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认知与行为

时间:2023-03-31 理论教育 版权反馈
【摘要】:第八单元 认知与行为——价值观文化原文《师说》解廖沫沙年过五十的老先生,大概总读过韩愈的《师说》。韩愈援引孔子的先例,作出判断说,“圣人无常师”。祭天地源于自然崇拜,中国古代以天为至上神,主宰一切,以地配天,化育万物,祭天地有顺服天意,感谢造化之意。由于在封建社会君王是国家的象征,故祭祀君王也有祈求国泰民安之意。

第八单元 认知与行为——价值观文化

原文

《师说》解

廖沫沙

年过五十的老先生,大概总读过韩愈的《师说》。这篇文章里很有几句话值得今天当老师和学生的想一想。例如他说:

“孔子曰:三人行,则必有我师。是故弟子不必不如师,师不必贤于弟子。闻道有先后,术业有专攻,如是而已。”

韩愈的原意,是因为自己接受了门徒,为了抵制当时舆论的非议,所以写这篇文章自解。他的意思是说,自己虽是作了先生,并不一定样样贤于弟子,从他学的人也不一定不如他,人们不必因此而大惊小怪。本来,只要是一个人闻道在先,不管他是什么人,都可以拜为老师。要学习的是知识,用不着问他“生乎我前”或“生乎吾后”;也用不着要求老师精通百般武艺,只要他有一门是比自己好的,就应该认他为师,向他学习。这是讲给求学的人听的。但也可以反过来讲给“传道授业解惑”的老师们听。

“弟子不必不如师,师不必贤于弟子”,这是一个真理,并不是瞎说。老师和学生并没有什么不可逾越的界限。在这门知识上老师高于学生,在另一门知识上,学生也可能高于老师;今天老师高于学生,明天学生可能高过老师。这也是辩证法,对立面的统一。老师和学生可以互相转换,学生要向老师学习,老师也有需要向学生学习之处。

《礼记》1的《学记》2有一段著名的话,意思也和这相近:“虽有佳肴,弗食,不知其旨也。虽有至道,弗学,不知其善也。是故学然后知不足,教然后知困。知不足,然后能自反也。知困,然后能自强也。故曰:教学相长也。‘说命’曰:‘斅’学半”。其此之谓乎!《礼记》的话着重在自反自强,不如韩愈说得更彻底。但是它所说的“教然后知困”,“教学相长”,所引的“斅学半”(就是说教学各居其半,相反而成),就是在今天说来,也还是颠扑不破的。

做先生的必然同时做学生,或者首先做学生,像马克思所说的“教育者必先受教育”,这个道理说来很浅显,但是人们在实际生活中却很不容易承认。特别是当老师当久了的人,或者像韩愈所说的“术业有专攻”的人,就很不容易接受这个辩证法。

老师们不容易接受这个道理,倒也事出有因。“弟子不必不如师,师不必贤于弟子”,虽是封建思想的代表者韩愈所提出来的一个观点,但是在封建时代却并不通入。正好相反,“天地君亲师”,在封建时代,老师是同“天地君亲”3在一起,居高而临下,弟子哪里能同老师上下平等而又矛盾统一呢?老师毕竟是老师,师道尊严,神圣不可侵犯,弟子毕竟是弟子,怎可以超过老师?这个观点相沿成习。

新的师生关系,倒真像韩愈所说的,是“不耻相师”。就是互为老师,互为学生,彼此平等,不分尊卑,真正是“道之所存,师之所存”,谁有学问谁就是老师。

从学生方面来说,应该有“道之所存,师之所存”的新生真理的精神;从老师方面来说,也应该像孔夫子那样,有一点“三人行,则必有我师”的雅量。

韩愈援引孔子的先例,作出判断说,“圣人无常师”。这句话的意思,是说真正聪明有学问的人,没有一定的老师;见人有学问,不管是谁,就认他为师。我想还得给他添一句:“师亦无常道”就是当老师的并不经常等于真理。一个当老师的人,既要勇于坚持自己的真理,又要勇于承认自己的非真理。要保持师位的,不妨试一试这条方案,同学生们一道来为科学真理奋斗。

在另一方面,当学生的也应当了解:既然师和弟子的关系并不以师必贤于弟子、弟子必不如师为条件,那末,今天的学生在看到老师的某一方面的短处以后,也就不应该马上得到结论说,老师再不能作老师了。某一方面的短处并不等于一切方面的短处;反之,某一方面的长处也不等于一切方面的长处。今天的学生担负着重大的使命,应该深切地认识自己的知识还很有限,必须虚心地向一切有所知、有所长的人学习,特别是向“术业有专攻”的老师们学习!这就是我的《师说》解。

(文章选自《英语世界》2001年第2期,106-111页)

原文注释

1.礼记

《礼记》,战国(公元前475年—公元前221年)到秦汉时期(公元前221年—公元220年)儒家论说或解释礼制的文章汇编。汉代把孔子定的典籍称为“经”,弟子对“经”的解说是“传”或“记”,《礼记》因此得名,即对礼的解释。到西汉前期,《礼记》共有一百三十一篇。相传戴德选编其中八十五篇,称为《大戴礼记》;戴圣选编其中四十九篇,称为《小戴礼记》。东汉后期大戴本不流行,以小戴本专称《礼记》而且和《周礼》、《仪礼》合称“三礼”,郑玄作了注,于是地位上升为经。书中还有广泛论说礼意、阐释制度、宣扬儒家理想的内容。宋代的理学家选中《大学》、《中庸》、《论语》和《孟子》,把他们合称为“四书”,用来作为儒学的基础读物。

《礼记》共20卷49篇,全书保存了大量的先秦时代的社会史料。该书49篇中,仅关于婚丧祭礼的就有17篇之多,它对于研究先秦以至秦汉时代的婚丧嫁娶制度、家族制度、社会风俗等具有重要的史料价值。《内则》中记载的家庭规制和敬老制度,《大传》中尊祖敬宗和大宗小宗的区别,《大学》中有关诚意、正心、修身、齐家、治国、平天下的思想等等,对于研究古代中国的家庭结构、政治结构和社会结构,探索2000年封建社会长期延续的原因,具有重大参考价值。

2.《学记》

《学记》不仅是中国古代也是世界上最早的一篇专门论述教育、教学问题的论著。是中国古代一部典章制度专著《礼记》中的一篇,写作于战国晚期。据郭沫若考证,作者为孟子的学生乐正克。《学记》文字言简意赅,喻辞生动,系统而全面地阐明了教育的目的及作用,教育和教学的制度、原则和方法,教师的地位和作用,在教育过程中的师生关系以及同学之间关系。

3.天地君亲

天地君亲师是中国民间祭祀的对象。旧时民间多设一天地君亲师牌位或条幅供奉于中堂。为古代祭天地、祭祖、祭圣贤等民间祭祀的综合。祭天地源于自然崇拜,中国古代以天为至上神,主宰一切,以地配天,化育万物,祭天地有顺服天意,感谢造化之意。祭祀君王源于君权神授观念。由于在封建社会君王是国家的象征,故祭祀君王也有祈求国泰民安之意。祭亲也就是祭祖,由原始的祖先崇拜发展而来。祭师即祭圣人,源于祭圣贤的传统,具体指作为万世师表的孔子,也泛指孔子所开创的儒学传统。天地君亲师何时合并在一起祭祀已不可详考。“天地君亲师”是中国传统社会崇奉和祭祀的对象,表现了中国人对于穹苍、大地的感恩,对于国家、社稷的尊重,对于父母、恩师的深情;表现了中国人敬天法地、孝亲顺长、忠君爱国、尊师重教的价值取向。这几个字是中国人的精神寄托和心灵安顿之处,也是中国传统社会中许多伦理道德取得合法性和合理性的依据。“天地君亲师”的观念起源很早,学者们一般把它追溯到战国时期的《荀子》。钱穆先生曾指出:“天地君亲师五字,始见荀子书中。此下两千年,五字深入人心,常挂口头。

“天地君亲师”源流考 徐梓 北京师范大学学报(社会科学版)2006(2),99-106

译文

My Interpretation of On the Teacher1

Translated by Zhang Peiji

Elderly people aged over fifty2 must have read Han Yu’s On the Teacher. Quite a few remarks in this essay are worthy of contemplation3 by present-day teachers and pupils. Take the following for example:

“Confucius says: ‘Out of three men, there must be one who can teach me.’4 So pupils are not necessarily inferior to5 their teachers, nor teachers better than5 their pupils. Some learn the truth earlier than others, and some have special skills — that is all.”

Han Yu wrote this essay to defend himself against the attack of his time on his having accepted some disciples. In his opinion, having disciples was not something to be surprised at because, as a teacher, he was not necessarily better than his disciples in every way, nor his disciples always inferior to him.6 As a matter of fact, one who has learned the truth earlier than you, no matter who he is, should be acknowledged as7 a teacher. You need not ask whether he was born before or after you because what matters is the knowledge that he can impart to you. Nor should you presume him to be omniscient. So long as he excels you in one respect, you should learn from him and call him your teacher.8 This advice of mine is addressed to7 pupils, and teacher as well — teachers whose duty it is to “to pass on the truth, impart knowledge and dispel ignorance”.

“Pupils are not necessarily inferior to their teachers, nor teachers better than their pupils”— that is a truth, not a fallacy. There is no impassable demarcation line between teacher and pupil. While a teacher may be superior to his pupil in one branch of knowledge, the latter may be superior to the former in another. While the teacher may be superior to his pupil today, the latter may be superior to the former tomorrow. That demonstrates the law of dialectics and the unity of opposites. A kind of interplay exists between teacher and pupil. The pupil should learn from his teacher, but sometimes there may also be something the teacher has to learn from his pupil.

A similar idea is expressed by7 the following well-known passage quoted from Xueji(The Subject of Education), a chapter of the ancient book Liji (The Book of Rites)9:“However nice the food may be, if one does not eat it, he does not know its taste; however perfect the doctrine may be, if one does not learn it, he does not know its value. Therefore, when he learns, one knows his own deficiencies; when he teaches, one knows where the difficulty lies. After he knows his deficiencies, one is able to examine himself. After he knows where the difficulty lies, one is able to improve himself. Hence, ‘teaching and learning help each other’; as it is said in Yue Ming, ‘Teaching is the half of learning’.” The above quotation from Liji, which lays emphasis on self-examination and self-improvement, is less thoroughgoing than what Han Yu says about education. Nevertheless, its remarks such as“When he teaches one knows where the difficulty lies”, “Teaching benefits teachers as well as pupils” and “Teaching is the half of learning” (a quotation meaning teaching and learning are opposite and complementary to each other) all remain irrefutable to this day.

To be a teacher, one must at the same time be a student, or be a student first, just as Carl Marx10 says, “Educators must themselves be educated first.” Though this is plain truth, yet people in their practical life seldom recognize it. It is especially hard for teachers of long standing or those with “special skills”, as Han Yu says, to look at this matter dialectically.

It is not without reason or cause that teachers fail to be readily receptive to the above-mentioned concept. The viewpoint “Pupils are not necessarily inferior to their teachers, nor teachers better than their pupils”, though put forward by Han Yu, himself a feudal-minded scholar typical of his time, was by no means popular in the feudal age. On the contrary, as teachers were ranked high up along with “Heaven, Earth, Sovereign and Parents” as objects of worship in the feudal age, pupils could never be on an equal footing with their teachers to form a unity of opposites. After all, a teacher was a teacher. His teaching profession was dignified, sacred and inviolable. A pupil was a pupil. He was never expected to7 surpass his teacher. The practice has come down from the past and become customary.

The new relationship between teacher and pupil should be that of, in the words of Han Yu,“not (being) ashamed to learn from each other”. That is to say, teacher and pupil should teach each other and learn from each other. They should teach each other as equals regardless of seniority, so that, as Han Yu says, “whoever knows the truth can be a teacher”.

Pupils should know the spirit of respecting the truth, learning from whoever knows. Teachers should be so open-minded as to be ready to learn from anyone who knows, just as Confucius says, “Out of three men, there must be one who can teach me”.

Han Yu, going by Confucius’ teaching, asserts that “a sage has no definite teacher”, meaning that a really wise and learned person has no fixed teacher and that he learns from whoever knows. I think I may as well added, “No teacher is all-knowing,” meaning that no teacher is infallible. A teacher should have the courage not only to hold firmly to the truth but also to admit his mistake. All devoted teachers might as well put this into practice so that they can strive, together with their pupils, for scientific knowledge and the truth.

On the other hand, however, pupils should also understand this: when they discover a teacher’s weak point in a certain respect, they should not jump to the conclusion that he is no longer qualified as a teacher, because the weak point in one respect does not mean the weak point in all respects and, likewise, the strong point in a certain point does not mean the strong point in all respects. Students of today, shouldering a great historical task, should deeply understand how limited their knowledge is and how important it is for them to learn modestly from all those who have knowledge and strong points, especially teachers who “have special skills”! That is all I can say about On the Teacher.

译文赏析

1.原文是由廖沫沙先生撰写的一篇杂文,最初刊登于1959年1月2日的

《人民日报》。廖沫沙先生是中国当代著名杂文家,以“爱读书、会读书”闻名于学界,原文正是他读书心得的代表作品。译文选自张培基先生译注的《英译中国现代散文选》。张培基先生是中国著名翻译家,散文是其最为擅长翻译的体裁之一,因此本译文可以算是此类译作的典范。

2.中西方的价值观在时间取向上是有很大差异的。中国文化主要是以过去为取向,尊师长、重经验,西方文化则更加关注未来,认为年龄与成就并不一定存在任何必然联系,老年人反而经常被认为是社会的累赘。“年过五十”的人以中国传统文化来界定已经可以算是老人了,但在西方社会则完全不能属于“old”的行列。另外,在英语表述中,即使讨论“老”也应尽量避免使用“old”一词,而改为更容易令人接受的“more experienced”或是“senior”等词。译者在本句中将“老先生”译为“elderly people”,既恰当地指出了人的年纪,又不会引起译入语读者的不快。

3.从活动类型角度来看,中国文化属于“静”的文化,主要体现为中国人含蓄谦虚,修身养性。西方文化则属于“动”的文化,主要体现为西方人注重行动,乐于竞争。原文开篇即指出“有几句话值得想一想”,可见这并非一般意义上的“think”,而是在建议“今天当老师和学生的”对《师说》中的一些观点在深思熟虑、苦思冥想后达到更深刻的理解。因此,此处如果简单地译为“think”,对于译入语读者来说,这只是一种“状态”,而并非是一个“任务”,那么整件事的重要性就被大大降低了。相反,译者选用的“contemplate”具有“认真思考”和“长久思考”双重含义,会令译入语读者认为这是一件需要“认真做”和“长久做”的事情,从而使其更明白作者的写作意图。

4.在译文中,译者使用了大量的“中国英语”(China English),此处是最具有代表性的几句。译者严格直译,刻意保留了汉语的句子结构,使译文尽可能地呈现出原文的句式特点和语篇构成,巧妙地再现了原文神韵,旨在向译入语读者介绍中国文学的经典之作和蕴含在其中的中国传统文化,充分体现了译者的译学思想。

5.中国传统伦理观认为,“一日为师,终身为父”,人伦五常里“师”也紧随“天地君亲”其后,可见自古以来中国文化对“师”的认可和尊敬,当然这种观念其实是中国文化对于经验的重视。而由于西方文化推崇个人主义,倡导人们通过自身的不懈努力去获得成功,“师”对于一个人的自我实现来说并不扮演如此重要的角色。基于这一文化背景,此处的“不如”在原文中只表示“才能”上的不如,但丝毫不会影响“弟子理应尊师”这一传统理念。但译者选用的“inferior to”这一短语在英语中既可以表示“在能力上低于”,也可以表示“在地位或辈分上低于”,这样的处理既能使译文忠于原文,同时又考虑到译入语读者的感受。至于“贤于”一词则是和前面的“不如”形成了对应关系,但究竟“better than”这种说法是否能够确切地表达出这种关系,还有待进一步思考。

6.这个长句的翻译体现了汉语和英语在复合句中语序的差异。中国传统文化讲求“和谐统一”,因此“调和矛盾”这一思想体现在语言上就形成了汉语特色之一,即表达时不够直接,而是从外围信息慢慢引向中心信息,汉语中大量存在的关联词组(如:“因为……所以……”,即使……也……)就是典型的例子,甚至连不符合其他汉语规范的网络语言也在默默地遵循着这一原则(如:网络新词“因为所以,科学道理”)。但西方文化却认为,当面对矛盾时人们应该选择克服而非妥协,这体现在语言表达上则是直截了当地说明要点,再根据情况看是否需要进一步地解释。因此,在英语复合句中表达主要意思的“主句”(independent clause)经常被置于句首,而表达补充意思的“从句”(dependent clause)则位于其后。译者按照译入语读者的思维方式,首先指出结果,然后再用后置的状语从句将原因慢慢道来,这是非常地道的英语表达。

7.中国文化注重“主体”即“人”的存在,是一种“人本文化”,从“人”的角度去观察、研究客观世界,因此汉语句子多以“充满生命”的名词充当主语。有时即使作为主语的“人”并不具体,也有时甚至因为没有具体指代主语还经常不出现在句子里,但无论怎样,句子依然是主动语态的表达方式。但西方文化则刚好相反,西方人更注重“客体”即“物”的存在,是一种“自然本位文化”,他们常把叙述的视角放在动作的承受对象上,因此在表达时多用被动语态,或是形似主动、但意为被动的结构。译文中有几个地方非常精准地体现了这一思维和语言的差异。

①“不管他是什么人,都可以拜.为.老师”句中使用“be acknowledged as”

②“这是讲给求学的人听的”句中使用“is addressed to”

③“有.一段著名的话”句中使用“is expressed by”

④“弟子毕竟是弟子,怎可以超过老师?”句中使用“was never expected to”以上四个例子的原文都是中国读者习惯的主动表达,但考虑到让译入语读者更能接受,译者充分利用动词的被动式,可谓用心良苦。

8.中国自古以来就是礼仪之邦,所谓“没有规矩,不成方圆”,长幼尊卑的辈分更是不可逾矩,因此“先拜师,后学艺”在中国文化中是顺理成章的。相比而言,西方人则更加注重民主与平等,家长向孩子学习也不足为奇,因此在西方人看来,“向一个比自己强的人学习”要比“到底如何使用敬语去称呼这个人”更为重要。译者正是因为深谙中西方文化差异,才能在此作出这一“看似寻常最奇崛”的语序调整,将原文的“师在先,学在后”译成英语的“学在先,师在后”。

9.在翻译过程中,如果只译字面意思会导致信息量不足时,译者应给译文增加注释,但是这种注释是作为脚注出现在全文之后,还是可以以各种形式融汇到译文之中,是有待译者解决的问题。当然,如果选择后一种方法,除了要考虑注释内容和文章内容可否交融之外,有时也取决于译者是否具备“将解释融入原文而不乱”的能力。原文此处只出现了“礼记”和“学记”,即使在全文之后用英语加脚注,想必也不是一两句话就可以说清楚的。此时译者处理得则颇为巧妙:首先利用括号为“礼记”和“学记”的汉语拼音音译增加了简明扼要的意译,然后又利用五个具有从属关系的英语名词“idea, passage, subject, chapter, book”令本句的意思既有层次、又不混乱,从而使译入语读者既能很快明确“Liji”、“Xueji”是什么,又能把握住这几种说法之间的关系。我们甚至可以这样说:假设有一位不大了解古代文学的中国读者,读原文时未必很清楚“礼记”和“学记”的关系,那么让他读译文时可能反而会豁然开朗。可见,好的译文不仅能帮助译入语读者了解异国文化,有时对源语读者也是大有裨益的。

10.在翻译专有名词时,译者必须考虑该名词是否同样为译入语读者所熟知,如果不是的话,那么存在哪些干扰因素。例如,本文写于二十世纪五六十年代,在那个年代里,“马克思”这个名字不但家喻户晓,并且具有时代意义,因此“Marx”的中文译法当然也就固定了。但是由于意识形态的原因,“Marx”这个名字在西方民众听来不一定就是指写《资本论》的那个“Marx”,因为这并不是个罕见的西方姓名,英国、美国、德国等欧美国家的男性都有可能叫这个名字。译者在翻译时刻意把“Marx”的名字“Carl”也加上,想必是为了能让译入语读者清楚这是哪个“Marx”,从而产生正确的联想。

跨文化小贴士

价值观的跨文化比较

一个国家或民族在漫长的历史过程中,都会积累下一套价值观,即告诉该国家或民族的群体什么是对的、善的、美的,而什么又是错的、恶的、丑的。作为最深层次的文化,价值观是抽象、概括、且稳定的,对群体的信念、态度和行为起着规范性和指令性的作用,也因此成为跨文化交际的核心。

由于其重要的意义,很多人文学科的专家都给予价值观以极大的关注,也因此形成了很多有关价值观的理论。应用较为广泛的是人类学家Florence Kluckhohn与Strodtbeck提出的价值观的五个基本问题。该理论从不同的侧面为我们归纳和比较不同文化的价值观提出了科学的依据。

Florence Kluckhohn与Strodtbeck提出的有关价值观的五个基本问题是:1.人类的本性是善还是恶?2.人类与自然的关系是人类控制自然,还是屈服于自然,又或是与自然和谐共处?3.人类生活的时间取向是现在、过去还是将来?4.人类活动的类型是静还是动,是做人还是做事?5.人际关系是群体取向还是个体取向?以下就通过讨论这五个问题来对比中国和西方的传统价值体系,从而揭示中西方的文化差异。

1.人性论(Human Nature)。在这个问题上,中国传统的观点认为人的本性是善的。从孔子推崇的“仁者爱人”到孟子提出的将“性善论”作为“仁政”的伦理依据,中国主流的传统观念均将人性视为善。在西方的历史上,人们由于受到基督教的原罪说的影响,认为人性为恶,但可以通过忏悔和救赎来改变恶的本性,成为好人。

2.人与自然的关系(Relationship of Man to Nature)。在中国传统文化中,儒家和道家都讲求“天人合一”。“天人合一”是农业文明的产物,具体表现为崇拜和敬畏自然,顺应自然规律,寻求与自然的和谐统一。西方人受二元对立思想的影响,认为人与自然是相分离的,并且主张征服、支配和改造自然。

3.时间取向(Sense of Time)。中国人重视过去,尊老,尊师,重传统,重经验,因此中国文化主要是以过去为取向(past-oriented)。西方人与中国人相反,尤其是美国人,他们很少循规蹈矩,而是关注未来(future-oriented),主张通过现在的规划和努力去改变未来。显然,在时间观念上,中西方存在很大的差异。

4.活动类型(Activity)。中国文化属于静的文化。中国人讲究做人,修身养性,含蓄顺从,主张“无为而有为”。西方文化是动的文化。西方人讲究做事,主张征服自然,改变自身,求新,求变。“静”与“做人”(Being)的活动取向使中国人养成平静内敛的性格,而“动”与“做事”(Doing)的活动取向使西方人养成了外向进取的性格。

5.人际关系(Social Relationships)。中国文化是群体取向(Group-oriented),而西方文化是个体取向(Individualistic)。中国人有很强的群体归属感,重视人伦关系,注重家庭,并且将其他社会关系家庭化。朋友之间,单位内部,人际关系网都可以视为对家庭关系的扩大化。西方人推崇个人主义,特别是美国人。由个人主义派生出多种价值观如自主自立,自我实现,注重隐私,乐于竞争等等。“美国梦”(American Dream)就是最典型的例子,即通过自身的素质,品格和不懈的努力获得成功。而“美国梦”也同样证明了美国人“动”与“做事”的活动类型取向。

以上五个方面的比较都显示出中西方在价值观上的差异。可见,位于文化深层的价值观从人性、人与自然的关系、时间取向、活动类型和人际关系等五个方面制约着该文化群体的认知与行为。因此了解价值观的差异也必然成为跨文化学习和交际的核心。

参考文献

胡文仲.跨文化交际学概论.北京:外语教学与研究出版社,1999.

胡文仲.英美文化辞典.北京:外语教学与研究出版社,1995.

贾玉新.跨文化交际学.上海:上海外语教育出版社,1997.

王催春,朱冬碧,吕政.跨文化交际.北京:北京理工大学出版社,2008.

许力生. 跨文化交际英语教程.上海:上海外语教育出版社,2004.

杨敏,王克奇,王恒展.中国文化通览.北京:高等教育出版社,2006.

翻译练习

For many young people, the late 1960s was a period of revolt against the moral values that had been the strength and pride of the past generations. They didn’t want to be hardworking and thrifty, as their ancestors had been. They rejected the idea that duty must come before pleasure, and that individuals must make sacrifices when it is necessary for the good of their children or of their community. They condemned patriotism as the cause of wars, and rejected all forms of authority—whether in government, organized religion, school, or family. All these narrow ideas, they declared, were things of the past and had always been wrong anyway.

It was a distressing time for their elders. Previously happy parents found themselves scorned by their young rebels, who accused them of being too concerned with money and too anxious to impress the neighbors. “True success,” the young people explained, “is not a matter of money or position. It is a matter of self-fulfillment. And self-fulfillment consists of reaching one’s goals and achieving happiness in one’s own way without paying attention to rules, duties, or the opinions of others. We do have a duty to ourselves that is more important than duty to others, even to our own children.”

Most parents found it hard to accept their children’s attitude. They themselves had been brought up to respect traditional values; they had also learned to respect money because it was scarce during their teenage years. They had married in the late 1930s or early 1940s, at a time when it was explained again and again that an unhappy childhood produces emotionally disturbed adults. A married couple’s first duty, therefore, was to think of their children’s happiness. On the other hand, while Mom and Dad were making sacrifices, they expected their children to obey the rules of “nice” behavior, and to grow up into adults that parents can be proud of. These were precisely the young rebels of the 1960s rejected.

(文章选自《英语名篇佳作100篇背诵手册》华江编译,学苑出版社,2000,221-222页)

参考译文

对于许多年轻人来说,20世纪60年代末是反抗那些曾给他们的前辈带来力量和自豪的道德价值观念的时代。他们不像祖辈们一样过着辛劳而简朴的生活。他们不能接受责任先于享乐、在必要的时候为了子女和团体的利益自我牺牲的观念。他们指责爱国主义是战争之源,并且排斥任何一切形式的权威——无论它们是以政府、宗教、学校还是家庭的形式出现。他们宣称这些狭隘的观念是过去的产物,无论如何从来都是错误的。

对于他们的长辈来说,这是一段痛苦的时期。曾经幸福的父母发现自己受到年轻叛逆的儿女们的奚落。这些叛逆者指责他们过分注重钱财,并且急于给邻居留下好印象。年轻一代解释说:“真正的成功不在于拥有财富和地位,而在于自我价值的实现。这包括实现自己的目标并且以自己的方式得到幸福,而不在意谨守规则、责任和别人的看法。我们应该完全对自己负责,这种责任比对别人,甚至对自己的儿女应尽的责任都要重要。”

大多数父母难以接受他们的孩子们的态度。他们从小就被灌输要尊重传统的价值观念;并且少年时代的贫困生活也使他们学会了爱惜钱财。他们在20世纪30年代末或40年代初结婚成家。当时人们一再强调痛苦的童年会使孩子们长大成人后情感异常,所以他们首要的职责就是要考虑到孩子的幸福。另一方面,父母在做出牺牲的同时,也希望他们的孩子遵循“良好”行为中的诸多原则,长成他们引以为自豪的成年人。而这些思想恰恰是60年代叛逆的年轻人所排斥的。

(译文选自《英语名篇佳作100篇背诵手册》华江编译,学苑出版社,2000,223-224页)

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