有时候，一个人，一本书，一杯茶，一个周末，也是一种享受。
周末快乐！今天，我们跟着约翰·拉斯金来聊聊“书”.......
John Ruskin
约翰·拉斯金（1819年2月8日-1900年1月20日）英国作家、艺术家、艺术评论家。1843年，他因《现代画家》（Modern Painters）一书而成名。这部作品以及其后的写作总计39卷，使他成为维多利亚时代艺术趣味的代言人。他是拉斐尔前派的一员，本身亦为天才而多产的艺术家。
About Book
by John Ruskin
All books are divisible into two classes, the books of the hour, and the books of all time. Mark this distinction—it is not one of quality only. It is not merely the bad book that does not last, and the good one that does. It is a distinction of species. There are good books for the hour, and good ones for all time; bad books for the hour, and bad ones for all time. I must define the two kinds before I go farther.
The good book of the hour, then, —I do not speak of the bad ones—is simply the useful or pleasant talk of some person whom you cannot otherwise converse with, printed for you. Very useful often, telling you what you need to know; very pleasant often, as a sensible friend's present talk would be. These bright accounts of travels; good-humoured and witty discussion of question; lively or pathetic story-telling in the form of novel; firm fact-telling, by the real agents concerned in the events of passing history; —all these books of the hour, multiplying among us as education becomes more general, are a peculiar possession of the present age: we ought to be entirely thankful for them, and entirely ashamed of ourselves if we make no good use of them. But we make the worse possible use if we allow them to usurp the place of true books: for, strictly speaking, they are not books at all, but merely letters or newspapers in good print.
Our friend's letter may be delightful, or necessary, today: whether worth keeping or not, is to be considered. The newspaper may be entirely proper at breakfast-time, but assuredly it is not reading for all day. So, though bound up in a volume, the long letter which gives you so pleasant an account of the inns, the roads, and weather last year at such a place, or which tells you that amusing story, or gives you the real circumstances of such and such events, however valuable for occasional reference, may not be, in the real sense of the word, a 'book' at all, nor in the real sense, to be 'read'.
A book is essentially not a talked thing, but a written thing; and written, not with the view of mere communication, but of permanence. The book of talk is printed only because its author cannot speak to thousands of people at once; if he could, he would-the volume is mere multiplication of his voice. You cannot talk to your friend in India; if you could, you would; you write instead: that is mere conveyance of voice. But a book is written, not to multiply the voice merely, not to carry it merely, but to perpetuate it. The author has something to say which he perceives to be true and useful, or helpfully beautiful. So far as he knows, no one has yet said it; so far as he knows, no one else can say it. He is bound to say it, clearly and melodiously if he may; clearly, at all events.
In the sum of his life he finds this to be the thing, or group of things, manifest to him; —this, the piece of true knowledge, or sight, which his share of sunshine and earth has permitted him to seize. He would fain set it down for ever; engrave it on rock, if he could, saying, 'This is the best of me; for the rest, I ate, and drank, and slept, loved and hated, like another; my life was as the vapour, and is not; but this I saw and knew: this, if anything of mine, is worth your memory.' That is his 'writing'; it is, in his small human way, and with whatever degree of true inspiration is in him, his inscription, or scripture. That is a 'Book'.
词汇注释
usurp [jʊ'zɜːp] v. 篡夺，侵占
conveyance [kən'veɪəns] n. 传达，传递
perpetuate [pə'petʃʊeɪt] v. 使永存，使不朽
manifest ['mænɪfest] adj. 显然的，明白的
fain [feɪn] adv. 欣然地，乐意地
scripture ['skrɪptʃə] n. 经文，经典
谈书
彭发胜译
一切书籍无不可分作两类：一时的书与恒久的书。请注意这个区别——它不单是质的区别。这不仅仅是说，坏书不能经久，而好书才能经久。这乃是种的区别。书籍中有一时的好书，也有恒久的好书；有一时的坏书，也有恒久的坏书。在往下讲述前，有必要对这两种书籍先作一些限定。
所谓一时的好书——至于坏书我这里就不讲了——往往不过是一些印来供你观阅的有益或有趣的谈话而已，而发表谈话的人，你除了观阅其书之以外，常常无法和他直接交谈。这些书往往非常有用，因为它会告诉你许多必要的知识；它们往往非常有趣，正像一位聪明友人的觌面交谈那样。种种生动的旅行记叙；轻松愉快而又充满机智的问题讨论；以小说形式讲述的各种悲喜故事；事过境迁，由当事人亲自提供的确凿事实讲述——所有这些一时的书，随着文化教育的普及而日益增多，乃是我们这个时代所特有的事物：对于它们，我们应当深表感谢，而如果不能善为利用，还应当深感惭愧。但是，如果竟让它们侵占了真正书籍的位置，那我们就又完全用非其当了：因为严格地讲，这些很难算是书籍，而只不过是印刷精美的书信报章而已。
我们友人的来信在当天读来也许是有趣的，甚至是必要的，但是有无保存价值，就须要考虑了。报纸在吃早饭时来读可能是最好不过，但是作为全天的读物，便不适合。所以，一封关于去年某地的客栈、旅途或天气的有趣记载的长信，或是其中讲了什么好玩的故事或某某事件的真相的其他信件，现在虽然装订成册，而且也颇有临时的参考价值，但在严格的意义上讲，不能称之为“书”，而且在严格的意义上讲，也谈不到真正的“读”。
书籍就其本质来讲，不是讲话，而是著述；而著述的目的，不仅在于达意，而且在于流传。讲话要印成书册主要是因为讲话人无法对千千万万的人同时讲话；如果能够，他会愿意直接来讲的——书卷只是他声音的扩充罢了。你无法和你在印度的朋友谈话；如果能够，你也会愿意直接来谈的，于是你便以写代谈：这也无非是声音的传送而已。但是书籍的编著却并非仅仅为了扩充声音，仅仅为了传送声音，而是为了使它经久。一个作家由于发现了某些事物真实而有用，或者美而有益，因而感到有话要说。据他所知，这话还不曾有人说过；据他所知，这话也还没人能说得出。因此他不能不说，而且还要尽量说得清楚而又优美；说得清楚，是至少要做到的。
纵观一生，作家会发现，这就是昭示给他的正事——而这，不论是某种真知或某种洞察，恰是他的世间福分机缘所允许他把握的。他极其渴望能将它著于篇章，以垂久远；镂于金石，才更称意；“这才是我的精华所在；至于其余，无论饮食起居，喜乐爱憎，我和他人都并无不同；人生如过眼云烟，稍纵即逝；但是我曾经的见识知闻，如果还可以称道的话，应值得你记住。”这便是他的“著作”；而以平凡人生所能达到的境界，不论表现了他多少真正的灵感，这便是他勒石流传的铭文、他的经典。这才是真正的“书”。
来，讲讲什么是你心目中真正的“书”。
联系客服
