中国文学翻译成英文美文.docx

中国文学翻译成英文美文生命的三分之一OneThirdofOurLifetime邓拓DengTuo一个人的生命究竟有多大的意义，这有什么标准可以衡量吗?提出一个绝对的标准当然很困难;但是，大体上看一个人对待生命的态度是否严肃认真，看他对待劳动、工作等等的态度如何，也就不难对这个人的存在意义做出适当的估计了。Whatisthesignificanceoflife?Isthereanygaugetomeasureit?Itwouldbeverydifficult,ofcourse,tryingtoadvanceanabsolutestandard.However,thesignificanceofone'sexistencecanmoreorlessberatedbyexamininghisattitudetowardlifeandwork.古来一切有成就的人，都很严肃的对待自己的生命，当他活着一天，总要尽量多劳动、多工作、多学习，不肯虚度年华，不让时间白白的浪费掉。我国历代的劳动人民以及大政治家、大思想家等等都莫不如此。Sinceancienttimesallpeopleofaccomplishmentareveryseriousabouttheirlives.Whiletheyarealive,evenifthereisonlyonedaylefttolive,theytrytoworkashardastheycanandlearnasmuchaspossible,neverlettingasingledayslipbywithoutanygain.Thisistrueoftheworkingpeopleaswellasofthegreatstatesmenandgreatthinkersinourhistory.班固写的《汉书·食货志》上有下面的记载：“冬，民既人;妇人同巷相从夜绩，女工一月得四十五日。”Inthechapter“FoodsandGoods"ofTheChroniclesoftheHanDynasty,thegreathistorianBanGustates:"Inwinterpeoplestayindoors.Womengettogethertospinhempthreadsatnight.Theymanagetoworkforty-fivedaysinamonth."这几句读起来很奇怪，怎么一月能有四十五天呢?再看原文底下颜师古做了注解，他说：“一月之中，又得夜半为十五日，共四十五日。”Itsoundsstrange.Howcomethereareforty-fivedaysinamonth?LetuslookatitsannotationsgivenbyYanshigu:"Theygainhalfaday'stimeeverynightand,theyhaveforty-fivedaysinamonth."这就很清楚了。原来我国的古人不但比西方各国的人更早地懂得科学地、合理地计算劳动日;而且我们的古人老早就知道对于日班和夜班的计算方法。Nowit’sclear.Ourancestorshad,earlierthanthewesterners,learnedhowtocalculateworkdaysaccuratelyandreasonably.Theyhadalsolearnedhowcalculatedayshiftandnightshiftaswell.一个月本来只有三十天，古人把每个夜晚的时间算作半天，就多了十五天。从这个意义张说来，夜晚的时间实际上不就等于生命的三分之一吗?Itiscommonknowledgethatthereareonlythirtydaysinamonth.Countingthetimeofonenightforhalfaday,ourforefathersmanagedtoexpendthemonthbyfifteendays.Inthissensethenighttimegainedamountstoonethirdofourlives,doesn'tit?对于这三分之一的生命，不但历代的劳动者如此重视，而且有许多大政治家也十分重视。班固在《汉书?刑法志》里还写道：Thisonethirdoflifeisnotonlytreasuredbytheworkingpeoplebutalsobythegreatstatesmeninourhistory.Inthechapter"CriminalLaw"ofTheChroniclesoftheHanDynasty,BanGualsostates:“秦始皇躬操文墨，昼断狱，夜理书。”"TheFirstEmperoroftheQi