此”或“是如此，如果不是我错误”。这种习惯，我相信，对我曾有很大的用处，当把我的意见讲给别人听，使人易于顺从。谈话的主要目的是对别人说或听别人说，顺从人或说服别人，我希望好意和明智的人不要以固执和假定的态度来减少他们做好事的能力，这样就不会引人厌恶，不大会产生矛盾，也不大会损坏语言赋予我们去实现的绝大部分目的。Infact,ifyouwishtoinstructothers,apositiveanddogmaticalmannerinadvacingyoursentimentsmayoccasionoppositionandpreventacandidattention.Ifyoudesireinstructionandimprobementfromothers,youshouldnot,atthesametime,expressyourselffixedinyourpresentopinions.Modestandsensiblemen,whodonotlovedisputation,willleaveyouundisturbedinthepossessionofyourerrors.Inadoptingsuchamanner,youcanseldomexpecttopleaseyourhearers,orobtaintheconcurrenceyoudesire.Popejudiciouslyobserves,“Menmustbetaughtasifyoutaughtthemnot,andthingsunknownproposedasthingforget,”Healsorecommendsittous“Tospeak,thoughsure,withseemingdiffidence.”Andhemighthavejoinedwiththislinethatwhatwhichhehascoupledwithanother,Ithink,lessproperly,“Forwantofmodestyiswantofsense.”Ifyouask,Whylessproperly?Imustrepeatthelines,“Immodestwordadmitofnodefense,forwantofmodestyiswantofsense.”Nowisnotthewantofsense(whereamanissounfortunateastowantt)someapologyforhiswantofmodesty?andwouldnotthelinesstandmorejustlythus?“Immodestwordadmitbutthisdefense,thatwantofmodestyiswantofsense.”其实你要说给人家听，不论你固执的想法和不可动摇的态度都会引起反感而制止人家去注意。你愿意征求别人的意见时，你不应该仍是坚持你现在的意见，有礼和明白的人，他们不喜欢辩驳，或许会离开你，不扰乱你所有的错误。若以这样的态度，你多少希望你自己能得到听众的欢心，或诱使赞同你的愿望。蒲柏明断地说道：教人以非教，人将从汝教，谓之曰偶忘，使彼有不知。更进而劝告我们，“虽确实，言之要谦逊。”虽这一联已另外配上一句，我想，更适当的是：“因唔谦逊心，便成无意识。”如果你问，要怎样才适？我便会反复念诵下面的话：“若是不谦逊，不能掩其失，因唔谦逊心，便感无意识。”现在有些人辩驳他的无谦逊心是否无意识呢？那么下面的句子不是更确切吗？“若是不逊辞，辩护此一说，因无谦逊心，便成无意识。”“Seestthouamandiligentinhiscalling,heshallstandbeforekings,heshallnotstandbeforemeanmen”——Solomom凡一生勤劳之人，他将要站在帝王之前，而不站在卑贱者之前。ItwasaboutthistimeIconceivedtheboldandarduousprojectofarribingatmoralperfection.Iwishedtolivewithoutcommittinganyfaultatanytime,andtoconquerallthateithernaturalinclination,custom,orcompanymightleadmeinto.AsIknew,orthoughtIknew,whatwasrightandwrong,IdidnotseewhyImightnotalwaysdotheoneandavoidtheother.ButIsoonfoundIhadundertakenataskofmoredifficultythatnIhadimagined.Whilemyattentionwastakenup,andemployedinguardingagainstonfault,Iwasoftensurprisedbyanother;habittooktheadvantageofinattention;in