LESSON 54

ON HAPPINESS OF TEMPER

论幸福感

Oliver Goldsmith, 1728-1774. This eccentric son of genius was an Irishman; his father was a poor curate. Goldsmith received his education at several preparatory schools, at Trinity College, Dublin, at Edinburgh, and at Leyden. He was indolent and unruly as a student, often in disgrace with his teachers; but his generosity, recklessness, and love of athletic sports made him a favorite with his fellow-students. He spent some time in wandering over the continent, often in poverty and want. In 1756 he returned to England, and soon took up his abode in London. Here he made the acquaintance and friendship of several notable men, among whom were Johnson and Sir Joshua Reynolds. “The Traveler” was published in 1764, and was soon followed by the “Vicar of Wakefield.” He wrote in nearly all departments of literature, and always with purity, grace, and fluency. His fame as a poet is secured by the “Traveler” and the “Deserted Village;” as a dramatist, by “She Stoops to Conquer;” as a satirist, by the “Citizen of the World;” and as a novelist by the “Vicar of Wakefield.” In his later years his writings were the source of a large income, but his gambling, careless generosity, and reckless extravagance always kept him in financial difficulty, and he died heavily in debt. His monument is in Westminster Abbey.

Writers of every age have endeavored to show that pleasure is in us, and not in the objects offered for our amusement. If the soul be happily disposed, everything becomes capable of affording entertainment, and distress will almost want a name. Every occurrence passes in review, like the figures of a procession; some may be awkward, others ill-dressed, but none but a fool is on that account enraged with the master of ceremonies.

I remember to have once seen a slave, in a fortification in Flanders, who appeared no way touched with his situation. He was maimed, deformed, and chained; obliged to toil from the appearance of day till nightfall, and condemned to this for life; yet, with all these circumstances of apparent wretchedness, he sang, would have danced, but that he wanted a leg, and appeared the merriest, happiest man of all the garrison. What a practical philosopher was here! A happy constitution supplied philosophy, and though seemingly destitute of wisdom he was really wise. No reading or study had contributed to disenchant the fairyland around him. Everything furnished him with an opportunity of mirth; and though some thought him, from his insensibility, a fool, he was such an idiot as philosophers should wish to imitate.

They who, like that slave, can place themselves all that side of the world in which everything appears in a pleasant light, will find something in every occurrence to excite their good humor. The most calamitous events, either to themselves or others, can bring no new affliction; the world is to them a theater, in which only comedies are acted. All the bustle of heroism, or the aspirations of ambition, seem only to heighten the absurdity of the scene, and make the humor more poignant. They feel, in short, as little anguish at their own distress, or the complaints of others, as the undertaker, though dressed in black, feels sorrow at a funeral.

Of all the men I ever read of, the famous Cardinal de Retz possessed this happiness in the highest degree. When fortune wore her angriest look, and he fell into the power of Cardinal Mazarin, his most deadly enemy, (being confined a close prisoner in the castle of Valenciennes,) he never attempted to support his distress by wisdom or philosophy, for he pretended to neither. He only laughed at himself and his persecutor, and seemed infinitely pleased at his new situation. In this mansion of distress, though denied all amusements, and even the conveniences of life, and entirely cut off from all intercourse with his friends, he still retained his good humor, laughed at the little spite of his enemies, and carried the jest so far as to write the life of his jailer.

All that the wisdom of the proud can teach, is to be stubborn or sullen under misfortunes. The Cardinal’s example will teach us to be good-humored in circumstances of the highest affliction. It matters not whether our good humor be construed by others into insensibility or idiotism,—it is happiness to ourselves; and none but a fool could measure his satisfaction by what the world thinks of it.

The happiest fellow I ever knew, was of the number of those good-natured creatures that are said to do no harm to anybody but themselves. Whenever he fell into any misery, he called it “seeing life.” If his head was broken by a chairman, or his pocket picked by a sharper, he comforted himself by imitating the Hibernian dialect of the one, or the more fashionable cant of the other. Nothing came amiss to him. His inattention to money matters had concerned his father to such a degree that all intercession of friends was fruitless. The old gentleman was on his deathbed. The whole family (and Dick among the number) gathered around him.

“I leave my second son, Andrew,” said the expiring miser, “my whole estate, and desire him to be frugal.” Andrew, in a sorrowful tone (as is usual on such occasions), prayed heaven to prolong his life and health to enjoy it himself. “I recommend Simon, my third son, to the care of his elder brother, and leave him, besides, four thousand pounds.” “Ah, father!” cried Simon (in great affliction, to be sure), “may heaven give you life and health to enjoy it yourself!” At last, turning to poor Dick: “As for you, you have always been a sad dog; you’ll never come to good; you’ll never be rich; I leave you a shilling to buy a halter.” “Ah, father!” cries Dick, without any emotion, “may heaven give you life and health to enjoy it yourself!”

【中文阅读】

每个时代的作家都热衷于描绘潜藏在我们内心的快乐，而不是用于取乐的对象。如果内心得到快乐，那么所有的一切都能提供愉悦感，而痛苦几乎是个空名而已。每一个事件都在回顾中成为过去，就像列队行进队伍中人的形象一样。有的人也许显得有点笨拙，其他人则穿着寒酸，不过除了傻瓜没有人会因为这个缘故而对仪式的主持者大发雷霆。

记得在佛兰德斯的一个筑垒里曾见过一个苦工，显然他无从感知自己的境遇，他身有残疾，容貌丑陋，脚上裹着铁链，从天一亮到夜幕降临被迫一刻不停地做工，一直到死为止。然而，对于所有这些显然非常恶劣的环境，他竟然乐天知命，他想要的就是一条健全的腿，似乎是整个要塞最快乐和幸福的人。他是一位何等现实的哲学家啊！从他快乐的心理素质能洞察到他的人生哲学，尽管表面上缺少智慧，其实他是真正睿智的人。不读书和学习促使他对仙境般的生活不抱任何幻想。对他而言，周围所有的一切都向他提供了欢愉的机会。虽然有人根据他表面上的满不在乎断定他是个傻子，但他确是连哲学家都想仿效的傻瓜。

那些同这位苦工一样的人，能将自己置于这样的地位，即世间的一切似乎都是快乐的明灯，他们发现每件事情都能激发他们的幽默感。那些最悲惨的事情，不论对他们自己还是别人，都不会带来新的痛苦。对他们来说，整个世界就是一个大剧场，而里面上演的永远只有喜剧。所有的个人英雄主义或施展抱负的强烈愿望，似乎只会提高演出本身的荒谬性，使得幽默更能深深打动人的内心。简而言之，他们对自己的悲惨境地或他人的抱怨一点也不觉得苦恼，尽管在葬礼上着黑衣服会令人觉得悲呛。

至于我在书中读过的那些人，著名的雷斯大主教拥有最高程度的幸福感。当命运女神现出气愤之极的神情时，雷斯大主教落入他最可怕的敌人马扎林大主教的掌握之中（被囚禁在瓦伦西安城堡），他从未试图通过智慧或哲学来排解痛苦，因为他假装自己对两者一窍不通。他唯一做的就是自嘲，对迫害他的人嗤之以鼻，对自己的新环境似乎怀有无限的喜悦。在这个处境危险的大宅子里，尽管戒绝了所有的娱乐，甚至连生活便利设施也谈不上，完全切断了与朋友的所有联系，他仍旧保持好心情，对他的敌人不怀恶意地加以嘲弄，将他的囚徒生活以玩笑的方式诉诸笔端。

这种足以为傲的智慧带给我们的启迪是，身处不幸之中切莫顽固倔强和闷闷不乐。雷斯大主教的例子教导我们即使在最悲惨的境地，也要有好心情。这与我们的好心情是否会被别人误认为满不在乎或白痴行为无关——这事关我们自己的幸福，除了真正的傻瓜没有人凭借别人怎么看来衡量他的满足感。

我认识的最快乐的人，就是那些只有伤害自己而不会伤害别人的和善的人。每当陷于悲惨境地时，他都会淡然称之为“眼见为实的生活”。如果他的脑袋被一位领导给打破了，或者在赌博时被老千骗得精光，他会通过模仿某人的伊比利亚口音，或者其他人的黑话来安慰自己。没有什么事情能让他大发雷霆。他在金钱方面的粗心大意令他父亲非常忧虑，以至于不管朋友们如何求情都无济于事。这位老绅士气得半死，躺在床上奄奄一息了。全家人（迪克也在其中）都围在床前。

“我把后事委托给二儿子安德鲁，”这位就要断气的吝啬鬼说，“我全部的不动产都会被他败光的。”安德鲁声音悲戚（在这种场合通常是这种口气）地祈祷上帝，希望能延长他的生命，让他享受健康带来的快乐。“我推荐我的三儿子西蒙来照管他的哥哥。除此之外，留给他四千英镑。”“啊，父亲！”西蒙喊道（可以肯定，非常痛苦），“但愿上帝能赐给你生命，让你安享健康带来的快乐！”最后，他转向可怜的迪克：“至于你嘛，我留给你一先令买条缰绳好拴住你自己。”迪克叫道，声音淡然，“但愿上帝能赐给你生命，让你安享健康带来的快乐！”