《四季隨筆》節(jié)選 - 春 02

《四季隨筆》是吉辛的散文代表作。其中對隱士賴克羅夫特醉心于書籍、自然景色與回憶過去生活的描述，其實是吉辛的自述，作者以此來抒發(fā)自己的情感，因而本書是一部富有自傳色彩的小品文集。

吉辛窮困的一生，對文學(xué)名著的愛好與追求，以及對大自然恬靜生活的向往，在書中均有充分的反映。本書分為春、夏、秋、冬四個部分，文筆優(yōu)美，行文流暢，是英國文學(xué)中小品文的珍品之一。

以下是由網(wǎng)友分享的《四季隨筆》節(jié)選 - 春 02的內(nèi)容，讓我們一起來感受吉辛的四季吧!

The exquisite quiet of this room! I have been sitting in utter idleness, watching the sky, viewing the shape of golden sunlight upon the carpet, which changes as the minutes pass, letting my eye wander from one framed print to another, and along the ranks of my beloved books. Within the house nothing stirs. In the garden I can hear singing of birds, I can hear the rustle of their wings. And thus, if it pleases me, I may sit all day long, and into the profounder quiet of the night.

多么恬靜雅致的房間??！我完全無所事事地坐著，仰望天空，看著金色陽光灑在地毯上，光影隨時間的推移變化著，我的目光從墻上的一幅幅畫作，游移到我鐘愛的一排排書上。房間里沒有一絲動靜，我聽見鳥兒在花園里唱歌，聽到它們拍打翅膀的沙沙聲。如果我樂意的話，我可以這樣坐上一整天，一直坐到萬籟俱寂，夜幕深沉。

My house is perfect. By great good fortune I have found a housekeeper no less to my mind, a low-voiced, light-footed woman of discreet age, strong and deft enough to render me all the service I require, and not afraid of solitude. She rises very early. By my breakfast-time there remains little to be done under the roof save dressing of meals. Very rarely do I hear even a clink of crockery; never the closing of a door or window. Oh, blessed silence!

我的房子真是完美。非常幸運的是，我還找到了很中意的管家—一位聲音柔和、腳步很輕的中年女人。她健壯能干，服務(wù)周到，并且安于寂寞。她起床很早，除了準(zhǔn)備各餐飯的調(diào)味品，早飯后她就沒什么家務(wù)事了。我很少聽見鍋碗的叮當(dāng)聲，更是從沒聽到過門窗關(guān)閉的聲音。哦，這寧靜真令人愉快！

There is not the remotest possibility of any one's calling upon me, and that I should call upon any one else is a thing undreamt of. I owe a letter to a friend; perhaps I shall write it before bedtime; perhaps I shall leave it till to-morrow morning. A letter of friendship should never be written save when the spirit prompts. I have not yet looked at the newspaper. Generally I leave it till I come back tired from my walk; it amuses me then to see what the noisy world is doing, what new self torments men have discovered, what new forms of vain toil, what new occasions of peril and of strife. I grudge to give the first freshness of the morning mind to things so sad and foolish.

有人來訪的可能性微乎其微，我去拜訪別人更是做夢都不會想的事。我還欠朋友一封信，也許會在睡覺前寫，也許要等到明天一早。給友人的信一定要待到興致來時再寫。報紙我還沒有看，通常我會等到散步回來累了的時候才看。那時來看這個嘈雜世界的眾生百態(tài)，看人們發(fā)現(xiàn)了什么自我折磨的新法子，什么徒勞無功的新形式，什么犯險爭斗的新機會，會讓我覺得有趣。我可不愿讓清新的頭腦一大早就接觸這些悲哀和愚蠢的事情。

My house is perfect. Just large enough to allow the grace of order in domestic circumstance; just that superfluity of intramural space, to lack which is to be less than at one's ease. The fabric is sound; the work in wood and plaster tells of a more leisurely and a more honest age than ours. The stairs do not creak under my step; I am waylaid by no unkindly draught; I can open or close a window without muscle-ache. As to such trifles as the tint and device of wall-paper, I confess my indifference; be the walls only unobtrusive, and I am satisfied. The first thing in one's home is comfort; let beauty of detail be added if one has the means, the patience, the eye.

我的房子真是完美。大小正好可以讓家里的物什一應(yīng)俱全、井井有條；屋內(nèi)多出的空間也剛剛好，缺了它感覺就不那么舒服。房子建得很牢固，木工和泥工的手藝表明那個年代比我們現(xiàn)在更閑適、誠實。我踩在樓梯上不會有嗄吱作響的聲音，也沒有穿堂風(fēng)出其不意地來襲擊我，我開關(guān)窗戶也不會感覺肌肉酸痛。至于其他一些瑣事，比如墻紙的色彩和圖案，我承認(rèn)自己并不關(guān)心；只要不礙眼，我就心滿意足了。家的第一要義是舒服，如果有財資、耐心和鑒賞力，還可以增添些美麗的細(xì)節(jié)。

To me, this little book-room is beautiful, and chiefly because it is home. Through the greater part of life I was homeless. Many places have I inhabited, some which my soul loathed, and some which pleased me well; but never till now with that sense of security which makes a home. At any moment I might have been driven forth by evil hap, by nagging necessity. For all that time did I say within myself: Some day, perchance, I shall have a home; yet the "perchance" had more and more of emphasis as life went on, and at the moment when fate was secretly smiling on me, I had all but abandoned hope. I have my home at last. When I place a new volume on my shelves, I say: Stand there whilst I have eyes to see you; and a joyous tremor thrills me. This house is mine on a lease of a score of years. So long I certainly shall not live; but, if I did, even so long should I have the wherewithal to pay my rent and buy my food.

在我眼里，這間小小的書屋美麗極了，主要因為它是家的緣故。我大半生都無家可歸，雖然住過很多地方，有些讓我從心底里厭惡，有些還算舒服，但直到現(xiàn)在我才找到那種家之為家的安全感。以前我隨時會被厄運或窮困驅(qū)使著四處漂泊。那時我曾對自己說，有一天，也許，我會有一個家；但是日長年久，“也許”這兩個字的分量越來越重了。在命運偷偷向我微笑的那個時刻，我差不多都要放棄希望了?，F(xiàn)在，我終于有了屬于自己的家。當(dāng)我把一卷新書放在書架上時，我對它說“呆在這兒永遠(yuǎn)別動，一直到我閉眼的時候”，這話讓我興奮得顫栗了。這座房屋的租期是二十年，我一定活不了那么長時間；不過，即使能活那么久，我也有錢來付租金和填飽肚子。

I think with compassion of the unhappy mortals for whom no such sun will ever rise. I should like to add to the Litany1 a new petition: "For all inhabitants of great towns, and especially for all such as dwell in lodgings, boarding-houses, flats, or any other sordid substitute for Home which need or foolishness may have contrived." In vain I have pondered the Stoic virtues. I know that it is folly to fret about the spot of one's abode on this little earth.

我滿懷同情地想到那些不幸的人們，那些生命中永遠(yuǎn)不會再有太陽升起的人。我想在連禱文里加上一句祈禱：“為了大城市的所有居民，尤其為了那些因為窘迫或愚蠢而住在寄宿舍、家庭旅館、公寓或其他‘家’的可憐替代品里的人們。”我苦苦思索斯多葛派的美德卻不得其要。我知道一個人為自己在這小小地球上的住所而煩惱是愚蠢的。

All places that the eye of heaven visits

天堂之眼眷顧的所有地方

Are to the wise man ports and happy havens.

對于智者都是避風(fēng)港和幸福地。

But I have always worshipped wisdom afar off. In the sonorous period of the philosopher, in the golden measure of the poet, I find it of all things lovely. To its possession I shall never attain. What will it serve me to pretend a virtue of which I am incapable? To me the place and manner of my abode is of supreme import; let it be confessed, and there an end of it. I am no cosmopolite. Were I to think that I should die away from England, the thought would be dreadful to me. And in England, this is the dwelling of my choice; this is my home.

然而，我對智慧從來都是遙遙相拜的。在哲學(xué)家洪亮的句讀中，在詩人耀目的詩節(jié)間，我發(fā)現(xiàn)智慧在所有的事物中是最可愛的。我永遠(yuǎn)不會想要占有它，假裝有智慧對我有什么好處呢？對我來說，住所的位置和樣式是最重要的；我承認(rèn)了，就此打住。我也不是四海為家的人，只要一想到客死異國他鄉(xiāng)，我便感到恐懼。英格蘭是我心儀的棲身之處，這里是我的家。