评论
打印
LESSON 116HOW MEN REASON
第一百一十六课 人是如何推理的
My friend, the Professor, whom I have mentioned to you once or twice, told me yesterday that somebody had been abusing him in some of the journals of his calling.
我的朋友，那位教授，此人我曾经向你提到过一两次，告诉我说昨天有人在某杂志上诋毁他的职业。
I told him that I didn't doubt he deserved it; that I hoped he did deserve a little abuse occasionally, and would for a number of years to come;
我告诉他，我丝毫不怀疑他配得上这份职业；我倒是希望他偶尔听到一些毁谤之辞，这么多年来受到一点毁谤总是难免的。
that nobody could do anything to make his neighbors wiser or better without being liable to abuse for it;
没有谁在没有受过毁谤之害的情况下，能使他的邻居变得更聪明或相处得更好。
especially that people hated to have their little mistakes made fun of, and perhaps he had been doing something of the kind. The Professor smiled.
尤其是憎恶拿一点点过错来取笑别人的人，也许他自己就小错不断。闻听此言，这位教授脸上现出笑意。
Now, said I, hear what I am going to say. It will not take many years to bring you to the period of life when men,
现在，我晓得该说什么了。在这个至少大多数喜欢舞文弄墨和喜好议论针砭的人，
at least the majority of writing and talking men, do nothing but praise.
什么也没做却博得好名声的年代，用不了多少年你就会进入这个人生阶段。
Men, like peaches and pears, grow sweet a little while before they begin to decay.
男人，像桃子和鸭梨一样，在开始腐烂变质前总会甜上一段时间。
I don't know what it is, whether a spontaneous change, mental or bodily, or whether it is through experience of the thanklessness of critical honesty,
我不晓得这是什么缘故——是否是身体和精神上一时的变化，或者是否通过自己的诚实吃力不讨好的经验，
but it is a fact, that most writers, except sour and unsuccessful ones, get tired of finding fault at about the time when they are beginning to grow old.
但事实是，绝大多数作者，除了酸腐和籍籍无名的那些人外，都懒得在他们开始变老之际查找自身的毛病。
