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。

卷四:任何行为都不要无目的的做出01
 小编语:第四卷,继续我们的沉思之旅~

4.1 THAT which rules within, when it is according to nature, is so affected with respect to the events which happen, that it always easily adapts itself to that which is and is presented to it. For it requires no definite material, but it moves towards its purpose, under certain conditions however; and it makes a material for itself out of that which opposes it, as fire lays hold of what falls into it, by which a small light would have been extinguished: but when the fire is strong, it soon appropriates to itself the matter which is heaped on it, and consumes it, and rises higher by means of this very material.

Let no act be done without a purpose, nor otherwise than according to the perfect principles of art.(让任何行为都不要无目的地做出,也不要不根据完善的艺术原则做出。)

 Notes:

heap [n]
  1.~(of something): an untidy pile of something
      e.g.: The building was reduced to a heap of rubble.
  2.(informal)(usually plural)a lot of things

4.2 Men seek retreats for themselves, houses in the country, sea-shores, and mountains; and thou too art wont to desire such things very much. But this is altogether a mark of the most common sort of men, for it is in thy power whenever thou shalt choose to retire into thyself. For nowhere either with more quiet or more freedom from trouble does a man retire than into his own soul, particularly when he has within him such thoughts that by looking into them he is immediately in perfect tranquility; and I affirm that tranquility is nothing else than the good ordering of the mind.

 Notes:
thou shalt: used to mean ‘you shall’, when talking to one person

 看了笔记注释之后,先尝试自己翻译一下吧,参考译文见下:

中文翻译:
4.1 那在我们心中的支配部分,当它合乎本性时是如此爱好那发生的事情,以致它总是容易地使自己适应于那可能发生和呈现于它的东西。因为它不要求任何确定的手段,而是在无论什么条件下都趋向于自己的目标;它甚至从它对立的东西中为自己获得手段,就像火抓住落进火焰中的东西一样。爝火会被落在它上面的东西压熄,但当火势强大时,它很快就占有和吞噬了投在它上面的东西,借助于这些东西越烧越旺。

4.2 人们寻求隐退自身,他们隐居于乡村茅屋,山林海滨;你也倾向于渴望这些事情。但这完全是凡夫俗子的一个标记,因为无论什么时候你要退入自身你都可以这样做。因为一个人退到任何一个地方都不如退入自己的心灵更为宁静和更少苦恼,特别是当他在心里有这种思想的时候,通过考虑它们,他马上进入了完全的宁静。我坚持认为:宁静不过是心灵的井然有序。

回顾:《沉思录》读书笔记系列>>