高級英語1 Unit4 Oxford翻譯.doc

Unit4 牛津 There are certain things in the world that are so praiseworthy that it seems a needless, indeed an almost laughable thing to praise them; such things are love and friendship, food and sleep, spring and summer; such things, too, are the wisest books, the greatest pictures, the noblest cities. But for all that I mean to try and make a little hymn in prose in honour of Oxford, a city I have seen but seldom, and which yet appears to me one of the most beautiful things in the world.此世間確有諸多凡物，它們本身便是值得人們?nèi)テ肺逗唾澴u(yù)的，譬如說愛情和友誼、美食和睡夢、春色和夏日，還有如那些注滿了智慧的書卷、注滿了心血的畫作和注滿了圣意的城邦 。也許對于這些凡物而言，再多的贊譽(yù)已無非是陳詞濫調(diào)，荒唐可笑的，但我之所以還是想要對上述這些事物品味、贊譽(yù)一番，都是為了向牛津城表示我的敬意。牛津城對我來說，就是這世間極其罕見，又最為美麗的地方之一。I do not wish to single out particular buildings, but to praise the whole effect of the place, such as it seemed to me on a day of bright sun and cool air, when I wandered hour after hour among the streets, bewildered and almost intoxicated with beauty, feeling as a poor man might who has pinched all his life, and made the most of single coins, and who is brought into the presence of a heap of piled-up gold, and told that it is all his own.我并不想單獨從牛津城里遴選出一些建筑來贊譽(yù)；我想要贊譽(yù)的是這塊土地上所映射出的一種整體效果。這種效果在我看來，就好比是在一個陽光明媚、天氣清爽的日子里，一連花上幾個小時，徜徉在牛津城的街道上，癡迷、甚至是沉醉于這番美景之中。這感覺就猶如是把一位窮得一輩子衣衫襤褸、靠一角一分過日子的人帶到一堆金礦旁，然后告訴他，這些財富都已歸他所有。I have seen it said in foolish books that it is a misfortune to Oxford that so many of the buildings have been built out of so perishable a vein of stone. It is indeed a misfortune in one respect, that it tempts men of dull and precise minds to restore and replace buildings of incomparable grace, because their outline is so exquisitely blurred by time and decay. I remember myself, as a child, visiting Oxford, and thinking that some of the buildings were almost shamefully ruinous of aspect; now that I am wiser I know that we have in these battered and fretted palace-fronts a kind of beauty that fills the mind with almost despairing sense of loveliness, till the heart aches with gratitude, and thrills with the desire to proclaim the glory of the sight aloud.我曾在一些荒謬、無理的書里讀到說，牛津城里如此之多的建筑都用易被腐蝕、布滿裂紋的磚石砌成，這簡直就是一場災(zāi)難。從某種角度來說，這倒確實是一場災(zāi)難，因為隨著時間的流逝，用這種磚石砌成的建筑會漸漸破敗，建筑的輪廓會很明顯地變得七零八落，這便會惹得那些腦袋不靈活的笨家伙們想著整修或重建這些與牛津城魅力格格不入的“破玩意兒”。記得在我兒時游訪牛津城時，我也曾這么想這些建筑如此破舊不堪，幾乎都是見不得人了；可現(xiàn)在，隨著我年數(shù)和閱歷的增益，我才知道在那些破舊不堪、磨壞受損的殿堂式房子里，蘊(yùn)藏著一種別樣的魅力。這種魅力乍看上去真是令人幾近絕望，直到人們對這壯觀之景開始心生感激時，才會猛地萌發(fā)出一種要高聲贊譽(yù)這股魅力的念頭。These black-fronted blistered facades, so threatening, so sombre, yet screening so bright and clear a current of life; with the tender green of budding spring trees, chestnuts full of silvery spires, glossy-leaved creepers clinging, with tiny hands, to cornice and parapet, give surely the sharpest and most delicate sense that it is possible to conceive of the contrast on which the essence of so much beauty depends. To pass through one of these dark and smoke-stained courts, with every line mellowed and harmonised, as if it had grown up so out of the earth; to find oneself in a sunny pleasaunce, carpeted with velvet turf, and set thick with flowers, makes the spirit sigh with delight.牛津大學(xué)城里這些滿目蒼夷、發(fā)黑起泡的建筑，乍看上去是如此地陰沉、昏暗，其實也映射出著一番光鮮、清新的生命力樹木在春天冒出了綠葉嫩枝，栗子樹上竄滿了毛茸茸的幼葉，葉面光亮的爬山虎將它無數(shù)細(xì)小的藤蔓吸在了建筑的檐口和擋墻上。這便無疑給了人們一種極為強(qiáng)烈又相當(dāng)細(xì)膩的生命感，讓人構(gòu)想出一副融此美景于一體、反差鮮明的畫面。隨意穿過校園里的那些陰暗、黝黑的院子，院子的墻角線既沉穩(wěn)又潤和，就仿佛是從地下竄出來似的；再找個陽光明媚的日子，到那鋪滿絨草、綴滿繁花的庭子里去，人的一呼一吸之間都能透射出內(nèi)心中的愉悅之情。那些高大的門柱可是這世上其他地方看不到的，門柱的頂部嵌有一塊紋章，細(xì)長的爬山虎藤蔓舒展地纏在門柱間的鐵格柵上，真是惹人喜愛。Nowhere in the world can one see such a thing as those great gate-piers, with a cognisance a-top, with a grille of iron-work between them, all sweetly entwined with some slim vagrant creeper, that give a glimpse and a hintno moreof a fairy-land of shelter and fountains within. I have seen such palaces stand in quiet and stately parks, as old, as majestic, as finely proportioned as the buildings of Oxford; but the very blackness of the city air, and the drifting smoke of the town, gives that added touch of grimness and mystery that the country airs cannot communicate. 透過那些鐵格柵，便可略微瞥見僅僅是可以略微瞥見那里面如仙境般的屋舍和噴泉。這樣的建筑，我倒是在一些莊重而寂靜的庭院里看到過，那些建筑也是破舊不堪，但卻相當(dāng)高貴，和牛津大學(xué)城里的這些建筑就好像是一個模子里刻出來似的。但是，這兒校園里昏昏沉沉的氣息，和鎮(zhèn)上一屢一屢的炊煙，給這里增添了一股鄉(xiāng)村庭院里找不到的敬畏感和神秘感。And even fairer sights are contained within; those panelled, dark-roofed halls, with their array of portraits gravely and intently regarding the strangers; the chapels, with their splendid classical screens and stalls, rich and dim with ancient glass. The towers, domes, and steeples; and all set not in a mere paradise of lawns and glades, but in the very heart of a city, itself full of quaint and ancient houses, but busy with all the activity of a brisk and prosperous town; thereby again giving the strong and satisfying sense of contrast, the sense of eager and every-day cares and pleasures, side by side with these secluded havens of peace, the courts and cloister, where men may yet live a life of gentle thought and quiet contemplation, untroubled, nay, even stimulated, by the presence of a bustling life so near at hand, which yet may not intrude upon the older dream.而牛津大學(xué)城里其實還蘊(yùn)藏著更為悅目的景象那些黑頂?shù)暮廊A大廳里整齊地陳放著大量人像畫，那畫里的人似乎正認(rèn)真又專心地打量著來客；小教堂的圍屏和長凳精致而古雅，五彩的玻璃使里面看上去既昏暗又華麗。還有那塔樓、穹頂和教堂尖頂?shù)?，好像都不僅僅是矗立在這校園里天堂般的草坪和林地上，也矗立在整座牛津城的中心。牛津城里也全是些別致又古老的房屋，但忙忙碌碌的城里人，使這里多了一份生機(jī)勃勃、繁榮興旺的景象，又給人們留下了一副強(qiáng)烈卻美好的反差印象。那四處靜謐的港灣、天井和修道院，可使來客熱切地感受到人們?nèi)粘Ｉ钪械膽n慮和愉悅。在這兒過日子的居民，不受世俗的侵?jǐn)_，他們常常會想著什么東西，靜靜地沉思，又亦或是受到那咫尺間喧囂與繁華的啟發(fā)，可那喧囂和繁華卻不會侵?jǐn)_他們重溫舊夢。I do not know whether my taste is entirely trustworthy, but I confess that I find the Italianate and classical buildings of Oxford finer than the Gothic buildings. The Gothic buildings are quainter, perhaps, about the classical picturesque, but there is an air of solemn pomp and sober dignity about the classical buildings that harmonises better with the sense of wealth and grave security that is so characteristic of the place.我不知道自己的鑒賞能力是不是完全地可靠，但坦白地說，我覺得牛津城里意大利風(fēng)格和古典風(fēng)格的建筑要比哥特式風(fēng)格的建筑好看。哥特式建筑的樣子看上去更古雅，或許還更別致，可是古典風(fēng)格的建筑散發(fā)著一番莊重又壯麗的氣質(zhì)，這種氣質(zhì)與這片土地上特有的華貴和沉穩(wěn)更好地融為了一體。The Gothic buildings seem a survival, and have thus a more romantic interest, a more poetical kind of association. But the classical porticos and facades seem to possess a nobler dignity, and to provide a more appropriate setting for modern Oxford; because the spirit of Oxford is more the spirit of the Renaissance than the spirit of the Schoolmen; and personally I prefer that ecclesiasticism should be more of a flavour than a temper; Schoolmen I mean that though I rejoice to think that sober ecclesiastical influences contribute a serious grace to the life of Oxford, yet I am glad to feel that the spirit of the place is liberal rather than ecclesiastical.哥特式建筑已所剩無幾，故而透著一股更為傳奇和詩意的色彩，而古典風(fēng)格建筑的門廊和外立面卻看似更為堂皇，為現(xiàn)代牛津創(chuàng)造了一副更為貼切的布景因為相較于腐朽、封建的經(jīng)院教條風(fēng)氣，現(xiàn)代的牛津精神更貼近于強(qiáng)調(diào)個人、精巧新奇的文藝復(fù)興精神，而且即使是有教條主義，我也希望其對于牛津精神更多地是一種補(bǔ)充，而不是一種支配。我的意思是，盡管經(jīng)院風(fēng)氣那源于基督教會的神圣影響力能給牛津帶來上帝的恩典這讓我感到高興，但我更樂意去感受牛津精神變得自由又開明，而不是嚴(yán)格恪守于教會。 Such traces as one sees in the chapels of the Oxford Movement, in the shape of paltry stained glass, starred reredoses, modern Gothic woodwork, would be purely deplorable from the artistic point of view, if they did not possess a historical interest. They speak of interrupted development, an attempt to put back the shadow on the dial, to return to a narrower and more rigid tone, to put old wine into new bottles, which betrays a want of confidence in the expansive power of God. I hate with a deep-seated hatred all such attempts to bind and confine the rising tide of thought. I want to see religion vital and not formal, elastic and not cramped by precedent and tradition. And thus I love to see worship enshrined in noble classical buildings, which seem to me to speak of a desire to infuse the intellectual spirit of Greece, the dignified imperialism of Rome into the more timid and secluded ecclesiastical life, making it fuller, larger, more free, more deliberate.牛津精神的這種發(fā)展特點，正是人們可以從十九世紀(jì)牛津運(yùn)動時代留下的小教堂中，那小型的花窗玻璃、星星點點的供壇背壁和現(xiàn)代哥特式木工中體會得出的。如果這些玻璃、背壁和木工背后沒有丁點文化歷史可尋，單單是要從美術(shù)角度去品鑒，那可就是糟糕透頂?shù)牧怂鼈兯鶟B透的正是一種斷斷續(xù)續(xù)的歷史發(fā)展過程，這就好比是嘗試將撥號轉(zhuǎn)盤倒著轉(zhuǎn)回去，或回歸到前人一本正經(jīng)的說話腔調(diào)，不過是使陳酒換上新瓶。這背叛了人類在上帝廣泛支配下應(yīng)當(dāng)謙卑、恭順的教會道義，可我壓心底里痛恨一切限制與制約新興思想萌發(fā)的企圖，我所想要看見的宗教是那種富有生機(jī)而不拘泥、擅于變通而不受慣例和傳統(tǒng)阻礙的宗教，所以，我希望看到宗教信仰僅僅是被放在那些堂皇的古典風(fēng)格建筑中供人祀奉。這在我看來，才表達(dá)了一種要在那較收斂和隱蔽的經(jīng)院風(fēng)氣中注入古希臘智慧文明和古羅馬高貴勢力的愿望，以使那經(jīng)院風(fēng)氣更完整、更宏大、更自由、也更謹(jǐn)慎。But even apart from the buildings, which are after all but the body of the place, the soul of Oxford, its inner spirit, is what lends it its satisfying charm. On the one hand, it gives the sense of the dignity of the intellect; one reflects that here can be lived lives of stately simplicity, of high enthusiasm, apart from personal wealth, and yet surrounded by enough of seemly dignity to give life the charm of grave order and quiet solemnity. Here are opportunities for peaceful and congenial work, to the sound of mellodious bells; uninterrupted hours, as much society of a simple kind as a man can desire, and the whole with a background of exquisite buildings and rich gardens.但建筑畢竟只是牛津的軀殼，除去這建筑，同樣可令人心滿意足的牛津魅力源于它的靈魂，或者說，是牛津內(nèi)在的精神。這種精神在一方面使智者獲得了一種被尊重的感受。在這里，人們會感到生活里所有的不僅僅是個人的財富，還有從容的簡適和高漲的熱情，以及處處都有的尊嚴(yán)感，這種得體的尊嚴(yán)感使這里秩序森嚴(yán)、氛圍莊重。人們在此可以安安靜靜、愉快舒適地工作，聽著美妙的鐘聲，看著遠(yuǎn)處精致典雅的建筑和姹紫嫣紅的花園，一連幾個小時都不會受到打擾這正是人們所能向往的一種簡簡單單的人際社會。And then, too, there is the tide of youthful life that floods every corner of the place. It is an endless pleasure to see the troops of slim and alert young figures, full of enjoyment and life, with all the best gifts of life, health, work, amusement, society, friendship, lying ready to their hand. The sense of this beating and thrilling pulse of life circulating through these sombre and splendid buildings is what gives the place its inner glow; this life full of hope, of sensation, of emotion, not yet shadowed or disillusioned or weary, seems to be as the fire on the altar, throwing up its sharp darting tongues of flame, its clouds of fragrant smoke, giving warmth and significance and a fiery heart to a sombre shrine. 此外，牛津處處都充斥著青春的活力，看著那些身形矯健、風(fēng)華正茂的年輕人，總能感到無限的喜悅。這些快活樂觀、精神奕奕的年輕人身體棒、有事做、有樂找、有朋友，也有伴侶 這可都是生活中的至禮。這些朝氣澎湃、振奮人心的生命穿梭在牛津城暗淡卻壯麗的建筑間，給牛津增添了一道內(nèi)在的光輝。他們的生活盡有憧憬、有激奮、有情感；它沒有疑慮，失望或是疲憊，就像是圣壇之火，吐著跳動的火舌，燃起芳香的煙霧，給這陰暗的圣祠增添了暖意和肅穆，惹得人心里便如火焰般熾熱。And so it is that Oxford is in a sort a magnetic pole for England; a pole not, perhaps, of intellectual energy, or strenuous liberalism, or glamorous aims, or political ideas; few, perhaps, of the sturdy forces that make England potently great, centre there. The greatness of England is, I suppose, made up by her breezy, loud-voiced sailors, her lively, plucky soldiers, her ardent, undefeated merchants, her tranquil administrators; by the stubborn adventurous spirit that makes itself at home everywhere, and finds it natural to assume responsibilities.而且，牛津也已成為整個英國的磁心，這或許不是智慧力量之心、頑強(qiáng)自由主義之心、高聲喧囂目標(biāo)之心或是政治理想之心，也不太可能是堅韌力量之心，使英國變得強(qiáng)大有力、舉足輕重。在我看來，英國的偉大之處源于她傲慢、粗獷的水手，她活潑、勇敢的戰(zhàn)士，她熱切、不敗的商人和她鎮(zhèn)定的官員，還有她頑固的進(jìn)取精神，這種精神使英國在四面八方都有她的殖民地，使英國出自本性地?fù)?dān)負(fù)起她應(yīng)擔(dān)的責(zé)任。But to Oxford set the currents of what may be called intellectual emotion, the ideals that may not make for immediate national greatness, but which, if delicately and faithfully nurtured, hold out at least a hope of affecting the intellectual and spiritual life of the world. There is something about Oxford which is not in the least typical of England, but typical of the larger brotherhood that is independent of nationalities; that is akin to the spirit which in any land and in every age has produced imperishable monuments of the ardent human soul. The tribe of Oxford is the tribe from whose heart sprang the Psalms of David; Homer and Sop