雙語|現(xiàn)代散文:金圣華 書與人

Books and Man 書與人

◎ Jin Shenghua ◎ 金圣華

A friend of mine，having been actively involved in the arena of love for some time，finally became weary of it and，containing himself，quietly retired to his study to spend time with books all day long.

有朋友在情場上轟轟烈烈的馳騁了一陣，終于累了，最后，收拾情心，悄悄退回書齋之中，終日與書本為伍。

He was no longer heard sighing deeply．On the contrary，he now had a peaceful mind and felt everything was bright and clear and the world wide and open.

再不聽到他唉聲嘆氣，只覺他心情平和，仿佛一切都豁然開朗，天地廣闊了許多。

It is very dangerous to let somebody be master of your sentiments，such as joy，anger，pleasure and sorrow．For example，you are elated simply because the other party looks cheerful，you are jumpy simply because the other party looks put out．Consequently，you are completely at the mercy of the other party as regards your own mood．Is it worth it？

把自己的喜怒哀樂，完全寄托在另外一個人身上，原是一件十分危險的事。對方喜則自己心花怒放，對方怒則自己心驚膽戰(zhàn)，對方的一笑一顰，完全控制著自己的情緒起落，這又何苦呢？

As to books，things are entirely different.

面對書本，則完全沒有這種麻煩。

It is much easier to choose a book than a friend．One who is poor at speech and shuns socializing will nevertheless feel like being surrounded by friends while sauntering freely in the midst of books.

擇書比擇友簡單得多。不擅辭令、厭惡應酬的人，可以自由自在的徜徉于書林之中，游目四顧，俯拾皆友。

Some books are to be read cursorily，and some are to be chewed and digested．None will ever call you fickle-minded，and none will ever demand that you be constant in your affection．You can go from one book to another．And you can read your favourite book over and over again．When you lay aside the book you dislike，none will ever feel hurt or disappointed．While interpersonal relations are most complicated，what about your relations with books？Devote your time to studies，and you will be able to acquire any knowledge no matter how profound it is.

看書，可以博覽，可以細嚼，沒有人會怪你喜新厭舊，也沒有人要求你從一而終。你大可以從一本換到另一本，喜愛的書，不妨一讀再讀；不耐看的書，又可隨手拋下，誰也不會因此而傷心失望。人際關系錯綜復雜，那“書際關系”呢？只要花點時間去了解，再高深的學問也弄得明白。

While being confined to your small room with a book in your hand，your mind will be roaming throughout the world．You will not only have a heart-to-heart chat with Laozi[1] and Zhuangzi[2]，but also converse with Plato．When you are in a mood，Keats and Shelley will whisper to you soothingly，and Balzac will amuse you with stories from his La Comédie humaine．And a galaxy of talented friends like Li Bai[3]，Du Fu[4]，Oscar Wilde，Shakespeare…will come to you at your call.

手持一書，吟哦于四壁之中，神游于四海之外，既可以與老莊談心，又可以跟柏拉圖對話。心情煩悶時，濟慈、雪萊在你耳畔喁喁細語，巴爾扎克為你搬演“人間喜劇”，還有李白、杜甫、王爾德、莎士比亞……一大堆才華橫溢的朋友等著你呼喚前來。

If you are lonely，why not seek the company of books？

找不到朋友時，為什么不翻翻書？

《書與人》選自香港中文大學教授金圣華著的雜文集《橋畔閑眺》。文章簡潔精辟，寓莊于諧，權衡“情場”與“書林”的輕重得失，語重心長，堪稱勸學佳篇。