第四冊(cè)第8篇：書(shū)籍

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The good books of the hour, then, --I do not speak of the bad ones—is simply the useful or pleasant talk of some person whom you cannot otherwise converse with, printed for you. Very useful often, telling you what you need to know; very pleasant often, as a sensible friend's present talk would be. These bright accounts of travels; good-humoured and witty discussion of questions; lively or pathetic story-telling in the form of novel; firm fact-telling, by the real agents concerned in the events of passing history; --all these books of the hour, multiplying among us as education becomes more general, are a peculiar characteristic and possession of the present age: we ought to be entirely thankful for them, and entirely ashamed of ourselves if we make no good use of them. But we make the worse possible use, if we allow them to usurp the place of true books: for, strictly speaking, they are not books at all, but merely letters or newspapers in good print. Our friend's letter may be delightful, or necessary, today: whether worth keeping or not, is to be considered.

然則，風(fēng)行一時(shí)的好書(shū)(且不談壞書(shū))，也不過(guò)是某人有益或有趣的談話，不印出來(lái)則你無(wú)法與之交談。這類書(shū)往往很有用，告訴你需耍知道的東西，也往往頗令人愉快，宛如通情達(dá)理的朋友同你當(dāng)面晤談。例如風(fēng)光綺麗的游記，對(duì)間題心平氣 和、妙趣橫生的討論，小說(shuō)中栩栩如生或娓娓動(dòng)人的故事，近代重大事件親自參加或目擊者的詳實(shí)報(bào)導(dǎo)—所有這些風(fēng)行一 時(shí)的書(shū)，由于教育日益普及而發(fā)行量倍增，實(shí)為當(dāng)代獨(dú)有的特色與財(cái)富。我們應(yīng)該對(duì)這些書(shū)深為感謝，若不好好利用，就 該感到十分慚愧。然而，倘若我們?nèi)螒{這類書(shū)籍僧奪了真正有價(jià)值的書(shū)的位置，則未免利用得太捕，因?yàn)閲?yán)格說(shuō)來(lái)，這類書(shū) 根本不算書(shū)，無(wú)非印刷精致的書(shū)信或報(bào)紙而已。朋友的書(shū)信今天讀來(lái)或許令人愉快，至或必要多有無(wú)保存價(jià)值則值得考慮。

The newspaper may be entirely proper at breakfast time, but assuredly it is not reading for all day. So though bound up in a volume, the long letter which gives you so pleasant an account of the inns, the roads, and weather last year at such a place, or which tells you that amusing story, or gives you the real circumstances of such and such events, however valuable for occasional reference, may not be, in the real sense of the word, a "book" at all, nor, in the real sense, to be "read". A book is essentially not a talked thing, but a written thing; and written, not with the view of mere communication, but of permanence. The book of talk is printed only because its author cannot speak to thousands of people at once; if he could, he would-the volume is mere multiplication of his voice. You cannot talk to your friend in India; if you could, you would; you write instead: that is mere conveyance of voice. But a book is written, not to multiply the voice merely, not to carry it merely, but to preserve it.

早餐時(shí)間看看報(bào)紙，似乎十分相宜，但肯定不必整天看報(bào)。因此那封長(zhǎng)信幾雖然裝訂成冊(cè)，對(duì)旅舍、道路，對(duì)某地去年天氣，為你作了種種美妙敘述，或?yàn)槟阒v了有趣的故事，或?qū)θ绱诉@般的事件為你提供了真實(shí)情況，不論一時(shí)有多大參考價(jià)值，但從“書(shū)”這個(gè)詞的真正意義來(lái)說(shuō)，它可能根本算不上，也不是真正讓你“讀”的。究其本質(zhì)，一本書(shū)不是隨便談?wù)劦臇|酉，而是認(rèn)真寫出來(lái)的東西，且不僅為通信或交流而寫，而是為了傳之久遠(yuǎn)。一本隨便談?wù)劦臅?shū)之所以印出來(lái)，是由于作者不能同時(shí) 和成千上萬(wàn)人講，倘若可能，他側(cè)愿意。那冊(cè)書(shū)無(wú)非讓他的聲 音化成若干倍而已。你無(wú)法同遠(yuǎn)在印度的朋友談話，倘若可能，你倒愿意。你代之以寫，這也不過(guò)是聲音的傳播，然而著書(shū)不僅是為了把聲音化做若千倍，也不僅是為了傳播聲音，而是為了保存。

The author has something to say which he perceives to be true and useful, or helpfully beautiful. So far as he knows, no one has yet said it; so far as he knows, no one else can say it. He is bound to say it, clearly and melodiously if he may; clearly, at all events. In the sum of his life he finds this to be the thing, or group of things, manifest to him; --this the piece of true knowledge, or sight, which his share of sunshine and earth has permitted him to seize. He would fain set it down for ever; engrave it on rock, if he could; saying, "this is the best of me; for the rest, I ate, and drank, and slept, loved and hated, like another; my life was as the vapour, and is not; but this I saw and knew: this, if anything of mine, is worth your memory, " That is his "writing"; it is, in his small human way, and with whatever degree of true inspiration is in him, his inscription, or scripture. That is a "Book".

作者以為有一些真實(shí)和有益的東西要講，有一些美好而對(duì)讀者有幫助的東西要講多且據(jù)他所知，此事還沒(méi)有人講過(guò)，也沒(méi)有別人能講。他責(zé)無(wú)旁貸，非說(shuō)不可，倘有可能，則須力求清楚明白，詞章優(yōu)美，至少務(wù)必清楚明白。他發(fā)現(xiàn)在他 一生中，這就是他看得十分清楚的一件事或一:,事—且這 就是他通過(guò)人生經(jīng)歷得以把握的那一點(diǎn)真知灼見(jiàn)。他樂(lè)于將它 水遠(yuǎn)保存下來(lái)，如有可能，不妨銘刻在石頭上，并且說(shuō):“這是 我畢生精華，至于其他.一飲一食，或眠或醒，或愛(ài)或很，概 與他人無(wú)異，我的生命過(guò)去如同水汽，轉(zhuǎn)眼之間已不存在，惟‘ 獨(dú)這點(diǎn)是我曾經(jīng)看清和明白的:設(shè)若我有什么值得你記住的， 這就是”。這就是他的“著作，多雖他決非神明，力量微薄，也不論他有幾分真正靈感，這就是他的傳世之作，或經(jīng)典之作。這便是書(shū)”。