弗朗索瓦·费奈隆/Francois Fénelon

　　弗朗索瓦·费奈隆（1651—1715），法国著名神学家与作家，18世纪法国启蒙运动先驱之一，曾受路易十四派遣传教。因成果显著，被委任为其王孙太傅，后来还曾担任法兰西学院院士，1699年，一个出版商未经同意出版了他的《忒勒马科斯历险记》，由于书中有他对路易十四内外政策的不满，故遭放逐，其后一直隐居在康布雷。

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　　Simplicity is an uprightness of soul that has no reference to self; it is different from sincerity, and it is a still higher virtue. We see many people who are sincere, without being simple; they only wish to pass for what they are, and they are unwilling to appear what they are not; they are always thinking of themselves, measuring their words, and recalling their thoughts, and reviewing their actions, from the fear that they have done too much or too little. These persons are sincere, but they are not simple; they are not at ease with others, and others are not at ease with them; they are not free, ingenuous, natural; we prefer people who are less correct, less perfect, and who are less artificial. This is the decision of man, and it is the judgment of God, who would not have us so occupied with ourselves, and thus, as it were, always arranging our features in a mirror.

　　To be wholly occupied with others, never to look within, is the state of blindness of those who are entirely engrossed by what is present and addressed to their sense; this is the very reverse of simplicity. To be absorbed in self and in whatever engages us, whether we are laboring for our fellow beings or for God—to be wise in our own eyes reserved, and full of ourselves, troubled at the least thing that disturbs our self-complacency, is the opposite extreme. This is false wisdom, which, with all its glory, is but little less absurd than that folly, which pursues only pleasure. The one is intoxicated with all it sees around it; the other with all that it imagines it has within; but it is delirium in both. To be absorbed in the contemplation of our own minds is really worse than to be engrossed by outward things, because it appears like wisdom and yet is not, we do not think of curing it, we pride ourselves upon it, we approve of it, it gives us an unnatural strength, it is a sort of frenzy, we are not conscious of it, we are dying, and we think ourselves in health.

　　Simplicity consists in a just medium, in which we are neither too much excited, nor too composed. The soul is not carried away by outward things, so that it cannot make all necessary reflections; neither does it make those continual references to self, that a jealous sense of its own excellence multiplies to infinity. That freedom of the soul, which looks straight onward in its path, losing no time to reason upon its steps, to study them, or to contemplate those that it has already taken, is true simplicity.

　　……

　　单纯是无私的灵魂中一种正直的品质，它不同于真诚，但高于真诚。许多人真诚，但绝不单纯。他们只是想以本来面目示人，他们时时刻刻在想着自己，说话时斟词酌句，思考时总在反省，行动时再三审视，因为他们总害怕自己做得太多或者太少。这些人很真诚，但他们不单纯。与人相处时，他们总是难以放松，别人对他们也十分拘谨。他们不随意、不率真、不自然；我们更喜欢偶尔犯点错误、不那么完美、不那么做作的人们。人们是这么想的，上帝也是这么认为的。上帝不愿我们整日沉迷于自我，就像整日对着镜子整理自己的容颜。

　　完全专注于他人而从不内省则是另一种盲目。他们所有的注意力都集中于眼前的事物以及感觉到的一切；这与单纯恰恰相反。而那些无论在为人类还是为上帝效力的时候，总是想着自己或者与自己有关的一切的人们，就是另外一个极端。他们以为自己的聪明十分含蓄，心里永远只想到自己；他们的自命不凡稍受打击就觉得心烦意乱。这不是真正的智慧，尽管看上去值得夸耀，其实与那些一味追求享乐的傻念头一样荒谬。他们之中的一种人沉迷于所见到的事物而乐不可支，另一种人则沉迷于自己的幻想而欣喜若狂；但这两种想法都是虚幻不实的，而沉迷于自己的幻想之中又比专注于外物更糟糕，因为这种情况虽然很不明智，可是看起来却像是聪明，以致人们非但不会想办法去改正，反而肯定这一做法并引以为荣。它会带给我们一种邪恶的力量，就像一种我们不自知的精神失常。我们已经命在旦夕，却还以为自己十分健康。

　　单纯是一种适度的中庸。单纯的人既不会过度兴奋，也不会过于镇静。灵魂不会受外物牵引以致无力做必要的内省；也不会时刻以自我为中心，以致对自己所谓的美好品质无穷无尽地患得患失。真正的单纯，是一种灵魂的自由——它能够直视道路的前方，不会浪费时间停下来仔细权衡自己脚下的步伐，也不会再去回顾已经走过的道路。

　　历史链接

　　1689年，弗朗索瓦·费奈隆被任命为王孙勃艮第公爵的太傅，为性格顽劣、脾气古怪的王孙授课。他亲自编写教材，其中包括著名的《死者对话录》，书中让孔子、苏格拉底、柏拉图、亚里士多德等古代先贤聚在一起，展开对德行、幸福、荣誉、爱国等问题的讨论。作为神学家，费奈隆自然不忘时刻以上帝的名义来进行说教。本篇是他对品德的思考。

　　W词汇笔记

　　reference ［?ref?r?ns］n.参考；参照；涉及；提及

　　例 I should recommend it as a useful reference book.

　　我愿意推荐它作为一本有用的参考书。

　　ingenuous ［in?d?enju?s］adj.坦白的；正直的；天真的；朴实的

　　例 She is too ingenuous in believing what others say.

　　只有最天真的人才会相信这么一个站不住脚的借口。

　　engross ［in?ɡr?us］v.使全神贯注；用大字体书写；独占；吸引

　　例 But Perdita seemed to engross all Leontes' attention.

　　可是里昂提斯的全部注意力好像都贯注在潘狄塔身上。

　　frenzy ［?frenzi］n.狂怒；狂暴；暴怒

　　例 His frenzy of the previous day had all calmed down.

　　他前一天的慌乱都平静下来了。

　　S小试身手

　　单纯是无私的灵魂中一种正直的品质，它不同于真诚，但高于真诚。

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　　单纯是一种适度的中庸。单纯的人既不会过度兴奋，也不会过于镇静。

　　译__________________________________________________

　　真正的单纯，是一种灵魂的自由——它能够直视道路的前方，不会浪费时间停下来仔细权衡自己脚下的步伐，也不会再去回顾已经走过的道路。

　　译__________________________________________________

　　P短语家族

　　These persons are sincere, but they are not simple; they are not at ease with others...

　　at ease：安逸；自由自在；舒适

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　　Simplicity consists in a just medium, in which we are neither too much excited, nor too composed.

　　consist in：存在于；在于

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