当下的价值

Ralph Waldo Emerson，1803—1882，the celebrated essayist and philosopher，was born in Boston.His father was a Unitarian minister，and the son，after graduating at Harvard University，entered the ministry also，and took charge of a Unitarian congregation in Boston.His peculiar ideas on religious topics soon caused him to retire from the ministry，and he then devoted himself to literature.As a lecturer，Emerson attained a wide reputation，both in this country and in England，and he is considered as one of the most independent and original thinkers of the age.His style is brief and pithy，dazzling by its wit，but sometimes paradoxical.He wrote a few poems，but they are not generally admired，being didactic in style，bare，and obscure.Among his best known publications are his volume “Nature，”and his lectures，“The Mind and Manners of the Nineteenth Century，”“The Superlative in Manners and Literature，”“English Character and Manners，”and “The Conduct of Life.”In 1850 appeared “Representative Men，”embracing sketches of Plato，Swedenborg，Montaigne，Shakespeare，Napoleon，and Goethe.

Such are the days，—the earth is the cup，the sky is the cover，of the immense bounty of nature which is offered us for our daily aliment；but what a force of illusion begins life with us，and attends us to the end！We are coaxed，flattered，and duped，from morn to eve，from birth to death；and where is the old eye that ever saw through the deception？The Hindoos represent Maia，the illusory energy of Vishnu，as one of his principal attributes.As if，in this gale of warring elements，which life is，it was necessary to bind souls to human life as mariners in a tempest lash themselves to the mast and bulwarks of a ship，and Nature employed certain illusions as her ties and straps，—a rattle，a doll，an apple，for a child；skates，a river，a boat，a horse，a gun，for the growing boy；—and I will not begin to name those of the youth and adult，for they are numberless.Seldom and slowly the mask falls，and the pupil is permitted to see that all is one stuff，cooked and painted under many counterfeit appearances.Hume's doctrine was that the circumstances vary，the amount of happiness does not；that the beggar cracking fleas in the sunshine under a hedge，and the duke rolling by in his chariot，the girl equipped for her first ball，and the orator returning triumphant from the debate，had different means，but the same quantity of pleasant excitement.

This element of illusion lends all its force to hide the values of present time.Who is he that does not always find himself doing something less than his best task？“What are you doing？”“Oh，nothing；I have been doing thus，or I shall do so or so，but now I am only—”Ah！poor dupe，will you never slip out of the web of the master juggler？—never learn that，as soon as the irrecoverable years have woven their blue glory between to-day and us，these passing hours shall glitter and draw us，as the wildest romance and the homes of beauty and poetry？How difficult to deal erect with them！The events they bring，their trade，entertainments，and gossip，their urgent work，all throw dust in the eyes and distract attention.He is a strong man who can look them in the eye，see through this juggle，feel their identity，and keep his own；who can know surely that one will be like another to the end of the world，nor permit love，or death，or politics，or money，war，or pleasure，to draw him from his task.

The world is always equal to itself，and every man in moments of deeper thought is apprised that he is repeating the experiences of the people in the streets of Thebes or Byzantium.An everlasting Now reigns in nature，which hangs the same roses on our bushes which charmed the Roman and the Chaldean in their hanging gardens.“To what end，then，”he asks，“should I study languages，and traverse countries，to learn so simple truths？”

History of ancient art，excavated cities，recovery of books and inscriptions，—yes，the works were beautiful，and the history worth knowing；and academies convene to settle the claims of the old schools.What journeys and measurements，—Niebuhr and Muller and Layard，—to identify the plain of Troy and Nimroud town！And your homage to Dante costs you so much sailing；and to ascertain the discoverers of America needs as much voyaging as the discovery cost.Poor child！that flexible clay of which these old brothers molded their admirable symbols was not Persian，nor Memphian，nor Teutonic，nor local at all，but was common lime and silex and water，and sunlight，the heat of the blood，and the heaving of the lungs；it was that clay which thou heldest but now in thy foolish hands，and threwest away to go and seek in vain in sepulchers，mummy pits，and old bookshops of Asia Minor，Egypt，and England.It was the deep to-day which all men scorn；the rich poverty，which men hate；the populous，all-loving solitude，which men quit for the tattle of towns.He lurks，he hides，—he who is success，reality，joy，and power.One of the illusions is that the present hour is not the critical，decisive hour.Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.No man has learned anything rightly，until he knows that every day is Doomsday.'T is the old secret of the gods that they come in low disguises.'T is the vulgar great who come dizened with gold and jewels.Real kings hide away their crowns in their wardrobes，and affect a plain and poor exterior.In the Norse legend of our ancestors，Odin dwells in a fisher's hut，and patches a boat.In the Hindoo legends，Hari dwells a peasant among peasants.In the Greek legend，Apollo lodges with the shepherds of Admetus；and Jove liked to rusticate among the poor Ethiopians.So，in our history，Jesus is born in a barn，and his twelve peers are fishermen.'T is the very principle of science that Nature shows herself best in leasts't was the maxim of Aristotle and Lucretius；and，in modern times，of Swedenborg and of Hahnemann.The order of changes in the egg determines the age of fossil strata.So it was the rule of our poets，in the legends of fairy lore，that the fairies largest in power were the least in size.

In the Christian graces，humility stands highest of all，in the form of the Madonna；and in life，this is the secret of the wise.We owe to genius always the same debt，of lifting the curtain from the common，and showing us that divinities are sitting disguised in the seeming gang of gypsies and peddlers.In daily life，what distinguishes the master is the using those materials he has，instead of looking about for what are more renowned，or what others have used well.“A general，”said Bonaparte，“always has troops enough，if he only knows how to employ those he has，and bivouacs with them.”Do not refuse the employment which the hour brings you，for one more ambitious.The highest heaven of wisdom is alike near from every point，and thou must find it，if at all，by methods native to thyself alone.

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拉尔夫·沃尔多·爱默生（1803—1882），著名散文家、哲人，出生于波士顿，毕业于哈佛。作为演说家，爱默生名闻英美。他被认为是那个时代最独立、最具原创性的思想家。他文风简洁、精干，充满睿智与悖论。他的诗作为数不多，风格枯燥、晦涩，教训意味重，没有得到普遍的推许。他最著名的作品为《论自然》。他的演讲集有《十九世纪的心智与风尚》《英国的人物与风尚》《人生准则》，1850年出版随笔集《代表人物》，论述了柏拉图、斯韦登伯格、蒙田、莎士比亚、拿破仑和歌德。

时光如斯——大地为杯，蓝天作盖，里面盛着为我们提供日常滋养的无尽自然；而幻觉的力量却从我们生命之初直至我们弥留之顷都伴随在我们左右，须臾不离。从早到晚，从生到死，我们为其哄骗、奉承、愚弄；那曾看穿这骗局的苍老的眼何在？印度教教徒将毗瑟拏的幻觉能量迈亚描绘为其主要法力之一。正如水手在风暴中要牢牢握紧桅杆和船舷，在各种元素混战的生命罡风里，灵魂与人之性命结合在一起是必要的；而自然则将幻觉作为捆扎它们的纽带，诸如孩提时的拨浪鼓、玩偶和苹果；少年时的一条河，一只船，一匹马，一杆枪——我不愿列举青年与成人的幻象，那简直数不胜数。幻觉的面具偶尔缓缓落下，令眸子得以看清所有幻觉都是由同一质素制成的，不过外表绘以不同纹饰而已；如休谟学说所言，外界环境千变万化，但幸福的总量却不变。在篱下照着太阳捉虱子的乞丐，乘着敞篷双轮马车疾驰而过的公爵，盛装打扮去赴第一次舞会的女孩，以及驳倒了论敌的演讲家，他们获致愉悦的方式不同，却一样愉悦。

幻觉使出全身解数以掩盖当下的价值。可有谁偶尔觉得自己的工作没有做到极致？“你现在在做什么？”“哦，现在什么都没做；我只是一直如此，或者我将做些事，但现在我只是——”啊，可怜的傻瓜，你将永不逃出那骗子的罗网吗？——难道你永远也不知道，一旦那不可复返的流年在今天与我们之间织就那道忧郁的幻景，那逝去的时光就将闪烁着，吸引着我们，恍若最无稽的传奇，装满美与诗的家园？直面它们何其艰难！它们滋生的事端，它们的勾当，它们的把戏，它们的流言，它们迫切的工作，这一切都是撒进我们眼中的尘埃，分散了我们的注意力。而只有强者才能够正视它们，识破它们，了解它们，且不为它们所动；只有强者能永远区分真伪，不让爱情、死亡、政治、金钱、战争、享乐涣散自己的心神，以致不能专注于自己的使命。

世界的本质并无改变。略一深思，每个人都会领悟到他在重复着底比斯人或拜占庭人的经历。永恒的“当下”君临着自然，它在我们枝头悬挂的玫瑰，同样陶醉过那个在花园中低回的罗马人和那个迦勒底人。“那么，为什么”他问，“为知道如此简单的真相，我要通晓各种语言、游历不同国家？”

古典艺术的历史，已发掘的城市，修复的典籍与铭辞——是的，这些作品都精美绝伦，其历史都值得知晓；而为解决那些古老学派的种种主张，各个学院也常常聚会研讨。尼布尔、缪勒、莱亚德通过怎样的路途，使用什么方法才鉴定出特洛伊平原和尼姆罗德城遗址。为向但丁致敬，你一次次扬帆远行；而要确定美洲的发现者，你一样需要破浪乘风。可怜的孩子！那些老兄们以柔软的黏土塑造各种精妙的符号，但那黏土却既不是波斯或孟菲斯的，也不是条顿或本土的，而是由同样的石灰、石英、水、阳光以及血的热量和肺叶的喘息凝结成的。那黏土，你愚蠢的双手曾将它举起、抛弃，而现在却枉费心力地四处找寻，在坟墓中、在木乃伊的坑穴里、在小亚细亚、埃及、英国的旧书店里。那是时下为世人所嗤笑的深刻；那是为人们所痛恨的丰裕的贫困；那是摩肩接踵、充满爱意的孤独，人们却为了传说中的小镇而离弃了它。他潜伏、隐藏——他是成功、现实、欢乐与力量。在众多幻觉里，其中之一是当下不是评判和决断的时刻。每一天都是一年中最好的一天，请将这句话铭记于心。直到一个人懂得每一天都是最后一天时，他才能正确理解事物。这是诸神古老的秘密，即他们总是扮作卑贱者莅临人间。世俗的大人物现身时总要披金戴银；而真正的王者驾临，却会将王冠藏在衣橱里，只着一身简朴的衣裳。在我们祖先的北欧传奇中，大神奥丁住在渔夫的小屋里，修理一只破船。在印度教的传说里，诃利神化身为农人，生活在农人之间。在希腊神话里，阿波罗与阿德墨托斯的牧羊人住在一起；朱庇特愿意住在贫穷的埃塞俄比亚村落。在我们的历史中亦然，基督出生在马厩中，他的十二门徒都是渔夫。自然在最细微处展现自己，这是科学的原则；亚里士多德和卢克莱修将其奉为座右铭，当代的斯韦登伯格与哈内曼亦以之为准则。一只卵变化的顺序可以确定化石岩层的年代。我们的诗人们也遵守同样的原则，在童话传说中，力量最大的神身量最小。

在基督的恩典中，圣母所体现的谦卑居于首位；而在生活中，谦卑则是智慧的真谛。我们总是感激才华，为我们撩开大千世界的帘幕，向我们展示乔装的上帝就坐在那群吉卜赛人和市井小贩中间。平素，一个人要用自己现有的材料来让自己与众不同，而无须寻找更尊贵的东西或用别人善用的东西。“一个将军，”拿破仑说，“总有足够的士兵，只要他懂得如何调遣他现有的战士，如何和他们一起同甘共苦。”不要为宏图壮志而拒绝时光带给你的当下的工作。那至高的智慧与每一点的距离都相等，你如果要找到它，就要用那些只适合你自己的方法。