閱讀的價值

The Commerce of Reading

閱讀的價值

Michel de Montaigne

蒙田

作者簡介

蒙田（Michel de Montaigne，1533—1592），文藝復(fù)興時期最具影響力的法國作家之一，歐洲近代散文的創(chuàng)始人，代表作為晚年所寫的《蒙田隨筆》（Essays）。

在《蒙田隨筆》中，作者幾乎無所不談，日常生活、傳統(tǒng)習(xí)俗、人生哲理等都有涉及，他旁征博引了許多古希臘、古羅馬作家的論述。各章篇幅長短不一，文章結(jié)構(gòu)隨意自然，文筆平易通暢，語言生動而充滿睿智。該書與《培根隨筆》（Bacon’s Essays）和《帕斯卡爾思想錄》（Pascal’s Pensées）一起，被譽為歐洲近代哲理散文三大經(jīng)典。

本文即節(jié)選自《蒙田隨筆》。該書出版于1580年，本篇經(jīng)威廉.哈茲利特（William Hazlitt）根據(jù)17世紀查爾斯.科頓（Charles Cotton）的經(jīng)典英譯本修改而成。從文中可見，蒙田對讀書之樂深有體會，但又不為書所縛，能夠以理智的態(tài)度對待閱讀，他深邃辯證的思考值得愛書人細細領(lǐng)悟。

The [commerce of books] goes side by side with me in my whole course, and everywhere is assisting to me; it comforts me in my age and solitude; it eases me of a troublesome weight of idleness, and it delivers me at all hours from company that I dislike; and it blunts the point of griefs if they are not extreme, and have got an entire possession of my soul.

To divert myself from a troublesome fancy’tis[1] but to run to my books; they presently fix me to them, and drive the other out of my thoughts; and do not mutiny at seeing I have only recourse to them for want of other more real, natural, and lively conveniences; they always receive me with the same kindness. “He may well go a-foot,” say they, “who leads his horse in his hand.”

...

人生旅途中，我始終與書相伴而行。每當(dāng)我需要幫助，書給我指引；當(dāng)我年老孤寂，書給我寬慰；書讓我免于無所事事，隨時帶我遠離我厭惡的人群，緩解我未到極致的悲傷。書已占據(jù)我的全部靈魂。

為逃離白日夢的煩擾，我奔向書的懷抱；書即刻吸引我的注意，將旁心雜念盡數(shù)驅(qū)散；我依賴書，只為尋求更加真實、自然、鮮活之物；書也從不背叛，始終以善意相待。書中有云：“揚鞭策馬者，亦有步行時。”

……

In the experience and practice of this sentence, which is a very true one, all the benefit I reap from books consists; and yet I make as little use of it almost as those who know it not; I enjoy it as a miser does his money, in knowing that I may enjoy it when I please; my mind is satisfied with this right of possession. I never travel without books, either in peace or war; and yet I sometimes pass over several days, and sometimes months, without looking at them; I will read by and by, say I to myself, or tomorrow, or when I please, and time meanwhile steals away without any inconvenience; for it is not to be imagined to what degree I please myself, and rest content in this consideration, that I have them by me, to divert myself with them when I am so disposed, and call to mind what an ease and assistance they are to my life. ’Tis the best viaticum I have yet found out for this human journey, and I very much pity those men of understanding who are unprovided with it. I rather accept of any sort of diversion, how light soever, in the feeling that this can never fail me.

When at home, I a little more frequent my library from whence I at once survey all the whole concerns of my family. As I enter it, I thence see under me my garden, court, and base-court, and into all the parts of the building. There I turn over now one book, and then another, of various subjects, without method or design. One while I meditate; another I record, and dictate as I walk to and fro, such whimsies as these with which I here present you.

’Tis in the third story of a tower, of which the ground-room is my chapel, the second story an apartment with a with drawing-room and closet, where I often lie to be more retired; above it is this great wardrobe, which formerly was the most useless part of the house. In that room I pass away most of the days of my life, and most of the hours of the day; in the night I am never there. There is within it a cabinet handsome and neat enough, with a very convenient fireplace for the winter, and windows that afford a great deal of light, and very pleasant prospects; and were I not afraid, less of the expense than of the trouble, that frights me from all business, I could very easily adjoin on either side, and on the same floor, a gallery of an hundred paces long, and twelve broad, having sound walls already raised for some other design, to the requisite height.

Every place of retirement requires a walk; my thoughts sleep if I sit still; my fancy does not go by itself, my legs must move it; and all those that study without a book, are in the same condition. The figure of my study is round, and has no more bare wall than what is taken up by my table and chair; so that the remaining parts of the circle present me a view of all my books at once, set upon five rows of shelves round about me.

It has three noble and wide prospects, and is sixteen paces in diameter. I am not so continually there in winter; for my house is built upon an eminence, and no part of it is so much exposed to the wind and weather as that, which pleases me the better for being of troublesome access and a little remote, as well upon the account of exercise, as being also there more retired from the crowd. ’Tis there that I am in my kingdom, and there I endeavor to make myself an absolute monarch, and to sequester this one corner from all society, whether conjugal, filial, or social; elsewhere I have but verbal authority only, and of a confused essence. That man, in my opinion, is very miserable, who has not a home where to be by himself, where to entertain himself alone, or to conceal himself from others.

...

此話乃真知灼見，一語道破書的種種益處，經(jīng)得起細細體味，乃至實踐檢驗。不過，正如那些不知開卷有益之人一般，我對書遠未物盡其用。我愛書，正如守財奴愛錢；他們想到擁有金錢就心花怒放，我則想到擁有書籍就心滿意足。無論戰(zhàn)爭年代還是和平時期，我外出旅行必攜書同往；可有時一連幾天，甚至數(shù)月，我都無暇捧書；我告訴自己，回頭再看，明天再讀，或有了興致再說吧。然而，時間早在不知不覺中溜走。難以想象，書給了我多少歡樂。只要有書相伴，我就樂在其中；想到書帶來的慰藉和幫助，我就心滿意足。書是我在人生旅途中發(fā)現(xiàn)的最佳食糧。在我看來，無書做伴之人實在可憐！書帶給我的每一種愉悅，無論多么微不足道，我都欣然接受。因為我深知，書永遠不會令我失望。

在家時，我經(jīng)常待在書房，全家上下盡收眼底。走進書房，向下俯視，花園、庭院、后院、屋子的大小角落，都一覽無余。在書房，我時而看看這本，時而翻翻那本，隨心所欲地瀏覽各類書籍。我有時陷入沉思，有時做些記錄；一邊來回踱步，一邊口授隨感；眼前這篇小文，便是我一時興起之作。

書房位于塔樓三層。塔樓一層是禮拜堂，二層是帶客廳和壁櫥的套房，我的休憩之所，三層的書房原是整座房子最沒用的大更衣室。我生活的大部分時光、白天的大部分時間，都在書房度過；但我晚上從不待在這里。書房里的小隔間舒適整潔，帶有冬日取暖的壁爐，還有幾扇窗戶；屋里光線充足，屋外風(fēng)景宜人。其實，書房與同層另一側(cè)的屋子之間，已有兩堵高度合適的堅實墻壁，完全可以建個百步長、12步寬的小長廊；但我不愛花錢，更怕麻煩，想到此類瑣事就覺頭疼。

每個休憩之所都該有踱步的空間；如果我靜坐不動，思維就會陷入沉睡；只有雙腿活動起來，思想才會隨之前行。有些人不用書也能學(xué)習(xí)，原因正在于此。我的書房呈圓形，墻邊除了一張書桌和一把椅子外，全是書架。我被五排書架環(huán)繞，所有藏書一覽無余。

書房直徑約16步，三面視野開闊，景色優(yōu)美。冬天，我不會一直待在這兒，因為書房居高臨下，風(fēng)霜雨雪皆無遮擋。不過，當(dāng)初我愛上這里，正是因為它地處偏僻，進出不便，不僅遠離塵囂，還可鍛煉腿腳。書房是我專制的王國，我在此自封為王；在這個與世隔絕的角落，我能真正擺脫所有姻親和社交往來；而在別處，我只有口頭權(quán)威，并無實際用處。在我看來，人若沒有一個獨處自娛、逃離喧囂的港灣，實屬悲哀。

……

If any one shall tell me that it is to degrade the muses to make use of them only for sport, and to pass away the time, I shall tell him that he does not know the value of that sport and pastime so well as I do; I can hardly forebear to add further, that all other end is ridiculous. I live from hand to mouth, and, with reverence be it spoken, only live for myself; to that all my designs tend, and in that terminate. I studied when young for ostentation; since, to make myself wise; and now for my diversion, never for gain. A vain and prodigal humor that I had after this sort of furniture, not only for supplying my own need, but moreover for ornament and outward show, I have long ago quite abandoned.

Books have many charming qualities to such as know how to choose them; but every good has its ill; ’tis a pleasure that is not pure and unmixed any more than others; it has its inconveniences, and great ones too; the mind, indeed, is exercised by it, but the body, the care of which I have not forgotten, remains in the meantime without action, grows heavy and melancholy. I know no excess more prejudicial to me, nor more to be avoided in my declining age.

如果有人告訴我說，只將沉思視為運動，用來打發(fā)時間，是有失體統(tǒng)的。那么我要告訴他，他不像我這樣了解這種“運動”和“消遣”的價值。我不想多說什么，多說無益。我生活清貧，只能勉強糊口。如果說得體面些，我只是為自己而活。這是我的人生追求，也是我的生活目標。年輕時，我學(xué)習(xí)只為炫耀；后來，是為了更睿智；如今，我只為消遣，不再試圖從中獲利。過去，我讀書不僅為滿足自身需要，還為炫耀所學(xué)。而現(xiàn)在，我早已打消了這種虛榮、賣弄的念頭。

對于懂得如何選書之人而言，書的魅力難擋。然而，事無完美。閱讀的樂趣，與其他消遣一樣，并不純粹。閱讀既有優(yōu)點，也有缺陷。閱讀確實可以鍛煉心智，但與此同時，身體卻會缺乏鍛煉，以致體重增加、情緒低落。不過，我倒是一直重視鍛煉身體。走向暮年之后，我懂得了閱讀也須適可而止，趨利避害。

[1] 編者注：tis即it is