【双语有声阅读】年轻人(2)

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Their lives are mainly spent not in memory but in expectation;

 

他们不是生活在对往昔的回忆中，而是生活在对未来的盼望中：

for expectation refers to the future, memory to the past, and youth has a long future before it and a short past behind it:

因为盼望意味着未来，回忆意味着过去，年轻人未来的日子还很长远，过去的时光只有短暂的一小部分。

on the first day of one’s life one has nothing at all to remember, and can only look forward.

当人第—天来到这个世界的时候，他根本没有什么可以回忆的事情，唯一能做的就是寄希望于未来。

They are easily cheated, owing to the sanguine¹ disposition² just mentioned.

他们会轻而易举地让人欺骗，那都归结于我们刚刚所说的精力旺盛的脾性。

Their hot tempers and hopeful dispositions³ make them more courageous⁴ than older men are;

因为拥有情绪高涨、满怀希望的气质，他们会比老年人更勇敢，更有胆量。

the hot temper prevents fear, and the hopeful disposition creates confidence;

情绪高涨的内心让他们远离恐惧，满怀希望的气质让他们信心百倍；

we cannot feel tear so long as we are feeling angry, and any expectation of good makes us confident.

我们感到愤怒的时候，就不会害怕，而对任何美好事物的向往又让我们充满自信。

They are shy, accepting the rules of society in which they have been trained, and not yet believing in any other standard of honour.

他们是害羞的，顺其自然地遵守社会的惯例，但还没有承认其他形式的荣誉标准。

They have exalted⁵ notions, because they have not yet been humbled⁶ by life or learnt its necessary limitations;

他们有崇高的理想，因为他们还没有体会生活的艰辛而变得谦虚起来，也没有理解生活中各种必要的束缚。

moreover, their hopeful disposition makes them think themselves equal to great things and that means having exalted notions.

更为严重的是，他们满怀希望，居然以为自己可以与日月相比—这就是心高气傲，目空一切。

They would always rather do noble deeds than useful ones:

他们一直从事高尚的行为，而不在乎其实效；

their lives are regulated more by moral feeling than by reasoning;

他们的生活多是遵循道德感，而非理智；

and whereas reasoning leads us to choose what is useful, moral goodness leads us to choose what is noble.

尽管理智教导我们做有用的事，道德品质却指引我们做高尚的事。

They are fonder of their friends, intimates, and companions than older men are, because they like spending their days in the company of others, and have not yet come to value either their friends or anything else by their usefulness to themselves.

与老年人相比，年轻人更喜爱自己的朋友、挚交和伙伴，因为整天呼朋唤友的生活才是他们钟爱的，而且无论是朋友还是其他东西，他们都不会用对自己的实用性来断定其价值。

All their mistakes are in the direction of doing things excessively and vehemently⁷.

至于他们所犯的错误，是因为他们做事不是过头就是过猛。

They disobey Chilon’s precept⁸ by overdoing¹⁰ everything, they love too much and hate too much, and the same thing with everything else.

他们不遵守齐隆法则，做什么事都过分强调，要么爱得过多，要么恨得太狠，做其他事情也是一样。

They think they know everything, and are always quite sure about it;

他们认为自己无所不知，而且说起来也信心十足，

this, in fact, is why they overdo⁹ everything.

实际上，这就是他们行事过头的症结所在。

They are ready to pity others, because they think everyone an honest man, or anyhow better than he is: they judge their neighbor by their own harmless natures, and so cannot think he deserves to be treated in that way.

他们时刻准备去同情别人，因为他们认为所有人都是诚实的，或者比他真实的为人要好：他们用自己善良的本质来判断左邻右舍，不能忍受自己会亏待邻居们。

They are fond of fun and therefore witty¹¹, wit being well-bred insolence¹².

他们喜欢玩闹，因此非常诙谐机智，而机智是一种文雅的傲慢。

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