翻譯賞析《論讀書》

名篇（節(jié)選）英漢翻譯賞析一培根《論讀書》

FrancisBacon

SirFrancisBacon(1561-1626)wasaphilosopherandastatesmanaswellasamanofletters-–arenaissancemanofhistime.Hewroteimportantliteraryandphilosophicalworksandwasamajorcontributortomodernscientificthought.OfStudy論讀書

Studiesservefordelight,forornament,andforability.Theirchiefusefordelight,isinprivatenessandretiring;forornament,isindiscourse;andforability,isinthejudgment,anddispositionofbusiness.讀書足以怡情，足以博彩，足以長才。其怡情也，最見于獨(dú)處幽居之時；其博彩也，最見于高談闊論之中；其長才也，最見于處世判事之際。

Forexpertmencanexecute,andperhapsjudgeofparticulars,onebyone;butthegeneralcounsels,andtheplotsandmarshallingofaffairs,comebest,fromthosethatarelearned.

練達(dá)之士雖能分別處理細(xì)事或一一判別枝節(jié)，然縱觀統(tǒng)籌、全局策劃，則舍好學(xué)深思者莫屬。Tospendtoomuchtimeinstudiesissloth;tousethemtoomuchforornament,isaffectation;tomakejudgmentwhollybytheirrules,isthehumorofascholar.讀書費(fèi)時過多易惰，文采藻飾太盛則矯，全憑條文斷事乃學(xué)究故態(tài)。Theyperfectnature,andareperfectedbyexperience:fornaturalabilitiesarelikenaturalplants,thatneedproning,bystudy;andstudiesthemselves,dogiveforthdirectionstoomuchatlarge,excepttheybeboundedinbyexperience.讀書補(bǔ)天然之不足，經(jīng)驗又補(bǔ)讀書之不足，蓋天生才干猶如自然花草，讀書然后知如何修剪移接；而書中所示，如不以經(jīng)驗范之，則又大而無當(dāng)。Craftymencontemnstudies,simplemenadmirethem,andwisemenusethem;fortheyteachnottheirownuse;butthatisawisdomwithoutthem,andabovethem,wonbyobservation.有一技之長者鄙讀書，無知者羨讀書，唯明智之士用讀書，然書并不以用處告人，用書之智不在書中，而在書外，全憑觀察得之。Somebooksaretobetasted,otherstobeswallowed,andsomefewtobechewedanddigested.書有可淺嘗者，有可吞食者，少數(shù)則須咀嚼消化。Thatis,somebooksaretobereadonlyinparts;otherstoberead,butnotcuriously;andsomefewtobereadwholly,andwithdiligenceandattention.

換言之，有只須讀其部分者，有只須大體涉獵者，少數(shù)則須全讀，讀時須全神貫注，孜孜不倦。Somebooksalsomaybereadbydeputy,andextractsmadeofthembothers;butthatwouldbeonlyinthelessimportantarguments,andthemeanersortofbooks,elsedistilledbooksarelikecommondistilledwaters,flashythings.書亦可請人代讀，取其所作摘要，但只限題材較次或價值不高者，否則書經(jīng)提煉猶如水經(jīng)蒸餾、淡而無味矣。Readingmakeafullman;conferenceareadyman;andwritinganexactman.Andtherefore,ifamanwritelittle,hehadneedhaveagreatmemory;ifheconferlittle,hehadneedhaveapresentwit:andifhereadlittle,hehadneedhavemuchcunning,toseemtoknow,thathedothnot.讀書使人充實(shí)，討論使人機(jī)智，筆記使人準(zhǔn)確。因此不常作筆記者須記憶特強(qiáng)，不常討論者須天生聰穎，不常讀書者須欺世有術(shù)，始能無知而顯有知。Historiesmakemenwise;poetswitty;themathematicssubtitle;naturalphilosophydeep;moralgrave;logicandrhetoricabletocontend.讀史使人明智，讀詩使人靈秀，數(shù)學(xué)使人周密，科學(xué)使人深刻，倫理學(xué)使人莊重，邏輯修辭之學(xué)使人善辯：凡有所學(xué)，皆成性格。Thereisnostandorimpedimentinthewit,butmaybewroughtoutbyfitstudies;likeasdiseasesofthebody,mayhaveappropriateexercises.人之才智但有滯礙，無不可讀適當(dāng)之書使之順暢，一如身體百病，皆可借相宜之運(yùn)動除之。

Soifaman’switbewandering,lethimstudythemathematics;forindemonstrations,ifhiswitbecalledawayneversolittle,hemustbeginagain.Ifhiswitbenotapttodistinguishorfinddifferences,lethimstudytheSchoolmen;fortheyarecyminisectors.

如智力不集中，可令讀數(shù)學(xué)，蓋演題須全神貫注，稍有分散即須重演；如不能辨異，可令讀經(jīng)院哲學(xué)，蓋是輩皆吹毛求疵之人.

Ifhebenotapttobeatovermatters,andtocalluponething