第4章 The Weather in His Soul——George Santayana

内容导读

每个民族之所以独一无二，便在于其内在的品性，即“灵魂的气象”。英伦绅士素以优雅保守著称，他们的“内在情调”根植于两个对立的空间：乡村和海洋。他们的灵魂栖居在封闭的乡野花园，想象力却遨游在无边际的大海，所以他们既保守又冒险，既热情好客又保持距离。这就是所谓的“英国气象”。

英文正文

What governs the Englishman is his inner atmosphere,the weather in his soul.It is nothing particularly spiritual or mysterious.When he has taken his exercise and is drinking his tea or his beer and lighting his pipe;when,in his garden or by his fire,he sprawls in an aggressively comfortable chair;when well-washed and well-brushed,he resolutely turns in church to the east and recites the Creed(with genuflexions,if he likes genuflexions)without in the least implying that he believes one word of it;when he hears or sings the most crudely sentimental and thinnest of popular songs,unmoved but not disgusted;when he adopts aparty or asweetheart;when he is hunting or shooting or boating,or striding through the fields;when he is choosing his clothes or his profession—never is it aprecise reason,or purpose,or outer fact that determines him;it is always the atmosphere of his inner man.

To say that this atmosphere was simply asense of physical well-being,of coursing blood and aprosperous digestion,would be far too gross;for while psychic weather is all that,it is also witness to some settled disposition,some ripening inclination for this or that,deeply rooted in the soul.It gives asense of direction in life which is virtually acode of ethics,and areligion behind religion.On the other hand,to say it was the vision of any ideal or allegiance to any principle would be making it far too articulate and abstract.The inner atmosphere,when compelled to condense into words,may precipitate some curt maxim or over-simple theory as asort of war-cry;but its puerile language does it injustice,because it broods at amuch deeper level than language or even thought.It is amass of dumb instincts and allegiances,the love of acertain quality of life,to be maintained manfully.It is pregnant with many astubborn assertion and rejection.It fights under its trivial fluttering opinions like asmoking battleship under its flags and signals;you must consider,not what they are,but why they have been hoisted and will not be lowered.

Instinctively the Englishman is no missionary,no conqu-eror.He prefers the country to the town,and home to foreign parts.He is rather glad and relieved if only natives will remain natives and strangers strangers,and at acomfortable distance from himself.Yet outwardly he is most hospitable and accepts almost anybody for the time being;he travels and conquers without asettled design,because he has the instinct of exploration.His adventures are external;they change him so little that he is not afraid of them.He carries his English weather in his heart wherever he goes,and it becomes acool spot in the desert,and asteady and same oracle amongst all the deliriums of mankind.Never since the heroic days of Greece has the world had such asweet,just,boyish master.It will be ablack day for the human race when scientific blackguards,conspirators,churls,and fanatics manage to supplant him.

中文译文

灵魂的气象

乔治·桑塔雅那

左右英国人的是他内在的情调，心灵的气象。这不是什么精神层面的或神秘的东西。设想在他运动之余品茶或喝酒，还点着烟斗；或在花园里或壁炉旁懒洋洋地躺在舒适的安乐椅上；或在他精心梳洗之后，在教堂里毅然面向东方背诵（跪诵，假如他喜欢跪诵）信经，但这绝不意味着他相信其中的任一字句；或在他听着或哼着最低俗感伤、最浅薄的流行歌曲，虽未被感动但也并不讨厌；或在他确定谁是他最好的朋友或最喜爱的诗人；或在他选择一个群体或一个恋人；或在他打猎、射击、划船或大步走过田野；或在他挑选服装或选择职业——在他做着这一切的时候，并不是因为某一个确定的理由，或目的，或外界的事物，而是他内在的情调在决定着他的取向。

若说这一内在的情调仅仅是对于身体状况、血液循环和消化功能的感觉，那未免过于粗浅；因为，虽然灵魂的气象全然如此，它毕竟也是深深根植于灵魂之中的某种稳定的气质和某一日臻成熟的心理倾向的见证。它给人以生活的方向感，实则是一种道德准则，宗教背后的宗教。另一方面，若它是对于一种理想的幻想或对于某一原则的忠诚，那就把它说得过于雄辩也过于抽象了。这个“内在的情调”，必须用语言来表述时，可以凝结成一句战斗口号似的简短格言或简单的理论；但那幼稚的语言并不能将它表述清楚，因为它孕育在比语言，甚至比思想还要深得多的层次上。它是一团无声的本能和忠诚的结合体，是对某种生活品质的爱，需要勇敢而坚定地予以保持。它固执地坚持很多观点，也固执地摒弃很多妄念。它在各种涌动于内心的细微见解之下进行战斗，就像一艘吐浓烟的战舰在种种旗帜和信号的指挥之下进行战斗一样；你所要考虑的不是它们是什么，而是它们既然已经升起就不再降落这是为什么。

就其本能而言，英国人不是传教士，不是征服者。他宁愿待在乡村，而不愿住在城市，宁愿待在家里，而不愿去陌生的地方。如果本地人还是本地人，陌生人始终是陌生人，而且和自己保持一段舒适的距离，他会很高兴，很舒心。但在外表上，他很好客，几乎任何人他都可以暂时接纳；他不是按照一成不变的计划去旅行，去征服，因为他有探索的本能。他的冒险活动都是表面的，对他自己几乎没有什么影响，所以他不怕冒险。无论他走到哪里，心里总是怀着他的“英国气象”。它已变成沙漠里一个清凉的处所，人类谵妄之中一个稳固而明智的圣堂。自从希腊的英雄时代以来，世界还没有过如此可爱、正直和孩子气的主人。若以科学上的无赖、阴谋家、吝啬鬼和狂热之徒取而代之，将是人类遭遇暗无天日之时。

（刘士聪译）

词汇速记

creed n. 信条，纲领

genuflexion n. 屈膝，跪拜

virtually adv. 几乎

condense v. 凝结，压缩

precipitate v. 凝结，下掷

curt adj. 简短的，草率的

puerile adj. 幼稚的，愚蠢的

delirium n. 谵妄，昏迷

churl n. 吝啬鬼，贱民

美句欣赏

① While psychic weather is all that,it is also witness to some settled disposition,some ripening inclination for this or that,deeply rooted in the soul.It gives asense of direction in life which is virtually acode of ethics,and areligion behind religion.这句话表现了“灵魂气象”对于人类群体的重要性：它是一切行为准则和精神信仰的深层原因，是塑造群体身份的文化要素。

② He carries his English weather in his heart wherever he goes,and it becomes acool spot in the desert,and asteady and same oracle amongst all the deliriums of mankind.只要心存本国气象，天涯尽处亦是故乡。这个对比体现了作者作为英国人的自豪感已经到了种族偏见的程度。