第一章 | Chapter 1

第一章 Chapter 1

在我六岁时，曾经在一本描写原始森林、名为《大自然里的真实故事》的书里，看到过一幅蔚为壮观的插图。图上画的是一条巨蟒正在吞食一只野兽。下面就是那幅图画的摹本。

Once whenI was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book, called True Storiesfrom Nature, about the primeval forest. It was a picture of a boa constrictorin the act of swallowing an animal. Here is a copy of the drawing.

在这本书中写道：“巨蟒把它们的猎物囫囵吞下，不加咀嚼。之后它们就不能再动弹了，在长达六个月的睡眠中进行消化。”

当时，我对丛林里的冒险奇遇想了很多，并且，我用一支彩色铅笔画出了我的第一幅图画，即本人的“第一号绘画作品”。它看上去是这样的：

In thebook it said: “Boa constrictors swallow their prey whole, without chewing it.After that they are not able to move, and they sleep through the six monthsthat they need for digestion.”

I pondereddeeply, then, over the adventures of the jungle. And after some work with acolored pencil I succeeded in making my first drawing. My Drawing Number One.It looked like this:

我把我的这幅杰作拿给大人看，还问他们这幅画是否让他们感到害怕。

但他们回答道：“害怕？一顶帽子有什么好怕的？”

我画的不是一顶帽子，而是一条正在消化着一头大象的巨蟒。但是由于大人们看不懂，我又画了一张：我把巨蟒肚子里面的情况画了出来，这样大人们就能看得清楚明白。他们总是需要对事情多加解释。本人的“第二号绘画作品”是这样的：

I showedmy masterpiece to the grown-ups, and asked them whether the drawing frightenedthem.

But theyanswered: “Frighten? Why should anyone be frightened by a hat？”

My drawingwas not a picture of a hat. It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting anelephant. But since the grown-ups were not able to understand it, I madeanother drawing: I drew the inside of the boa constrictor, so that thegrown-ups could see it clearly. They always need to have things explained. MyDrawing Number Two looked like this:

这一次，大人们的反应是劝我不要再画蟒蛇了——不管是画它的内里还是外观，而要把精力投入到学习地理、历史、算术和语法中去。正因如此，我在六岁那年放弃了画家这一崇高的职业。我的第一号和第二号绘画作品的失败，让我心灰意冷。大人们自己什么也弄不懂，还总是让孩子们一直给他们做解释，这真烦人。

于是我选择了另外一种职业，我学会了开飞机。我几乎飞遍了世界的每个角落；说实在的，地理的确对我大有帮助。我一眼就能找到中国与美国亚利桑那州的不同之处。如果在夜间迷失了航向，此类知识很有用的。

Thegrown-ups’ response, this time, was to advise me to lay aside my drawings ofboa constrictors, whether from the inside or the outside, and devote myselfinstead to geography, history, arithmetic and grammar. That is why, at the ageof six, I gave up what might have been a magnificent career as a painter. I hadbeen disheartened by the failure of my Drawing Number One and my Drawing NumberTwo. Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome forchildren to be always and forever explaining things to them.

So then Ichose another profession, and learned to pilot airplanes. I have flown a littleover all parts of the world; and it is true that geography has been very usefulto me. At a glance I can distinguish China from Arizona. If one gets lost inthe night, such knowledge is valuable.

在我这一生中，我大量接触过很多一心关注重要事件的人。我在大人们之间生活了很久。我近距离深入地观察过他们，但这并没有使我对他们的看法有多大的改善。

每当我遇到一个在我看来头脑还算清楚的大人时，我就拿出我一直保存着的第一号绘画作品来给他看，在他身上做测验。我想知道他是否具有真正的理解力。但是，不管是谁，他或者她总是会说：“这是一顶帽子。”

于是，我就不和他谈蟒蛇、原始森林或者星星之类的事情了。我会把自己降到他那个水平，跟他谈桥牌、高尔夫球、政治和领带等诸如此类的事情。这样这位大人就会很高兴能结识我这样一个通情达理的人。

In thecourse of this life I have had a great many encounters with a great many peoplewho have been concerned with matters of consequence. I have lived a great dealamong grown-ups. I have seen them intimately, close at hand. And that hasn’tmuch improved my opinion of them.

Whenever Imet one of them who seemed to me at all clear-sighted, I tried the experimentof showing him my Drawing Number One, which I have always kept. I would try tofind out, so, if this was a person of true understanding. But, whoever it was,he, or she, would always say: “That is a hat.”

Then Iwould never talk to that person about boa constrictors, or primeval forests, orstars. I would bring myself down to his level. I would talk to him aboutbridge, and golf, and politics, and neckties. And the grown-up would be greatlypleased to have met such a sensible man.

·magnificent ［mæg'nifis(ə)nt］ a. 华丽的

·primeval ［prai'mi:v(ə)l］ a. 原始的；初期的

·boa constrictor 蟒蛇；王蛇

·chew ［t∫u:］ v.咀嚼

·digestion ［dai'dʒest∫(ə)n］ n. 消化

·ponder ［'pɔndə］ v. 仔细考虑；沉思

·adventure ［əd'vent∫ə］ n. 冒险；奇遇

·jungle ［'dʒʌŋg(ə)l］ n. 丛林

·masterpiece ［'mɑ:stəpi:s］ n. 杰作

·digest ［dai'dʒest］ v. 消化；吸收

·lay aside 搁置

·devote ［di'vəut］ v. 致力于；奉献

·geography ［dʒi'ɔgrəfi］ n. 地理学

·arithmetic ［ə'riθmətik］ n. 算术；算法

·dishearten ［dis'ha:tən］ v.使沮丧；使泄气

·tiresome ［'taiəsəm］ a. 烦人的；使人厌倦的

·distinguish ［di'stiŋgwi∫］ v. 区别；辨别

·Arizona ［ˌæri'zəunə］ n. 亚利桑那州（位于美国西南方）

·course ［kɔ:s］ n. 过程；科目；课程

·encounter ［in'kauntə］ n. 遭遇；邂逅

·consequence ［'kɔnsikwəns］ n. 重要性

·intimately ［'intimitli］ ad. 熟悉地；亲切地

·close at hand 近在眉睫；就在眼前

·bridge ［bridʒ］ n. 桥牌

·necktie ［'nektai］ n. 领带

·sensible ［'sensəb(ə)l］ a. 明智的；通情达理的