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L5Loveisafallacy1CharlesLamb,asmerryandenterprising[Showinginitiativeandwillingnesstoundertakenewprojects(有事业心的,有进取心的,有魄力的,有胆量的)]afellowasyouwillmeetinamonthofSundays[averylongtime],unfettered[不受约束的Tosetfreeorkeepfreefromrestrictionsorbonds(tounchain;tounshackle;toliberate)]theinformalessaywithhismemorableOldChinaandDream'sChildren.TherefollowsaninformalessaythatventuresevenbeyondLamb'sfrontier,[Considerthis:Metaphor,comparingthelimitationssetbyLambtoafrontier.(limitationsvs.limits)indeed,informalmaynotbequitetherightwordtodescribethisessay;limpor―flaccid[unpleasantlysoft&weak]orpossiblyspongy[elastic/flexible]areperhapsmoreappropriate.查尔斯．兰姆是一个世所罕见的性情欢快、富有进取心的人，他那笔下的散文《古瓷器》和《梦中的孩子》无拘无束、自由奔放。实在令人难忘。下面这篇文章比兰姆的作品更加自由奔放。实际上，用“自由奔放”的字眼来形容这篇文章并不十分确切，或许用“柔软”、“轻松”或“轻软而富有弹性”更为恰如其分。2Vaguethoughitscategory,itiswithoutdoubtanessay.Itdevelopsanargument;itcitesinstances;itreachesaconclusion.CouldCarlyledomore?CouldRuskin?尽管很难说清这篇文章是属于哪一类，但可以肯定它是一篇散文小品文。它提出了论点。引用了许多例证，并得出了结论。卡菜尔能写得更好吗?罗斯金呢?3Read,then,thefollowingessaywhichundertakes[attempts担任]todemonstratethatlogic,farfrombeingadry,pedantic[迂腐的学究式的academic(over-concernedwithcorrectness)]discipline[有条理],isaliving,breathingthing,fullofbeauty,passion,andtrauma[创伤].[Considerthis:Logicisnotatalldry,learnedbranchoflearning.Itislikealivinghumanbeing,fullofbeauty,passionandpainfulemotionalshocks.]—Author'sNote这篇文章意在论证逻辑学非但不枯燥乏味而且活泼、清新、富于关感和激情，并给人以启迪。诸位不妨一读。——作者注4CoolwasIandlogical.Keen,calculating,perspicacious,acuteandastute—Iwasallofthese.Mybrainwasaspowerfulasadynamo,preciseasachemist’sscales,aspenetratingasascalpel.And—thinkofit!—Ionlyeighteen.我这个人头脑冷静，逻辑思维能力强。敏锐、慎重、聪慧、深刻、机智一一这些就是我的特点。我的大脑像发电机一样发达，像化学家的天平一样精确，像手术刀一样锋利。一一你知道吗?我才十八岁呀。Itisnotoftenthatonesoyounghassuchagiantintellect.Take,forexample,PeteyBellows,myroommateattheuniversity.Sameage,samebackground,butdumbasanox.Aniceenoughfellow,youunderstand,butnothingupstairs.Emotionaltype.Unstable.Impressionable.Worstofall,afaddist.Fads,Isubmit,aretheverynegationofreason.Tobesweptupineverynewcrazethatcomesalong,tosurrenderoneselftoidiocyjustbecauseeverybodyelseisdoingit—this,tome,istheacmeofmindlessness.Not,however,toPetey.年纪这么轻而智力又如此非凡的人并不常有。就拿在明尼苏达大学跟我同住一个房间的皮蒂·伯奇来说吧，他跟我年龄相仿，经历一样，可他笨得像头驴。小伙子长得年轻漂亮，可惜脑子里却空空如也。他易于激动，情绪反复无常，容易受别人的影响。最糟的是他爱赶时髦。我认为，赶时髦就是最缺乏理智的表现。见到一种新鲜的东西就跟着学，以为别人都在那么干，自己也就卷进去傻干——这在我看来，简直愚蠢至极，但皮蒂却不以为然。6OneafternoonIfoundPeteylyingonhisbedwithanexpressionofsuchdistressonhisfacethatIimmediatelydiagnosedappendicitis.“Don’tmove,”Isaid,“Don’ttakealaxative.I’llgetadoctor.”7“Raccoon,”hemumbledthickly.8“Raccoon?”Isaid,pausinginmyflight.9“Iwantaraccooncoat,”hewailed.10Iperceivedthathistroublewasnotphysical,butmental.“Whydoyouwantaraccooncoat?”一天下午我看见皮蒂躺在床上，脸上显露出一种痛苦不堪的表情，我立刻断定他是得了阑尾炎。“别动，”我说，“别吃泻药，我就请医生来。”“浣熊，”他咕哝着说。“浣熊?”我停下来问道。“我要一件浣熊皮大衣，”他痛苦地哭叫着。我明白了，他不是身体不舒服，而是精神上不太正常。“你为什么要浣熊皮大衣?”11“Ishouldhaveknownit,”hecried,poundinghistemples.“Ishouldhaveknownthey’dcomebackwhentheCharlestoncameback.LikeafoolIspentallmymoneyfortextbooks,andnowIcan’tgetaraccooncoat.”“我本早该知道，”他哭叫着，用拳头捶打着太阳穴，“我早该知道查尔斯登舞再度流行时，浣熊皮大衣也会时兴起来的。我真傻，钱都买了课本，可现在不能买浣熊皮大衣了。”12“Canyoumean,”Isaidincredulously,“thatpeopleareactuallywearingraccooncoatsagain?”13“AlltheBigMenonCampusarewearingthem.Where’veyoubeen?”14Inthelibrary,”Isaid,namingaplacenotfrequentedbyBigMenonCampus.15Heleapedfromthebedandpacedtheroom.“I’vegottohavearaccooncoat,”hesaidpassionately.“I’vegotto!”我带着怀疑的眼神问道：“你是说人们真的又要穿浣熊皮大衣吗?”“校园里有身分的人哪个不穿?你刚从哪儿来?”“图书馆，”我说了一个有身分的人不常去的地方。他从床上一跃而起，在房间里踱来踱去。“我一定要弄到一件浣熊皮大衣，”他激动地说，“非弄到不可!”16“Petey,why?Lookatitrationally.Raccooncoatsareunsanitary.Theyshed.Theysmellbad.Theyweightoomuch.They’reunsightly.They—”17“Youdon’tunderstand,”heinterruptedimpatiently.“It’sthethingtodo.Don’tyouwanttobeintheswim?”18“No,”Isaidtruthfully.19“Well,Ido,”hedeclared.“I’dgiveanythingforaraccooncoat.Anything!”20Mybrain,thatprecisioninstrument,slippedintohighgear.“Anything?”Iasked,lookingathimnarrowly.21“Anything,”heaffirmedinringingtones.“皮蒂，你怎么啦?冷静地想一想吧，浣熊皮大衣不卫生，掉毛，味道难闻，既笨重又不好看，而且……17“你不懂，”他不耐烦地打断我的话。“这就叫时髦。难道你不想赶时髦吗?”Don’tyouwanttobefashion-wise(chasefadsandfashion追逐时尚与潮流)?“不想，”我坦率地回答。“好啦，我可想着呢!”他肯定地说。“只要有浣熊皮大衣，要我什么我都给，什么都行!”我的大脑一一这件精密的仪器一一即刻运转起来[highgear高档位]。我仔细地打量着他，问道：“什么都行?”slippedinto:begantoworkveryfast.“什么都行!”他斩钉截铁地说。22Istrokedmychinthoughtfully.ItsohappenedthatIknewwheretogetmyhandsonaraccooncoat.Myfatherhadhadoneinhisundergraduatedays;itlaynowinatrunkintheatticbackhome.ItalsohappenedthatPeteyhadsomethingIwanted.Hedidn’thaveitexactly,butatleasthehadfirstrightsonit.Irefertohisgirl,PollyEspy.我若有所思地抚着下巴。好极了，我知道哪儿能弄到浣熊皮大衣。我父亲在大学读书时就穿过一件，现在还放在家里顶楼attic的箱子里。恰好皮蒂也有我需要的东西。尽管他还没有弄到手，但至少他有优先权。我说的是他的女朋友波利·埃斯皮。23IhadlongcovetedPollyEspy.Letmeemphasizethatmydesireforthisyoungwomanwasnotemotionalinnature.Shewas,tobesure,agirlwhoexcitedtheemotions,butIwasnotonetoletmyheartrulemyhead.IwantedPollyforashrewdlycalculated,entirelycerebralreason.我早已钟情[coveted梦寐以求的]于波利埃斯皮了。我要特别说明的是，我想得到这妙龄少女【innature本质上】并不是由于感情的驱使。她确实是个易于使人动情的姑娘。可我不是那种让感情统治理智的人，我想得到波利是经过了慎重考虑的，完全是出于理智上的原因。24Iwasafreshmaninlawschool.Inafewy