富兰克林自传——The-Autobiography-of-Benjamin-Franklin.doc

富兰克林自传The Autobiography of Benjamin FranklinAbout this time I met with an odd volume of the Spectator.I had never before seen any of them.I bought it,read it over and over,and was much delighted with it. I thought the writing excellent,and wished ,if possible,to imitate it. With that view I took some of the papers,and,making shout hints of the sentiments in each sentence,laid them by a few days,and then,without looking at he hook,tried to complete the papers again,by expressing each hinted sentiment at length,and as fully as it had been expressed before,in any suitable words that should occur to me.Then I compared them.But I found I wanted a stock of words,or a readiness in recollecting and using them,which I thought I should have acquired before that time if I had gone on making verse;since the continual search for words of the same import,but dof different length,to suit the measure,or of different sound for the rhythm,would have laid me under a constant necessity of searching for variety,and also have tended to fix that variety in my mind,and make me master of it.Therefore I took some of the tales in the Spectator,and turned them into verse;and,after a time,when I had pretty wll forgotten the prose,turned them back again.I also sometimes jumbled my collection of hints into confusion,and after some weeks endeavored to reduce them into the best order,before I began to form the full sentences and complete the subject.This was to teach me method in the arragement of the thoughts.By comparing my work with the orginal,I discovered many faults and corrected them;but I sometimes had the pleasure to fancy that, in particulars of small consequence,I had been fortunate enough to improve the method or the language,and this encouraged me to think that I might in time comt to be tolerate English writer,of which I was extremely ambitious.差不多这一时期我得到一本叫旁观者的奇怪册子。以前我从未卡过任何一本。我买了它，读了又读，我认为书中的文章极佳，如果可以的话，甚至想模仿它。所以，我把一些文章的每一句的大意节录出来，放了几天，并不看这本书，尝试再完成这些文章，即自己用适合的词来概括大意，要和以前所表示的一样。于是我把我的旁观者和原文相较，找出我的错误之处而加以更正。但是我觉得我缺乏单词的累积，不能够随时忆起与引用，我想我如果一直继续作诗便能够办得到，因为常常要用同义且长短不同和音韵各异的词以合辙与押韵，那么我则必须经常搜寻许多词汇，也可使这许多词萦留脑中，以便能运用它。于是我把有些故事转为诗歌，隔了一阵子，等我把这散文全忘了时，重新把它们转为散文，有时还将我所集合的大意打乱，隔了几星期，再努力使它们成为极佳的顺序，然后再写出完整的句子，写出整篇文章。这样我学会了思想排列法。后来把我的文章与原文比较，发现了很多错误并改正。但是我有时引以为乐，尤其取得了小小的成果，那就是我非常幸运地在思想方法与语言上都有进步，而这个想像鼓励我想到以后我也许可能成为以为不错的英文作家，关于这点我既有信心。When I adbanced any thing that might possibly be disputed,the words certainly,undoubteldly,ot any others that gave the air of positiveness to an opinion;but rather said,I conceive or apprehend a thing to be so and so;it appears to me,or I should not think it so or so,for such and such reasons;or I imagine it to be so;or it is so,if I am not mistaken.This habit,I believe,has been of great advantag to me when I have had occasion to inculcate my opinions,and persuade men into measures that I have been from time to time engaged in promting;and,as the chief ends of conversation are to inform or to be informed,to please or to persuade, I wish wellmeaning and sensible men would not lessen their power of doing good by a positive,assuming manner,that seldom fails to disgust,tends to create opposition,and to defeat most of those purposes for which speech was given to us.当我进行一件必须辩驳的事情时，如“确实”、“无疑”和其他产生一种意见执拗的神态者的词，我是绝不用的，只好说“我猜想”或“恐怕这事是这样”“我似乎认为”或“因为这样的理由我想也许是如此的”或者“我猜想这该是如此”或“是如此，如果不是我错误”。这种习惯，我相信，对我曾有很大的用处，当把我的意见讲给别人听，使人易于顺从。谈话的主要目的是对别人说或听别人说，顺从人或说服别人，我希望好意和明智的人不要以固执和假定的态度来减少他们做好事的能力，这样就不会引人厌恶，不大会产生矛盾，也不大会损坏语言赋予我们去实现的绝大部分目的。In fact,if you wish to instruct others,a positive and dogmatical manner in advacing your sentiments may occasion opposition and prevent a candid attention.If you desire instruction and improbement from others,you should not,at the same time,express yourself fixed in your present opinions.Modest and sensible men,who do not love disputation,will leave you undisturbed in the possession of your errors.In adopting such a manner,you can seldom expect to please your hearers,or obtain the concurrence you desire.Pope judiciously observes,“Men must be taught as if you taught them not,and things unknown proposed as thing forget,”He also recommends it to us“To speak,though sure,with seeming diffidence.”And he might have joined with this line that what which he has coupled with another,I think,less properly,“For want of modesty is want of sense.”If you ask,Why less properly?I must repeat the lines,“Immodest word admit of no defense,for want of modesty is want of sense.”Now is not the want of sense (where a man is so unfortunate as to want t)some apology for his want of modesty?and would not the lines stand more justly thus?“Immodest word admit but this defense,that want of modesty is want of sense.”其实你要说给人家听，不论你固执的想法和不可动摇的态度都会引起反感而制止人家去注意。你愿意征求别人的意见时，你不应该仍是坚持你现在的意见，有礼和明白的人，他们不喜欢辩驳，或许会离开你，不扰乱你所有的错误。若以这样的态度，你多少希望你自己能得到听众的欢心，或诱使赞同你的愿望。蒲柏明断地说道：教人以非教，人将从汝教，谓之曰偶忘，使彼有不知。更进而劝告我们，“虽确实，言之要谦逊。”虽这一联已另外配上一句，我想，更适当的是：“因唔谦逊心，便成无意识。”如果你问，要怎样才适？我便会反复念诵下面的话：“若是不谦逊，不能掩其失，因唔谦逊心，便感无意识。”现在有些人辩驳他的无谦逊心是否无意识呢？那么下面的句子不是更确切吗？“若是不逊辞，辩护此一说，因无谦逊心，便成无意识。”“Seest thou a man diligent in his calling,he shall stand before kings,he shall not stand before mean men”Solomom凡一生勤劳之人，他将要站在帝王之前，而不站在卑贱者之前。It was about this time I conceived the bold and arduous project of arribing at moral perfection.I wished to live without committing any fault at any time,and to conquer all that either natural inclination,custom,or company might lead me into.As I knew,or thought I knew,what was right and wrong,I did not see why I might not always do the one and avoid the other.But I soon found I had undertaken a task of more difficulty thatn I had imagined.While my attention was taken up,and employed in guarding against on fault,I was often surprised by another;habit took the advantage of inattention;inclination was some times too strong for reason.I concluded,at length,that the mere speculative conviction that it was our interest to e completely virtuous,was not sufficient to prevent our slipping;and that the contrary habits must be broken,and good ones acquired and established,before we can have any dependence on a steady,uniform recitude of conduct.For this purpose I therefore tried the following method.大概在此时期我想起道德圆满的勇敢和坚毅的计划。无论何时我愿意过着没有荒谬行为的生活；我必须克服一切的自然倾向，习惯或伴侣的诱惑。既然我知，或自以为知，什么是对的或是错的，我不明白为什么我不能常去做这一件事和避免那另一件事。但是我立即觉得我已担负了一个任务，其困难超出我意料之外。当我的注意力是用来监视某一种过失时，常常又被其他的过失吓倒了。习惯有轻忽之利。嗜好有时比任何理由强烈。但是到了后来，我得出结论，人们都想要做道德高尚之人，但仅仅是沉思默想，仍不足以防范我们的过失；只有坏的习惯被摒弃，拥有且建立好的习惯之后，我们才能够信赖始终如一的真正行为。为了这个目的，于是我想出下面的方法。In the various enumerations of the moral virtues I had met with in my reading.I found the catalogue more or less numerous,as differet writers included more or fewer ideas under the same name.Temperance,for example,was by some confined to eating and drinking,while by others it was extended to meam the moderating every other pleasure,appetite,inclination,or passion,bodily or mental,even to our avarice and ambition.I proposed to myself,for the aske of clearness, to use rather more names,with fewer ideas annexed to each,than a few names with more ideas;and I included under thirteen names of virtues all that at that timw occurred to me as necessary or desirable,and annexed to each a short precept,which fully expressed the extent I gave to its meaning.These names of virtues,with their precepts,were,1.Temperance.Eat not to dullness;drink not to elevation.2.Slience.Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself;avoid trifling conversation.3.Order.Let all your things have their places;let each part of your business have its time.4.Resolution.Resolve to perform what you ought;perform without fall what you resolve.5.Frugality.Make no expense but to do good go others or yourself;that is,waste nothing.6.Industry.Lose no time;be always employed in something useful;cut off all unnecessary actions.7.Sincerity.Use no hurtful deceit;think innocently and justly;and if you speak,speak accordingly.8.Justice.Wrong none by doing injuries,or omitting the benefits that are your duty.9.Moderation.Aviod extremes;forbear resenting injuries so much as your think they deserve.10.Cleanliness.Tolerate no uncleanliness in body,clothes,or habithation.11.Tranquillity.Be not disturbed at trifles,or at accidents common or unavoidable.12.Chastity.Rarely use venery bat for health or offspring,never to dullness,weakness,or injury of your own or naothers peace or reputation.13.Humility.Imitation Jesus and Socrates.我曾在书上读到各种的道德名词，而这些名词的意义略有不同，不同的作者在同样的名词下所赋予的观念或多或少有些不一样。例如节制一次，有些人只限于饮食，而别人却引申到节制其他的乐事，嗜酒，性癖，情感，肉体或精神，甚至引申到我们的贪婪和野心。我想，为了条理分明，宁可多用名词，它们涵盖简易的解释，只有极少的名词才意思彼此相混。这些包括十三个道德的名词，我认为是善或适当的，每一个名词以短短的定义，充分地表示我所辖的定义。这些道德之名词，包含它们各自之含义，是1. 节制。食不过饱，饮不过量。2. 沉默。非于人于己有利之言不谈；避免琐碎的谈话。3. 秩序。一切该有它们的位置；每个工作都有它的处理时间。4. 决断。决定做你该做的事；并成功地完成你决定的事。5. 俭朴。非于人于己有利者不去消费，即为不浪费。6. 勤劳。不要浪费时间，要常常用之于有用之事；抛弃一切不必要的行动。7. 诚恳。勿为有害之欺诈；勿思邪，必公正；如有言，言必诚恳。8. 公平。不做损害他人之事，不遗自身所得之利。9. 中庸。勿趋极端，抑止因受害而怒愤，但以为应得。10. 清洁。勿有不洁于身，衣服与习惯均是。11. 宁静。勿为琐事或平常不可避免之事而自扰。12. 贞洁。非为了健康和后嗣不纵欲，勿致使你的或其他人的安宁或名誉滞钝，衰弱或损害。13. 谦逊。效法耶稣与苏格拉底。My intention being to acquire the habitude of all these virtues,I judged it would be wll not to distract my attention by attempting the whole at once,but to fix it on one of them at time;and ,then I should be master of that,then to proceed to another,and so on,till I should have gone through the thirteen ;and ,as the previous of acquistion of some might facilitate the acquistion of certain others,I arranged them with that view,as they stand above.Temperance first,as it tends to procure that coolness and cleaness of head,which is so necessary where constant vigilance was to be kept up,and a guard maintained against the unremitting attraction of ancient habits,and the force of perpetual temptations,This being acquired and established,Silence would be more easy;and my desire being to gain knowledge at the same time that I improved in virtue,and considering that in conversation it was obtained rather by the use of the ear than of