All human wisdom is Wait and Hope. 人類所有智慧——等待與希望

All human wisdom is Wait and Hope. 人類所有智慧——等待與希望

There is neither happiness nor misery in the world; there is only the comparison of one state with another, nothing more。 He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness。 We must have felt what it is to die that we may appreciate the enjoyments of life。

Live, then, and be happy, beloved children of my heart, and never forget, that until the day God will deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is contained in these two words: Wait and Hope。

There is neither happiness nor misery in the world

在這世界上既無所謂幸福也無所謂不幸;

neither … nor …

(既不……也不……)

happiness這個詞,表示的是“幸福”,和misery“痛苦、不幸”相對。

這句話也就是:幸福的家庭都是相似的;不幸的家庭卻各有各的不幸。

There is neither happiness nor misery in the world;(在這世界上既無所謂幸福也無所謂不幸;)

there is only the comparison of one state with another,

只有一種狀況和另一種狀況的比較,

comparison是名詞“比較”,這句話裡的

the comparison of sth. with another

,也就是“一件事和另一件事的比較”。不過這句話還沒完,後面還專門補充了一句:

nothing more.

僅此而已。

nothing more這個表達,經常在寫作或者口語當中放在句子結尾,表示一種肯定的語氣,比如說:

This is just a simple trick, nothing more.

(這只是個簡單的把戲,僅此而已。)

生活當中,還有一個表達,叫做:

nothing more nothing less

,意思是“不多也不少”,也就是“恰到好處,沒有多餘,也沒有遺漏”,比如說:

I just want to tell you the fact, nothing more nothing less.

(我只想告訴你真相,一句話也不多說,一句話也不少說。)

He who has felt the deepest grief

一個感受過最深痛苦的人

這裡的He指的不是“他”,就是“一個人”的統稱;後面的who has felt the deepest grief是一個定語從句來具體修飾這個人;這個部分整個是主語。然後是:

is best able to experience supreme happiness.

最能夠體驗到極度的幸福。

這裡其實用到的就是一個

be able to do sth.

的結構,表示“能夠做某事”,只不過able前面加了一個最高階best表示程度。

He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness.

只有體驗過極度不幸的人,才能品嚐到極度的幸福。

下一句話從邏輯上是第二句話的延伸:

We must have felt

我們肯定體驗過

must have done sth.

意思是“肯定做過某事”,表示的是對過去發生過的動作的一種有把握的猜測,比如說:

You must have forgotten to lock the door.

(你肯定忘記鎖門了。)

what it is to die

死亡是什麼

that we may appreciate the enjoyments of life.

才可以領會生活的樂趣。

這裡是that引導的一個目的狀語從句,表示“以便於、以至於”,相當於so that,比如說:

He is working hard that he can catch up with his classmates.

(他努力學習,以便趕上他的同學。)這句話其實也就是說:

He is working hard (so) that he can catch up with his classmates.

當然,so… that…本身也可以分開用,表示“如此……以至於”,這兩個地方大家不要搞混,比如說:

He’s so tired that he fell asleep in the car.

(他如此勞累,以至於在車上就睡著了。)

We must have felt what it is to die that we may appreciate the enjoyments of life.

結合漢語的表達習慣,這句話也就是說:只有體驗過死亡是什麼的人,才能懂得活著有多快樂。

Live, then, and be happy,

那麼,就生活下去吧,並且要幸福,

這裡的then,作為一個插入語,不是“然後”,而是承接上一段的邏輯,來得出一個總結,可以翻譯成“那麼”。

If you miss that train, then you’ll have to get a taxi.

(如果你錯過那趟火車,那你就得坐計程車。)

Live, then, and be happy,(那麼,就生活下去吧,並且要幸福,)這句話是跟誰說的呢?

beloved children of my heart,

我心愛的孩子,

and never forget,

而且永遠不要忘記,

這裡故意停頓了一下,突出的就是一種對“不要忘記”的強調。然後that引導的賓語從句:

that until the day

直到那一天

哪一天呢?後面是一個時間狀語從句:

God will deign to reveal the future to man,

deign to do sth.

(屈尊、降低身份做某事),生活當中經常會用到這個句型的否定結構,叫做

do not deign to do sth.

,表示“不願意降低身份做某事”,其實也就是“不屑做某事”。比如說:

He doesn’t deign to talk to them.

(他不屑和他們說話。)

原文也就是說:直到上帝屈尊為人類揭示未來那一天到來之前,

這裡其實整個都是賓語從句裡的時間狀語,緊接著後面的內容才是forget後面的賓語從句:

all human wisdom

人類所有的智慧

is contained in these two words:

都被包含在了這兩個詞裡:

be contained in sth.

,也就是“被包含在某物裡”。在哪裡呢?

Wait and Hope.

等待和希望。

當然wait和hope這兩個單詞,翻譯成漢語,其實是四個字。

Live, then, and be happy, beloved children of my heart, and never forget, that until the day God will deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is contained in these two words: Wait and Hope.

幸福地生活下去吧,我心愛的孩子們,永遠不要忘記,直至上帝屈尊為人類揭示未來的那一天到來之前,人類的全部智慧就包含在這四個字裡面:等待和希望。