英译现代散文●杂感集（节录） ◎ 黄药眠

杂感集(节录)

Random Thoughts(Excerpt)

◎　黄药眠

◎　Huang Yaomian

拂晓前的灯光，尽管明亮，但怎能同刚出来的磅礴的晨曦争胜呢?

Predawn lamplight, bright as it is, can never outshine the majestic rising sun.

金刚石虽然能发出闪灼的亮光，可是没有热。

Diamond glitters but gives off no heat.

爱夸耀过去成绩的人，大概对于未来已没有多大的兴趣了吧!

He who is given to bragging about his past achievements must have lost interest in his own future.

燃烧着的木柴是决不懊悔它自己之成为灰烬的。

Firewood, while burning, never regrets having itself reduced to ashes.

更多的事前考虑，就可以有更少的事后追悔。

More thinking beforehand, less after-the-event remorse.

让偏见守着心灵，那么真理的声音就难于流进他的耳朵里了。

A prejudiced mind keeps the voice of truth from entering the ear.

谦虚的工作者常易取得热情的支持，浮夸的工作者则常受到冷淡的对待。

Modesty will win warm support; boastfulness will be cold shouldered.

陀螺尽管转得勤，但就是没有前进!

A top makes no headway no matter how hard it spins.

你出生入死得来的荣誉，也许会在衣香鬓影的欢乐的华筵中欢笑掉。

The honor you have gained by going through fire and water may be lost amidst gay laughter at a joyous grand banquet graced by gorgeously dressed women.

欢笑掉的东西，难道能用眼泪哭得回来么?

Can that which is lost in the midst of the gay laughter be regained by tears of regret?

宁可预告少而贡献多，切勿先作许多诺言，而最后只能拿出半杯凉水。

Few promises and more contributions, rather than more promises and few contributions.

你单纯，因为你除了为无产阶级和劳动人民而奋斗终身以外，便没有任何别的要求和欲望。你复杂，因为你对于敌人的阴谋诡计、威胁恫吓、利诱和美人计，都能一一予以识破，加以反击，获得胜利。

You are simple because you have no wants apart from dedicating your life to the welfare of the proletariat and the working people. You are complicated because you can defeat your enemy by seeing through one by one his plots, threats, lures and sex-traps.

逃跑必然会引起追击，让子弹从背后射进去是可耻的。

Running away will inevitably result in the pursuit and attack of the enemy; it is disgraceful to be hit in the back by a bullet.

嫉妒别人的才能，也许正好说明自己的无能。

Showing jealousy of other people's abilities is clear proof of your own incompetence.

面盆里泛起一些涟漪，我们觉得不值一提，但在蚂蚁看来，那简直像是汪洋大海轩然大波了。

Ripples on a basin of water mean nothing at all to man, but are like wild waves over a boundless sea to ants.

时间到哪里去了呢?有些人的时间是遗失在拈花弄草的游戏中，有些人是遗失在消散的闲谈和香烟的迷雾中。这些人不知道浪费时间，就等于浪费生命。 有些人，我认识他很久，但始终陌生;有些人，我同他很熟，但始终没有成为朋友;有些人，我同他做了很久的朋友，但后来才发现彼此还没有真正的认识。

Where is time gone? Some fool away their time in playing a game of womanizing; some trifle away their time in chit-chat amidst cigarette smoke. They don't know that wasting time means wasting life. Some whom I have known for a long time are strangers yet. Some with whom I am well acquainted have never become friends with me. Some have been friends of mine for a long time, but we still don't really know each other.

不过有些人，我同他才第一次见面，一下子就认出他是同志。

Some, nevertheless, are immediately found to be real comrades though we meet for the first time.

蜈蚣蛇蝎是毒虫，但用得其当不也能以毒攻毒地治病么?

Centipedes, snakes and scorpions are venomous, but, when properly used, they cure disease by combating poison with poison, don't they?

钉子如果没有锤子在后面不断督促，钉子就钉不进墙里去。

A nail will never be driven into a wall without repeated hammering from behind.

不成熟的东西也有值得称赞的地方，因为它虽幼稚，但包含有未来。 在交响乐队里工作的人们，绝不会因为轮到别人在弹奏而感到自己受到冷遇。

Things immature also have aspects worthy of our praise, because, though puerile, they embody the future. Members of a symphony orchestra never feel left out in the cold when it is others' turn to play their musical instruments.

因为交响乐团是一个整体。

It is because a symphony orchestra is a whole.

无私的人，总希望从自己手里能给人们散布出更多的幸福。

A selfless man always thinks of handing out more happiness to others.

老头儿不要靠过去的老本，青年人也不要去预支未来的幸福。

Old people should not rest on their laurels, nor should young people enjoy in advance their future happiness.

你老去计较从人民那里获得了多少东西，你为什么不计算一下，你欠了人民多少东西?

You often bother about how much you are getting from the people. Why not figure out how much you owe them?

我不愿做清浅平静的湖水，自我欣赏其清洁。我宁愿跟着洪流，夹着泥沙、石块，滚滚东流，而归于海。

I hate to be a calm lake which is limpid and shallow and indulge in admiring myself for being so clean. I would rather follow the mighty torrent and surge eastward along with mud, sand and rocks until I reach the sea.

不要光看到挺拔遒劲的松树的枝杈，更重要的是要看到它插入泥土深处的根系啊! 拉着牛尾巴不能使它向后退，揪着牛耳朵也不能使它向前进。

Behold not only the straight and sturdy branches of a pine tree, but, more importantly, its roots deep in the soil. You cannot make a cow move backward by pulling it by the tail, nor can you make it move forward by dragging it by the ear.

牵牛就得牵在牛鼻子上。

A cow is to be led by the nose.

黄药眠(1903—1987)，作家、教授、文艺评论家，原名黄访、黄恍，广东梅县人。解放前从事教师、编辑、记者等工作，出版有小说、诗歌、散文等专集。解放后任中国文学艺术联合会副秘书长、民盟中央委员、北京师范大学中文系教授等职，著有多种散文集。他写的《杂感集》是一组格言式的杂文，三言两语，寓意深刻，发人深思。