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【读书笔记】《沉思录》卷八01

沪江英语 2012-07-21 08:00
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 本书简介:
《沉思录》是古罗马皇帝奥勒留写给自己的书,内容大部分是他在鞍马劳顿中写成的。作品来自奥勒留对身羁宫廷的自己和自己所处混乱世界的感受,追求一种冷静而达观的生活。这部著作是斯多葛学派的一个里程碑,亦是温总理放在枕边,读了不下百遍的书。
本书原文由古希腊文而作,英文版选择比较权威的George Long的版本,中文版选择何怀宏的版本作参考。笔记中的英文释义摘自《牛津高阶英汉双解词典》

 作者简介:
马可•奥勒留(Marcus Aurelius,公元121—180年),著名的“帝王哲学家”,古罗马帝国皇帝,在希腊文学和拉丁文学、修辞、哲学、法律、绘画方面受过很好的教育,晚期斯多葛学派代表人物之一。奥勒留也许是西方历史上唯一的一位哲学家皇帝。他是一个比他的帝国更加完美的人,他的勤奋工作最终并没有能够挽救古罗马,但是他的《沉思录》却成为西方历史上的伟大名著。

卷八01

8.1 THIS reflection also tends to the removal of the desire of empty fame, that it is no longer in thy power to have lived the whole of thy life, or at least thy life from thy youth upwards, like a philosopher; but both to many others and to thyself it is plain that thou art far from philosophy. Thou hast fallen into disorder then, so that it is no longer easy for thee to get the reputation of a philosopher; and thy plan of life also opposes it. If then thou hast truly seen where the matter lies, throw away the thought, How thou shalt seem to others, and be content if thou shalt live the rest of thy life in such wise as thy nature wills. Observe then what it wills, and let nothing else distract thee; for thou hast had experience of many wanderings without having found happiness anywhere, not in syllogisms, nor in wealth, nor in reputation, nor in enjoyment, nor anywhere. Where is it then? In doing what man's nature requires. How then shall a man do this? If he has principles from which come his affects and his acts. What principles? Those which relate to good and bad: the belief that there is nothing good for man, which does not make him just, temperate, manly, free; and that there is nothing bad, which does not do the contrary to what has been mentioned.

8.2 This is the chief thing: Be not perturbed, for all things are according to the nature of the universal; and in a little time thou wilt be nobody and nowhere, like Hadrian and Augustus. In the next place having fixed thy eyes steadily on thy business look at it, and at the same time remembering that it is thy duty to be a good man, and what man's nature demands, do that without turning aside; and speak as it seems to thee most just, only let it be with a good disposition and with modesty and without hypocrisy.

 Notes:
hypocrisy [n] behaviour in which somebody pretends to have moral standards or opinions that they do not actually have.

8.3 The nature of the universal has this work to do, to remove to that place the things which are in this, to change them, to take them away hence, and to carry them there. All things are change, yet we need not fear anything new. All things are familiar to us; but the distribution of them still remains the same.

 先尝试自己翻译一下吧,参考译文见下:

中文翻译:
8.1 这一反思也有助于消除对于虚名的欲望,即像一个哲学家一样度过你的整个一生,或至少度过你从青年以后的生活,这已不再在你的力量范围之内了;你和许多别的人都很明白你是远离哲学的。然后你落入了纷乱无序,以致你得到一个哲学家的名声不再是容易的了,你的生活计划也不符合它。那么如果你真正看清了问题的所在,就驱开这一想法吧。你管别人是怎样看你呢,只要你将以你的本性所欲的这种方式度过你的余生你就是满足的。那么注意你的本性意欲什么,不要让任何别的东西使你分心,因为你有过许多流浪的经验却在哪儿都没有找到幸福:在三段法中没有,在财富中没有,在名声中没有,在享乐中没有,在任何地方都没有找到幸福。那么幸福在哪里?就在于做人的本性所要求的事情。那么一个人将怎样做它呢?如果他拥有作为他的爱好和行为之来源的原则。什么原则呢?那些有关善恶的原则:即深信没有什么东西于人是好的-如果它不使人公正、节制、勇敢和自由;没有什么东西对人是坏的-如果它不使人沾染与前述品质相反的品质。

8.2 主要的事情在于:不要被打扰,因为所有的事物都是合乎宇宙本性的,很快你就将化为乌有,再也无处可寻,就像赫德里安、奥古斯都那样。其次要聚精会神地注意你的事情,同时记住做一个好人是你的义务,无论人的本性要求什么,做所要求的事而不要搁置;说你看来是最恰当的话,只是要以一种好的气质、以谦虚和毫不虚伪的态度说出来。

8.3 宇宙的本性有这一工作要做,即把这个地方的事物移到那个地方,改变它们,把它们从此带到彼处。所有事物都是变化的,但我们没有必要害怕任何新的东西。所有的事物都是我们熟悉的,而对这些事物的分配也保持着同样。

回顾:《沉思录》读书笔记系列>>

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