世界是我的祖国,人类是我的同胞。
--w.l.加里森(1805-1879)《解放者简介》(1830)
四五、“mycountry,rightorwrong”之出处
(十一月廿五日)
吾前所记“mycountry,rightorwrong!”(吾国,是耶,非耶!)一语盖stephendecatur(1779-1820)之言。其全文如下:
“ourcountry!inherintercoursewithforeignnationsmayshealwaysbeintheright;butourcountry,rightorwrong.”
-toastgivenatnorfolk,apr.1816.
〔中译〕吾国乎,吾愿其永永正直而是也,然曲耶,直耶,是耶,非耶,终为吾国耳。
--致祝酒辞,1816年4月于诺福克
此与下二则同意:
(1)beenglandwhatshewill,
withallherfaultssheismycountrystill.
-charleschurchill(173l-1764):thefarewell.
(2)england,withallthyfaultsilovetheestill,
mycountry!
-wm.cowper(1731-1800)“thetask”Ⅱ
〔中译〕
(1)不管如何,她终是英格兰,
尽管一身错,她仍是我的祖国。
--查尔斯·丘吉尔(1731-1764):《惜别》
(2)我的祖国!英格兰,不管你有何缺点,我仍深爱着你。
--w.库柏(1731-1800):《使命》Ⅱ
四六、犹太文豪asherginzberg
(十一月廿五日)
吾友薛尔勿曼(l.l.silverman)博士以犹太文豪asherginzberg(“ahadha’am”〔oneofthepeople〕)所着文相假(“selectedessays”:philadelphia:thejewishpublicationsocietyofamerica,1912)。此君博学能文,爱其种人最切,着书甚富。其人通英德法诸国文,而誓不以他种文字着作,其书皆希伯来文也。贫甚而不欲以卖文为活,居伦敦卖花生果为生,人不知其为名闻天下之名士也,盖有其先哲斯平娜莎(spinoza,亦犹太人)之遗风,二十世纪奇士之一也。此集乃其种人由希伯来文译为英文者。其文都佳,尤爱其twomasters一篇。
四七、译《诗经·木瓜》诗一章
(十二月三日)
偶思及《木瓜》之诗,检英人c.francisromillyallen所译观之,殊未惬心,因译之如下:
投我以木祧,报之以琼瑶;
匪报也,永以为好也。
peacheswerethegiftswhichtomeyoumade,
andigaveyoubackapieceofjade-
nottocompensate
yourkindnesses,myfriend,
buttocelebrate
ourfriendshipwhichshallneverend.
四八、墨茨博士
(十二月六日)
吾友德国墨茨博士(johnmez),为德国学生界倡大同和平主义者之巨子。去年秋,世界学生同盟会(“cordafratres”,internationalfederationofstudents。此会倡于意大利,始于戊戌,其势力所及至于欧美三洲。今此邦之世界学生会总会〔associationofcosmopolitanclub〕乃此同盟会之一部,而各大学之世界学生会〔cosmopolitanclub〕又为此总会之一部)开第八次大会于绮色佳,墨茨被举为同盟会会长。欧洲战事之起,博士在比利时,不欲牺牲其主义而从军,遂间关走荷兰,由荷至美。今自纽约来游,相见甚欢。博士乃理想家(idealist),能执其所谓为“是”者,不为流俗所移。今天下大患,在于理想家之寥寥,今见博士,如闻凤鸣,如闻空谷之足音,喜何可言!博士之不从军,非不爱国也,其爱国之心不如其爱主义之心之切也,其爱德国也,不如其爱人道之笃也。此其所以为理想家欤?
四九、毛莱子爵
(十二月六日)
韦莲司女士以英人毛莱(johnmorley)之《姑息论》(oncompromise1874)相假,读之不忍释手,至晨二时半始毕。手抄数节(参看本卷第二六则):
itisessentialtotheself-respectofeveryonewiththeleastloveoftruth,thatheshouldbefreetoexpresshisopinionsoneveryoccasionwheresilencewouldbetakenforanassentwhichhedoesnotreallygive.stillmoreunquestionably,heshouldbefreefromanyobligationtoforeswearhimselfeitherdirectly,asbyfalseprofessions,orbyimplication,aswhenheattendsservices,publicorprivate,whicharetohimthesymbolofsuperstitionandwerespiritualphantasmagoria.thevindicationofthissimplerightoflivingone’slifehonestlycanhardlydemandanyheroicvirtue.alittleofthestraightforwardnesswhichmenareaccustomedtocallmanlyistheonlyqualitythatisneeded.
-morley:oncompromise.p.141.
thereisnoadvantagenorhonestdelightininfluenceifitisonlytobeexertedinthesphereofsecondaryobjects,andatthecostoftheobjectswhichoughttobeforemostintheeyesofseriouspeople.intruththemenwhohavedonemostfortheworldhavetakenverylittleheedofinfluence.theyhavesoughtlight,andlefttheirinfluencetofareasitmaylist.
-ibid.pp.150-151.
andwhatisthissmileoftheworld,towinwhichwearebiddentosacrificeourmoralmanhood;thisfrownoftheworld,whoseterrorsaremoreawfulthanthewitheringupoftruthandtheslowgoingoutoflightwithinthesoulsofus?considerthetrivialityoflifeandconversationandpurposeinthebulkofthosewhoseapprovalisheldoutforourprizeandthemarkofourcalling.letusmeasuretheempireoverthemofprejudiceunadulteratedbyasingleelementofrationality,andletusweighthehugeburdenofcustom,unrelievedbyasingleleaveningparticleoffreshthought.thenhowpitifulathingseemstheapprovalordisapprovalofthesecreaturesoftheconventionsofthehour,asonefiguresthemercilessvastnessoftheuniverseofmattersweepingusheadlongthruviewlessspace;asonehearsthewailofmiserythatisforeverascendingtothedeafgods;asonecountsthelittletaleoftheyearsthatseparateusfrometernalsilence.inthelightofthesethingsamanshouldsurelydaretolivehislifewithlittleheedofthecommonspeechuponhimorhislife,onlycaringthathisdaysmaybefullofreality,andhisconversationoftruthspeakingandwholeness.
-ibid.pp.151-152.
“afterus,thedeluge”,isnotanyworsethan“afterus,themillen-nium.”thosewhomakenosacrificetoavertthedeluge,andthosewhomakenonetohastenthemillennium,areonthesamemorallevel.
aprinciple,ifitbesound,representsoneofthelargerexpediencies.toabandonthatforthesakeofsomeseemingexpediencyofthehour,istosacrificethegreatergoodfortheless...nothingissosuretoimpoverishanepoch,todepriveconductofnobleness,andcharacterofelevation.
-ibid.p.203.
〔中译〕在沉默就会被认为默许的场合下,一个人应当有表达自己观点的自由,这对每一个起码的热爱真理的人的自尊而言,是至关重要的。同样,更亳无疑问的是,他应当有不发伪誓的自由,无论是直接地发伪誓,还是间接含蓄地发伪誓,就像他公开地或私下地参加宗教仪式那样,而这些仪式对他来说是一种迷信的象征,也曾是一种精神的幻觉。一个人诚实正直生活的简单权利无需用英雄美德来为其辩护,而仅只需用一点人们习惯称之为男子汉气概的坦率这种品质,就足以解释了。
--毛莱:《姑息论》第141页