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。

卷五01
 小编语:看着下面第一段,对于处于期末紧张复习阶段的小编来说真的是……这大冬天的,被窝多暖啊,多不想起来啊,可是自习教室或者图书馆一大早就爆满了,真纠结啊。
5.1 IN THE morning when thou risest unwillingly, let this thought be present- I am rising to the work of a human being. Why then am I dissatisfied if I am going to do the things for which I exist and for which I was brought into the world? Or have I been made for this, to lie in the bed-clothes and keep myself warm?- But this is more pleasant.- Dost thou exist then to take thy pleasure, and not at all for action or exertion? Dost thou not see the little plants, the little birds, the ants, the spiders, the bees working together to put in order their several parts of the universe? And art thou unwilling to do the work of a human being, and dost thou not make haste to do that which is according to thy nature?- But it is necessary to take rest also.- It is necessary: however nature has fixed bounds to this too: she has fixed bounds both to eating and drinking, and yet thou goest beyond these bounds, beyond what is sufficient; yet in thy acts it is not so, but thou stoppest short of what thou canst do. So thou lovest not thyself, for if thou didst, thou wouldst love thy nature and her will. But those who love their several arts exhaust themselves in working at them unwashed and without food; but thou valuest thy own own nature less than the turner values the turning art, or the dancer the dancing art, or the lover of money values his money, or the vainglorious man his little glory. And such men, when they have a violent affection to a thing, choose neither to eat nor to sleep rather than to perfect the things which they care for. But are the acts which concern society more vile in thy eyes and less worthy of thy labour?

5.2 Thou sayest, Men cannot admire the sharpness of thy wits.- Be it so: but there are many other things of which thou canst not say, I am not formed for them by nature. Show those qualities then which are altogether in thy power, sincerity, gravity, endurance of labour, aversion to pleasure, contentment with thy portion and with few things, benevolence, frankness, no love of superfluity, freedom from trifling magnanimity. Dost thou not see how many qualities thou art immediately able to exhibit, in which there is no excuse of natural incapacity and unfitness, and yet thou still remainest voluntarily below the mark? Or art thou compelled through being defectively furnished by nature to murmur, and to be stingy, and to flatter, and to find fault with thy poor body, and to try to please men, and to make great display, and to be so restless in thy mind? No, by the gods: but thou mightest have been delivered from these things long ago. Only if in truth thou canst be charged with being rather slow and dull of comprehension, thou must exert thyself about this also, not neglecting it nor yet taking pleasure in thy dulness.

 Notes:
superfluous [adj] more than you need or want.
               e.g.:She gave him a look that made words superfluous.
   →superfluity [n]
      superfluously [adv]

 先尝试自己翻译一下吧,参考译文见下:

中文翻译:
5.1 早晨当你不情愿地起床时,让这一思想出现-我正起来去做一个人的工作。如果我是要去做我因此而存在,因此而被带入这一世界的工作,那么我有什么不满意呢?难道我是为了躲在温暖的被子里睡眠而生的吗?-但这是较愉快的。-那你的存在是为了获取快乐,而全然不是为了行动和尽力吗?你没有看到小小的植物、小鸟、蚂蚁、蜘蛛、蜜蜂都在一起工作,从而有条不紊地尽它们在宇宙中的职分吗?你不愿做一个人的工作,不赶快做那合乎你本性的事吗?-但休息也是必要的。-休息是必要的,但自然也为这确定了界限,她为吃喝规定了界限,但你还是越过了这些限制,超出了足够的范围;而你的行动却不是这样,在还没有做你能做的之前就停止了。所有你不爱你自己,因为,如果你爱,你就将爱你的本性及其意志。那些热爱他们各自的技艺的人都在工作中忙得精疲力尽,他们没有洗浴,没有食物;而你对你的本性的尊重却甚至还不如杂耍艺人尊重杂耍技艺、舞蹈家尊重舞蹈技艺、聚财者尊重他的金钱,或者虚荣者尊重他小小的光荣。这些人,当他们对一件事怀有一种强烈的爱好时,宁肯不吃不睡也要完善他们所关心的事情。而在你的眼里,难道有益于社会的行为是讨厌的,竟不值得你劳作吗?

5.2 你说,人们不能欣赏你的机智-就算是这样,但也有许多别的事情是你不能这样说的,有许多事情是我先天下适合的。那么展示那些完全在你力量范围内的品质吧:真诚,严肃,忍受劳作,厌恶快乐,满足于你的份额和很少的事物,仁慈,坦白,不爱多余之物,免除轻率的慷慨。你没有看到你马上能展示多少品质吗,那些品质都是你没有借口说是天生无能或不适合的,你还愿意使自己保留在标准之下吗?难道你是先天就不健全以致不能抱怨、吝啬、谄媚、不满于你可怜的身体、试图取悦于人,出风头和内心紧张不安吗?不,的确,你本来可以早就从这些事情中解脱出来了,除非你的理解力的确天生就相当迟钝和麻木,但你也必须在这方面训练自己,不忽视它也不以你的迟钝为乐。

回顾:《沉思录》读书笔记系列>>