英語美文鑒賞 044

It is physically impossible for a well-educated intellectual, or brave man to make money the chief object① of his thoughts; as physically impossible as it is for him to make his dinner the principal object of them.

一個受過良好教育、有頭腦的、有膽識的人完全不可能將金錢當作他考慮的主要對象，正如他完全不可能將美餐當做他主要考慮對象一樣。

All healthy people like their dinner, but their dinner is not the main object of their lives. So all healthy-minded people like making money--ought to like it and to enjoy the sensation② of winning; but the main object of their lives is not money; it is something better than money.

所有健康的人都喜歡享用美餐，但美餐并不是他們生活的主要目標。同樣道理，所有思想健全的人都喜歡掙錢--喜歡并體驗掙到鈔票的興奮感是正當?shù)?然而，他們生活的主要目標并不是金錢，而是比金錢更珍貴的東西。

A good soldier, for instance③, mainly wishes to do his fighting well. He is glad of his pay--very properly so --and justly grumbles④ when you keep him ten months without it; still, his main notion⑤ of life is to win battles, not to be paid for winning them.

例如，一位優(yōu)秀的士兵主要想打好仗。他為自己的薪餉感到高興--完全合乎情理;假如，你扣發(fā)他十個月軍餉，他發(fā)牢騷理所應當。不過，他的人生主要目標仍然是打勝仗，并非為了薪餉而打勝仗。

And so with all other brave and rightly trained men: their work is first, their fee is second, very important always, but still second.

所有其他有膽識的、受過正當培訓的人也是如此：他們總是工作第一、報酬第二。報酬盡管總是非常重要，但還是第二。

But in every nation, there is a vast class of people who are cowardly⑥, and more or less stupid. And with these people, just as certainly the fee is first and the work second, as with brave people the work is first and the fee second.

可是，在每個國家，都有一大批怯懦的、多少有點愚蠢的人。對于這些人而言，無疑是報酬第一、工作第二，正如有膽識的人工作第一、報酬第二一樣。

And this is no small distinction⑦. It is the whole distinction in a man. You cannot serve two masters; you must serve one or the other. If your work is first with you, and your fee is second, work is your master.

這決非細微差異，這是根本性差異，區(qū)分一個人的根本性差異。你不能侍奉兩個主人，你必須侍奉其中一個，非此即彼。假如就你而言是工作第一、報酬第二，那么工作就是你的主人。

Observe, then, all wise work is mainly threefold⑧ in character. It is honest, useful, and cheerful. I hardly know anything stranger than that you recognize honesty in play, and do not in work.

請注意，一切明確的工作本質上都具有三重性：誠實、有用和愉悅。人們在娛樂中講究誠實而在工作中卻不講誠實--據(jù)我所知，沒有比這更奇怪的事情了。

In your lightest games you have always someone to see what you call "fair play". In boxing you must hit fair; in racing, start fair. Your watchword is fair play; your hatred, foul play. Did it ever strike you that you wanted another watchword⑨ also, fair work, and another hatred also, foul⑩ work?

在最不重要的比賽中，你總是請人做裁判，確保人們常說的公平競賽。拳擊中，你出拳必須公正;賽跑時，你起跑必須公正。你的口號就是公正比賽，你所深惡痛絕的就是違反規(guī)則。那么，你可曾想過，你還需要另一個口號，那就是老老實實地工作;你深惡痛絕的應是投機取巧。

①object n. 目標

②sensation n. 感覺

③for instance 比如

④grumble v. 抱怨

⑤notion n. 打算

⑥cowardly a. 膽怯的

⑦distinction n. 區(qū)別

⑧threefold a. 三方面的

⑨watchword n. 口令

⑩foul a. 骯臟的