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1、096070210 王婉婷 Too Dear For The Whistle When I was a child of seven years old, My friend, on a holiday, filled my pocket with coppers. I went at once to a shop where they sold toys for children. Being charmed with the sound of a whistle that I had seen by the way, in the hands of another boy, I hande
2、d over all my money for one. I then came home, and went whistling all over the house, much pleased with my whistle, but disturbing all the family. My brothers and sisters and cousins, when I told of the bargain I had made, said I had given four times as much as the whistle was worth. They put me in
3、mind of what good things I might have bought with the rest of the money, and laughed at me so much for my folly that I cried with vexation. Thinking about the matter gave me more chagrin than the whistle gave me pleasure. This, however, was afterwards of use to me, for the impression continued on my
4、 mind, so that often I was tempted to buy something I did not need, I said to my self, “Dont give too much for the whistle”, and I saved my money. As I grew up, came into the world, and observed the actions of men, I thought I met with many, very many, who “gave too much for the whistle”. When I saw
5、 some men too eager for court favour, wasting his time at court gatherings, giving up his rest, his liberty, his virtue, and perhaps his friends, for royal favour, I said to myself, “This man gives too much for the whistle”. When I saw another fond of popularity, constantly taking part in political
6、affairs, neglecting his own business, and ruining it by neglect, “He pays, indeed”, said I, “too dear for his whistle”. If I knew a miser who gave up every kind of comfortable living, all the pleasure of doing good to others, all the esteem of his fellow citizens and the joys of friendship, for the
7、sake of gathering and keeping wealth “Poor man”, said I, “you pay too dear for your whistle”. When I met a man of pleasure, who did not try to improve his mind or his fortune but merely devoted himself to having a good time, perhaps neglecting his health, “Mistaken man”, said I, “you are providing p
8、ain for yourself, instead of pleasure; you are paying too dear for your whistle”. If I saw someone fond of appearance who had fine clothes, fine houses, fine furniture, fine earrings, all above his fortune, and for which he had run into debt, “Alas”, said I, “he has paid dear, very dear, for his whi
9、stle”. In short the miseries of mankind are largely due to their putting a false value on things to giving too much for their whistles. 在我七岁那年，当时正是节假日，我朋友往我口袋里塞满了铜币，我立马就跑到一家专卖儿童玩具的 商店里。我曾经在路上，看到其他男孩手里拿着口哨吹，那口哨声深深地吸引我，使我陶醉，于是我就用 我所有的钱买了一只口哨。然后我回到家，在屋子里吹响口哨，对我的口哨很是满意，但是口哨声却打扰 到了家里人。我告诉哥哥姐姐和表兄弟们，这个口哨我可
10、是讨价还价才买到的，他们却说这口哨只值我掏 出钱数量的四分之一，我还能用剩下的钱买上好多好东西呢！他们使劲地嘲笑我，我便气恼地哭了起来。 一想到这件事情，我便懊恼万分，口哨带来的快乐也不足以弥补这种懊恼。然而，这件事往后却让我受益匪浅。因为这件事情给我印象深刻，所以每当我受诱惑，想买些其实自 己并不需要的东西时，我就对自己说：“不要为一只口哨花那么多钱。 ”然后我就能省下钱了。长大之后， 进入社会，我看到人们的种种行为，我想，我是遇上太多为口哨花冤枉钱的人了。我看到有人极度渴望得 到皇室的青睐，便将时间浪费在皇室聚会上，放弃了他们的休息时间、自由、道德，可能连朋友放弃了， 只为求皇室垂青，这时
11、，我心想：这些人为了口哨付出太多了。我看到有些人追求名气声望，不断地参加 政治事务，却忽略了自己的事业，最终事业毁于一旦。 “为了他的口哨， ”我想， “他实在付出过多了。 ”要上遇上个守财奴，他放弃了所有舒适的生活，放弃了帮助别人带来的快乐，放弃了他人对自己的尊 敬，放弃了友谊带来的愉悦，只是为了敛财和守财-“可伶的人” ，我会说， “你得不偿失呀。 ”要是遇到 个享乐主义的人，他不想着提高心智，也不想着增加财产，只一心投入到享受好时光中，可能会忽视自己 的健康状况， “错误的人呀， ”我说， “你在给自己制造痛苦，而不是快乐，你实在为你的口哨付出过多了。 ”要是看到有人注重外表，有漂亮的衣服，华丽的房子，精美的家具，精致的耳环，而这些都不是他能够 负担起的，因此负债累累， “哎呀， ”我说， “为了他心目中的口哨，他实在付出太多太多了。 ”简而言之， 人们的悲剧最主要在于，他们衡量错了事物的价值-为他们所追求的事物付出了太多，而这些付出又是 不值得的。
