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1、闲暇颂中英文对照In-Praise-of-Idleness精品文档In Praise of Idleness By Bertrand Russell闲暇颂中英文对照正如和我同时代的大多数人一样，我是在这样的谚语中长大的：“游手好闲，魔鬼也嫌。”Like most of my generation, I was brought up on the saying: Satan finds some mischief for idle hands to do.我是个乖孩子，人们说什么，我就信什么。这种道德信条，让我勤奋工作至今。Being a highly virtuous child, I bel
2、ieved all that I was told, and acquired a conscience which has kept me working hard down to the present moment.但是，尽管我的道德信条仍控制着我的行动，我的看法却已经历了一场革命。But although my conscience has controlled my actions, my opinions have undergone a revolution.我认为在这个世界上，人们做的工作实在是过多了。工作即美德的观念，对人们造成了极大的损害。现代工业国家需要宣扬一些与过去全然
3、不同的信念。I think that there is far too much work done in the world, that immense harm is caused by the belief that work is virtuous, and that what needs to be preached in modern industrial countries is quite different from what always has been preached. 大家都知道这个故事：到那不勒斯的游人看到十二个叫花子躺着晒太阳（事情发生在墨索里尼时代之前），要给
4、其中最懒的一个一里拉，有十一个跳起来说自己最懒，该给自己，他却把钱给了第十二个。Everyone knows the story of the traveler in Naples who saw twelve beggars lying in the sun (it was before the days of Mussolini), and offered a lira to the laziest of them. Eleven of them jumped up to claim it, so he gave it to the twelfth. 这个游人是对的。但是，在不欣赏地中海阳
5、光的国家里，想要闲散就困难多了，得要大规模的宣传来开新风气。this traveler was on the right lines. But in countries which do not enjoy Mediterranean sunshine idleness is more difficult, and a great public propaganda will be required to inaugurate it. 我希望，在读了下面的文字后，基督教青年会的领袖们能掀起一场运动，劝导好青年们闲散一些。这样的话，我也算没白活了。I hope that, after readi
6、ng the following pages, the leaders of the YMCA will start a campaign to induce good young men to do nothing. If so, I shall not have lived in vain. 在我为懒惰进行辩解之前，我得先撇清一种我无法接受的说法：一个生活已经富足的人，如果还打算从事日常的职业，比如教书或打字，人们会说他（或她）这种行为是恶劣的，无异于从别人嘴里抢面包。Before advancing my own arguments for laziness, I must dispos
7、e of one which I cannot accept. Whenever a person who already has enough to live on proposes to engage in some everyday kind of job, such as school-teaching or typing, he or she is told that such conduct takes the bread out of other peoples mouths, and is therefore wicked.如果这种说法不错，那我们大家就都只须闲呆着，我们的嘴里
8、就能塞满面包了。If this argument were valid, it would only be necessary for us all to be idle in order that we should all have our mouths full of bread.说这话的人忘了，一个人赚的，通常都会花掉。花费的时候就提供了就业。What people who say such things forget is that what a man earns he usually spends, and in spending he gives employment. 把收入
9、都花费掉时往别人嘴里塞的面包，同他赚的时候从别人嘴里挖出来的面包，是一样多的。 As long as a man spends his income, he puts just as much bread into peoples mouths in spending as he takes out of other peoples mouths in earning. 由此看来，真正的坏蛋是存钱不用的人。The real villain, from this point of view, is the man who saves. 如果像寓言中的法国农民那样，把省下来的钱都藏在袜子里，显然就
10、不能提供就业。If he merely puts his savings in a stocking, like the proverbial French peasant, it is obvious that they do not give employment. 如果把储蓄拿去投资，事情就不那么显而易见了，会出现一些不同的情况。If he invests his savings, the matter is less obvious, and different cases arise. 最常出现的一种情况是把储蓄借给政府。One of the commonest things to
11、do with savings is to lend them to some Government. 鉴于最文明的政府的大部分公共开支都用来支付过去的战争，或准备未来的战争，借钱给政府无异于莎士比亚剧中那些雇佣杀手的坏蛋。 In view of the fact that the bulk of the public expenditure of most civilized Governments consists in payment for past wars or preparation for future wars, the man who lends his money to
12、a Government is in the same position as the bad men in Shakespeare who hire murderers.人们节俭习惯的净效应是让借到钱的国家扩张军备。显然，人们倒不如把钱花掉更好些，即便是花在喝酒、赌博上。The net result of the mans economical habits is to increase the armed forces of the State to which he lends his savings. Obviously it would be better if he spent t
13、he money, even if he spent it in drink or gambling. 不过，会有人对我说，如果把储蓄投资在企业上，情况会完全不同。But, I shall be told, the case is quite different when savings are invested in industrial enterprises.如果这些企业成功，生产些有用的东西，那倒还说得过去。可是，谁也不能否认，眼下多数企业是失败的。When such enterprises succeed, and produce something useful, this may
14、 be conceded. In these days, however, no one will deny that most enterprises fail.这就是说，大量的人类劳动，本来可以用来生产些可供人享乐的东西，却生产了机器，而且一生产出来就被闲置，没给任何人带来益处。That means that a large amount of human labor, which might have been devoted to producing something that could be enjoyed, was expended on producing machines
15、which, when produced, lay idle and did no good to anyone.把储蓄投给濒临破产的企业，既害人也害己。The man who invests his savings in a concern that goes bankrupt is therefore injuring others as well as himself. 如果把钱花在，比如说，搞些派对，朋友们会得到乐趣（我们希望如此），那些赚到钱的卖肉的、烤面包的、走私酒的，也都会高兴。If he spent his money, say, in giving parties for h
16、is friends, they (we may hope) would get pleasure, and so would all those upon whom he spent money, such as the butcher, the baker, and the bootlegger.但是，如果把钱花在（比如说）替路面车辆铺设轨道，而那个地方根本没人要这种车子，那就是把大量的劳动耗费在没人得到快乐的道路上了。But if he spends it (let us say) upon laying down rails for surface card in some place where surface cars turn out not to be wanted, he has diverted a mass of
