OntheFeelingofImmortalityinYouth
威廉·赫茲裡特/WilliamHazlitt
Noyoungmanbelievesheshalleverdie.Itwasasayingofmybrother』s,andafineone.Thereisafeelingofeternityinyouth,whichmakesusamendforeverything.TobeyoungistobeasoneoftheImmortalGods.Onehalfoftimeindeedisflown—theotherhalfremainsinstoreforusaswithallitscountlesstreasures;forthereisnolinedrawn,andweseenolimittoourhopesandwishes.Wemakethecomingageourown—
Thevast,theunboundedprospectliesbeforeus.
Death,oldage,arewordswithoutameaning,thatpassbyusliketheidleairwhichweregardnot.Othersmayhaveundergone,ormaystillbeliabletothem—we「bearacharmedlife」,whichlaughstoscornallsuchsicklyfancies.Asinsettingoutonadelightfuljourney,westrainoureagergazeforward—
Biddingthelovelyscenesatdistancehail.
Andseenoendtothelandscape,newobjectspresentingthemselvesasweadvance;so,inthecommencementoflife,wesetnoboundstoourinclinations,nortotheunrestrictedopportunitiesofgratifyingthem.Wehaveasyetfoundnoobstacle,nodispositiontoflag;anditseemsthatwecangoonsoforever.Welookroundinanewworld,fulloflife,andmotion,atceaselessprogress;andfeelinourselvesallthevigourandspirittokeeppacewithit,anddonotforeseefromanypresentsymptomshowweshallbeleftbehindinthenaturalcourseofthings,declineintooldage,anddropintothegrave.Itisthesimplicity,andasitwereabstractednessofourfeelingsinyouth,that(sotospeak)identifiesuswithnature,and(ourexperiencebeingslightandourpassionsstrong)deludesusintoabeliefofbeingimmortallikeit.Ourshort-livedconnexionwithexistencewefondlyflatterourselves,isallindissolubleandlastingunion—ahoneymoonthatknowsneithercoldness,jar,norseparation.Asinfantssmileandsleep,wearerockedinthecradleofoutwaywardfancies,andlulledintosecuritybytheroaroftheuniversearoundus—wequaffthecupoflifewitheagerhastewithoutdrainingit,insteadofwhichitonlyoverflowsthemore-objectspressaroundus,fillingthemindwiththeirmagnitudeandwiththethrongofdesiresthatwaituponthem,sothatwehavenoroomforthethoughtsofdeath
沒有一個年輕人相信自己會死去。這句話是我哥哥說的,它真算得上一句妙語。年輕人有一種永生之感——它似乎能彌補一切。擁有青春的人就好像是一尊不朽的神靈。一半的生命已經流走,而蘊藏著無盡寶藏的另一半生命還沒有明確的下限,因此我們對它也就抱著無窮的希望和幻想。我們把未來的時代完全據為己有——
無邊遼闊的遠景在我們面前展現著。
年老、死亡只不過是空話,沒有任何意義。我們聽了,並沒有放在心上,如同拂過我們的一縷風。這些事,別人或許經歷過,或者可能就要經歷——但是我們自己「享受著魔法保護的生命」,對於諸如此類脆弱的念頭,統統會輕蔑地一笑了之。像是剛剛走上愉快的旅程,極目遠眺——
向遠方的美景歡呼!
——這時我們會覺得好風景應接不暇,如果往前走的話,還會有更多美不勝收的新鮮景致。在這生活的開端,我們聽任自己的志趣馳騁,放手給它們一切滿足的機會。到此時為止,我們還沒有碰上過什麼障礙,也沒有感覺到什麼疲倦,因而覺得可以一直這樣向前走去,直到永遠。我們看到四週一派新天地——生機勃勃,變動不息,日新月異;我們覺得自己充滿活力,精神高漲,可與宇宙並駕齊驅。而且,眼前也沒有任何跡象可以表明,在大自然的發展過程中,我們自己也會落伍、衰老、掉進墳墓。年輕人天性單純,可以說是茫然無知,總有青春常在之感,因而將自己跟大自然畫上等號,並且由於缺少經驗,感情旺盛,總以為自己也能像大自然一樣永生。我們在世界上只是暫時棲身,卻一廂情願、癡心妄想地把它當做長久不變的結合,好像沒有冷漠、爭執、離別的蜜月。像嬰兒帶著微笑入睡一樣,我們躺在用自己天真的幻想所編織成的搖籃裡,讓宇宙的萬籟之聲催哄我們入眠;我們高興而急切地暢飲生命之杯,怎麼也不會飲乾,反而像永遠是滿滿欲溢的:世間萬象紛至沓來,各種慾望隨之而生,我們沒有時間去思考死亡……
記憶填空
1.TobeistobeasoneoftheImmortalGods.Onehalfofindeedisflown—theotherhalfremainsinstoreforasallitscountlesstreasures;forthereisnolinedrawn,andweseenolimittoourandwishes.
2.Death,old,arewordswithoutameaning,thatpassbyustheidleairwhichweregardnot.mayhaveundergone,ormaystillbeliabletothem—we「bearacharmedlife」,whichtoscornallsuchsicklyfancies.
3.Ourshort-livedconnexionexistencewefondlyflatterourselves,isallindissolubleandlastingunion—ahoneymoonthatknowscoldness,jar,norseparation.
佳句翻譯
1.年輕人有一種永生之感——它似乎能彌補一切。
2.年老、死亡只不過是空話,沒有任何意義。
3.在這生活的開端,我們聽任自己的志趣馳騁,放手給它們一切滿足的機會。
短語應用
1.Thereisafeelingofeternityinyouth,whichmakesusamendforeverything.
makeamendsfor:補償;賠償……損失
2andfeelinourselvesallthevigourandspirittokeeppacewithit
keeppacewith:並駕齊驅,保持同步