王佐良翻译 论读书

2021年2月8日发(作者：巉岩)

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鱼化石：培根的名 字，大家一定不陌生，其《论学习》一文也是脍炙人口

的名篇，无须多做介绍。倒是想介 绍一下目前流传最广的中译版本的作者

——

王佐良。

< p>
阅读优秀的译文也是一种美的享受，精彩之作常为名家呕心沥血而成，令人难以释手，

如前日所贴《青春》一文即是，今日《论学习》一文亦是如此。

“

读史使人明智，读诗使人灵秀，数 学使人周密，科学使人深刻，伦理学使人庄重，逻

辑修辞之学使人善辩；凡有所学，皆成 性格。

”

这一段精彩的译文，相信大家都耳熟能

详。

这不仅是因为培根的思想表达得深刻，

更因为译者 翻译得恰到好处，

可谓字字珠玑。

通览整篇译文，字里行间无处 不显露出大家风范，非一般捉笔者能为之。

王佐良，英国文学研究专家；浙江上虞人，

1916

年

2

月

12

日生 。

1929

年至

1934

年在

武昌文华中学读书，后进清华大学。抗战后考取公费留英，于

< p>
1947

年秋赴牛津大学研

究英国文学。于

1949

年

9

月建国 前夕回国，应聘到北京外国语学院任教授至今。现为

北京外国语学院顾问兼外国文学研究 所所长，

中国外语教学研究会副会长，

中国英语教

学研究会会长，中国莎士比亚研究会副会长，中国作协理事，

《外国文学》主 编。主要

著作有：

《英国十七世纪剧作家约翰

< br>·

韦勃斯透的文学声誉》

，

《英 国文学论文集》

，

《英国

文体学论文集 》

，

《中外文学之间》

，

《论契合比较文学研究集》

，

《照澜集》

< p>
。

附：英语专家王佐良谈英语学习方法

*

通过文化来学习语言，语言也会学得更好。

*

语言之有魅力，风格之值得研究，主要是因为后面有一个大 的精神世界：但这两者又

必须艺术地融合在一起，因此语言表达力同思想洞察力又是互相 促进的。

*

文体，风格的研究是有 实际用途的，它可以使我们更深入地观察英语的性能，看到英

语的长处，短处，以及我们 在学习英语时应该特别注意或警惕的地方。因为英语一方面

不难使用，一方面又在不小心 或过分小心的使用者面前布满了陷阱。

OF STUDIES

Francis Bacon

Studies

serve

for

delight,

for

ornament,

and

for

ability.

Their

chief

use

for

delight,

is

in

privateness

and

retiring;

for

ornament,

is

in

discourse;

and

for

ability, is in the judgment and disposition of business.

For expert and execute, and perhaps judge of particulars, one by one; but the

general

counsels,

and

the

plots

and

marshalling

of

affairs,

come

best

form

those that are learned. To spend too much time in studies is sloth; to use them

too much for ornament, is affectation; to make judgement wholly by their rules,

is

the

humour

of

a

scholar.

They

perfect

nature,

and

are

perfected

by

experience: for natural abilities are like natural plants, that need proyning by

study;

and

studies

themselves

do

give

forth

directions

too

much

at

large,

except they be bounded in by experience.

Crafty

men

contemn

studies,

simple

men

admire

them,

and

wise

men

use

them; for they teach not their own use; but that is a wisdom without them, and

above them, won by observation.

Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to

find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider.

Some

books

are

to

be

tasted,

others

to

be

swallowed,

and

some

few

to

be

chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others

to

be

read,

but

not

curiously;

and

some

few

to

be

read

wholly,

and

with

diligence and attention. Some books also may be read by deputy, and extracts

made of them by others; but that would be only in the less important arguments,

and the meaner sort of books; else distilled books are, like common distilled

waters, flashy things.

Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man.

And therefore, if a man write little, he had need have a great memory;

if he

confer little, he had need have a present wit; and if he read little, he had need

have much cunning, to seem to know that he doth not.

Histories

make

men

wise;

poets

witty;

the

mathematics

subtile;

natural

philosophy

deep;

moral

grave;

logic

and

rhetoric

able

to

contend.

Abeunt

studia in morse.

Nay there is no stand or impediment in the wit, but may be wrought out by fit

studies: like as diseases of the body may have appropriate exercises. Bowling

is

good

for

the

stone

and

reins;

shooting

for

the

lungs

and

breast;

gentle

walking for the stomach; riding for the head; and the like. So if a man's wit be

wandering, let him study the mathematics; for in demonstrations, if his wit be

called

away

never

so

little,

he

must

begin

again.

If

his

wit

be

not

apt

to

distinguish or find differences, let him study the schoolmen; for they are cymini

sectores. If he be not apt to beat over matters, and to call up one thing to prove

and illustrate another, let him study the lawyers' cases. So every defect of the

mind may have a special receipt.

论学习

弗朗西斯

·

培根

王佐良

译

读书足 以怡情，足以傅彩，足以长才。其怡情也，最见于独处幽居之时；其

傅彩也，最见于高谈 阔论之中；其长才也，最见于处世判事之际。

练达之士虽能分 别处理细事或一一判别枝节，

然纵观统筹，

全局策划，

则舍

好学深思者莫属。

读书费时过多易惰，

文采藻饰太盛则矫，

全凭条文断事乃学究

故 态。

读书补天然之不足，

经验又补读 书之不足，

盖天生才干犹如自然花草，

读书

然后知如何修剪移接，而书中所示，如不以经验范之，则又大而无当。

有一技之长者鄙读书，

无知者羡读书 ，

唯明智之士用读书，

然书并不以用处告人，

< br>用书之智不在书中，而在书外，全凭观察得之。