第14章 青春随想

    On the Feeling of Immortality in Youth

    青春随想

    Anonymous/佚名

    No young man believes he shall ever die.It was a saying of my brother’s，and a fine one.

    There is a feeling of Eternity in youth，which makes us amend for everything.To be young is to be as one of the Immortal Gods.One half of time indeed is flown —the other half remains in store for us with all its countless treasures；for there is no line drawn，and we see no limit to our hopes and wishes.We make the coming age our own—The vast，the unbounded prospect lies before us.Death.old age.are words without a meaning，that pass by us like the idea air which we regard not.Others may have undergone，or may still be liable to them—we“bear a charmed life”，which laughs to scorn all such sickly fancies.

    我哥哥曾说过这样一句话：“年轻人总是不相信自己会死。”这是一句很经典的话。

    年轻时，人总是会有种永生之感，这种感觉可以弥补一切缺憾，而且人在年轻的时候就是不朽的神明。也许有一天生命会走过一半的旅程。但前方仍有蕴含着无尽财富的另一半旅程在等待着我们。那段旅程仿佛没有终点，因为我们对未来抱着无限的希望和幻想。未来的时代完全属于我们——无限辽阔的远景就在我们面前。死亡、年老，对于我们年轻人来说毫无意义。我们只把它当做耳边风，根本不放在心上。这一切也许别人已经历过，或将要去承受——而我们对于“祈求生活中无灾无难”之类的脆弱想法根本不屑一顾。仿佛我们刚刚踏上愉快的旅程，正极目远眺——向远方的美景欢呼！此时。我们只觉得眼前的风景应接不暇。前方，更是有美不胜收的景象在等待着我们。

    As in setting out on delightful journey，we strain our eager gaze forward—Bidding the lovely scenes at distance hail！—and see no end to the landscape，new objects presenting themselves as we advance；so，in the commencement of life，we set no bounds to our inclinations.Nor to the unrestricted opportunities of grastifying them.we have as yet found no obstacle，no disposition to flag；and it seems that we can go on so forever.We look round in a new world，full of life，and motion，and ceaseless progress；and feel in ourselves all the vigour and spirit to keep pace with it，and do not foresee from any present symptoms how we shall be left behind in the natural course of things，decline into old age，and drop into the grave.

    当生活刚刚被开启的时候，我们在梦想中驰骋，追逐着生活中的各种机遇。到目前为止，我们还没有遇到任何障碍，也并未感到疲惫，仿佛我们可以一直这样向前走去，直到永远。我们看着周围的新世界，充满了生机与活力，我们精神饱满，似乎可以永远与世界同步。眼前并无迹象表明我们会在大自然的发展过程中被遗落、衰老，甚至是进入坟墓。

    It is the simplicity，and as it were abstractedness of our feelings in youth，that （so to speak）identifies us with nature，and （our experience being slight and our passions strong）deludes us into a belief of being immortal like it.Our short-lives connexion with existence we fondly flatter ourselves，is an indissoluble and lasting union—a honeymoon that knows neither coldness，jar，nor separation.As infants smile and sleep，we are rocked in the cradle of our wayward fancies，and lulled into security by the roar of the universe around us we quaff the cup of life with eager haste without draining it，instead of which it only overflows the more-objects press around us，filling the mind with their magnitude and with the strong of desires that wait upon them，so that we have no room for the thoughts of death.

    年轻人只是天真地沉浸在自己的幻想之中（由于我们年少，经历有限。而激情却很高），以为自己可以同大自然一样永生不灭。我们一厢情愿地把短暂的人生描绘得无比美妙，就像在甜美的岁月中，我们根本不会想到自己与恋人之间会有感情冷淡、发生争执与面对离别的一天。我们像婴儿一样带着甜美的微笑进入梦乡，躺在梦幻中的摇篮里，让周围世界的声音催我们入眠。我们急切地想一口饮下生命之泉，却发现杯中的琼浆总是满满的。我们用这泉水填满我们的思想。于是，各种欲望便应运而生，让我们无暇去畏惧死亡。（未完待续）