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Charles Darwin's notes on marriage have recently been made public. Despite devoting his life to science, Charles Darwin had a long and reportedly happy marriage, fathering 10 children after proposing to his cousin Emma Wedgwood in 1838.
查尔斯・达尔文的婚姻保鲜秘诀近日被公之于众。尽管这位伟大的生物学家将毕生的精力都致力于科学研究,但据说,达尔文自1838年向他的堂妹Emma Wedgwood求婚成功后便过上了长久幸福的婚姻生活并孕育了10个孩子。
But the naturalist and father of modern evolutionary theory wasn't always sold on matrimony, writing out a list of pros and cons on marriage in a journal entry that was first made public on Tuesday.
然而,这位自然科学家及现代进化论之父并没有就此沉迷于儿女情长的婚姻生活,他在日记本上写下了关于维持婚姻关系的可为和不可为的事项,这一篇日志于周二被公开。
The musings are part of the Darwin Correspondence Project, an online database of Darwin's writings, and were discovered by the site Brain Pickings.
这些感言是达尔文作品工程的一部分,达尔文作品工程是一个在线的达尔文作品数据库。
Using the back of a letter from a friend, Darwin sketched out some of his thoughts in a journal entry dated April 7, 1838.
1838年4月7日这一天的日志是写在了一封朋友来信的信纸背面,达尔文在上面写下了几句感悟。
Amongst the pros: "constant companion," "charms of music & female chit-chat"
可为事项有:“长久相伴”,“沐浴音乐”,“善于与女性聊天”
And some of the perceived cons: "means limited, Feel duty to work for money. London life, nothing but Society, no country, no tours, no large Zoolog. Collect. no books. … Could I live in London like a prisoner?"
不可为事项有:不小家子气,不将工作作为挣钱的唯一目的,不能生活凌乱,不能除了科学一无所有,不能对祖国没有信仰,不能没有旅行,不能不读书……我不能像一个囚犯一样生活在伦敦!
In July, just four months before his proposal, Darwin returned to his list.
7月,也就是他向Emma Wedgwood求婚前的4个月,达尔文写下了这篇日志。
On the possibility of having children: "Children —(if it Please God) — Constant companion, (& friend in old age) who will feel interested in one, — object to be beloved & played with. — —better than a dog anyhow."
关于孩子:孩子是终生相伴的朋友,反对一辈子只有狗相伴,一个活生生的人无论如何也好过一条狗。
But after several back and forth meditations, Darwin eventually reached the following conclusion: "Marry — Mary — Marry Q.E.D."
经过几次反反复复的沉思后,达尔文最终得出了下面的结论:结婚,与Emma Wedgwood相伴一生,幸福生活。
And, in fact, Darwin and Wedgwood stayed together for the next 44 years, until the time of his death in 1882.
而且,事实上,达尔文与Emma Wedgwood不离不弃地相守了44年,直到达尔文于1882年去世。