J.K.Rowling哈佛大學(xué)演講英文賞析

J.K.Rowling哈佛大學(xué)演講英文賞析J.K.Rowling'sSpeechatHarvardUniversityABriefIntroductiontoJoanne"Jo"Rowling,betterknownasJ.K.Rowling,isaBritishnovelist,bestknownastheauthoroftheHarryPotterfantasyseries.ThePotterbookshavegainedworldwideattention,wonmultipleawards,soldmorethan400millioncopiestobecomethebest-sellingbookseriesinhistory.Rowlinghasleda"ragstoriches"lifestory,inwhichsheprogressedfromlivingonsocialsecuritytomulti-millionairestatuswithinfiveyears.ForbesrankedRowlingastheforty-eighthmostpowerfulcelebrityof2007,andTimemagazinenamedherasarunner-upforits2007PersonoftheYear,notingthesocial,moral,andpoliticalinspirationshehasgivenherfans.Achievablegoals-thefirststeptoself-improvement..Ihavedecidedtotalktoyouaboutthebenefitsoffailure.*Failureisthemotherofsuccess.Tosomedegree,failureismoreimportantthansuccess.Becausesuccessbringsyouhappiness,failurebringsyougrowth.Iwanttoextolthecrucialimportanceofimagination.*extol:吹捧，贊頌IwasconvincedthattheonlythingIwantedtodo,ever,wastowritenovels.However,myparents,bothofwhomcamefromimpoverishedbackgroundsandneitherofwhomhadbeentocollege,tooktheviewthatmyoveractiveimaginationwasanamusingpersonalquirkthatcouldneverpayamortgage,orsecureapension.我一直深信，自己唯一想做的事情，就是寫小說。不過，我的父母，他們都來自貧窮的背景，沒有任何一人上過大學(xué)，堅持認(rèn)為我過度的想象力是一個令人驚訝的個人怪癖，根本不足以讓我支付貸款·，或者取得足夠的養(yǎng)老金。*lackofmoney&lackofeducation*twoelementswhichdecideone'sthoughtsanddreamsTheyhadhopedthatIwouldtakeavocationaldegree;IwantedtostudyEnglishLiterature.Acompromisewasreachedthatinretrospectsatisfiednobody,andIwentuptostudyModernLanguages.Hardlyhadmyparents'carroundedthecornerattheendoftheroadthanIditchedGermanandscuttledoffdowntheClassicscorridor.他們希望我去拿個職業(yè)學(xué)位，而我想去攻讀英國文學(xué)。最后，達(dá)成了一個雙方都不甚滿意的妥協(xié)：我改學(xué)現(xiàn)代語言。可是等到父母一走開，我立刻放棄了德語而報名學(xué)習(xí)古典文學(xué)。*makeyourownchoice,choosewhatyoureallylove

Thereisanexpirydateonblamingyourparentsforsteeringyouinthewrongdirection;themomentyouareoldenoughtotakethewheel,responsibilitylieswithyou.Whatismore,......andhardships.Climbingoutofpovertybyyourownefforts,thatisindeedsomethingonwhichtoprideyourself,butpovertyitselfisromanticisedonlybyfools.當(dāng)你成長到可以控制自我方向的時候，你就要自己承擔(dān)責(zé)任了。尤其是，我不會因為父母希望我不要過窮日子，而責(zé)怪他們。他們一直很貧窮，我后來也一度很窮，所以我很理解他們。貧窮并不是一種高貴的經(jīng)歷，它帶來恐懼、壓力、有時還有絕望，它意味著許許多多的羞辱和艱辛。靠自己的努力擺脫貧窮，確實可以引以自豪，但貧窮本身只有對傻瓜而言才是浪漫的。Ithinkitfairtosaythatbyanyconventionalmeasure（從任何傳統(tǒng)角度標(biāo)準(zhǔn)來看),ameresevenyearsaftermygraduationday,Ihadfailedonanepicscale.Anexceptionallyshort-livedmarriagehadimploded(突然破裂),andIwasjobless,aloneparent.

Odysseyepic

史詩般的Homer'stwoepics

Iliadshort-livedmarriage:Aftergraduation,J.K.RowlingleavedforPortugalandfellinlovewithalocalrepoternamedGeorge.Theygetflashmarried.Butthreeyearslater,theydivorced.Then,JKreturnedEdinburghwithherdaughterJessica.Shelivedapoorlifeunderthesupportofrelieffund.Butherlovefordaughtersupportedherselftostriveforlife.Andinherworks,wecanseethealwaysthemeisthatloveisagreatpowerexceedcurse.(愛是一種凌駕于魔咒的偉大力量）.FailuregavemeaninnersecuritythatIhadneverattainedbypassingexaminations.（失敗使我的內(nèi)心產(chǎn)生一種安全感，這是我從考試中沒有得到過的）FailuretaughtmethingsaboutmyselfthatIcouldhavelearnednootherway.IalsofoundoutthatIhadfriendswhosevaluewastrulyabovethepriceofrubies.(我擁有比寶石更加珍貴的朋友）rubies：紅寶石；sapphire藍(lán)寶石；emerald綠寶石Insuccessourfriendsknowus,andinadversityweknowourfriends.------ChurtonCollins在成功中朋友認(rèn)識我們，在逆境中我們了解朋友

------丘頓·柯林斯

"SogivenaTimeTurner,Iwouldtellmy21-year-oldselfthatpersonalhappinessliesinknowingthatlifeisnotacheck-listofacquisitionorachievement.Yourqualifications,yourCV,arenotyourlife,thoughyouwillmeetmanypeopleofmyageandolderwhoconfusethetwo.Lifeisdifficult,andcomplicated,andbeyondanyone'stotalcontrol,andthehumilitytoknowthatwillenableyoutosurviveitsvicissitudes."

“如果給我一部時光機(jī)，我會告訴21歲的自己，人的幸福在于知道生活不是一份漂亮的成績單，你的資歷、簡歷，都不是你的生活，雖然你會碰到很多與我同齡或更老一點的人今天依然還在混淆兩者。生活是艱辛的，復(fù)雜的，超出任何人的控制能力，而謙恭地了解這一點，將使你歷經(jīng)滄桑后能夠更好的生存?！?/p>

ThereinmylittleofficeIreadhastily(急速地，匆忙地）scribbled（亂畫，潦草的寫）letterssmuggledoutof（走私，偷運(yùn)）totalitarianregimes

（極權(quán)主義政權(quán)）bymenandwomenwhowereriskingimprisonmenttoinformtheoutsideworldofwhatwashappeningtothem.Isawphotographsofthosewhohaddisappearedwithouttrace,（無跡可尋）senttoAmnestybytheirdesperatefamiliesandfriends.Ireadthetestimony（證詞，證據(jù)）oftorturevictimsandsawpicturesoftheirinjuries.Iopenedhandwritten,eye-witnessaccountsofsummarytrialsandexecutions,ofkidnappings（綁架，誘拐）andrapes.

Manyofmyco-workerswereex-politicalprisoners,peoplewhohadbeendisplacedfromtheirhomes,orfledintoexile(流亡）,becausetheyhadthetemerity（魯莽，冒失，蠻勇）tothinkindependentlyoftheirgovernment.Visitorstoourofficeincludedthosewhohadcometogiveinformation,ortotryandfindoutwhathadhappenedtothosewhotheyhadleftbehind.IshallneverforgettheAfricantorturevictim,ayoungmannoolderthanIwasatthetime,whohadbecomementallyillafterallhehadenduredinhishomeland.Hetrembleduncontrollablyashespokeintoavideocameraaboutthebrutality（野蠻，殘暴）inflicted（把、、、強(qiáng)加給）uponhim.HewasafoottallerthanIwas,andseemedasfragileasachild.IwasgiventhejobofescortinghimtotheUndergroundStationafterwards,andthismanwhoselifehadbeenshattered（粉碎）bycrueltytookmyhandwithexquisite（精致的，細(xì)膩的）courtesy（異常的，劇烈的）,andwishedmefuturehappiness.AndyetIalsolearnedmoreabouthumangoodnessatAmnestyInternationalthanIhadeverknownbefore.（Reflectionsonhumannature）（關(guān)于人性的思考）同時在這里我也了解到更多關(guān)于人類的善良，比我以前想象的要多很多。

Unlikeanyothercreatureonthisplanet,humanbeingscanlearnandunderstand,withouthavingexperienced.Theycanthinkthemselvesintootherpeople'splaces.Ofcourse,thisisapower,likemybrandoffictionalmagic,thatismorallyneutral.Onemightusesuchanabilitytomanipulate,orcontrol,justasmuchastounderstandorsympathise.

不同于在這個星球上任何其他的動物，人類可以學(xué)習(xí)和理解未曾經(jīng)歷過的東西。他們可以將心比心、設(shè)身處地的理解他人。當(dāng)然，這種能力，就像在我虛構(gòu)的魔法世界里一樣，在道德上是中立的。一個人可能會利用這種能力去操縱控制，也有人選擇去了解同情。

Andmanyprefernottoexercisetheirimaginationsatall.Theychoosetoremaincomfortablywithintheboundsoftheirownexperience,nevertroublingtowonderhowitwouldfeeltohavebeenbornotherthantheyare.Theycanrefusetohearscreamsortopeerinsidecages;theycanclosetheirmindsandheartstoanysufferingthatdoesnottouchthempersonaIlly;theycanrefusetoknow.(Ithinkthesepeopleareselfish,indifferent，lonelyandshortsighted.)而很多人選擇不去使用他們的想象力。他們選擇留在自己舒適的世界里，從來不愿花力氣去想想如果生在別處會怎樣。他們可以拒絕去聽別人的尖叫，看一眼囚禁的籠子；他們可以封閉自己的內(nèi)心，只要痛苦不觸及個人，他們可以拒絕去了解。更甚的是，那些選擇不去同情的人，可能會激活真正的怪獸。因為盡管自己沒有犯下罪惡，我們卻通過冷漠與之勾結(jié)。Whatismore,thosewhochoosenottoempathisemayenablerealmonsters.Forwithoutevercommittinganactofoutrightevilourselves,wecolludewithit,throughourownapathy.（IndifferenceisalsoacrimeintheWesterncode.Becausetheyknowitwell,enthusiasm,goodness,conscientiousnessareveryimportant.Theindifferenceofthepeopletodaymaybethenationaltragedyoftomorrow）冷漠是獲取幸福的最大阻礙，也是一種犯罪。德國等西方國家之所以對冷漠者嚴(yán)懲，是因為他們深知，熱情、愛心和責(zé)任感是非常重要的。今天國民的冷漠或許就是明天國家的災(zāi)難。）.

OneofthemanythingsIlearnedattheendofthatClassicscorridordownwhichIventuredattheageof18,insearchofsomethingIcouldnotthendefine,wasthis,writtenbytheGreekauthorPlutarch:Whatweachieveinwardlywillchangeouterreality.

我18歲開始從古典文學(xué)中汲取許多知識，其中之一當(dāng)時并不完全理解，那就是希臘作家普魯塔克所說：我們內(nèi)心獲得的，將改變外在的現(xiàn)實。（Justastheauthorsays,sheditchedGermanandscuttledoffdowntheClassicscorridor.Sheneverregretedwhatshedid.Herdecisiondependedonherinterets.It'salsoaproofofthetag.）

Sotoday,Icanwishyounothingbetterthansimilarfriendships.(Asismentionedabove,Jkhasexperiencedalotofpain,butfriendsmadehergetthroughallofthem.Forher,friendshipwasreallyafortune.That'swhyshewishednothingbetterthansimilarfriendships.)Andtomorrow,Ihopethatevenifyouremember