2022年经济学人 蒙田的《随笔》——肉体与灵魂

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Montaigne's "Essays" -- Body and soul

蒙田的《随笔》——肉体与灵魂

A French philosopher offers a lesson in seeing other points of view

一位法国哲学家为我们上了一课，让我们看到不同的观点

Like many people, as he grew older Michel de Montaigne paid close attention to the workings of his body.

像许多人一样，随着年纪增长，米歇尔·德·蒙田密切关注起自己身体的运转。

He began to feel the cold in his bones; his servants brought him clothes at night "to warm my feet and stomach".

他开始感觉到骨子里的寒冷；他的仆人们晚上给他送来衣服，“让我的脚和胃暖和起来”。

He liked to sleep for eight or nine hours, he tells his readers, and avoided "violent activities" that "bring on sweat".

他告诉读者，他喜欢睡八九个小时，并且不做“让人出汗”的“剧烈活动”。

He could not eat even two meals a day without vomiting¹ -- but if he skipped one, flatulence and a dry mouth ensued.

他甚至做不到一天吃两餐不呕吐——但如果他少吃一顿，胀气和口干就来了。

These are not the typical musings of a renowned² thinker, but Montaigne's "Essays" are not typical works of philosophy.

这些都不是典型的思想家的沉思，不过蒙田的《随笔》也不是典型的哲学著作。

In 1570, after sitting in Bordeaux's parliament for 15 years, Montaigne retired³ to his chateau⁴.

1570年，在波尔多议会任职15年后，蒙田回到了自己的庄园。

This self-imposed solitude⁵ proved productive.

这种自我强加的孤独被证明是富有成效的。

He published two volumes of the "Essays" in 1580 and a third in 1588.

他在1580年出版了两卷《随笔》，并于1588年出版了第三卷。

In their pages he explores topics ranging from friendship to architecture to child-rearing.

在这些书中，他探讨了广泛的话题，从友谊到建筑再到养儿育女。

His prose weaves together history, personal experience and arguments from his favourite philosophers; anecdotes⁶ about his napping schedule are juxtaposed with maxims⁷.

他的散文将历史、个人经历和他最喜欢的哲学家的观点编织在一起；关于他午睡时间表的轶事与格言并列阐述。

It was Montaigne who popularised the essay genre⁸.

是蒙田使散文体裁流行起来。

The name derives⁹ from the French verb essayer, "to try", and Montaigne viewed his chapters as attempts to understand a topic.

散文这个名字来源于法语动词essayer，即“尝试”，蒙田认为他的文章是在尝试理解一个主题。

In "Of Drunkenness", for instance, he examines philosophers' views on booze (Socrates and Cato both enjoyed a tipple).

例如，在《论饮酒》一章中，他考察了哲学家们对酒的看法（苏格拉底和卡托都喜欢喝烈酒）。

German drinking habits of the 16th century are mentioned several times, as are the author's own tastes.

书中多次提到16世纪德国人的饮酒习惯，以及作者自己的口味。

But he never rules on whether drunkenness is right or wrong.

但他从不对饮酒是对是错下定论。

Rather, he lays out a range of opinions and lets the reader decide.

相反，他列出一系列的观点，让读者自己决定。

Montaigne strove to see the world from other perspectives.

蒙田努力从其他角度看世界。

In one chapter he recounts various South American customs, such as an unfamiliar¹⁰ drink ("it tastes a bit sharp") and faith in soothsayers.

在其中一章，他讲述了南美的各种习俗，比如一种不常见的饮料（“它尝起来有点烈”）和对占卜者的信仰。

He knew his European readers would find these habits puzzling, so, by way of balance, he delves¹¹ into the "strangeness" of French society.

他知道他的欧洲读者会觉得这些习惯令人费解，所以，为了平衡，他深入挖掘了法国社会的“奇怪现象”。

He recalls a meeting with some South American tribesmen who, on visiting Rouen in the 1560s, asked why, in Charles IX, the French had a king who was ten years old.

他回忆起在16世纪60年代访问鲁昂时，他曾与一些南美部落的人会面，他们问为什么法国有一个10岁的国王查理九世。

The writer admits that his "Essays" are a personal undertaking¹² rather than an authoritative¹³, objective study.

这位作者承认他的《随笔》是个人事业，而不是权威的、客观的研究。

"Reader," he confides¹⁴, "I myself am the subject of my book."

“读者，”他坦言，“我自己就是我这本书的主题。”

The immediate¹⁵ context included the Wars of Religion that had engulfed¹⁶ France.

当时的背景包括席卷法国的宗教战争。

Conflict between Protestants and Catholics ravaged¹⁷ Bordeaux -- the philosopher's siblings¹⁸ were on opposing sides -- yet he resisted polarisation.

新教徒和天主教徒之间的冲突摧毁了波尔多——这位哲学家的兄弟姐妹站在相互对立的两边——但他拒绝两极化。

For his time, Montaigne's determination to consider other viewpoints was unusual.

蒙田探讨其他观点的决心在他那个时代是不同寻常的。

It still is.

至今仍然是。

The "Essays" document a changeable mind as well as a changing body.

《随笔》记录了一个多变的心灵和一个多变的身体。

After the first editions were published, Montaigne edited them extensively, often adding entire paragraphs -- which sometimes completely contradicted his original points.

第一版出版后，蒙田对其进行了大量的编辑修改，经常添加整个段落——内容有时与他最初的观点完全相反。

He read more books of philosophy, his opinions evolving with each.

他读了更多的哲学书籍，他的观点也跟随他所读的每本书逐渐发展。

He contemplated¹⁹ his own mortality, which reshaped his outlook too.

他思考了自己的死亡，这也重塑了他的人生观。

The "Essays" are the product of a questing intellect, which rejected dogma in favour of something more nuanced and original.

《随笔》是探索智慧的产物，它摒弃了教条，转而书写那些更加微妙独到的东西。

1 vomiting   

吐

参考例句：

• Symptoms include diarrhoea and vomiting. 症状有腹泻和呕吐。
• Especially when I feel seasick, I can't stand watching someone else vomiting." 尤其晕船的时候，看不得人家呕。”

2 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

3 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

4 chateau   

n.城堡，别墅

参考例句：

• The house was modelled on a French chateau.这房子是模仿一座法国大别墅建造的。
• The chateau was left to itself to flame and burn.那府第便径自腾起大火燃烧下去。

5 solitude   

n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方

参考例句：

• People need a chance to reflect on spiritual matters in solitude. 人们需要独处的机会来反思精神上的事情。
• They searched for a place where they could live in solitude. 他们寻找一个可以过隐居生活的地方。

6 anecdotes   

n.掌故，趣闻，轶事( anecdote的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• amusing anecdotes about his brief career as an actor 关于他短暂演员生涯的趣闻逸事
• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman. 他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 maxims   

n.格言，座右铭( maxim的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Courts also draw freely on traditional maxims of construction. 法院也自由吸收传统的解释准则。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• There are variant formulations of some of the maxims. 有些准则有多种表达方式。 来自辞典例句

8 genre   

n.(文学、艺术等的)类型，体裁，风格

参考例句：

• My favorite music genre is blues.我最喜欢的音乐种类是布鲁斯音乐。
• Superficially,this Shakespeare's work seems to fit into the same genre.从表面上看， 莎士比亚的这个剧本似乎属于同一类型。

9 derives   

v.得到( derive的第三人称单数 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• English derives in the main from the common Germanic stock. 英语主要源于日耳曼语系。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derives his income from freelance work. 他以自由职业获取收入。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 unfamiliar   

adj.陌生的，不熟悉的

参考例句：

• I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
• The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。

11 delves   

v.深入探究，钻研( delve的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• That delves the grave duly. 误不了你的洞房。 来自互联网
• The exhibition delves deep into the physics, aromatics and even the timbre of flatulence. 此次展览向人们介绍了人体物理、气味甚至肠胃胀气的声音等各方面知识。 来自互联网

12 undertaking   

n.保证，许诺，事业

参考例句：

• He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。
• He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小，不敢从事任何事业。

13 authoritative   

adj.有权威的，可相信的；命令式的；官方的

参考例句：

• David speaks in an authoritative tone.大卫以命令的口吻说话。
• Her smile was warm but authoritative.她的笑容很和蔼，同时又透着威严。

14 confides   

v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的第三人称单数 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等）

参考例句：

• Now Butterfly confides to Pinkerton that she has secretly embraced Christianity. 蝴蝶向平克顿吐露，她已暗地里信奉了基督教。 来自辞典例句
• He also confides, in great secrecy, that his own heart still bleeds over Natalie. 他还极秘密地透露，他自己内心里还在为那塔丽感到痛苦。 来自辞典例句

15 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

16 engulfed   

v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was engulfed by a crowd of reporters. 他被一群记者团团围住。
• The little boat was engulfed by the waves. 小船被波浪吞没了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 ravaged   

毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫

参考例句：

• a country ravaged by civil war 遭受内战重创的国家
• The whole area was ravaged by forest fires. 森林火灾使整个地区荒废了。

18 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

19 contemplated   

adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The doctor contemplated the difficult operation he had to perform. 医生仔细地考虑他所要做的棘手的手术。
• The government has contemplated reforming the entire tax system. 政府打算改革整个税收体制。