26 Romanticism

26 浪漫主义

……the path of mystery leads inwards……

……神秘之路通向内心…… 

Hilde let the heavy ring binder slide into her lap. Then she let it slide further onto the floor.

席德任由那本沉重的讲义夹滑入怀中，并继而滑落到地板上。

It was already lighter in the room than when she had gone to bed. She looked at the clock. It was almost three. She snuggled down under the covers and closed her eyes. As she was falling asleep she wondered why her father had begun to write about Little Red Ridinghood and Winnie-the-Pooh ...

现在的天色已经比她刚上床时明亮。她看看时钟，已经快三点了。她钻进被窝，闭上眼睛。她入睡时心里仍在好奇为何爸爸会开始将小红帽和波波熊写进书中……

She slept until eleven o'clock the next morning. The tension in her body told her that she had dreamed intensely all night, but she could not remember what she had dreamed. It felt as if she had been in a totally different reality.

第二天早上她睡到十一点。醒来时全身肌肉都绷得紧紧的，于是她知道自己昨晚又做了许多梦，可是她已经不记得自己梦见什么了，感觉上就好像她活在一个完全不同的世界似的。

She went downstairs and fixed breakfast. Her mother had put on her blue jumpsuit ready to go down to the boathouse and work on the motorboat. Even if it was not afloat, it had to be shipshape when Dad got back from Lebanon.

她下楼准备早餐。妈妈已经把她那套蓝色的工人装拿出来了，预备到船屋那儿去修理汽艇。虽然它一直都没有下水，在爸爸从黎巴嫩回来前还是得把它整理得比较像样些。

"Do you want to come down and give me a hand?"

“你想不想来帮我的忙？” 

"I have to read a little first. Should I come down with some tea and a mid-morning snack?"

“我得先读一点书。你要不要我带一杯茶和一些点心去呢？” 

"What mid-morning?"

“都快中午了还用吃点心吗？” 

When Hilde had eaten she went back up to her room, made her bed, and sat herself comfortably with the ring binder resting against her knees.

席德吃完早餐就回到房里。她把床铺整理了一下，然后舒服地坐在上面，膝上放着那本讲义夹。

哲学宴会 

Sophie slipped through the hedge and stood in the big garden which she had once thought of as her own Garden of Eden . . .

苏菲钻过树篱，站在花园里。这座大花园曾经是她心目中属于她的伊甸园……

There were branches and leaves strewn everywhere after the storm the night before. It seemed to her that there was some connection between the storm and the fallen branches and her meeting with Little Red Ridinghood and Winnie-the-Pooh.

园里到处散布着昨天晚上被暴风雨吹落的枝叶。她觉得那场暴风雨和落叶和她遇见小红帽与波波熊这件事似乎有某种关联。苏菲信步走到秋千那儿，挥落上面的松针与松枝。还好秋千上的坐垫是塑胶的，所以下雨时也不需要把它们收进屋里去。

She went into the house. Her mother had just gotten home and was putting some bottles of soda in the refrigerator. On the table was a delicious-looking chocolate cake.

苏菲走进屋里。妈妈已经回到家了，正把几瓶汽水放进冰箱里。餐桌上放着一块花结状的乳酪饼和一小堆杏仁圈圈饼。

"Are you expecting visitors?" asked Sophie; she had almost forgotten it was her birthday.

“我们家有客人要来吗？”苏菲问。她几乎已经忘记今天是她的生日了。

"We're having the real party next Saturday, but I thought we ought to have a little celebration today as well."

“我们要到星期六才请客，不过我想我们今天也应该稍微庆祝一下。” 

"How?"

“怎么庆祝呢？” 

"I have invited Joanna and her parents."

“我请了乔安和她的爸妈。” 

"Fine with me."

“好啊！” 

The visitors arrived shortly before half-past seven. The atmosphere was somewhat formal--Sophie's mother very seldom saw Joanna's parents socially.

快到七点半时，客人就到了。气氛满拘谨的，因为苏菲的妈妈很少和乔安的爸妈往来。

It was not long before Sophie and Joanna went upstairs to Sophie's room to write the garden party invitations. Since Alberto Knox was also to be invited, Sophie had the idea of inviting people to a "philosophical garden party." Joanna didn't object. It was Sophie's party after all, and theme parties were "in" at the moment.

不久苏菲与乔安就到楼上苏菲的房间去写花园宴会的邀请函。由于艾伯特也在应邀之列，因此苏菲兴起了举办一个“哲学花园宴会”的念头，乔安也没有反对，毕竟这是苏菲的宴会。于是她们便决定举办一个有主题的宴会。

Finally they had composed the invitation. It had taken two hours and they couldn't stop laughing.

她们花了两个小时才拟好邀请函。两个女孩都笑弯了腰。

The two girls went downstairs to their parents, who were now talking somewhat more freely. Sophie handed the draft invitation, written with a calligraphic pen, to her mother.

苏菲写完后，她们便下楼去见爸妈。此时他们正在聊天，气氛已经比较轻松自然了。苏菲将她用钢笔写的邀请函文稿交给妈妈。

"Could you make eighteen copies, please." It was not the first time she had asked her mother to make photocopies for her at work.

“请帮我复印十八份。”这已经不是苏菲第一次请妈妈利用上班时间帮她影印东西了。

Her mother read the invitation and then handed it to Joanna's father.

妈妈看过邀请函后，便将它递给乔安的爸爸。

"You see what I mean? She is going a little crazy."

“你看我说得没错吧？她已经晕头转向了。” 

"But it looks really exciting," said Joanna's father, handing the sheet on to his wife. "I wouldn't mind coming to that party myself."

“不过看起来还满吸引人的。”乔安的爸爸说，一边把那张文稿递给他太太。“如果可以的话，我也想参加呢!” 

Barbie read the invitation, then she said: "Well, I must say! Can we come too, Sophie?"

乔安的妈妈芭比看了邀请函后说道：“嗯，真不错。苏菲，我们也可以参加吗？” 

"Let's say twenty copies, then," said Sophie, taking them at their word.

苏菲信以为真，便说：“妈，那你就帮我印二十份吧。” 

"You must be nuts!" said Joanna.

“你疯了不成!”乔安说。

Before Sophie went to bed that night she stood for a long time gazing out of the window. She remembered how she had once seen the outline of Alberto's figure in the darkness. It was more than a month ago. Now it was again late at night, but this was a white summer night.

当天晚上苏菲上床前，在窗前站了许久，看着窗外的景色。她还记得有一次曾经在黑暗中看到艾伯特的身影。这已经是一个多月前的事了。现在又是深夜时分，只不过由于已是夏日，天色仍然明亮。

Sophie heard nothing from Alberto until Tuesday morning. He called just after her mother had left for work.

直到星期二上午，艾伯特才和她联络。苏菲的妈妈刚出门上班，他就打电话来了。

"Sophie Amundsen."

“喂，我是苏菲。” 

"And Alberto Knox."

“我是艾伯特。” 

"I thought so."

“我猜到了。” 

"I'm sorry I didn't call before, but I've been working hard on our plan. I can only be alone and work undisturbed when the major is concentrating wholly and com-pletely on you."

“很抱歉我没有早一点打电话来，因为我一直忙着拟定我们的计划。这段时间少校把全副注意力都放在你的身上，所以我才能够单独做一些事，不受干扰。” 

 "That's weird."

“这事实在很诡异。” 

"Then I seize the opportunity to conceal myself, you see. The best surveillance system in the world has its limitations when it is only controlled by one single person ... I got your card."

“然后我就抓住这个机会躲了起来，你明白吗？就算是全世界最好的监视网络，如果只由一个人控制的话，也会有它的缺点……我收到你的卡片了。” 

"You mean the invitation?"

“你是说邀请函吗？” 

"Dare you risk it?"

“你敢冒这个险吗？” 

"Why not?"

“为什么不敢？” 

"Anything can happen at a party like that."

“像那样的宴会，什么事都可能发生。” 

"Are you coming?"

“你来不来呢？” 

"Of course I'm coming. But there is another thing. Did you remember that it's the day Hilde's father gets back from Lebanon?"

“当然来啦。可是有一件事：你还记得那天席德的爸爸会从黎巴嫩回来吗？” 

"No, I didn't, actually."

“老实说，我忘记了。” 

"It can't possibly be pure coincidence that he lets you arrange a philosophical garden party the same day as he gets home to Bjerkely."

“他让你在他回到柏客来那一天举行哲学性的花园宴会，一定不可能是什么巧合。” 

"I didn't think about it, as I said."

“我没想到这个耶!” 

"I'm sure he did. But all right, we'll talk about that later. Can you come to the major's cabin this morning?"

“我敢说他一定想到了。不过没有关系，我们以后再谈这件事好了。你今天上午能到少校的小木屋来吗？” 

"I'm supposed to weed the flower beds."

“我今天要修剪花坛的草。” 

"Let's say two o'clock, then. Can you make that?"

“那就下午两点好了。你能来吗？” 

"I'll be there."

“可以。” 

Alberto Knox was sitting on the step again when Sophie arrived.

苏菲到达小木屋时，艾伯特已经坐在门前的台阶上了。

"Have a seat," he said, getting straight down to work.

“到这里来坐！”他说，然后就马上开始上课了。

浪漫主义

"Previously we spoke of the Renaissance, the Baroque period, and the Enlightenment. Today we are going to talk about Romanticism, which could be described as Europe's last great cultural epoch. We are approaching the end of a long story, my child."

“我们已经讲过了文艺复兴运动、巴洛克时期与启蒙运动。今天我们要谈浪漫主义。这可以说是欧洲最后一个伟大的文化纪元。到这里，我们就接近尾声了。” 

"Did Romanticism last that long?"

“浪漫主义时期有这么久吗？” 

"It began toward the end of the eighteenth century and lasted till the middle of the nineteenth. But after 1850 one can no longer speak of whole 'epochs' which comprise poetry, philosophy, art, science, and music."

“它从十八世纪末开始，一直持续到十九世纪中期。到了一八五O年以后就不再有一个涵盖诗、哲学、艺术、科学与音乐的‘纪元’了。” 

"Was Romanticism one of those epochs?"

“浪漫主义时期就是这些纪元当中的一个吗？” 

"It has been said that Romanticism was Europe's last common approach to life.

“有人说浪漫主义是欧洲人士最后一次对生命的‘共同进路’。

It started in Germany, arising as a reaction to the Enlightenment's unequivocal emphasis on reason. After Kant and his cool intellectualism, it was as if German youth heaved a sigh of relief."

这个运动从德国开始，最初是为了反对启蒙时期的哲学家过于强调理性的做法。在康德和他那冷静的知性主义成为过去式后，德国的青年仿佛松了一口气，如释重负。” 

"What did they replace it with?"

“那他们用什么东西来取代康德的哲学呢？” 

"The new catchwords were 'feeling', 'imagination', 'experience', and 'yearning'. Some of the Enlightenment thinkers had drawn attention to the importance of feel-ing--not least Rousseau--but at that time it was a criticism of the bias toward reason. What had been an undercurrent now became the mainstream of German culture."

“当时的新口号是‘感情’、‘想象’、‘经验’和‘渴望’。过去部分启蒙时期的哲学家，包括卢梭在内，也曾经提到感情的重要性。到了浪漫主义时期，人们开始批评过于偏重理性的做法。以往隐而不显的浪漫主义如今成为德国文化的主流。” 

"So Kant's popularity didn't last very long?"

“这么说康德对人们的影响力并没有持续很久吗？” 

"Well, it did and it didn't. Many of the Romantics saw themselves as Kant's successors, since Kant had established that there was a limit to what we can know of 'das Ding an sich.' On the other hand, he had underlined the importance of the ego's contribution to knowledge, or cognition. The individual was now completely free to interpret life in his own way. The Romantics exploited this in an almost unrestrained 'ego-worship,' which led to the exaltation of artistic genius."

“可以说是，也可以说不是。许多浪漫主义者自认是康德的传人，因为康德已经确认我们对于‘物自身’所知有限，同时他也强调自我的作用对于知识(或认知)的重要性。在这种情况下，个人可以完全随心所欲的以自己的方式来诠释生命。浪漫主义者便利用这点发展出几乎毫无限制的‘自我崇拜’，并且因此而歌颂艺术方面的天才。” 

"Were there a lot of these geniuses?"

“那时候有很多这样的天才吗？” 

"Beethoven was one. His music expresses his own feelings and yearnings. Beethoven was in a sense a 'free' artist--unlike the Baroque masters such as Bach and Handel, who composed their works to the glory of God, mostly in strict musical forms."

“贝多芬就是其中之一。他用音乐来表达自我的情感与渴望，比起巴哈和韩德尔这些多半以严格的音乐形式创作乐曲，以歌颂上帝的巴洛克时期大音乐家，贝多芬可以说是一个‘自由的’艺术家。” 

"I only know the Moonlight Sonata and the Fifth Symphony."

“我只听过月光奏鸣曲和第五号交响曲。” 

"But you know how romantic the Moonlight Sonata is, and you can hear how dramatically Beethoven expresses himself in the Fifth Symphony."

“那你应该可以听得出月光奏鸣曲是多么浪漫，而贝多芬在第五号交响乐中又是如何生动地表现自己。” 

"You said the Renaissance humanists were individualists too."

“你说过文艺复兴时期的人文主义者也是个人主义者。” 

"Yes. There were many similarities between the Renaissance and Romanticism. A typical one was the importance of art to human cognition. Kant made a considerable contribution here as well. In his aesthetics he investigated what happens when we are overwhelmed by beauty--in a work of art, for instance. When we abandon ourselves to a work of art with no other intention than the aesthetic experience itself, we are brought closer to an experience of 'das Ding an sich.' "

“是的。文艺复兴时期与浪漫主义时期有许多相似的地方，其中最典型的就是两者都强调艺术对人类认知的重要性。在这方面康德有很大的贡献，他在他的美学理论中研究了当我们受到美(例如一幅艺术作品)的感动时会发生什么情况。他认为，当我们忘记自我，忘记一切，完全沉浸于艺术作品的时候，我们就比较能够体验到‘物自身’。” 

 "So the artist can provide something philosophers can't express?"

“这么说艺术家可以提供一些哲学家无法表达的东西吗？”

"That was the view of the Romantics. According to Kant, the artist plays freely on his faculty of cognition. The German poet Schiller developed Kant's thought further. He wrote that the activity of the artist is like playing, and man is only free when he plays, because then he makes up his own rules. The Romantics believed that only art could bring us closer to 'the inexpressible.' Some went as far as to compare the artist to God."

“这正是浪漫主义者的看法。根据康德的说法，艺术家可以随心所欲地运用他的认知能力。德国诗人席勒(Schiler)更进一步发挥康德的想法。他说，艺术家的创作活动就像玩游戏一般，而人唯有在玩游戏的时候才是自由的，因为那时他可以自己订定游戏规则。浪漫主义者相信，唯有艺术才能使我们更接近那‘无以言喻’的经验。有人甚至将艺术家比做上帝。” 

"Because the artist creates his own reality the way God created the world."

“因为艺术家创造自己的世界，就像上帝创造这个世界一般。” 

"It was said that the artist had a 'universe-creating imagination.' In his transports of artistic rapture he could sense the dissolving of the boundary between dream and reality.

“有人说艺术家有一种‘创造宇宙的想象力’。当他内心充满艺术的狂喜时，他可以跨越梦境与现实的藩篱。

"Novalis, one of the young geniuses, said that 'the world becomes a dream, and the dream becomes reality.' He wrote a novel called Heinrich von Ofterdingen set in Medieval times. It was unfinished when he died in 1801, but it was nevertheless a very significant novel. It tells of the young Heinrich who is searching for the 'blue flower' that he once saw in a dream and has yearned for ever since. The English Romantic poet Coleridge expressed the same idea; saying something like this:

“年轻的艺术天才诺瓦里思(Novalis)曾经说过：‘人世变成了一场梦，而梦境成为现实。’他写了一部名为海因利希·冯·欧夫特丁根(Heinrich von Ohterdingen)的中世纪小说。此书虽然在他一八O一年去世时仍未完成，但仍是一本非常重要的小说。书中叙述年轻的海因利希一心一意找寻他曾经在梦中见到、渴望已久的‘蓝色花朵’。除此之外，英国的浪漫主义诗人柯立芝(Co1eridge)也曾表达同样的意念：

What if you slept? And what if, in your sleep, you dreamed? And what if, in your dream, you went to heaven and there plucked a strange and beautiful flower? And what if, when you awoke, you had the flower in your hand? Ah, what then?"

‘万一你睡着了呢？万一你在睡眠时做梦了呢？万一你在梦中到了天堂，在那儿采下了一朵奇异而美丽的花？万一你醒来时，花儿正在手中？啊，那时你要如何呢？’” 

"How pretty!"

“好美啊!” 

"This yearning for something distant and unattainable was characteristic of the Romantics. They longed for bygone eras, such as the Middle Ages, which now became enthusiastically reappraised after the Enlightenment's negative evaluation. And they longed for distant cultures like the Orient with its mysticism. Or else they would feel drawn to Night, to Twilight, to old ruins and the supernatural. They were preoccupied with what we usually refer to as the dark side of life, or the murky, uncanny, and mystical."

“这种渴望遥不可及的事物的心态正是浪漫主义者的特色。他们也可能会怀念一个已经逝去的年代，例如中世纪。历经启蒙时期对中世纪的贬谪后，浪漫主义者开始热烈重估中世纪的价值。此外，他们对神秘的东方等遥远的文化也怀有一分憧憬。有些浪漫主义者则受到夜晚、黄昏、古老的废墟与超自然事物的吸引。他们满脑子都是我们通常所说的人生的‘黑暗面’，也就是一些阴暗、神秘、不可思议的事物。” 

"It sounds to me like an exciting period. Who were these Romantics?"

“听起来像是一个满刺激的时代。那些浪漫主义者都是些什么人呢？” 

"Romanticism was in the main an urban phenomenon. In the first half of the last century there was, in fact, a flourishing metropolitan culture in many parts of Europe, not least in Germany. The typical Romantics were young men, often university students, although they did not always take their studies very seriously. They had a decidedly anti-middle class approach to life and could refer to the police or their landladies as philistines, for example, or simply as the enemy."

“浪漫主义主要兴盛于都市地区。十九世纪的前半在德国等许多欧洲地区，都可见到兴盛蓬勃的都市文化。最典型的浪漫主义者都是年轻人，通常是一些并不一定很认真读书的大学生。他们有一种明显的反中产阶级的生活态度，有时会称警察或他们的房东为‘庸俗市侩’，或甚至称他们是‘敌人’。” 

"I would never have dared rent a room to a Romantic!"

“要是我的话，可不敢租房子给浪漫主义者!” 

"The first generation of Romantics were young in about 1 800, and we could actually call the Romantic Movement Europe's first student uprising. The Romantics were not unlike the hippies a hundred and fifty years later."

“一八OO年左右的第一代浪漫主义者都是年轻人。事实上我们可以称浪漫主义运动为欧洲的第一个学生运动。那些浪漫主义者有点像是一百五十年后的嬉皮。” 

"You mean flower power and long hair, strumming their guitars and lying around?"

“你是说那些留长发、漫不经心地弹吉他并且随地躺来躺去的人？” 

"Yes. It was once said that 'idleness is the ideal of genius, and indolence the virtue of the Romantic.' It was the duty of the Romantic to experience life--or to dream himself away from it. Day-to-day business could be taken care of by the philistines."

“对。曾有人说：‘闲散是天才的理想，懒惰是浪漫主义者的美德。’浪漫主义者的职责就是体验生活——或是成天做白日梦、浪费生命。至于日常的事务留给那些俗人做就行了。” 

"Byron was a Romantic poet, wasn't he?"

“拜伦是浪漫主义时期的诗人，不是吗？” 

"Yes, both Byron and Shelley were Romantic poets of the so-called Satanic school. Byron, moreover, provided the Romantic Age with its idol, the Byronic hero--the alien, moody, rebellious spirit--in life as well as in art. Byron himself could be both willful and passionate, and being also handsome, he was besieged by women of fashion. Public gossip attributed the romantic adventures of his verses to his own life, but although he had numerous liaisons, true love remained as illusive and as unattainable for him as Novalis's blue flower. Novalis became engaged to a fourteen-year-old girl. She died four days after her fifteenth birthday, but Novalis remained devoted to her for the rest of his short life."

“是的。拜伦和雪莱都是所谓的‘恶魔派’的浪漫主义诗人。拜伦更成为浪漫主义时期的偶像。所谓的‘拜伦式的英雄’就是指那些无论在生活上还是艺术上都特立独行、多愁善感、叛逆成性的人。拜伦本人可能就是一个既任性又热情的人，再加上他外貌英俊、因此受到了许多时髦妇女包围。一般人认为，拜伦那些充满了浪漫奇遇的诗其实就是反映他个人的生活。然而，他虽然有过许多韵事绯闻，但对于他而言，真爱却像诺瓦里思梦中的蓝色花朵一般不可捉摸、遥不可及。诺瓦里思曾和一名十四岁的少女订婚，但她却在满十五岁生日的四天之后去世。可是诺瓦里思对她的爱却是一生不渝。” 

"Did you say she died four days after her fifteenth birthday?"

“你说她在满十五岁生日的四天后死去吗？” 

 "Yes . . ."

“是的……” 

"I am fifteen years and four days old today."

“我今天就是十五岁又加四天。” 

"So you are."

“喔。” 

"What was her name?"

“她叫什么名字？” 

"Her name was Sophie."

“她的名字叫苏菲。” 

"What?"

“什么？” 

"Yes, it was. . ."

“是的，她的名字就叫……” 

"You scare me. Could it be a coincidence?"

“吓死我了。难道是巧合吗？” 

"I couldn't say, Sophie. But her name was Sophie."

“我不知道。不过她的名字确实叫苏菲。” 

"Go on!"

“继续。” 

"Novalis himself died when he was only twenty-nine. He was one of the 'young dead.' Many of the Romantics died young, usually of tuberculosis. Some committed suicide . . ."

“诺瓦里思本人二十九岁时去世。他是那些‘早夭’的人之一。许多浪漫主义者都在很年轻时死去，通常是由于肺结核的缘故，有些人则是自杀而死。” 

"Ugh!"

“噢!” 

"Those who lived to be old usually stopped being Romantics at about the age of thirty. Some of them went on to become thoroughly middle-class and conservative."

“那些活得比较久的人通常到大约三十岁时就不再信仰浪漫主义了，其中有些人后来甚至成为彻头彻尾的中产阶级保守人士。” 

"They went over to the enemy, then."

“那他们不等于是投诚到敌方去了吗？” 

"Maybe. But we were talking about romantic love. The theme of unrequited love was introduced as early as 1774 by Goethe in his novel The Sorrows of Young Werther. The book ends with young Werther shooting himself when he can't have the woman he loves . . ."

“也许吧。刚才我们讲到浪漫主义的爱情。单恋式的爱情这个主题早在一七四四年就出现了。那年歌德写了一本书信体的小说《少年维特的烦恼》。书中的男主角维特最后因为无法获得所爱女人的芳心而举枪自杀……” 

"Was it necessary to go that far?"

“有必要这么极端吗？” 

"The suicide rate rose after the publication of the novel, and for a time the book was banned in Denmark and Norway. So being a Romantic was not without danger. Strong emotions were involved."

“自从这本书出版后，自杀率似平有上升的趋势，因此有一段时间这本书在丹麦和挪威都被列入禁书。所以做一个浪漫主义者并不是没有危险的。他们的情绪通常都很强烈。” 

"When you say 'Romantic/ I think of those great big landscape paintings, with dark forests and wild, rugged nature ... preferably in swirling mists."

“当你说‘浪漫主义’的时候，我脑海里出现的就是那些巨幅的风景画，上面有幽暗的森林、蛮荒崎岖的自然景观……还有，最好笼罩在一片缭绕的雾气中。” 

"Yes, one of the features of Romanticism was this yearning for nature and nature's mysteries. And as I said, it was not the kind of thing that arises in rural areas. You may recall Rousseau, who initiated the slogan 'back to nature.' The Romantics gave this slogan popular currency. Romanticism represents not least a reaction to the Enlightenment's mechanistic universe. It was said that Romanticism implied a renaissance of the old cosmic consciousness."

“是的。浪漫主义的特征之一就是向往大自然和大自然的神秘。就像我刚才所说的，这种向往并不是乡村生活的产物。你可能还记得卢梭首先提出‘回归自然’的口号，但真正使这句口号风行起来的却是浪漫主义者。浪漫主义代表人们对启蒙时期哲学家眼中机械化宇宙的反动。有人说浪漫主义骨子里是古老宇宙意识的一种复兴。” 

"Explain that, please."

“请你说明一下。” 

 "It means viewing nature as a whole; the Romantics were tracing their roots not only back to Spinoza, but also to Plotinus and Renaissance philosophers like Jakob Bohme and Giordano Bruno. What all these thinkers had in common was that they experienced a divine 'ego' in nature."

“意思就是将大自然看成是一个整体。浪漫主义者宣称不仅史宾诺莎，连普罗汀和波赫姆(Jakob Bohme)、布鲁诺等文艺复兴时期的哲学家都可以算是他们的祖师爷。这些思想家的共同特色是他们都在大自然中体验到一种神圣的‘自我’。” 

"They were Pantheists then . . ."

“那么他们是泛神论者啰……” 

"Both Descartes and Hume had drawn a sharp line between the ego and 'extended' reality. Kant had also left behind him a sharp distinction between the cognitive 'I' and nature 'in itself.' Now it was said that nature is nothing but one big 'I.' The Romantics also used the expressions 'world soul' or 'world spirit.' "

“笛卡尔和休姆两人曾经将自我与‘扩延’的实在界区分得很清楚。康德也认为‘自我’对自然的认知与自然‘本身’是明显不同的。浪漫主义时期的说法则是：大自然就是一个大‘我’。浪漫主义同时也使用‘世界灵魂’与‘世界精神’等名称。” 

谢林

"I see."

“原来如此。” 

"The leading Romantic philosopher was Schelling, who lived from 1775 to 1854. He wanted to unite mind and matter. All of nature--both the human soul and physical reality--is the expression of one Absolute, or world spirit, he believed."

“浪漫主义时期最主要的哲学家是谢林(Schelling)，生于一七七五年到一八五四年间。他主张将心灵与物质合而为一。他认为，大自然的全部——包括人的灵魂与物质世界——都是一个‘绝对存在’(Abso1ute)(或世界精神)的表现。” 

"Yes, just like Spinoza."

“就像史宾诺莎一样。” 

"Nature is visible spirit, spirit is invisible nature, said Schelling, since one senses a 'structuring spirit' everywhere in nature. He also said that matter is slumbering intelligence."

“谢林说，自然是肉眼可见的精神，精神则是肉眼看不见的自然，因为我们在大自然中到处都可感受到‘产生结构的精神’(structuring spirit)。他说，物质乃是沉睡中的智性。” 

"You'll have to explain that a bit more clearly."

“请你解释得清楚些。” 

"Schelling saw a 'world spirit' in nature, but he saw the same 'world spirit' in the human mind. The natural and the spiritual are actually expressions of the same thing."

“谢林在大自然中看到了‘世界精神’，但他也在人类心灵中看到同样的‘世界精神’。自然与精神事实上都是同一事物的显现。” 

"Yes, why not?"

“对呀。” 

"World spirit can thus be sought both in nature and in one's own mind. Novalis could therefore say 'the path of mystery leads inwards.' He was saying that man bears the whole universe within himself and comes closest to the mystery of the world by stepping inside himself."

“因此我们无论在大自然中或自我的心灵中都可发现世界精神。所以，诺瓦里思才说：‘神秘之路通往内心。’他的意思是整个大自然都存在于人的心中，如果人能进入自己的心中，将可以接近世界的神秘。” 

"That's a very lovely thought."

“这种想法很不错。” 

"For many Romantics, philosophy, nature study, and poetry formed a synthesis. Sitting in your attic dashing off inspired verses and investigating the life of plants or the composition of rocks were only two sides of the same coin because nature is not a dead mechanism, it is one living world spirit."

“对于许多浪漫主义者而言，哲学、自然科学研究和诗学都是不分家的。坐在自家的阁楼上，写一些灵感泉涌的诗歌和研究植物的生命或岩石的成分只是一体的两面，因为大自然不是一个死的机械，而是一个活生生的世界精神。” 

"Another word and I think I'll become a Romantic."

“再听你讲下去，我也要变成一个浪漫主义者了。” 

"The Norwegian-born naturalist Henrik Steffens--whom Wergeland called 'Norway's departed laurel leaf because he had settled in Germany--went to Copenhagen in 1801 to lecture on German Romanticism. He characterized the Romantic Movement by saying, 'Tired of the eternal efforts to fight our way through raw matter, we chose another way and sought to embrace the infinite. We went inside ourselves and created a new world ... ' "

“定居在德国，并因此被沃格兰(Wergeland)称为‘自挪威飘落的月桂叶’的挪威裔自然学家史代芬(Henrik Steffens)，一八0一年在哥本哈根发表有关德国浪漫主义的演讲时，曾一语道破了浪漫主义运动的特色。他说：‘我们厌倦了无休无止地与粗糙的物质世界奋战，因此决定选择另外一个方式，企图拥抱无限。我们进入自己的内心，在那里创造了一个新的世界……” 

"How can you remember all that?"

“你怎么会背得这么清楚呢？” 

"A bagatelle, child."

“小事一桩。” 

"Go on, then."

“继续讲吧。” 

"Schelling also saw a development in nature from earth and rock to the human mind. He drew attention to very gradual transitions from inanimate nature to more complicated life forms. It was characteristic of the Romantic view in general that nature was thought of as an organism, or in other words, a unity which is constantly developing its innate potentialities. Nature is like a flower unfolding its leaves and petals. Or like a poet unfolding his verses."

“谢林并且发现在大自然中，从泥土、岩石到人类的心灵，有一种逐渐发展的现象。他提醒人们注意大自然从无生物逐渐发展到较复杂的生命体的现象。大致上来说，浪漫主义者把大自然视为一个有机体，也就是一个不断发展其内在潜能的一个整体。大自然就像一株不断伸展枝叶与花瓣的花，也像一个不断吟咏出诗歌的诗人。” 

"Doesn't that remind you of Aristotle?"

“这不是和亚理斯多德的说法很像吗？” 

"It does indeed. The Romantic natural philosophy had Aristotelian as well as Neoplatonic overtones. Aristotle had a more organic view of natural processes than the mechanical materialists . . ."

“确实如此。浪漫主义埋藏的自然哲学与亚理斯多德和新柏拉图派的哲学有点相似。亚理斯多德要比持机械论的唯物主义者更倾向于认为大自然是一个有机体。” 

"Yes, that's what I thought. . ."

“我也是这么想……” 

"We find similar ideas at work in the field of history. A man who came to have great significance for the Romantics was the historical philosopher Johann Gottfried von Herder, who lived from 1744 to 1803. He believed that history is characterized by continuity, evolution, and design. We say he had a 'dynamic' view of history be-cause he saw it as a process. The Enlightenment philosophers had often had a 'static' view of history. To them, there was only one universal reason which there could be more or less of at various periods. Herder showed that each historical epoch had its own intrinsic value and each nation its own character or 'soul.' The question is whether we can identify with other cultures."

“在历史方面，浪漫主义者也有同样的看法。生于一七四四年到一八O三年间的历史哲学家赫德(Johann Gottfried von Herder)后来成为对浪漫主义者而言非常重要的一位人物。他认为历史的特性就是连续、进化与设计。我们说他的历史观是‘动态的’，因为他把历史当成一个过程。过去，启蒙时期哲学家的历史观通常是‘静态的’。对于他们而言，世间只有一种普遍理性，而历史上的各个时期或多或少都具有这种理性。但赫德指出，每一个历史纪元各自有其价值，而每一个国家也都各有其个性或‘灵魂’。问题在于我们是否能认同其他的文化。” 

"So, just as we have to identify with another person's Situation to understand them better, we have to identify with other cultures to understand them too."

“嗯。我们必须要认同别人的情况才能了解他们，同样的，我们也必须认同别的文化才能理解这些文化。” 

"That is taken for granted nowadays. But in the Romantic period it was a new idea. Romanticism helped strengthen the feeling of national identity. It is no coinci-dence that the Norwegian struggle for national independence flourished at that particular time--in 1814."

“这个观念如今已经被视为理所当然的了。可是在浪漫主义时期，这仍然是一个新观念。浪漫主义加强了人们对自己民族的认同感，因此，挪威争取民族独立的运动在一八一四这一年澎湃汹涌并不是偶然的。” 

"I see."

“原来如此。” 

"Because Romanticism involved new orientations in so many areas, it has been usual to distinguish between two forms of Romanticism. There is what we call Universal Romanticism, referring to the Romantics who were preoccupied with nature, world soul, and artistic genius. This form of Romanticism flourished first, especially around 1800, in Germany, in the town of Jena."

“由于浪漫主义使得许多领域都重新定位，因此一般通常将浪漫主义分为两种。一种是我们所称的‘普世性的浪漫主义’，就是指那些满脑子自然、世界灵魂与艺术天才的浪漫主义者。这种浪漫主义最先兴起，尤其是在一八OO年左右在耶纳(Jena)这个小镇上。” 

"And the other?"

“那另外一种呢？” 

"The other is the so-called National Romanticism, which became popular a little later, especially in the town of Heidelberg. The National Romantics were mainly interested in the history of 'the people,' the language of 'the people,' and the culture of 'the people' in general. And 'the people' were seen as an organism unfolding its innate potentiality--exactly like nature and history."

“另外一种被称为‘民族浪漫主义’，不久就日益风行，尤其是在海德堡。民族浪漫主义关切的重点是‘民族’的历史、‘民族’的语言和‘民族’的文化。他们将发展视为一个不断开展它的内在潜能的有机体，就像自然与历史一样。” 

"Tell me where you live, and I'll tell you who you are."

“就像人家说的：‘告诉我你住哪里，我就可以告诉你你是谁。’” 

艺术

"What united these two aspects of Romanticism was first and foremost the key word 'organism.' The Romantics considered both a plant and a nation to be a living organism. A poetic work was also a living organism. Language was an organism. The entire physical world, even, was considered one organism. There is therefore no sharp dividing line between National Romanticism and Universal Romanticism. The world spirit was just as much present in the people and in popular culture as in nature and art."

“使这两种浪漫主义相连结的主要是‘有机体’这个名词。浪漫主义者把植物和国家都当成活生生的有机体。因此一首诗也是一个有生命的有机体，语言也是一个有机体，甚至整个物质世界都被看成有机体。从这方面说，民族浪漫主义与一般性浪漫主义之间并没有明显的区分。民族与民间文化之中也像自然与艺术一样存在有世界精神。” 

"I see."

“然后呢？” 

"Herder had been the forerunner, collecting folk songs from many lands under the eloquent title Voices of the People. He even referred to folktales as 'the mother tongue of the people.' The Brothers Grimm and others began to collect folk songs and fairy tales in Heidelberg. You must know of Grimm's Fairy Tales."

“赫德首开风气之先，前往各地采集民谣，将它们称为‘民族之声’。他甚至把民俗故事称为‘民族的母语’。人们也开始在海德堡采集民谣与童话故事。你可能听过格林童话故事。” 

"Oh sure, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Rumpelstiltskin, The Frog Prince, Hansel and Gretel . . ."

“当然啦，像白雪公主和七个小矮人、小红帽、灰姑娘、汉斯和桂桃……” 

"And many more. In Norway we had Asbjornsen and Moe, who traveled around the country collecting 'folks' own tales.' It was like harvesting a juicy fruit that was suddenly discovered to be both good and nourishing. And it was urgent--the fruit had already begun to fall. Folk songs were collected; the Norwegian language began to be studied scientifically. The old myths and sagas from heathen times were rediscovered, and composers all over Europe began to incorporate folk melodies into their compositions in an attempt to bridge the gap between folk music and art music."

“还有其他许多许多。在挪威则有艾思比杨生(Asbjornsen)和莫伊(Moe)等人走访全国各地采集‘人民自己的故事’。在当时，民间故事就好像是一种才刚被人发现的、既美味又营养的水果一般，必须赶紧加以采收，因为它们已经开始从枝头掉落了。除了民间故事之外，他们也采集各种民谣、整理挪威的语言，并挖掘异教时代各种古老的神话与传奇冒险故事。欧洲各地的作曲家也开始将民俗音乐写进他们的作品中，以拉近民俗音乐与艺术音乐之间的距离。” 

"What's art music?"

“什么叫艺术音乐？”

"Art music is music composed by a particular person, like Beethoven. Folk music was not written by any particular person, it came from the people. That's why we don't know exactly when the various folk melodies date from. We distinguish in the same way between folktales and art tales."

“艺术音乐是由个人(如贝多芬)创作的音乐，民俗音乐则不是由任何人写成的，它来自整个民族。这也是为什么我们无法确知各个民谣发源的时间的缘故。同样的，民俗故事和艺术故事也是不同的。” 

"So art tales are ... ?"

“所谓艺术故事是……” 

"They are tales written by an author, like Hans Christian Andersen. The fairy tale genre was passionately cultivated by the Romantics. One of the German masters of the genre was E.T.A, Hoffmann."

“它们是由某位作家——如安徒生(Hans Christian Andersen)——所写成的。而民俗故事则是浪漫主义者所积极开发的类型。德国有位霍夫曼(Hoffmann)就是此中大师。” 

"I've heard of The Tales of Hoffmann."

“我好像听过‘霍夫曼的故事’。” 

"The fairy tale was the absolute literary ideal of the Romantics--in the same way that the absolute art form of the Baroque period was the theater. It gave the poet full scope to explore his own creativity."

“童话故事是浪漫主义者理想中最完美的文学类型，就像剧场是巴洛克时期最完美的艺术形式一般。它使得诗人有充分的空间探索他自己的创造力。” 

"He could play God to a fictional universe."

“他可以在他虚构的世界中扮演上帝的角色。” 

"Precisely. And this is a good moment to sum up."

“正是如此。说到这里我们也可以做个总结了。” 

"Go ahead."

“请说吧。” 

"The philosophers of Romanticism viewed the 'world soul' as an 'ego' which in a more or less dreamlike state created everything in the world. The philosopher Fichte said that nature stems from a higher, unconscious imagination. Scheliing said explicitly that the world is 'in God.' God is aware of some of it, he believed, but there are other aspects of nature which represent the unknown in God. For God also has a dark side."

“浪漫主义的哲学家将‘世界灵魂’看成是一个‘自我’，而这个自我在梦般的情境下创造了世间的一切。哲学家费希特(Fichte)说，大自然源自一个更高的、无意识的想象力。谢林则明白地说世界‘在上帝之内’。他相信上帝意识到世界的一部分，但是大自然中也有另外一些部分代表上帝不为人知的一面。因为上帝也有他的黑暗面。” 

"The thought is fascinating and frightening. It reminds me of Berkeley."

“这种想法既有趣又吓人，使我想起柏克莱。” 

"The relationship between the artist and his work was seen in exactly the same light. The fairy tale gave the writer free rein to exploit his 'universe-creating imagination.' And even the creative act was not always completely conscious. The writer could experience that his story was being written by some innate force. He could practically be in a hypnotic trance while he wrote."

“艺术家和他的作品之间的关系也是一样的。童话故事让作家可以自由自在地利用他那‘创世的想象力’，但即使是这样的创造行为也并不一定完全是有意识的。作家可能会感觉到他的内心有一股力量驱策他把一个故事写出来。他在写作时也许是处于一种被催眠般的恍恍惚惚的状态。” 

"He could?"

“真的吗？” 

"Yes, but then he would suddenly destroy the illusion. He would intervene in the story and address ironic comments to the reader, so that the reader, at least momentarily, would be reminded that it was, after all, only a story."

“是的，不过后来他也可能会突然打破这种幻象。他会出面干涉，向读者说一些讽刺性的话，让他们至少在那一刹那间会想起他们所读的毕竟只是一个虚构的故事而已。” 

"I see."

“原来如此。” 

"At the same time the writer could remind his reader that it was he who was manipulating the fictional universe. This form of disillusion is called 'romantic irony.' Henrik Ibsen, for example, lets one of the characters in Peer Gynt say: 'One cannot die in the middle of Act Five.' "

“同时作者也可能会提醒他的读者，使他们明白是他在操纵这个虚构的世界。这种打破幻象的形式叫做‘浪漫主义的反讽’(romantlc irony)。例如在挪威剧作家易卜生所写的《皮尔金》这出戏里，有一个角色就说出‘没有人会在第五幕演到一半的时候死掉’这样的台词。” 

"That's a very funny line, actually. What he's really saying is that he's only a fictional character."

“真滑稽。他真正的意思是他只不过是一个虚构的人物罢了。” 

"The statement is so paradoxical that we can certainly emphasize it with a new section."

“这话充满反讽的意味。我们真应该另起一段来加以强调。” 

"What did you mean by that?"

“你的意思是……” 

"Oh, nothing, Sophie. But we did say that Novalis's fiancee was called Sophie, just like you, and that she died when she was only fifteen years and four days old ..."

“没什么，苏菲。不过我们刚才曾讲到诺瓦里思的未婚妻和你一样名叫苏菲，而且她在十五岁又四天的时候就去世了……” 

"You're scaring me, don't you know that?"

“你把我吓坏了。你难道不知道吗？” 

Alberto sat staring, stony faced. Then he said: "But you needn't be worriedthat you will meet the same fate as Novalis's fiancee."

艾伯特坐在那儿看着她，脸色凝重。然后他说：“可是你不需要担心你的命运会像诺瓦里思的未婚妻一样。” 

"Why not?"

“为什么呢？” 

"Because there are several more chapters."

“因为后面还有好几章。” 

"What are you saying?"

“你在说什么呀？” 

"I'm saying that anyone reading the story of Sophie and Alberto will know intuitively that there are many pages of the story still to come. We have only gotten as far as Romanticism."

“我是说任何一个读到苏菲和艾伯特的故事的人都可以凭直觉知道后面还有很多页，因为我们才谈到浪漫主义而已。” 

"You're making me dizzy."

“我真是被你弄昏头了。” 

"It's really the major trying to make Hilde dizzy. It's not very nice or him, is it? New section!"

“事实上是少校想把席德弄昏头。他这样做不是很恶劣吗？另起一段吧。” 

Alberto had hardly finished speaking when a boy came running out of the woods. He had a turban on his head, and he was carrying an oil lamp.

艾伯特才刚讲完，就有一个男孩从树林里跑出来。他穿着阿拉伯人的服装。头上包着头巾，手中提着一盏油灯。

Sophie grabbed Alberto's arm.

苏菲抓住艾伯特的手臂。

"Who's that?" she asked.

“那是谁呀？”她问。

The boy answered for himself:

男孩自己先回答了。

My name is Aladdin and I've come all the way from Lebanon.

“我名叫阿拉丁。我是一路从黎巴嫩来的。” 

Alberto looked at him sternly:

艾伯特严肃地看着他。

"And what do you have in your lamp?"

“那你的油灯里有什么呢？” 

The boy rubbed the lamp, and out of it rose a thick cloud which formed itself into the figure of a man. He had a black beard like Alberto's and a blue beret. Floating above the lamp, he said: "Can you hear me, Hilde? I suppose it's too late for any more birthday greetings. I just wanted to say that Bjerkely and the south country back home seem like fairyland to me here in Lebanon. I'll see you there in a few days."

男孩擦了擦油灯，便有一股浓雾从中升起，最后变成一个人形。他有一嘴像艾伯特一样的黑胡子，头上戴着蓝扁帽，在油灯上方飘浮。他说：“席德，你能听到我讲话吗？我猜现在再向你说生日快乐已经太迟了。我只想跟你说柏客来山庄和南部的乡村对我而言，也好像是童话世界一般。过几天我们就能够在那儿见面了。” 

So saying, the figure became a cloud again and was sucked back into the lamp. The boy with the turban put the lamp under his arm, ran into the woods, and was gone.

说完后，这个人形便再度变成一股云雾，被吸回油灯里。包着头巾的男孩将油灯夹在腋下，又跑回树林中不见了。

"I don't believe this," said Sophie.

“我简直没办法相信。” 

"A bagatelle, my dear."

“只不过是个小把戏罢了。” 

"The spirit of the lamp spoke exactly like Hilde's father."

“油灯的精灵说话的样子就像席德的爸爸一样。” 

"That's because it was Hilde's father--in spirit."

“那是因为它就是席德的爸爸的精灵。” 

"But. . ."

“可是......” 

礼物 

"Both you and I and everything around us are living deep in the major's mind. It is late at night on Saturday, April 28, and all the UN soldiers are asleep around the major, who, although still awake, is not far from sleep himself. But he must finish the book he is to give Hilde as a fifteenth birthday present. That's why he has to work, Sophie, that's why the poor man gets hardly any rest."

“你我两人和我们周遭的每一件事物都活在少校的内心深处。现在是四月二十八日星期六深夜，少校周围的所有联合国士兵都熟睡了。少校本身虽然还醒着，但他的眼皮已经很沉重。可是他必须完成这本要给席德做十五岁生日礼物的书，所以他必须工作。也因此，这个可怜人几乎都没有休息。” 

"I give up."

“我放弃了!” 

"New section!"

“另起一段吧。” 

Sophie and Alberto sat looking across the little lake. Alberto seemed to be in some sort of trance. After a while Sophie ventured to nudge his shoulder.

苏菲和艾伯特坐在那儿，看着小湖的对岸。艾伯特似乎有点神智恍惚，过了一会后，苏菲鼓起勇气轻轻推了一下他的肩膀。

"Were you dreaming?"

“你在做梦吗？” 

"Yes, he was interfering directly there. The last few paragraphs were dictated by him to the letter. He should be ashamed of himself. But now he has given himself away and come out into the open. Now we know that we are living our lives in a book which Hilde's father will send home to Hilde as a birthday present. You heard what I said? Well, it wasn't 'me' saying it."

“他这回真的是直接进来干涉了，最后几段完全是他在讲话。他真该觉得惭愧。不过现在他可是露了马脚，无所遁形了。现在我们知道我们是活在一本席德的父亲将寄回家给席德做为生日礼物的书中。你听到我说的话了吗？事实上，说话的人并不是‘我’。” 

"If what you say is true, I'm going to run away from the book and go my own way."

“如果真是这样，那我要从这本书里面逃走，过我自己的生活。” 

"That's exactly what I am planning. But before that can happen, we must try and talk with Hilde. She reads every word we say. Once we succeed in getting away from here it will be much harder to contact her. That means we must grasp the opportunity now."

“这就是我正在计划的事情。可是在这之前，我们必须试着和席德谈谈。她读了我们所说的每一句话。一旦我们从这里逃走，以后想再跟她联络就难了，所以我们必须现在就把握机会。” 

"What do we say?"

“那我们要说些什么呢？” 

"I think the major is just about to fall asleep over his typewriter--although his fingers are still racing feverishly over the keys ..."

“我想少校就快要坐在打字机前睡着了，虽然他的手指仍然快速地在键盘上移动……” 

"It's a creepy thought."

“真恐怖!” 

"This is the moment when he may write something he will regret later. And he has no correction fluid. That's a vital part of my plan. May no one give the major a bottle of correction fluid!"

“现在他也许会写出一些他事后会后悔的东西，而且他没有修正液。这是我的计划中很重要的一部分。你可不许拿修正液给少校!” 

"He won't get so much as a single coverup strip from me!"

“我连一小片修正带也不会给他。” 

"I'm calling on that poor girl here and now to rebel against her own father. She should be ashamed to let herself be amused by his self-indulgent playing with shad-ows. If only we had him here, we'd give him a taste of our indignation!"

“我现在就要请求可怜的席德反抗她的父亲。她应该很惭愧自己居然会被他这种肆意玩弄影子的把戏所取悦。如果他本人也在这里面就好了，我们要让他尝一尝我们愤怒的滋味。” 

"But he's not here."

“可是他不在这里呀!” 

"He is here in spirit and soul, but he's also safely tucked away in Lebanon. Everything around us is the major's ego."

“他的精神和灵魂在这里面，可是他同时也很安全地躲在黎巴嫩。我们周遭的一切事物都是少校的自我。” 

"But he is more than what we can see here."

“可是他还有一些部分是我们在这里看不到的。” 

"We are but shadows in the major's soul. And it is no easy matter for a shadow to turn on its master, Sophie. It requires both cunning and strategy. But we have an opportunity of influencing Hilde. Only an angel can rebel against God."

“我们只是少校灵魂里的影子，一个影子要攻击它的主人可不容易，需要聪明和谋略才行。可是我们有机会影响席德，她是天使，只有天使才能够反抗上帝。” 

"We could ask Hilde to give him a piece of her mind the moment he gets home. She could tell him he's a rogue. She could wreck his boat--or at least, smash the lantern."

“我们可以请席德在他回家后把他骂一顿，说他是个恶棍。她可以把他的船撞坏，或至少把那盏油灯砸掉。” 

Alberto nodded. Then he said: "She could also run away from him That would be much easier for her than it is for us. She could leave the major's house and never return. Wouldn't that be fitting for a major who plays with his 'universe-creating imagination' at our expense?"

艾伯特点点头。然后他说：“她也可以逃离他身边。她这样做会比我们容易得多。她可以离开少校的家，从此再也不回去。这样岂不是他应得的惩罚吗？谁教他要把他那‘创世的想象力’建筑在我们的痛苦上。” 

"I can picture it. The major travels all over the world searching for Hilde. But Hilde has vanished into thin air because she can't stand living with a father who plays the fool at Alberto's and Sophie's expense."

“嗯。我可以想象那种情景。到时候少校会走遍全世界找寻席德，但她已经消失无踪了，因为她不能忍受跟一个利用艾伯特和苏菲来装疯卖傻的爸爸住在一起。” 

"Yes, that's it! Plays the fool! That's what I meant by his using us as birthday amusement. But he'd better watch out, Sophie. So had Hilde!"

“对了，就是这样。装疯卖傻。我说他用我们做为生日的余兴节目就是一种装疯卖傻的手段。可是他最好小心一点。席德也是！” 

"How do you mean?"

“你是什么意思？” 

"Are you sitting tight?"

“你坐得很安稳吗？” 

"As long as there are no more genies from a lamp."

“只要什么油灯精灵的东西不要再来就没事。” 

"Try to imagine that everything that happens to us goes on in someone else's mind. We are that mind. That means we have no soul, we are someone else's soul. So far we are on familiar philosophical ground. Both Berkeley and Schelling would prick up their ears."

“你不妨试着想象我们身上所发生的每一件事都是在另一个人的心中进行的。我们就是那心灵。这表示我们自己没有灵魂，而是别人的灵魂。这些都是我们已经谈过的哲学理论。无论柏克莱或谢林都会竖起耳朵注意听。” 

"And?"

“然后呢？” 

"Now it is possible that this soul is Hilde M0ller Knag's father. He is over there in Lebanon writing a book on philosophy for his daughter's fifteenth birthday. When Hilde wakes up on June 15, she finds the book on her bedside table, and now she--and anyone else--can read about us. It has long been suggested that this 'present' could be shared with others."

“很可能这个灵魂就是席德的父亲。他在遥远的黎巴嫩写一本有关哲学的书以庆贺他女儿的十五岁生日。六月十五日那一天席德醒来时，发现她身旁的桌子上放了这本书。现在她——或任何其他人——也许正在读我们的故事。他很早就曾经提示说这个‘礼物’可以和别人分享。” 

"Yes, I remember."

“对呀，我记得。” 

"What I am saying to you now will be read by Hilde after her father in Lebanon once imagined that I was telling you he was in Lebanon ... imagining me telling you that he was in Lebanon."

“我现在对你说的话将会被席德读到，就在她远在黎巴嫩的父亲想像我告诉你他在黎巴嫩之后……想像我告诉你他在黎巴嫩......” 

Sophie's head was swimming. She tried to remember what she had heard about Berkeley and the Romantics. Alberto Knox continued: "But they shouldn't feel so cocky because of that. They are the last people who should laugh,  because laughter can  easily get stuck  in  their throat."

苏菲觉得头昏脑胀。她努力回想过去所听过的有关柏克莱和浪漫主义的话。艾伯特继续说：“不过他们不应该因此洋洋得意。他们是最不应该得意洋洋的人，因为乐极可能生悲。” 

"Who are we talking about?"

“你说的他们是谁？” 

"Hilde and her father. Weren't we talking about them?"

“席德和她的父亲。我们说的难道不是他们吗？” 

"But why shouldn't they feel so cocky?"

“可是他们为什么不应该洋洋得意呢？” 

"Because it is feasible that they, too, are nothing but mind."

“因为可能他们自己同样也是活在别人的心灵里。” 

"How could they be?"

“怎么可能呢？” 

"If it was possible for Berkeley and the Romantics, it must be possible for them. Maybe the major is also a shadow in a book about him and Hilde, which is also about us, since we are a part of their lives."

“如果对柏克莱和浪漫主义者来说是可能的，那就有可能是这样。说不定少校也是一本有关他和席德的书当中的一个影子。当然那本书也是有关我们两人的，因为我们是他们生活中的一部分。” 

"That would be even worse. That makes us only shadows of shadows."

“这样一来，我们就只是影子的影子。这不是更糟糕了吗？” 

"But it is possible that a completely different author is somewhere writing a book about a UN Major Albert Knag, who is writing a book for his daughter Hilde. This book is about a certain Alberto Knox who suddenly begins to send humble philosophical lectures to Sophie Amundsen, 3 Clover Close."

“不过很可能某个地方有另外一个作者正在写一本，关于一个为他的女儿席德写一本书的联合国少校艾勃特的书，而艾勃特所写的这本书则是，关于一个叫艾伯特的人突然开始寄一些讨论哲学的信函给住在苜蓿巷三号的苏菲。” 

"Do you believe that?"

“你相信吗？” 

"I'm just saying it's possible. To us, that author would be a 'hidden God.' Although everything we are and everything we say and do proceeds from him, because we are him we will never be able to know anything about him. We are in the innermost box."

“我只说这是有可能的。对于我们而言，那位作者将是一个‘看不见的上帝’。虽然我们所做、所说的每一件事都是从他而来的(因为我们就是他)，但我们将永远无法知道有关他的任何事情。我们是在那最里面的一个盒子里面。” 

Alberto and Sophie now sat for a long time without saying anything. It was Sophie who finally broke the silence: "But if there really is an author who is writing a story about Hilde's father in Lebanon, just like he is writing a story about us . . ."

艾伯特和苏菲坐在那儿，很久彼此都没有说话。最后苏菲终于打破沉默：“可是如果真有一个作者正在写一个有关席德的爸爸在黎巴嫩的故事，就像他正在写一个关于我们的故事一样……” 

"Yes?"

“怎么样？” 

"... then it's possible that author shouldn't be cocky either."

“……那么也许他也不应该太洋洋得意。” 

"What do you mean?"

“你的意思是……” 

"He is sitting somewhere, hiding both Hilde and me deep inside his head. Isn't it just possible that he, too, is part of a higher mind?"

“他坐在某个地方，脑袋里的深处装着席德和我。难道他不也可能是某个更高高在上的心灵的一部分吗？” 

Atberto nodded.

艾伯特点点头。

"Of course it is, Sophie. That's also a possibility. And if that is the way it is, it means he has permitted us to have this philosophical conversation in order to present this possibility. He wishes to emphasize that he, too, is a helpless shadow, and that this book, in which Hilde and Sophie appear, is in reality a textbook on philosophy."

“当然可能。如果真是这样，那表示他让我们进行这席哲学性的对话是为了提出这种可能。他想要强调他也是一个无助的影子，而这本关于席德和苏菲的书事实上是一本哲学教科书。” 

"A textbook?"

“教科书？” 

"Because all our conversations, all our dialogues ..."

“因为我们所有的谈话，所有的对话……” 

"Yes?"

“怎么样？” 

"... are in reality one long monologue."

“……事实上只是一段很长的独白。” 

"I get the feeling that everything is dissolving into mind and spirit. I'm glad there are still a few philosophers left. The philosophy that began so proudly with Thales, Em-pedocles, and Democritus can't be stranded here, surely?"

“我感觉好像每一件事物都融进心灵与精神中去了。我很高兴我们还有一些哲学家没谈。随着泰利斯、恩培窦可里斯和德谟克里特斯这些人而堂堂皇皇展开的哲学思潮不会就这样被困在这里吧？” 

"Of course not. I still have to tell you about Hegel. He was the first philosopher who tried to salvage philosophy when the Romantics had dissolved everything into spirit."

“当然不会。我还没跟你谈黑格尔呢。当浪漫主义者将每一件事都融进精神里去时，他是第一个出来拯救哲学的哲学家。” 

"I'm very curious."

“我倒很想听听他怎么说。” 

"So as not to be interrupted by any further spirits or shadows, we shall go inside."

“为了不要再受到什么精神或影子的打扰，我们还是进屋里去好了。” 

"It's getting chilly out here anyway."

“好吧，反正这里也愈来愈冷了。”