第15章 年轻与年老

Youth and Age

[英]罗伯特·路易斯·史蒂文森/Robert Louis Stevenson

在我们渐渐变老的过程中，一种平淡而缓慢的感觉替代了强烈的爱憎沉浮；同样的感觉让我们收敛自己的希望，抚慰我们的忧惧。如果说快乐能少几分激情，那么烦恼也变得更加微不足道，更能够忍受。总之，在这段时间里，我们需要储备一切，以备不时之需。在整个生命的历程中，这段时间是最丰富多彩、最闲适、最幸福的。不仅如此，通过管理自己的行为，跟随快乐的灵感而动，年轻人在竭尽全力赋予自己的时代以安逸的成分。充实、忙碌的青年时代是独立、自由的晚年生活的前奏；那些不能完成这些的人，其晚年生活不可避免是令人厌烦的。这个世界上，约翰逊博士并不多，在64岁的时候才开始他们的第一次浪漫之旅。如果我们想要丈量勃朗峰，或是穿着潜水服潜水，或是坐着热气球升天，就必须趁着年轻去做，不要等到变得谨小慎微、腿脚不便的时候才想着去做。那样的话，人们就会问我们：“怎么这么不安分？”无论是脑力还是体力上，青年时代都是周游世界的时期。去领略不同国家的人文风情；去聆听午夜的钟声；去观看城市与乡村的日出；去虔诚悔过；去统览玄学，编写牵强的诗句，跑远路去看篝火，还为了给《艾那尼》喝彩而在剧院等上一天。

As we grow old， a sort of equable jog-trot of feeling is substituted for the violent ups and downs of passion and disgust； the same influence that restrains our hopes， quiets our apprehensions； if the pleasures are less intense， the troubles are milder and more tolerable； and in a word， this period for which we are asked to hoard up everything as for a time of famine， is， in its own right， the richest， easiest， and happiest of life. Nay， by managing its own work and following its own happy inspiration， youth is doing the best it can to endow the leisure of age. A full， busy youth is your only prelude to a self-contained and independent age； and the muff inevitably develops into the bore. There are not many Doctor Johnsons， to set forth upon their first romantic voyage at sixty-four. If we wish to scale Mont Blanc or go down in a diving dress or up in a balloon， we must be about it while we are still young. Itwill not do to delay until we are clogged with prudence and limping with rheumatism and people begin to ask us： "What does Gravity out of bed？" Youth is the time to go flashing from one end of the world to the other both in mind and body； to try the manners of different nations； to hear the chimes at midnight； to see sunrise in town and country； to be converted at a revival； to circumnavigate the metaphysics， write halting verses， run a mile to see a fire， and wait all day long in the theatre to applaud HERNANI.