《四季隨筆》節(jié)選 - 春 17

《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，是英國文學中小品文的珍品之一。

以下是由網友分享的《四季隨筆》節(jié)選 - 春 17的內容，讓我們一起來感受吉辛的四季吧!

A day of almost continuous rain, yet for me a day of delight. I had breakfasted, and was poring over the map of Devon (how I love a good map!) to trace an expedition that I have in view, when a knock came at my door, and Mrs. M. bore in a great brown-paper parcel, which I saw at a glance must contain books. The order was sent to London a few days ago; I had not expected to have my books so soon. With throbbing heart I set the parcel on a clear table; eyed it whilst I mended the fire; then took my pen-knife, and gravely, deliberately, though with hand that trembled, began to unpack.

今天，雨淅淅瀝瀝下個不停，而我的心情卻是愉快的。吃過早飯，我俯身研究德文郡地圖（一幅好地圖真是我的心頭寶貝?。。胝页鲆粭l探險路線，這時傳來敲門聲，M夫人拿進來一個棕色紙包裹，我一眼看去便知道里面裝的是書。訂單是幾天前發(fā)到倫敦的，我沒想到這么快書就送到了。我懷著激動的心情，把包裹放在一張干凈的桌子上，一面撥弄爐火一面看著它。然后我拿起一把小刀，手微微有些顫抖，鄭重其事地開始拆封。

It is a joy to go through booksellers' catalogues, ticking here and there a possible purchase. Formerly, when I could seldom spare money, I kept catalogues as much as possible out of sight; now I savour them page by page, and make a pleasant virtue of the discretion I must need impose upon myself. But greater still is the happiness of unpacking volumes which one has bought without seeing them. I am no hunter of rarities; I care nothing for first editions and for tall copies; what I buy is literature, food for the soul of man. The first glimpse of bindings when the inmost protective wrapper has been folded back! The first scent of BOOKS! The first gleam of a gilded title! Here is a work the name of which has been known to me for half a lifetime, but which I never yet saw; I take it reverently in my hand, gently I open it; my eyes are dim with excitement as I glance over chapter-headings, and anticipate the treat which awaits me. Who, more than I, has taken to heart that sentence of the Imitatio16—”In omnibus requiem quaesivi, et nusquam inveni nisi in angulo cum libro"?

瀏覽書商的目錄，在想買的商品上畫勾，這真是一件樂事。從前囊中羞澀時，我總盡量把目錄放在眼睛看不到的地方；而現(xiàn)在，我可以一頁一頁地細細翻看，并提醒自己選購時一定要保持克制的美德，真是愉快啊。而更大的快樂在于，拆開那些你已購買但還沒有看到的書。我不是珍本善本的獵奇者，對第一版和精裝版也毫不在意。我買的是文學，是人類靈魂的食糧。拆開最里面的包裝紙，第一眼看到書的裝訂！第一次聞到書香！看到那燙金的書名發(fā)出的第一縷光亮！這里面有一本書，我知道它的名字有大半輩子那么久了，但還從沒拜讀過。我恭恭敬敬地將它捧在手心，輕輕打開。目光掃過那些章節(jié)和題目，預想到等待我的是怎樣的盛宴，我的眼睛因為興奮而有些模糊了。誰比我更能心領神會《效法基督》里那句“在一切事物中我追求安靜，但是我得不到它，除非在一個角落里手執(zhí)著一卷書？”

I had in me the making of a scholar. With leisure and tranquility of mind, I should have amassed learning. Within the walls of a college, I should have lived so happily, so harmlessly, my imagination ever busy with the old world. In the introduction to his History of France, Michelet17 says: "J'ai passe e cote du monde, et j'ai pris l'histoire pour la vie." That, as I can see now, was my true ideal; through all my battlings and miseries I have always lived more in the past than in the present. At the time when I was literally starving in London, when it seemed impossible that I should ever gain a living by my pen, how many days have I spent at the British Museum, reading as disinterestedly as if I had been without a care! It astounds me to remember that, having breakfasted on dry bread, and carrying in my pocket another piece of bread to serve for dinner, I settled myself at a desk in the great Reading-Room with books before me which by no possibility could be a source of immediate profit. At such a time, I worked through German tomes on Ancient Philosophy. At such a time, I read Appuleius18 and Lucian19, Petronius20 and the Greek Anthology, Diogenes Laertius21 and—heaven knows what! My hunger was forgotten; the garret to which I must return to pass the night never perturbed my thoughts. On the whole, it seems to me something to be rather proud of; I smile approvingly at that thin, white-faced youth. Me? My very self? No, no! He has been dead these thirty years.

我是有做學者的資質的。如果有閑暇和安寧的心境，我應該可以積累學識。在大學的象牙塔中，我應該可以生活得快快樂樂，與世無爭，永遠流連在對古老世界的想象中。在那本《法國歷史》的序言中，米什萊說道：“我從世界的邊緣上經過，我以歷史為生活?！爆F(xiàn)在看來，那是我真正的理想。在經歷所有的艱辛和苦難時，我總是生活在過去而不是現(xiàn)在。當我在倫敦忍饑挨餓，靠賣文謀生似乎是天方夜譚的時候，在大英博物館我手不釋卷地度過了多少個日子，不帶任何功利性，似乎沒任何煩惱。想到當時我早餐吃一片干面包，兜里再放上一片作為晚餐，而安坐在大閱覽室里，桌上擺著一些不會立刻給我?guī)砗锰幍臅?，就讓我感到吃驚。在那時候，我讀了論述古代哲學的大部頭德國書籍。在那時候，我讀了阿普列尤斯、琉善、佩特羅尼烏斯、《希臘詩文選》、第歐根尼·拉爾修以及……天知道還有哪些！我忘卻了饑餓，就連晚上必須回去過夜的閣樓也從沒擾亂我的思緒?？偟恼f來，在我看來，這是非常值得驕傲的事情，我向那個瘦削蒼白的年輕人投以贊許的微笑。那是我嗎？真的是我嗎？不，不！他已經死了三十年了。

Scholarship in the high sense was denied me, and now it is too late. Yet here am I gloating over Pausanias, and promising myself to read every word of him. Who that has any tincture of old letters would not like to read Pausanias, instead of mere quotations from him and references to him? Here are the volumes of Dahn's Die Konige der Germanen22: who would not like to know all he can about the Teutonic conquerors of Rome? And so on, and so on. To the end I shall be reading—and forgetting. Ah, that's the worst of it! Had I at command all the knowledge I have at any time possessed, I might call myself a learned man. Nothing surely is so bad for the memory as long-enduring worry, agitation, fear. I cannot preserve more than a few fragments of what I read, yet read I shall, persistently, rejoicingly. Would I gather erudition for a future life? Indeed, it no longer troubles me that I forget. I have the happiness of the passing moment, and what more can mortal ask?

高層次的學術成就，我過去沒有取得，現(xiàn)在也為時太晚。而我現(xiàn)在還貪婪地讀著佩特羅尼烏斯，下決心細細研讀他的著作。對古典文學有興趣的人哪一個不愿研讀佩特羅尼烏斯的原著，而只滿足于對他作品的引用和評述??？這里還有達恩的《日耳曼國王》多卷本，誰不想盡可能多地了解羅馬的條頓征服者??？當然還遠不止這些。而到最后，我會邊讀—邊忘。啊！這是最糟糕的事情！如果能把擁有過的知識全部掌握，我可能會稱自己為博學之士。無疑，對記憶最有害的莫過于長期的憂慮、不安和恐懼。我雖然只能記住書中的幾個片段，但我還會堅持不懈、滿懷喜悅地閱讀。我還需要為以后的生活積累艱深的學問嗎？的確，現(xiàn)在遺忘已經不再讓我煩惱了。我可以享受每一個轉瞬即逝的快樂時刻，試問一個凡人還能有更高的要求嗎？