讀點好英文:Tolerance 寬容

Tolerance 寬容

Hendrik Willem Van Loon

Happily lived mankind in the peaceful valley of ignorance.

To the north, to the south, to the west and to the east stretched the ridges of the hills everlasting.

A little stream of knowledge tricked slowly through a deep worn gully.

It came out of the mountains of the past.

It lost itself in the marshes of the future.

It was not much, as rivers go. But it was enough for the humble needs of the villagers.

In the evening, when they had watered their cattle and had filled their casks, they were content to sit down to enjoy life.

The old men who knew were brought forth from the shady corners where they had spent their day, pondering over the mysterious pages of an old book.

They mumbled strange words to their grandchildren, who would have preferred to play with the pretty pebbles, brought down from distant lands.

Often these words were not very clear.

But they were writ a thousand years ago by a forgotten race. Hence they were holy.

For in the valley of ignorance, whatever was old was venerable. And those who dared to gainsay the wisdom of the fathers were shunned by all decent people. And so they kept their peace.

Fear was ever with them. What if they should be refused the common share of the products of the garden?

Vague stories there were, whispered at night among the narrow streets of the little town, vague stories of men and women who had dared to ask questions.

They had gone forth and never again had they been seen.

A few had tried to scale the high walls of the rocky range that hid the sun.

Their whitened bones lay at the foot of the cliffs.

The years came and the years went by.

Happily lived mankind in the peaceful valley of ignorance.

Out of the darkness crept a man.

The nails of his hands were torn.

His feet were covered with rags, red with the blood of long marches.

He stumbled to the door of the nearest hut and knocked.

Then he fainted. By the light of a frightened candle, he was carried to a cot.

In the morning throughout the village it was known, "He has come back."

The neighbors stood around and shook their heads. They had always known that this was to be the end.

Defeat and surrender awaited those who dared to stroll away from the foot of the mountains.

?And in one corner of the village the old men shook their heads and whispered burning words.

They did not mean to be cruel, but the law was the law. Bitterly this man had sinned against the wishes of those who knew.

As soon as his wounds were healed he must be brought to trial.

They meant to be lenient.

They remembered the strange, burning eyes of his mother. They recalled the tragedy of his father, lost in the desert these thirty years ago.

The law, however, was the law; and the law must be obeyed.

The men who knew would see to that.

They carried the wanderer to the market place, and the people stood around in respectful silence.

He was still weak from hunger and thirst and the elders bade him sit down, He refused.

They ordered him to be silent.

But he spoke.

Upon the old men he turned his back and his eyes sought those who but a short time before had been his comrades.

Listen to me, he implored, "Listen to me and be rejoiced. I have come back from beyond the mountains. My feet have trod a fresh soil. My hands have felt the touch of other races. My eyes have seen wondrous sights.

When I was a child, my world was the garden of my father. To the west and to the east, to the south and to the north lay the ranges from the beginning of time.

?"When I asked what they were hiding, there was a hush and a hasty shaking of heads. When I insisted, I was taken to the rocks and shown the bleached bones of those who had dared to defy the gods.

When I cried out and said, 'It is a lie! The Gods love those who are brave!' the men who knew came and read to me from their sacred books. The law, they explained, had ordained all things of heaven and earth. The valley was ours to have and to hold. The animals and the flowers, the fruit and the fishes were ours, to do our bidding. But the mountains were of the gods. What lay beyond was to remain unknown until the end of time. So they spoke, and they lied. They lied to me, even as they have lied to you.

There are pastures in those hills. Meadows too, as rich as any. And men and women of our own flesh and blood. And cities resplendent with the glories of a thousand years of labor. I have found the road to a better home. I have seen the promise of a happier life. Follow me and I shall lead you thither. For the smile of the gods is the same there as here and everywhere."

He stopped and there went up a great cry of horror.

Blasphemy! cried the old men. "Blasphemy and sacrilege! A fit punishment for his crime! He has lost his reason. He dares to scoff at the law as it was written down a thousand years ago. He deserves to die!"

And they took up heavy stones.

And they killed him.

And his body they threw at the foot of the cliffs, that it might lie there as a warning to all who questioned the wisdom of the ancestors.

Then it happened a short time later that there was a great drought. The little brook of knowledge ran dry. The cattle died of thirst. The harvest perished in the fields, and there was hunger in the valley of ignorance.

The old men who knew, however, were not disheartened. Everything would all come right in the end, they prophesied, for so it was wrote in their most holy chapters.

Besides, they themselves needed but little food. They were so very old.

Winter came.

The village was deserted.

More than half of the populace died from sheer want.

The only hope for those who survived lay beyond the mountains.

But the law said "No!"

And the law must be obeyed.

One night there was a rebellion.

Despair gave courage to those whom fear had forced into silence.

Feebly the old men protested.

They were pushed aside. They complained of their lot. They bewailed the ingratitude of their children, but when the last wagon pulled out of the village, they stopped the driver and forced him to take them along.

The flight into the unknown had begun.

It was many years since the wanderer had returned. It was no easy task to discover the road he had mapped out.

Thousands fell a victim to hunger and thirst before the first cairn was found.

From there on the trip was less difficult.

The careful pioneer had blazed a clear trail through the woods and amidst the endless wilderness of rock.

By easy stages it led to the green pastures of the new land.

Silently the people looked at each other.

He was right after all, they said, "He was right, and the old men were wrong..."

He spoke the truth, and the old men lied...

His bones lie rotting at the foot of the cliffs, but the old men sit in our carts and chant their ancient lays...

He saved us, and we slew him...

We are sorry that it happened, but of course, if we could have known at the time...

Then they unharnessed their horses and their oxen and they drove their cows and their goats into the pastures and they built themselves houses and laid out their fields and they lived happily for a long time afterwards.

A few years later an attempt was made to bury the brave pioneer in the fine new edifice which had been erected as a home for the wise old men.

A solemn procession went back to the now deserted valley, but when the spot was reached where his body ought to have been, it was no longer there.

A hungry jackal had dragged it to his lair.

A small stone was then placed at the foot of the trail (now a magnificent highway). It gave the name of the man who had first defied the dark terror of the unknown, that his people might be guided into a new freedom.

?And it stated that it had been erected by a grateful posterity.

As it was in the beginning—as it is now—and as some day (so we hope) it shall no longer be.

寬容

［美］亨德里克·威廉·房龍

寧靜無知的山谷里，人們幸福地生活著。

沒有盡頭的山脈向東南西北各個方向綿延。

知識的小溪流沿著幽深而殘破的山谷緩緩地流著。

它發(fā)源于往日的荒山。

它消失在未來的沼澤。

這條小溪沒有江河那樣洶涌澎湃的波濤，但對于只有微薄需求的村民來說，已經是綽綽有余。

晚上，村民們喂罷牲口，把水桶里灌滿了水，便心滿意足地坐下來，盡享人生之樂。

思想陳舊的老人們被攙扶出門，他們整個白天都待在蔭涼的角落里，苦苦思索著一本神秘的古書。

他們對兒孫們念叨著那些稀奇古怪的字眼，可是孩子們總想著玩那些從遠處帶來的石頭。

這些字眼的含義經常含糊不清。

不過，它們是一個如今不為人知的部落在一千年前寫下的，因而神圣不可褻瀆。

在愚昧的山谷里，古老的東西總是受到敬重。誰否定先人的智慧，誰就會遭到正派人的冷落。所以大家處在一起相安無事。

恐懼總是跟隨著人們。誰要是分不到果園里一個份額的果實，又能怎么辦呢？

夜深的時候，人們簇擁在狹窄的街頭巷尾，講述著那些情節(jié)早已模糊不清的往事，論說那些勇于提出質疑的男男女女。

這些男男女女后來都走了，再沒回來過。

另外一部分人試圖攀緣擋住太陽的巖墻陡壁。

但結局是他們橫尸于山崖腳下，白骨累累。

歲月流逝，年復一年。

在這寧靜的無知山谷里，人們幸福地生活著。

黑暗中，一個人正在爬行。

他的指甲已經磨破了。

他的腳上纏著破破爛爛的布，由于長途跋涉，流出的鮮血已經把布浸透了。

他跌跌撞撞地來到最近的一間草屋，敲了敲門。

接著他便暈了。借助顫動的燭光，他被抬到一張吊床上。

到了早上，全村的人都知道：“他回來了?！?/p>

鄰居們圍在他的身邊，無奈地搖搖頭。他們明白，這是早已注定的結局。

那些敢于離開山谷的人，等待他的是屈服和失敗。

在村子的一個角落，思想迂腐的老人們搖著頭，壓低了聲音說著惡狠狠的話。

他們并非生來殘忍，但法律就是法律。他違背了那些思想陳腐的長輩們的意志，就是犯下了滔天大罪。

他的傷勢一旦痊愈，就必須接受判決。

迂腐的長輩們本想慈悲為懷。

他們沒有忘記他母親怪異的跳躍著光芒的眼眸，也回想起了30年前他父親在沙漠失蹤的悲劇。

不過法律就是法律，法律是不可違抗的。

而那些思想守舊的老人就是法律的執(zhí)行者。

那些迂腐的老人把出游的人抬到鬧市區(qū)。人們在都畢恭畢敬地在周圍站著，鴉雀無聲。

出游的人由于饑渴，身體還很虛弱。老人們讓他坐下，他拒絕了。

他們讓他閉嘴。

但是他堅持要說。

他轉過來背對老人，眼光在人群中搜索不久前還與他志同道合的人。

“聽我說，”他懇請道，“請聽我說，大家會很高興的。我剛從山那邊回來，我的雙腳踏上了一片新鮮的土地，我的手被其他的民族撫摸過，我的雙眼見到了奇妙的景象?！?/p>

“小時候，父親的花園就是我的整個世界?！?/p>

“早在上帝創(chuàng)造世界的時候，花園東西南北各個方位的邊界就被確定下來了。”

“只要我問起邊界的那一邊藏著什么，大家就把頭搖個不停，口里發(fā)出噓噓的聲音。但是我非要打破砂鍋問到底，于是他們就帶我來這塊巖石上，讓我看看那些蔑視上帝的人的森森白骨?！?/p>

“‘騙人’我大聲喊道，‘上帝偏愛英勇的人。’于是，迂腐的長輩們走過來，為我讀他們的圣書。他們說，上帝的旨意已經決定了天地間萬物的命運。山谷是我們的，由我們來掌管，飛禽走獸和花朵，還有果實和魚蝦都是屬于我們的，我們決定它們的命運。但山是上帝的，我們不應該知道山對面的一切事物，直到世界的末日?！?/p>

“這就是他們說的，他們在撒謊，他們欺騙了我，就像欺騙了你們一樣?！?/p>

“山的那一邊有牧場，有和我們一樣的牧草，那里的男女老少有和我們同樣的血肉之軀。那歷經了一千年的城市，被能工巧匠雕刻得雄壯美麗，光彩閃爍。”

“我已經找到了一條大道，可以通往更美好的家園，我已經看到了幸福生活的曙光。跟隨我走吧，我?guī)е銈儽枷蚰抢?。上帝在別處有和在這里一樣的微笑?！?/p>

他停下來了，人群發(fā)出了驚恐的叫喊聲。

“褻瀆，這是對神靈的褻瀆，”頑固不化的老人大聲叫著，“要讓他罪有應得！他已經失去理智了，竟敢戲謔一千年前制定下來的法律。他死有余辜！”

人們舉起了沉重的石頭。

他們殺死了這個出游的人。

人們把他的尸體扔到山崖底下，以此訓誡其他那些膽敢懷疑祖先智慧的人，殺一儆百。

沒有多久，一場特大干旱爆發(fā)了。涓涓的知識小溪流干枯了，牲畜都干渴而死，田地里的糧食都枯萎了，無知的山谷里到處都是饑渴的呻吟。

不過，那些頑固的老人并沒有灰心。他們預言說，所有的一切都會轉危為安，至少那些先知先覺的圣書上是這樣寫的。

?而且，他們自己已經很老了，吃不了多少糧食了。

冬天來臨了。

村莊里荒無人煙。

饑寒交迫奪去了大多數人的生命。

活著的人把生存的唯一希望寄托在山的那一邊。

但是法律卻說：“不可以！”

法律是必須要遵守的。

一天夜晚，叛亂爆發(fā)了。

絕望賦予那些由于恐懼而逆來順受的人們以勇氣。

迂腐的老人們無力地抗爭著。

他們被推到一邊，還在抱怨自己不幸的命運，詛咒兒孫的忘恩負義。但是當最后一輛馬車駛離村落時，他們攔住了它，迫使車夫把他們帶走。

就這樣，投奔前途未卜的新世界的旅程開始了。

從那個出游者回來到現在已經過了很多年了，所以要找到他開辟的道路，絕不是容易的事情。

成千上萬的人在路途上饑渴而亡，人們終于找到了第一座用石子壘起的路標。

從那以后，旅途中的磨難少了一些。

那個細心的開拓者已經用火在一望無際的險山亂林中燒出了一條寬闊大道。

沿著這條大道，人們一步步地走到了一個有著綠色牧場的新世界。

人們相對無言。

“他到底還是對的，”人們說，“正確的是他，錯誤的是那些冥頑不化的老人……”

?“他的話是真實的，那些迂腐的老人在撒謊……”

“他的尸首腐爛在山崖下，可是那些頑固的老人卻坐在我們的車里，還唱著那陳舊不堪的歌謠?！?/p>

“他救了我們，我們卻殺害了他?！?/p>

“我們確實對這件事情非常內疚，不過，當時我們如果知道的話，當然就……”

接著，他們?yōu)榕ｑR解下套具，把牛羊趕進牧場，建造自己的房屋，規(guī)劃自己的土地。從此，他們過上了幸福的生活。

幾年之后，人們?yōu)橹腔劾先私ㄆ鹆艘蛔鶏湫碌拇髲B作為住宅，并準備把英勇的先驅者的遺骸埋在里面。

一支莊嚴的隊伍回到了早已荒蕪人煙的山谷。但是，山崖腳下空空如也，開拓者的尸骨已經無影無蹤。

饑餓的豺狗早就把尸首拖入了自己的洞穴。

人們在開拓者足跡的盡頭放上了一塊小石頭（那里現在已經是一條大道），他們把開拓者的名字刻在石頭上——這是第一個挑戰(zhàn)未知世界的黑暗和恐怖的人的名字，是他把人們帶向了新的自由。

石頭上還寫著，它是由前來感恩朝拜的后人建造的。

這樣的事情過去發(fā)生過，現在也還在發(fā)生，不過將來（我們希望）不要再發(fā)生了。

實戰(zhàn)提升

Practising & Exercise

導讀

亨德里克·威廉·房龍（Hendrik Willem Van Loon)，荷蘭作家。他是出色的通俗作家，他被稱為偉大的文化普及者，大師級的人物。他的著作涉及歷史、文化、文明和科學等方面。他的絕大部分著作都是暢銷書，歷經近一個世紀仍不失魅力，影響著一代又一代的讀者，其代表作有：《人類的故事》、《圣經的故事》、《寬容》等。

本文是《寬容》的序言，被稱為一篇優(yōu)美而深刻的奇文。文中時間、人名和地點的模糊，以及結尾處的直接勸誡都使文章擁有了寓言的味道。

核心單詞

stretch [stret?] v. 展開，鋪開

gully [?ɡ?li] n. 小峽谷；沖溝

stroll [str?ul] v. 散步，溜達；緩步走

wondrous [?w?ndr?s] adj. 令人驚奇的；不可思議的；奇妙的

resplendent [ris?plend?nt] adj. 燦爛的；光輝的；華麗的

populace [?p?pjul?s] n. 平民，百姓，民眾

blaze [bleiz] n. 強烈的光，光輝

翻譯

Happily lived mankind in the peaceful valley of ignorance.

The old men who knew, however, were not disheartened.

It was no easy task to discover the road he had mapped out.