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新浪首页 > 新浪教育 > 《英语学习》2003年2期 > 谈结婚与独身

Of Marriage and Single Life
http://www.sina.com.cn 2003/03/27 11:51  《英语学习》

  文学作品是一种语言的精髓。随着英语水平的提高和英语知识的普及,大学生们越来越迫切地需要在语言学习上有一个质的飞跃。文学作品的阅读和欣赏无疑是一个很好的途径。这不仅有助于提高英语水平,更可以借此登堂入室,进入丰富多彩的文学世界。由此拓展视野,丰富想像,体悟人性,品味人生,充分领略英语文学的魅力,把握文化的精髓和西方人文精神的脉动。所以,英美文学名著欣赏既是英语学习得到质的提高的途径,也是素质教育、培养人文精神的好课堂。

  He that hath wife and children, hath given hostages to fortune<注1>; for they are impediments<注2> to great enterprises, either of virtue, or mischief. Certainly, the best works, and of greatest merit for the public, have proceeded from the unmarried or childless men, which both in affection, and means, have married and endowed the public.

  Yet it were great reason, that those that have children, should have greatest care of future times, unto which, they know, they must transmit their dearest pledges<注3>. Some there are, who though they lead a single life, yet their thoughts do end with themselves, and account future times impertinences<注4>. Nay<注5>, there are some other, that account wife and children but as bills of charges<注6>. Nay more, there are some foolish rich covetous<注7> men, that take a pride inshavingsno children, because they may be thought so much the richer.

  For perhaps, they have heard some talk; Such an one is a great rich man; and another except to<注8> it; Yea, but he hath a great charge of children: as if it were an abatement<注9> to his riches. But the most ordinary cause of a single life is liberty; especially in certain self-pleasing and humourous<注10> minds, which are so sensible of every restraint, as they will go near to think their girdles and garters<注11> to be bonds and shackles<注12>. Unmarried men are best friends; best masters; best servants; but not always best subjects<注13>; for they are light to run away; and almost all fugitives<注14> are of that condition.

  A single life doth well with church men: for charity will hardly water the ground;swheresit must first fill a pool. It is indifferent<注15> for judges and magistrates: for if they be facile<注16> and corrupt, you shall have a servant five times worse than a wife. For soldiers, I find the generals commonly in their hortatives<注17> , put men in mind of their wives and children: and I think the despising of marriage<注18> amongst the Turks, maketh<注19> the vulgar soldier more base.

  Certainly, wife and children are a kind of discipline of humanity: and single men though they be many times more charitable, because their means are less exhaust; yet, on the other side, they are more cruel, and hard-hearted (good to make severe inquisitors<注20>), because their tenderness is not so oft called upon. Grave natures, led by custom, and therefore constant, are commonly loving husbands; as was said of Ulysses<注21>; vetulam suam praetulit immortalitati<注22>. Chaste<注23> women are often proud and froward<注24>, as presuming<注25> upon the merit of their chastity. It is one of the best bonds, both of chastity and obedience, in the wife, if she think her husband wise; which she will never do, if she find him jealous.

  Wives are young men's mistresses; companions for middle age; and old men's nurses. So as a man may have a quarrel to marry, when he will. But yet, he was reputed one of the wise men, that made answer to the question, when a man should marry? A young man not yet, an elder man not at all.<注26> It is often seen, that bad husbands have very good wives; whether it be, that it raiseth the price of<注27> their husbands' kindness, when it comes; or that the wives take a pride in their patience. But this never fails, if the bad husbands were of their own choosing, against their friends' consent; for then, they will be sure to make good their own folly.

谈结婚与独身

  夫人之有妻儿也不啻已向命运典质,从此难成大事,无论善恶。兴大业,立大功,往往系未婚无儿者所为,彼辈似已与公众结亲,故爱情产业并以付之。按理而论,有子女者应对未来岁月最为关切,因已将至亲骨肉托付之矣。独身者往往思虑仅及己身,以为未来与己无关。有人则视妻儿为负债。更有贪而愚者,以无儿女为荣,以为如此更可夸其富足。此辈或曾闻人议论,一云此人为大富,另一则云否也,其人有多子负担,其财必损。然独身之原因,最常见者为喜自由,尤其自娱任性之人不耐任何束缚,身上褡带亦视为桎梏。未婚者为最好之友、最好之主、最好之仆,然非最好之臣,因其身轻易遁也,故亡命徒儿全未婚。未婚适合教会中人,因如先须注水于家池则无余泽以惠人矣。然对法官行政官等则无足轻重,彼辈如收礼贪财,劣仆之害五倍于妻。至于士兵,余尝见将军以渠等妻儿所望激励之,而土耳其人鄙视婚姻,故其士兵更为卑劣。妻儿对人确为一种锻炼。单身者本可心慈过人,因其资财少耗也,实则由于不常触其心肠,反而更为严酷(因而适为审判异端之官)。庄重之人守规不渝,为夫常能爱妻,是故人云优利息斯“爱老妻胜过不朽也”。贞节之妇自恃节操,不免骄纵。欲使妻子守贞从夫,夫须有智;如妻疑夫猜忌,则断难听命矣。妻子者,青年之情妇,中年之伴侣,老年之护士也,故如决心结婚,须善择时。昔有智者答人问何时可婚,曾云:“青年未到时,老年不必矣。”常见恶夫有良妻,是否由于此辈丈夫偶尔和善,更见其可贵,抑或此类妻子以忍耐为美德欲?可确言者,如妻子不顾友朋劝告而自择恶夫,则必尽力弥补前夫。(译文选自《王佐良文集》)

  作品赏析

  男大当婚,女大当嫁,这是一个有趣的话题。

  培根从为公众服务及个人品质等多方面将结婚和单身生活进行了比较和分析,分别列举了结婚与单身对人的不同影响。在培根看来,有妻儿之人可以说是对命运之神付出了抵押品,因为家庭难免拖累事业。所以,最能为公众献身的人应当是不被家室所累的人,因为他们能在感情和财产方面与公众联姻,馈赠公众。而单身者可以是最好的朋友、最好的主人、最好的仆从,却总难成为最好的公民,因为他们随时可以逃避。总的来说,重视婚姻和家庭能够使人具有责任感,充满爱心。培根进而立论:好的风俗能教化出坚贞严肃的男子汉。“妻子是年轻时的情人,中年时的伴侣,老年时的保姆”。总之,什么时候结婚都是好事。文章最后还专门对“坏男配好妻”现象发表了高见。在培根的随笔中,这是难得的语言诙谐的一段。

  作为一篇论说文,《论婚姻与单身》观点明确,条理清晰,旁征博引,论据确凿,时有精妙之语。培根的修身处世箴言充分体现了他一贯的崇尚实用、讲究实际的思想。对于希冀寻找爱情梦想的人,培根在此文中的思想也许显得过于实际,甚或有些庸俗了。

  弗兰西斯-培根(Francis Bacon,1561-1626)是文艺复兴时期英国著名哲学家和散文家,和莎士比亚是同一时代的人。培根生于伦敦贵族家庭,自幼天赋极高,12岁入剑桥大学三一学院,23岁进入议会,同时开始撰文论述宗教和政治等问题。以后仕途得意,曾任大法官兼上院议长等职,60岁时因受贿被捕入狱。罢官去职后,晚年专心致力于文学、哲学著述和科学研究。培根提出“知识就是力量”的著名论断,是现代科学的奠基人。其主要著作有《学术的推进》(Advancement of Learning, 1605)、《新工具》(New Instrument, 1620)和《新大西岛》(New Atlantis, 1627)等。

  培根对文学的主要贡献是他的《论说文集》或称《随笔》(Essays),共收入文章58篇。英语论说文又称“随笔”,或“小品文”,都是散文(prose)体的一种。培根学识渊博,阅历丰富,对社会人生观察细致,思考周密,其文涉及社会风尚、为人处世、治学方法等各个方面,无所不包;兼之文笔简洁,擅用类比,论述透彻,文中充满哲理之精辟处几乎俯拾皆是,许多已成为家喻户晓的格言名句。

  (本文选评者是中国人民大学文学博士、副教授)




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Annotation


1. hath given hostages to fortune:向命运付出了抵押品。hath = has;hostage:人质,抵押品。

2. impediment:障碍。

3. pledge:诺言,誓言。

4. impertinence:不相干的,不合理的。

5. nay:不仅如此。

6. bills of charges:费用账单。

7. covetous:贪婪的。

8. except to:反对,有异议。

9. abatement:减少,减弱。

10. humourous: <古>性情乖张的。

11. girdles and garters:腰带和吊袜带。

12. bonds and shackles:镣铐,束缚。

13. subject:臣民,国民。

14. fugitives:叛逃者。

15. indifferent:关系不大。

16. facile:容易被人左右的,没有原则性的。

17. hortatives:激励,敦促。

18. the despising of marriage:厌恶婚姻。

19. maketh = makes。

20. inquisitors:宗教法庭审判官。

21. Ulysses:尤利西斯(王佐良先生译作优利息斯),荷马史诗中的英雄,远征特洛伊的希腊军团首领之一。他足智多谋,献木马计攻陷特洛伊。战争结束返乡途中,曾被困于海岛上,为仙女所爱,并许他长生不老。但他思念夫妻之情,拒绝了仙女,历尽千辛万苦终于回到了妻子身边。

22. vetulam suam praetulit immortalitati: (拉丁文)他宁要老伴,也不要长生不老。

23. chaste:贞洁的。

24. froward:任性的,骄横的。

25. presuming:专横的。

26. A young man not yet, an elder man not at all:年纪少时尚不应当,年老时已无必要。

27. raiseth the price of:使……变得珍贵(更值得珍视)。raiseth = raises。


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