Once upon a time (this is an anecdote) I went for a week's holiday on the Continent with an Indian friend. We both enjoyed ourselves and were sorry when the week was over, but on parting our behaviour was absolutely different. He was plunged in despair. He felt that because the holiday was over all happiness was over until the world ended. He could not express his sorrow too much. But in me the Englishman came out strong I reflected that we should meet again in a month or two, and could write in the interval if we had anything to say; and under these circumstane I could not see what there was to make a fuss about. It wasn't as if we were parting forever or dying. "Buck up," I said, "do buck up." He refused to buck up, and I left him plunged in gloom.
從前（這是一件逸事），我與一位印度朋友到歐洲度假，為期一周。我們玩得很愉快，當(dāng)一周結(jié)束時(shí)我們都感到十分難過。然而在分別時(shí)，我們的行為卻是截然相反的。我的朋友完全陷入了絕望。他認(rèn)為假期結(jié)束了，所有的幸福也將隨之而去，而且痛苦的日子將一直持續(xù)至世界末日。他將傷心表達(dá)到了極點(diǎn)，到了無以復(fù)加的程度。但是我身上則表現(xiàn)出強(qiáng)烈的英國人特性。我想到我們可以在一至兩個(gè)月以后再次見面，如果我們?cè)诖似陂g有話要說，可以通信，而且在這種情況下我認(rèn)為這不值得大驚小怪。這并不是生離死別。“振作起來，”我說，“振作起來。”他拒絕振作，于是我任由他陷入郁悶。
The conclusion of the anecdote is even more instructive. For when we met the next month our conversation threw a good deal of light on the English character. I began by scolding my friend. I told him that he had been wrong to feel and display so much emotion upon so slight an occasion; that it was inappropriate. The word "inappropriate" roused him to fury. "what?" he cried. "Do you measure out your emotions as if they were potatoes" I did not like the simile of the potatoes, but after a moment's reflection I said: "Yes, I do; and what's nore, I think I ought to. A small occasion demands a little emotion just as a large occasion demands a great one. I would like my emotions to be appropriate. This may be measuring them like potatoes, but it is better than slopping them about like water from a pail, which is what you did." He did not like the simile of the pail. "If those are your opinions, they part us forever," he cried, and left the room. Returning immediately, he added: "No—but your whole attitude toward emotion is wrong. Emotion has nothing to do with appropriateness. It matters only that it shall be sincere. I happened to feel deeply. showed it. It doesn't matter whether ought to have felt deeply or not."
這件事的結(jié)尾更說明問題。因?yàn)楫?dāng)我們于次月見面時(shí)，我們的談話對(duì)了解英國人的性格大有神益。一開始我便指責(zé)朋友，我告訴他不應(yīng)該在這種小事上牽動(dòng)并體現(xiàn)出這么多感情，這并不妥當(dāng)。“妥當(dāng)”這個(gè)字眼兒激怒了他，“什么？”他大聲說道，“你是不是像分配土豆一樣分配你的感情？”我不喜歡土豆這個(gè)比喻，但是沉思片刻后我說，“是的，我是這樣；而且，我認(rèn)為應(yīng)該這樣。小事需要的感情少，大事需要的感情多。我希望我的感情分配得當(dāng)。我也許是像分配土豆一樣分配感情，但是要?jiǎng)龠^你像桶里的水一樣亂濺。”他不喜歡水桶這個(gè)比喻。“如果是這樣想的，那么我們絕交，他喊道，然后離開了房間，而后又立刻轉(zhuǎn)回來，補(bǔ)充說道，“不——但是你對(duì)于感情的整個(gè)態(tài)度是錯(cuò)的。感情與妥當(dāng)無關(guān)，感情只在于是否真誠。我碰巧是個(gè)感情豐富的人，于是我流露我的感情；你是否應(yīng)該感情豐富這并不重要。”
This remark impressed me very much. Yet I could not agree with it, and said that I valued emotion as much as he did, but used it differently; if I poured it out on small occasions I was afraid of having none left for the great ones, and of being bankrupt at the crises of life.
這些話給我留下了深刻印象。然而我不同意他的看法，并且要說明我與他一樣重視感情，只是表達(dá)的方式不同而已。如果我在小事上隨意揮灑感情，我害怕在大事上無感情可施，比如破產(chǎn)、人生危機(jī)這樣的大事。
評(píng)論
打印
