第一册第19篇：选择职业

19 Choosing An Occupation 选择职业

Hodeslea, Eastbourne, 伊斯特本，荷达斯里亚



November 5, 1892  一八九二年十一月五日



Dear Sir,

I am very sorry that the pressure of other occupations has prevented me from sending an earlier reply to your letter.

In my opinion a man’s first duty is to find a way(1) of supporting himself, thereby 1 relieving other people of(2) the necessity of supporting him. Moreover, the learning to do work of practical value in the world, in an exact and careful manner, is of itself(3) a very important education, the effects of which make themselves felt(4) in all other pursuits. The habit of doing that which you do not care about’ when you would much rather be doing something else, is invaluable 2. It would have saved me a frightful 3 waste of time if I had ever had it drilled into me in youth.(5)



Success in any scientific career requires an unusual equipment of capacity, industry, and energy. If you possess that equipment, you will find leisure enough after your daily commercial work is over, to make an opening(6) in the scientific ranks for yourself. If you do not, you had better stick to commerce. Nothing is less to be desired than the fate of a young man who, as the Scotch 4 proverb says, in "trying to make a spoon spoils a horn,"(7) and becomes a mere 5 hanger- on in literature or in science, when he might have been a useful and a valuable member of Society in other occupations.(8)

 

I think that your father ought to see this letter.

Yours faithfully,

T. H. Huxley



中文译文：

亲爱的阁下：

近来忙于各种事务，未能及早复信，深感抱歉。

依我看来，一个人的首要职责是设法自立，以免除别人对他生活的负担。此外，学会严谨而审慎地从事社会上有实际价值的工作，其本身就是一种非常重要的教育，其效果必将体现在所有别的事业上。在你宁愿做其他事情的时候，却仍能够从事你不感兴趣的工作，这种习惯是十分可贵的。要是我在年轻时养成了这种习惯，就可以避免时间上惊人的浪费。

 

任何科学事业上的成就，都需要具有不寻常的才能、勤勉和精力。你若具有上述资质，你在日常商业工作之余，将有足够的闲暇为自己在科学界觅得立足之地。你若不具有那种资质，还是一心经商为宜。天下最不足取的事情，莫过于一个年轻人如同苏格兰谚语所说的那样，"匙子没做成，倒毁了羊角，"成为在文学或科学领域里滥竽充数的食客，要是去从事其他工作的话，他或许会成为社会上有用和有价值的一员。

 

我认为此信应请你父亲一阅。

你的忠实的

T．H·赫胥黎



英文注释：

(1)to find a way： 设法。

(2)relieving other people of．．．： 使别人免除……。relieve Sb．of sth．：free sb．from sth．

(3)of itself：本身。

(4)make themselves felt： felt是过去分词，作宾语补语，意为"被人感觉到"，此处可解释为"体现"。

(5) It would have saved．．．if l had ever had it drilled into me…： 过去时态虚拟语气。第二个it指the habit。drill into：通过反复教导或训练使人学会。

(6)to make an opening：开辟一条路。

(7) trying to make a spoon spoils a horn： 原为苏格兰谚语："匙子做不成反而毁了做匙子的羊角"，含有两者都落空之意。

(8)Nothing is less to be desired than…in other occupations： 这是一个比较复杂的主从复合句，主句为Nothing is less to be desired，它带有一个比较状语从句than the fate of a young man(is to be desired)，该从句本身又带有一个定语从句，定语从句中who的谓语动词是spoils和becomes，as the Scotch proverb says是插入语。when he might…为定语从句中的状语从句，修饰becomes…