【读书笔记】《沉思录》卷五06
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。
卷五06
5.11 Such as are thy habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of thy mind; for the soul is dyed by the thoughts. Dye it then with a continuous series of such thoughts as these: for instance, that where a man can live, there he can also live well. But he must live in a palace;- well then, he can also live well in a palace. And again, consider that for whatever purpose each thing has been constituted, for this it has been constituted, and towards this it is carried; and its end is in that towards which it is carried; and where the end is, there also is the advantage and the good of each thing. Now the good for the reasonable animal is society; for that we are made for society has been shown above. Is it not plain that the inferior exist for the sake of the superior? But the things which have life are superior to those which have not life, and of those which have life the superior are those which have reason.
Notes:
dye [v] to change the colour of something, especially by using a special liquid or substance
5.12 To seek what is impossible is madness: and it is impossible that the bad should not do something of this kind.
5.13 Nothing happens to any man which he is not formed by nature to bear. The same things happen to another, and either because he does not see that they have happened or because he would show a great spirit he is firm and remains unharmed. It is a shame then that ignorance and conceit should be stronger than wisdom.
Notes:
conceit [n]1 [uncountable] (disapproving) too much pride in yourself and what you do
2 [countable] (formal) an artistic effect or device, especially one that is very clever or tries to be very clever but does not succeed
e.g.:The ill-advised conceit of the guardian angel dooms the film from the start.
The director's brilliant conceit was to film this tale in black and white.
3 (technical) a clever expression in writing or speech that involves a comparison between two things
先尝试自己翻译一下吧,参考译文见下:
中文翻译:
5.11 你惯常的思想要像这样,你心灵的品格也要是这样,因为灵魂是由思想来染色的。那么用一系列这样的思想染你的灵魂:例如,在一个人能够生存的地方,他也能在那里生活得很好。他必须住在一个宫殿里吗,那好,他在一个宫殿中也能生活得很好。再考虑每一事物无论是为了什么目的构成的,它的构成都是为着这一目的的,它都被带往这一目的;它的目的是朝着它被带住的方向的,在那目的所在的地方,也存在着每一事物的利益和善:那么理性动物的善就在于社会,因为我们是为社会而造的,这已在前面说明过了。低等的东西是为高等的东西存在的,这不是很明白吗?而有生命的存在都是优越于无生命的存在的,而在有生命的存在里最优越的又是那有理性的存在。
5.12 寻求不可能的事情是一种发疯,而恶人不做这种事情是不可能的。
5.13 没有什么一个人天性不可忍受的事情对那个人发生。同样的事情发生于另一个人,或是因为他没看到它们的发生,或是因为他表现一种伟大的精神而使他保持坚定和不受伤害。那么无知和欺瞒竟然压倒智慧就是一种羞愧。