2022年经济学人 蒙田的《随笔》——肉体与灵魂

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Montaigne's "Essays" -- Body and soul

蒙田的《随笔》——肉体与灵魂

A French philosopher offers a lesson in seeing other points of view

一位法国哲学家为我们上了一课，让我们看到不同的观点

Like many people, as he grew older Michel de Montaigne paid close attention to the workings of his body.

像许多人一样，随着年纪增长，米歇尔·德·蒙田密切关注起自己身体的运转。

He began to feel the cold in his bones; his servants brought him clothes at night "to warm my feet and stomach".

他开始感觉到骨子里的寒冷；他的仆人们晚上给他送来衣服，“让我的脚和胃暖和起来”。

He liked to sleep for eight or nine hours, he tells his readers, and avoided "violent activities" that "bring on sweat".

他告诉读者，他喜欢睡八九个小时，并且不做“让人出汗”的“剧烈活动”。

He could not eat even two meals a day without vomiting¹ -- but if he skipped one, flatulence and a dry mouth ensued.

他甚至做不到一天吃两餐不呕吐——但如果他少吃一顿，胀气和口干就来了。

These are not the typical musings of a renowned² thinker, but Montaigne's "Essays" are not typical works of philosophy.

这些都不是典型的思想家的沉思，不过蒙田的《随笔》也不是典型的哲学著作。

In 1570, after sitting in Bordeaux's parliament for 15 years, Montaigne retired³ to his chateau⁴.

1570年，在波尔多议会任职15年后，蒙田回到了自己的庄园。

This self-imposed solitude⁵ proved productive.

这种自我强加的孤独被证明是富有成效的。

He published two volumes of the "Essays" in 1580 and a third in 1588.

他在1580年出版了两卷《随笔》，并于1588年出版了第三卷。

In their pages he explores topics ranging from friendship to architecture to child-rearing.

在这些书中，他探讨了广泛的话题，从友谊到建筑再到养儿育女。

His prose weaves together history, personal experience and arguments from his favourite philosophers; anecdotes⁶ about his napping schedule are juxtaposed with maxims⁷.

他的散文将历史、个人经历和他最喜欢的哲学家的观点编织在一起；关于他午睡时间表的轶事与格言并列阐述。

It was Montaigne who popularised the essay genre⁸.

是蒙田使散文体裁流行起来。

The name derives⁹ from the French verb essayer, "to try", and Montaigne viewed his chapters as attempts to understand a topic.

散文这个名字来源于法语动词essayer，即“尝试”，蒙田认为他的文章是在尝试理解一个主题。

In "Of Drunkenness", for instance, he examines philosophers' views on booze (Socrates and Cato both enjoyed a tipple).

例如，在《论饮酒》一章中，他考察了哲学家们对酒的看法（苏格拉底和卡托都喜欢喝烈酒）。

German drinking habits of the 16th century are mentioned several times, as are the author's own tastes.

书中多次提到16世纪德国人的饮酒习惯，以及作者自己的口味。

But he never rules on whether drunkenness is right or wrong.

但他从不对饮酒是对是错下定论。

Rather, he lays out a range of opinions and lets the reader decide.

相反，他列出一系列的观点，让读者自己决定。

Montaigne strove to see the world from other perspectives.

蒙田努力从其他角度看世界。

In one chapter he recounts various South American customs, such as an unfamiliar¹⁰ drink ("it tastes a bit sharp") and faith in soothsayers.

在其中一章，他讲述了南美的各种习俗，比如一种不常见的饮料（“它尝起来有点烈”）和对占卜者的信仰。

He knew his European readers would find these habits puzzling, so, by way of balance, he delves¹¹ into the "strangeness" of French society.

他知道他的欧洲读者会觉得这些习惯令人费解，所以，为了平衡，他深入挖掘了法国社会的“奇怪现象”。

He recalls a meeting with some South American tribesmen who, on visiting Rouen in the 1560s, asked why, in Charles IX, the French had a king who was ten years old.

他回忆起在16世纪60年代访问鲁昂时，他曾与一些南美部落的人会面，他们问为什么法国有一个10岁的国王查理九世。

The writer admits that his "Essays" are a personal undertaking¹² rather than an authoritative¹³, objective study.

这位作者承认他的《随笔》是个人事业，而不是权威的、客观的研究。

"Reader," he confides¹⁴, "I myself am the subject of my book."

“读者，”他坦言，“我自己就是我这本书的主题。”

The immediate¹⁵ context included the Wars of Religion that had engulfed¹⁶ France.

当时的背景包括席卷法国的宗教战争。

Conflict between Protestants and Catholics ravaged¹⁷ Bordeaux -- the philosopher's siblings¹⁸ were on opposing sides -- yet he resisted polarisation.

新教徒和天主教徒之间的冲突摧毁了波尔多——这位哲学家的兄弟姐妹站在相互对立的两边——但他拒绝两极化。

For his time, Montaigne's determination to consider other viewpoints was unusual.

蒙田探讨其他观点的决心在他那个时代是不同寻常的。

It still is.

至今仍然是。

The "Essays" document a changeable mind as well as a changing body.

《随笔》记录了一个多变的心灵和一个多变的身体。

After the first editions were published, Montaigne edited them extensively, often adding entire paragraphs -- which sometimes completely contradicted his original points.

第一版出版后，蒙田对其进行了大量的编辑修改，经常添加整个段落——内容有时与他最初的观点完全相反。

He read more books of philosophy, his opinions evolving with each.

他读了更多的哲学书籍，他的观点也跟随他所读的每本书逐渐发展。

He contemplated¹⁹ his own mortality, which reshaped his outlook too.

他思考了自己的死亡，这也重塑了他的人生观。

The "Essays" are the product of a questing intellect, which rejected dogma in favour of something more nuanced and original.

《随笔》是探索智慧的产物，它摒弃了教条，转而书写那些更加微妙独到的东西。