The Wise Man, the Fool and the Slave

魯迅

Lu Xun

奴才總不過(guò)是尋人訴苦。

What a slave did was just to look for someone to listen to his own grievances.

只要這樣，也只能這樣。

That was the only thing he wanted to do and also the only thing he could do.

有一日，他遇到一個(gè)聰明人。

One day he came across a wise man.

“先生！”他悲哀地說(shuō)，眼淚聯(lián)成一線(xiàn)，就從眼角上直流下來(lái)。

“Sir!” said he sadly, tears trickling down from the corners of his eyes.

“你知道的。我所過(guò)的簡(jiǎn)直不是人的生活。

“As you can see, I lead a subhuman life.

吃的是一天未必有一餐，這一餐又不過(guò)是高粱皮，連豬狗都不要吃的，尚且只有一小碗......”

I’m not even assured of a single meal a day. If I have one, it’s only a small bowl of kaoliang husks, which even a pig or dog would disdain to eat ...”

“這實(shí)在令人同情?！甭斆魅艘矐K然說(shuō)。

“What a wretched life you lead!” the wise man replied with pity.

“可不是么！”他高興了。

“Isn’t it?” the slave followed up with exaltation.

“可是做工是晝夜無(wú)休息的：清早擔(dān)水晚燒飯，上午跑街夜磨面，晴洗衣裳雨張傘，冬燒汽爐夏打扇。

“And I toil day and night without rest. I carry water at dawn and cook dinner at dusk. I run errands all morning and grind wheat at night. I wash the clothes when it’s fine and hold an umbrella for my master when it’s rainy. I take care of the heating stove in winter and keep cooling my master with a fan in summer.

半夜要煨銀耳，侍候主人耍錢(qián)；頭錢(qián)從來(lái)沒(méi)分，有時(shí)還挨皮鞭......”

I boil white fungus for him late at night. I wait on him at his gambling table without ever getting a tip.

“唉唉......

Instead I sometimes get a good thrashing ...”

”聰明人嘆息著，眼圈有些發(fā)紅，似乎要下淚。

“Oh, dear!” the wise man said with a sigh, the rims of his eyes looking somewhat red as if he were about to shed tears.

“先生！我這樣是敷衍不下去的。

“Sir! I can’t put up with it any more.

我總得另外想法子。

I’ve got to find a way out.

可是什么法子呢？......”

But what can I do?...”

“我想，你總會(huì)好起來(lái)......”

“I’m sure you’ll pull through sooner or later ...”

“是么？但愿如此。

“Really? I hope so.

可是我對(duì)先生訴了冤苦，又得你的同情和慰安，已經(jīng)舒坦得不少了。

But, sir, I already feel much better now as you’ve given me sympathy and encouragement after listening to my grievances.

可見(jiàn)天理沒(méi)有滅絕......”

It’s thus clear that Heaven always upholds justice ...”

但是，不幾日，他又不平起來(lái)了，仍然尋人去訴苦。

A few days later, however, he again began to grumble and look for somebody to listen to his complaints.

“先生！”他流著眼淚說(shuō)，“你知道的。

“Sir!” he cried out tearfully.

我住的簡(jiǎn)直比豬窠還不如。

“You know, I live in a place even lousier than a pigsty.

主人并不將我當(dāng)人；他對(duì)他的叭兒狗還要好到幾萬(wàn)倍......”

My master treats me like dirt. He treats his Pekinese ten thousand times better ...”

“混賬！”那人大叫起來(lái)，使他吃驚了。

“Damn it!” the listener swore in such a loud voice as to make the slave start.

那人是一個(gè)傻子。

This man was a fool.

“先生，我住的只是一間破小屋，又濕，又陰，滿(mǎn)是臭蟲(chóng)，睡下去就咬得真可以。

“Sir, I live in a run-down small hut which is wet, dingy, stinking and full of bedbugs. They bite me all over when I lie down to sleep.

穢氣沖著鼻子，四面又沒(méi)有一個(gè)窗......”

And the place doesn’t even have a single window ...”

“你不會(huì)要你的主人開(kāi)一個(gè)窗的么？”

“Why not ask your master to have a window made?”

“這怎么行？......”

“How can I do that? ...”

“那么，你帶我去看去！”

“OK, you show me around!”

傻子跟奴才到他屋外，動(dòng)手就砸那泥墻。

As soon as they came to the slave’s dwelling, the fool started to pound its mud wall.

“先生！你干什么？”他大驚地說(shuō)。

“What the hell are you doing, sir?” the slave yelled with alarm.

“我給你打開(kāi)一個(gè)窗洞來(lái)?！?/p>

“I’m trying to knock a hole to make a window for you.”

“這不行！主人要罵的！”

“No, you can’t do that! The master will be mad at me!”

“管他呢！”他仍然砸。

“To hell with your master!” The fool continued pounding away.

“來(lái)人呀！強(qiáng)盜在毀咱們的屋子了！快來(lái)呀！遲一點(diǎn)可要打出窟窿來(lái)了！......

“Help! A robber is breaking down our house! Hurry up, or he’ll knock a big hole in the wall! ...”

”他哭嚷著，在地上團(tuán)團(tuán)地打滾。

Sobbing and shouting at the top of his voice, the slave rolled round and round on the ground.

一群奴才都出來(lái)了，將傻子趕走。

Thereupon, a whole troop of slaves arrived on the scene and drove away the fool.

聽(tīng)到了喊聲，慢慢地最后出來(lái)的是主人。

The last one that came out unhurriedly on hearing the commotion was the master.

“有強(qiáng)盜要來(lái)毀咱們的屋子，我首先叫喊起來(lái)，大家一同把他趕走了。”

“A robber came to smash up our house,” the slave spoke respectfully and smugly. “I was the first to shout the alarm.

他恭敬而得勝地說(shuō)。

We together drove him away.”

“你不錯(cuò)?！敝魅诉@樣夸獎(jiǎng)他。

“You did well,” the master praised him.

這一天就來(lái)了許多慰問(wèn)的人，聰明人也在內(nèi)。

A great many people came that day to express their solicitude, among them the wise man.

“先生。這回因?yàn)槲矣泄?，主人夸?jiǎng)了我了。

“Sir, I’ve just been praised by my master for my meritorious service,” the slave said to the wise man very happily and hopefully.

你先前說(shuō)我總會(huì)好起來(lái)，實(shí)在是有先見(jiàn)之明......

“I remember you said the other day that I would pull through sooner or later. So you’re really a man of foresight ...”

”他大有希望似的高興地說(shuō)?！翱刹皇敲?.....”聰明人也代為高興似的回答他。

“Oh, yeah ...” replied the wise man as if he, too, were happy for the sake of the slave.

立論

On Presenting a View

我夢(mèng)見(jiàn)自己正在小學(xué)校的講堂上預(yù)備作文，向老師請(qǐng)教立論的方法。

I dreamed that while preparing to write a composition in a primary school classroom I asked the teacher how to present a view.

“難！”老師從眼鏡圈外斜射出眼光來(lái)，看著我，說(shuō)。

“That’s a hard nut,” said the teacher, giving me a sidelong glance over his glasses.

“我告訴你一件事——

“Let me tell you this story —”

“一家人家生了一個(gè)男孩，合家高興透頂了。

“When a baby boy is born to a family, there is immense joy in the whole household.

滿(mǎn)月的時(shí)候，抱出來(lái)給客人看，——大概自然是想得一點(diǎn)好兆頭。

When he is one month old, they invite some people over for taking a look at him — customarily, of course, in expectation of some good wishes.

“一個(gè)說(shuō)：'這孩子將來(lái)要發(fā)財(cái)?shù)??！谑堑玫揭环兄x。

“One of the guests receives hearty thanks for saying, 'The child is destined to be rich.’

“一個(gè)說(shuō)：'這孩子將來(lái)要做官的。’他于是收回幾句恭維。

“Another is paid some compliments in return for saying, 'The child is destined to be an official.’

“一個(gè)說(shuō)：'這孩子將來(lái)是要死的?！谑堑玫揭活D大家合力的痛打。

“Still another, however, is given a sound beating by the whole family for saying, 'The child will eventually die.’

“說(shuō)要死的必然，說(shuō)富貴的許謊。

“To call the child mortal is to state the inevitable while to say that the child will become very rich or a high official is probably a lie.

但說(shuō)謊的得好報(bào)，說(shuō)必然的遭打。

Yet the former gets a thrashing while the latter is rewarded.

你......”

You ...”

“我愿意既不謊人，也不遭打。

“I don’t want to tell a lie, and neither do I want to be beaten.

那么，老師，我得怎么說(shuō)呢？”

Then what should I do, sir?”

“那么，你得說(shuō)：'啊呀！這孩子呵！您瞧！多么......啊??！哈哈！

“Well, just say, 'Ai-ya, this child! Just look! Oh, my! Hah! Hehe! He, hehehehe!'”