SH31翻譯: 人是一根能思想的葦草 (帕斯卡爾)

SH31翻譯: 人是一根能思想的葦草 (帕斯卡爾)

Translation: Man is a Thinking Reed (Blaise Pascal)

(assembled by: alexcwlin; reviewed by: Adam Lam)

思想形成人的偉大。

Thought constitutes the greatness of man.

(Article 346)

===============================================

人 只不過是一根葦草，是自然界最脆弱的東西；但他是一根能思想的葦草。

Man is but a reed, the most feeble thing in nature, but he is a thinking reed.

用不著整個宇宙都拿起武器來才能毀滅；

The entire universe need not arm itself to crush him.

一口氣、一滴水就足以致他死命了。

A vapour, a drop of water suffices to kill him.

然而，縱使宇 宙毀滅了他，人卻仍然要比致他於死命的東西高貴得多；因為他知道自己要死亡，以及宇宙對他所具有的優勢，而宇宙對此卻是一無所知。

But, if the universe were to crush him, man would still be more noble than that which killed him, because he knows that he dies and the advantage which the universe has over him; the universe knows nothing of this.

因而，我們全部的尊嚴就在於思想。

All our dignity consists then in thought.

正是由於它而不是由於我們所無法填充的空間和時間，

By it we must elevate ourselves, and not by space and time which we cannot fill.

我們才必須提高自己。因此，我們要努力好好地思想；這就是道德的原則。

Let us endeavour then to think well; this is the principle of morality.

(Article 347)

===============================================

人既不是天使，又不是禽獸；但不幸就在於想表現為天使的人卻表現為禽獸。

Man is neither angel nor brute, and the unfortunate thing is that he who would act the angel acts the brute.

(Article 358)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

思想——人的全部的尊嚴就在於思想。

Thought.—All the dignity of man consists in thought.

因此，思想由於它的本性，就是一種可驚嘆的、無與倫比的東西。

Thought is therefore by its nature a wonderful and incomparable thing.

它一定得具有出奇的缺點才能為人所蔑視；

It must have strange defects to be contemptible.

然而它又確實具有，所以再沒有比這更加荒唐可笑的事了。

But it has such, so that nothing is more ridiculous.

思想由於它的本性是何等的偉大啊！思想又由於它的缺點是何等的卑賤啊！

How great it is in its nature! How vile it is in its defects!

然而，這種思想又是什麼呢？它是何等的愚蠢啊！

But what is this thought? How foolish it is!

(Article 365)

===============================================

人的偉大之所以為偉大，就在於他認識自己可悲。

The greatness of man is great in that he knows himself to be miserable.

一棵樹並不認識自己可悲。

A tree does not know itself to be miserable.

因此，認識（自己）可悲乃是可悲的；然而認識我們之所以為可悲，卻是偉大的。

It is then being miserable to know oneself to be miserable; but it is also being great to know that one is miserable.

(Article 397)

===============================================

這一切的可悲其本身就證明了人的偉大。

All these same miseries prove man』s greatness.

它是一位偉大君主的可悲，是一個失了位的國王的可悲。

They are the miseries of a great lord, of a deposed king.

(Article 398)

===============================================

附註：

(1) Source of English