阅读的价值

The Commerce of Reading

阅读的价值

Michel de Montaigne

蒙田

作者简介

蒙田（Michel de Montaigne，1533—1592），文艺复兴时期最具影响力的法国作家之一，欧洲近代散文的创始人，代表作为晚年所写的《蒙田随笔》（Essays）。

在《蒙田随笔》中，作者几乎无所不谈，日常生活、传统习俗、人生哲理等都有涉及，他旁征博引了许多古希腊、古罗马作家的论述。各章篇幅长短不一，文章结构随意自然，文笔平易通畅，语言生动而充满睿智。该书与《培根随笔》（Bacon’s Essays）和《帕斯卡尔思想录》（Pascal’s Pensées）一起，被誉为欧洲近代哲理散文三大经典。

本文即节选自《蒙田随笔》。该书出版于1580年，本篇经威廉.哈兹利特（William Hazlitt）根据17世纪查尔斯.科顿（Charles Cotton）的经典英译本修改而成。从文中可见，蒙田对读书之乐深有体会，但又不为书所缚，能够以理智的态度对待阅读，他深邃辩证的思考值得爱书人细细领悟。

The [commerce of books] goes side by side with me in my whole course, and everywhere is assisting to me; it comforts me in my age and solitude; it eases me of a troublesome weight of idleness, and it delivers me at all hours from company that I dislike; and it blunts the point of griefs if they are not extreme, and have got an entire possession of my soul.

To divert myself from a troublesome fancy’tis[1] but to run to my books; they presently fix me to them, and drive the other out of my thoughts; and do not mutiny at seeing I have only recourse to them for want of other more real, natural, and lively conveniences; they always receive me with the same kindness. “He may well go a-foot,” say they, “who leads his horse in his hand.”

...

人生旅途中，我始终与书相伴而行。每当我需要帮助，书给我指引；当我年老孤寂，书给我宽慰；书让我免于无所事事，随时带我远离我厌恶的人群，缓解我未到极致的悲伤。书已占据我的全部灵魂。

为逃离白日梦的烦扰，我奔向书的怀抱；书即刻吸引我的注意，将旁心杂念尽数驱散；我依赖书，只为寻求更加真实、自然、鲜活之物；书也从不背叛，始终以善意相待。书中有云：“扬鞭策马者，亦有步行时。”

……

In the experience and practice of this sentence, which is a very true one, all the benefit I reap from books consists; and yet I make as little use of it almost as those who know it not; I enjoy it as a miser does his money, in knowing that I may enjoy it when I please; my mind is satisfied with this right of possession. I never travel without books, either in peace or war; and yet I sometimes pass over several days, and sometimes months, without looking at them; I will read by and by, say I to myself, or tomorrow, or when I please, and time meanwhile steals away without any inconvenience; for it is not to be imagined to what degree I please myself, and rest content in this consideration, that I have them by me, to divert myself with them when I am so disposed, and call to mind what an ease and assistance they are to my life. ’Tis the best viaticum I have yet found out for this human journey, and I very much pity those men of understanding who are unprovided with it. I rather accept of any sort of diversion, how light soever, in the feeling that this can never fail me.

When at home, I a little more frequent my library from whence I at once survey all the whole concerns of my family. As I enter it, I thence see under me my garden, court, and base-court, and into all the parts of the building. There I turn over now one book, and then another, of various subjects, without method or design. One while I meditate; another I record, and dictate as I walk to and fro, such whimsies as these with which I here present you.

’Tis in the third story of a tower, of which the ground-room is my chapel, the second story an apartment with a with drawing-room and closet, where I often lie to be more retired; above it is this great wardrobe, which formerly was the most useless part of the house. In that room I pass away most of the days of my life, and most of the hours of the day; in the night I am never there. There is within it a cabinet handsome and neat enough, with a very convenient fireplace for the winter, and windows that afford a great deal of light, and very pleasant prospects; and were I not afraid, less of the expense than of the trouble, that frights me from all business, I could very easily adjoin on either side, and on the same floor, a gallery of an hundred paces long, and twelve broad, having sound walls already raised for some other design, to the requisite height.

Every place of retirement requires a walk; my thoughts sleep if I sit still; my fancy does not go by itself, my legs must move it; and all those that study without a book, are in the same condition. The figure of my study is round, and has no more bare wall than what is taken up by my table and chair; so that the remaining parts of the circle present me a view of all my books at once, set upon five rows of shelves round about me.

It has three noble and wide prospects, and is sixteen paces in diameter. I am not so continually there in winter; for my house is built upon an eminence, and no part of it is so much exposed to the wind and weather as that, which pleases me the better for being of troublesome access and a little remote, as well upon the account of exercise, as being also there more retired from the crowd. ’Tis there that I am in my kingdom, and there I endeavor to make myself an absolute monarch, and to sequester this one corner from all society, whether conjugal, filial, or social; elsewhere I have but verbal authority only, and of a confused essence. That man, in my opinion, is very miserable, who has not a home where to be by himself, where to entertain himself alone, or to conceal himself from others.

...

此话乃真知灼见，一语道破书的种种益处，经得起细细体味，乃至实践检验。不过，正如那些不知开卷有益之人一般，我对书远未物尽其用。我爱书，正如守财奴爱钱；他们想到拥有金钱就心花怒放，我则想到拥有书籍就心满意足。无论战争年代还是和平时期，我外出旅行必携书同往；可有时一连几天，甚至数月，我都无暇捧书；我告诉自己，回头再看，明天再读，或有了兴致再说吧。然而，时间早在不知不觉中溜走。难以想象，书给了我多少欢乐。只要有书相伴，我就乐在其中；想到书带来的慰藉和帮助，我就心满意足。书是我在人生旅途中发现的最佳食粮。在我看来，无书做伴之人实在可怜！书带给我的每一种愉悦，无论多么微不足道，我都欣然接受。因为我深知，书永远不会令我失望。

在家时，我经常待在书房，全家上下尽收眼底。走进书房，向下俯视，花园、庭院、后院、屋子的大小角落，都一览无余。在书房，我时而看看这本，时而翻翻那本，随心所欲地浏览各类书籍。我有时陷入沉思，有时做些记录；一边来回踱步，一边口授随感；眼前这篇小文，便是我一时兴起之作。

书房位于塔楼三层。塔楼一层是礼拜堂，二层是带客厅和壁橱的套房，我的休憩之所，三层的书房原是整座房子最没用的大更衣室。我生活的大部分时光、白天的大部分时间，都在书房度过；但我晚上从不待在这里。书房里的小隔间舒适整洁，带有冬日取暖的壁炉，还有几扇窗户；屋里光线充足，屋外风景宜人。其实，书房与同层另一侧的屋子之间，已有两堵高度合适的坚实墙壁，完全可以建个百步长、12步宽的小长廊；但我不爱花钱，更怕麻烦，想到此类琐事就觉头疼。

每个休憩之所都该有踱步的空间；如果我静坐不动，思维就会陷入沉睡；只有双腿活动起来，思想才会随之前行。有些人不用书也能学习，原因正在于此。我的书房呈圆形，墙边除了一张书桌和一把椅子外，全是书架。我被五排书架环绕，所有藏书一览无余。

书房直径约16步，三面视野开阔，景色优美。冬天，我不会一直待在这儿，因为书房居高临下，风霜雨雪皆无遮挡。不过，当初我爱上这里，正是因为它地处偏僻，进出不便，不仅远离尘嚣，还可锻炼腿脚。书房是我专制的王国，我在此自封为王；在这个与世隔绝的角落，我能真正摆脱所有姻亲和社交往来；而在别处，我只有口头权威，并无实际用处。在我看来，人若没有一个独处自娱、逃离喧嚣的港湾，实属悲哀。

……

If any one shall tell me that it is to degrade the muses to make use of them only for sport, and to pass away the time, I shall tell him that he does not know the value of that sport and pastime so well as I do; I can hardly forebear to add further, that all other end is ridiculous. I live from hand to mouth, and, with reverence be it spoken, only live for myself; to that all my designs tend, and in that terminate. I studied when young for ostentation; since, to make myself wise; and now for my diversion, never for gain. A vain and prodigal humor that I had after this sort of furniture, not only for supplying my own need, but moreover for ornament and outward show, I have long ago quite abandoned.

Books have many charming qualities to such as know how to choose them; but every good has its ill; ’tis a pleasure that is not pure and unmixed any more than others; it has its inconveniences, and great ones too; the mind, indeed, is exercised by it, but the body, the care of which I have not forgotten, remains in the meantime without action, grows heavy and melancholy. I know no excess more prejudicial to me, nor more to be avoided in my declining age.

如果有人告诉我说，只将沉思视为运动，用来打发时间，是有失体统的。那么我要告诉他，他不像我这样了解这种“运动”和“消遣”的价值。我不想多说什么，多说无益。我生活清贫，只能勉强糊口。如果说得体面些，我只是为自己而活。这是我的人生追求，也是我的生活目标。年轻时，我学习只为炫耀；后来，是为了更睿智；如今，我只为消遣，不再试图从中获利。过去，我读书不仅为满足自身需要，还为炫耀所学。而现在，我早已打消了这种虚荣、卖弄的念头。

对于懂得如何选书之人而言，书的魅力难挡。然而，事无完美。阅读的乐趣，与其他消遣一样，并不纯粹。阅读既有优点，也有缺陷。阅读确实可以锻炼心智，但与此同时，身体却会缺乏锻炼，以致体重增加、情绪低落。不过，我倒是一直重视锻炼身体。走向暮年之后，我懂得了阅读也须适可而止，趋利避害。

[1] 编者注：tis即it is