《四季随笔》节选 - 冬 08

《四季随笔》是吉辛的散文代表作。其中对隐士赖克罗夫特醉心于书籍、自然景色与回忆过去生活的描述，其实是吉辛的自述，作者以此来抒发自己的情感，因而本书是一部富有自传色彩的小品文集。

吉辛穷困的一生，对文学名著的爱好与追求，以及对大自然恬静生活的向往，在书中均有充分的反映。本书分为春、夏、秋、冬四个部分，文笔优美，行文流畅，是英国文学中小品文的珍品之一。

以下是由网友分享的《四季随笔》节选 - 冬 08的内容，让我们一起来感受吉辛的四季吧!

As so often when my thought has gone forth in praise of things English, I find myself tormented by an after-thought—the reflection that I have praised a time gone by. Now, in this matter of English meat. A newspaper tells me that English beef is non-existent; that the best meat bearing that name has merely been fed up in England for a short time before killing. Well, well; we can only be thankful that the quality is still so good. Real English mutton still exists, I suppose. It would surprise me if any other country could produce the shoulder I had yesterday.

在我的思想为种种英国事物大唱赞歌时，我经常会为一种事后的想法所折磨，那就是考虑到自己歌颂的是一个逝去的时代。现在来谈谈英国的肉食吧。报纸上写道，所谓的英国牛肉已经不存在，冠以其名的最好的肉，不过是宰杀之前在英国短暂地饲养过一段时间而已。好吧，好吧，我们只能庆幸它的质量仍然这么好。真正的英国羊肉还存在吧，我想。如果其他国家能生产出我昨天吃的那块羊肩肉，那我真会大吃一惊呢。

Who knows? Perhaps even our own cookery has seen its best days. It is a lamentable fact that the multitude of English people nowadays never taste roasted meat; what they call by that name is baked in the oven—a totally different thing, though it may, I admit, be inferior only to the right roast. Oh, the sirloin of old times, the sirloin which I can remember, thirty or forty years ago! That was English, and no mistake, and all the history of civilization could show nothing on the table of mankind to equal it. To clap that joint into a steamy oven would have been a crime unpardonable by gods and man. Have I not with my own eyes seen it turning, turning on the spit? The scent it diffused was in itself a cure for dyspepsia.

谁知道呢？也许连我们自己的烹饪都在走下坡路了。如今大多数英国人都从没有吃过烤肉，真是可悲；他们称之为烤肉的食物都是从烤箱中出来的——那是完全不同的东西，尽管我承认它的味道可能只是比不上正宗的烤肉而已。噢，以前的牛腰肉，我能记得的牛腰肉，已经是三四十年以前！那是纯正的英国风味，没错，在人类的餐桌上，文明的全部历史都拿不出什么与它相比。将一块带骨腿肉放到蒸汽腾腾的烤箱里简直是一桩人神共愤的罪行。我不是曾亲眼看见它在烤肉铁钎上转来转去吗？它散发出的气味本身就能治疗消化不良了。

It is very long since I tasted a slice of boiled beef; I have a suspicion that the thing is becoming rare. In a household such as mine, the "round" is impracticable; of necessity it must be large, altogether too large for our requirements. But what exquisite memories does my mind preserve! The very colouring of a round, how rich it is, yet how delicate, and how subtly varied! The odour is totally distinct from that of roast beef, and yet it is beef incontestable. Hot, of course with carrots, it is a dish for a king; but cold it is nobler. Oh, the thin broad slice, with just its fringe of consistent fat!

我很久没有吃上一块煮牛肉了，我怀疑这种东西越来越少了。在我这样的家庭里，牛股肉是行不通的；因为它一定是大的，大到超出我们的需要。然而我的脑海中保存了怎样美好的记忆！牛股肉的色泽，多么浓郁，多么娇嫩，多么微妙多姿！它的味道和烤牛肉截然不同，但却无可置疑是牛肉。热腾腾的端上桌，当然要佐以胡萝卜，它可以成为国王的美食；但如果是冷的，那它会更加尊贵。噢，那薄薄的一大片，只在边沿上有一圈肥肉！

We are sparing of condiments, but such as we use are the best that man has invented. And we know HOW to use them. I have heard an impatient innovator scoff at the English law on the subject of mustard, and demand why, in the nature of things, mustard should not be eaten with mutton. The answer is very simple; this law has been made by the English palate—which is impeccable. I maintain it is impeccable! Your educated Englishman is an infallible guide in all that relates to the table. "The man of superior intellect," said Tennyson—justifying his love of boiled beef and new potatoes—”knows what is good to eat”; and I would extend it to all civilized natives of our country. We are content with nothing but the finest savours, the truest combinations; our wealth, and happy natural circumstances, have allowed us an education of the palate of which our natural aptitude was worthy. Think, by the bye, of those new potatoes, just mentioned. Our cook, when dressing them, puts into the saucepan a sprig of mint. This is genius. No otherwise could the flavour of the vegetable be so perfectly, yet so delicately, emphasized. The mint is there, and we know it; yet our palate knows only the young potato.

我们很少用调味品，但凡是我们用的，都是人类发明的最好的，我们知道怎样来使用它们。我曾听到一个缺乏耐心的改革者借芥末的话题嘲弄英国的法律，他问道，究竟为何芥末一定不能和羊肉一起食用呢？答案非常简单；这条法律是由英国人的味觉制定的——它是无可挑剔的。我强调一遍，它是无可挑剔的！受过教育的英国人，在所有与餐桌有关的事情上，都是绝对可靠的向导。“有卓异智慧的人知道什么好吃”，丁尼生说——为自己爱吃煮牛肉和新土豆这样辩护，我则将它扩展至所有文明的国人。我们只满足于最好的味道和最合理的搭配；我们的财富和幸福的自然环境，都让我们的味觉受到很好的教育，与我们的天生才智相辅相成。顺便想一想刚才提到的新土豆，我们的厨子在烹调时会在菜锅里放上一点薄荷，这就是天才。如果不这样，土豆的味道不会如此完美精致地得到提升。我们知道薄荷在菜里，但是我们的味觉只知道这就是小土豆。