3. An Exhausting Struggle
3. 一場累人的斗爭
Balzac once said artistic creation was "an exhausting struggle". He believed that only by tenacious work and fearing not afraid of difficulties could you show your talent. It was just like the soldiers the fortress, not relaxing your effort for even a moment.
巴爾扎克說過,藝術(shù)創(chuàng)造是“一場累人的斗爭”。他認(rèn)為,只有頑強地工作,不怕困難,才能把自己的才華表現(xiàn)出來。這就好像向堡壘沖擊的戰(zhàn)士,一刻也不能松勁。
Once Balzac wrote for hours on end, he was so tired that he could not hold out any longer. He ran to a friend's home and headlong on the sofa. He wanted to sleep, but he told his friend he must be woken up within an hour. His friend, seeing him so tired, did not wake him up on time. After he woke up, Balzac got very angry at his friend. his friend had an understanding of him and did not quarrel with him.
有一次,巴爾扎克一連寫了好幾個小時,累得實在支持不住了,跑到一個朋友家里,一頭倒在沙發(fā)上。他想睡一覺,但他告訴朋友,一定要在一小時之內(nèi)叫醒他。他的朋友見他非常疲憊,就沒有按時叫醒他。他醒來后,對朋友大發(fā)脾氣。幸好他的朋友很了解他,沒有和他爭吵。
Balzac did not smoke cigarettes, nor did he drink any alcohol. But he got one habit: while he was writing,he always drank very strong coffee that could almost his stomach. He didn't add milk, nor did he add sugar in his coffee. It would not satisfy him until it was made bitter. People generally did not like to drink such bitler coffee. That had strange effect to him, and could help him drive the sleepiness away, according to himself.
巴爾扎克既不抽煙,也不喝酒。但他有個習(xí)慣:當(dāng)他寫作的時候,總是呷著幾乎可以使胃麻痹的濃咖啡。他的咖啡里既不如牛奶,也不加糖,要熬得發(fā)苦才滿意。像這樣苦的咖啡,一般人都不愿意喝。據(jù)他自己說,這樣對他有奇異的剌激作用,可以驅(qū)走睡魔。