向晚意不适，驱车登古原。
夕阳无限好，只是近黄昏。

周汝昌先生解到，最后一句“只是”二字在古意中没有转折语气，意思是“仅仅如此”，所以意解的时候读作“正是”比较好。

向晚意不适，驱车登古原。
夕阳无限好，正是近黄昏。

这样虽然平仄和读法和原诗不符，但原诗境界荡然而出，在著名胜景乐游原上登高望远，无限夕阳喷薄而出，整个世界都被金黄色的阳光涂抹渲染，何其爽快壮美，都是因为黄昏这灿烂的落日气象。

几千年来，中华帝国早已不存，文字虽在，读音、语义早就像页岩一样层叠在深深的岁月之下。

唐之后，尚武之风不复存，宋之后，文骨之风不复存，至此这个崛起于中原的帝国早已彻底亡秩，剩下的人只是在等待如同古埃及帝国那样相同的命运罢了吧，空留残片断语，失去人和人之间直接影响和继承的传播力，除非有时间机器，否则我们再也无法知晓秦汉唐宋的各样风采了。

今人按照近古的解法认为是“只是”其实也未尝不可，自古以来六经注我和我注六经都无妨，因为这世界原本就没有人之间彻彻底底的相互理解，所有的只不过是通过各种片段的猜测，映射和推导。诗的原意只有诗人自己清清楚楚，写成文字，已是只言片语。诗人已故千年，后人无论如何妄自揣测，终究不过是拿着那么几个字，归纳着自己心目中的形象。

To avoid the various foolish opinions to which mankind is prone, no superhuman genius is required. A few simple rules will keep you, not from all error, but from silly error.

If the matter is one that can be settled by observation, make the observation yourself. Aristotle could have avoided the mistake of thinking that women have fewer teeth than men, by the simple device of asking Mrs. Aristotle to keep her mouth open while he counted. He did not do so because he thought he knew. Thinking that you know when in fact you don’t is a fatal mistake, to which we are all prone. I believe myself that hedgehogs eat black beetles, because I have been told that they do; but if I were writing a book on the habits of hedgehogs, I should not commit myself until I had seen one enjoying this unappetizing diet. Aristotle, however, was less cautious. Ancient and medieval authors knew all about unicorns and salamanders; not one of them thought it necessary to avoid dogmatic statements about them because he had never seen one of them.

Many matters, however, are less easily brought to the test of experience. If, like most of mankind, you have passionate convictions on many such matters, there are ways in which you can make yourself aware of your own bias. If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do. If someone maintains that two and two are five, or that Iceland is on the equator, you feel pity rather than anger, unless you know so little of arithmetic or geography that his opinion shakes your own contrary conviction. The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there is no good evidence either way. Persecution is used in theology, not in arithmetic, because in arithmetic there is knowledge, but in theology there is only opinion. So whenever you find yourself getting angry about a difference of opinion, be on your guard; you will probably find, on examination, that your belief is going beyond what the evidence warrants.

A good way of riding yourself of certain kinds of dogmatism is to become aware of opinions held in social circles different from your own. When I young, I lived much outside my own country—in France, Germany, Italy, the United States. I found this very profitable in diminishing the intensity of insular prejudice. If you cannot travel, seek out people with whom you disagree, and read a newspaper belonging to a party that is not yours. If the people and the newspaper seem mad, perverse, and wicked, remind yourself that you seem so to them. In this opinion both parties may be right, but they cannot both be wrong. This reflection should generate a certain caution.

For those who have enough psychological imagination, it is a good plan to imagine an argument with a person having a different bias. This has one advantage, and only one, as compared with actual conversation with opponents; this one advantage is that the method is not subject to the same limitations of time and space. Mahatma Gandhi deplored railways and steamboats and machinery; he would have liked to undo the whole of the industrial revolution. You may never have an opportunity of actually meeting any one who holds this opinion, because in Western countries most people take the advantages of modern technique for granted. But if you want to make sure that you are right in agreeing with the prevailing opinion, you will find it a good plan to test the arguments that occur to you by considering what Gandhi might have said in refutation of them. I have sometimes been led actually to change my mind as a result of this kind of imaginary dialogue, and, short of this, I have frequently found myself growing less dogmatic and cocksure through realizing the possible reasonableness of a hypothetical opponent.

Be very wary of opinions that flatter your self-esteem. Both men and women, nine times out of ten, are firmly convinced of the superior excellence of their own sex. There is abundant evidence on both sides. If you are a man, you can point out that most poets and men of science are male; if you are a woman, you can retort that so are most criminals. The question is inherently insoluble, but self-esteem conceals this from most people. We are all, whatever part of the world we come from, persuaded that our own nation is superior to all others. Seeing that each nation has its characteristic merits and demerits, we adjust our standard of values so as to make out that the merits possessed by our nation are the really important ones, while its demerits are comparatively trivial. Here, again, the rational man will admit that the question is one to which there is no demonstrably right answer. It is more difficult to deal with the self-esteem of man as man, because we cannot argue out the matter with some non-human mind. The only way I know of dealing with this general human conceit is to remind ourselves that man is a brief episode in the life of a small planet in a little corner of the universe, and that for aught we know, other parts of the cosmos may contain beings as superior to ourselves as we are to jelly-fish.

————————————

p1
prone, ORIGIN late Middle English : from Latin pronus ‘leaning forward’
silly, having or showing a lack of common sense or judgment

p2
settled, resolve
device, a plan, scheme, or trick with a particular aim
fatal, causing death
commit, pledge or bind (a person or an organization) to a certain course or policy
unappetizing, not inviting or attractive; unwholesome.
cautious, attentive to potential problems or dangers
ancient, belonging to the very distant past and no longer
*ancestor, a person, typically one more remote than a grandparent, from whom one is descended
dogmatic, inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true
statement, a definite or clear expression of something in speech or writing

p3
passionate, showing or caused by strong feelings or a strong belief
conviction, a firmly held belief or opinion
aware, having knowledge or perception of a situation or fact
bias, prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair
contrary, opposite in nature, direction, or meaning
subconscious, of or concerning the part of the mind of which one is not fully aware but which influences one’s actions and feelings
maintain, state something strongly to be the case
evidence, the available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid
warrant, a document issued by a legal or government official authorizing the police or some other body to make an arrest, search premises, or carry out some other action relating to the
persecution, subject (someone) to hostility and ill-treatment, esp. because of their race or political or religious beliefs

p4
profitable, beneficial; useful
diminish, make or become less
intensity, the quality of being intense
insular, ignorant of or uninterested in cultures, ideas, or peoples outside one’s own experience
prejudice, preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience
perverse, (of a person or their actions) showing a deliberate and obstinate desire to behave in a way that is unreasonable or unacceptable, often in spite of the consequences
wick, evil or morally wrong

p5
argument, an exchange of diverging or opposite views, typically a heated or angry one
*argue, give reasons or cite evidence in support of an idea, action, or theory, typically with the aim of persuading others to share one’
advantage, a condition or circumstance that puts one in a favorable or superior position
opponent, someone who competes against or fights another in a contest, game, or argument; a rival or adversary
cocksure, presumptuously or arrogantly confident.
hypothetical, of, based on, or serving as a hypothesis

p6
wary, feeling or showing caution about possible dangers or problems
flatter, lavish insincere praise and compliments upon (someone), esp. to further one’s own interests
self-esteem, confidence in one’s own worth or abilities; self-respect
firm, strongly felt and unlikely to change
abundant, existing or available in large quantities; plentiful
resort, the action of turning to and adopting a strategy or course of action
inherent, existing in something as a permanent, essential, or characteristic attribute
insoluble, impossible to solve
conceal, keep from sight; hide
persuade, cause (someone) to do something through reasoning or argument
characteristic, typical of a particular person, place, or thing
merit, the quality of being particularly good or worthy, esp. so as to deserve praise or reward
demerit, a feature or fact deserving censure
adjust, alter or move (something) slightly in order to achieve the desired fit, appearance, or result
trivial, of little value or importance
rational, based on or in accordance with reason or logic
demonstrably, clearly and undeniably
conceit, excessive pride in oneself
episode, an event or a group of events occurring as part of a larger sequence; an incident or period considered in isolation
aught, anything at all
cosmos, the universe seen as a well-ordered whole

theology 神学
arithmetic 数学
equator 赤道
unicorn 独角兽
salamander 火蜥蜴
hedgehog 刺猬
beetle 甲虫
jelly-fish 水母

第一条，在不清楚明白知道某件事为真之前，就绝对不要接受它。换言之，即谨慎地避免卤莽和偏见，并除了那呈现在我的理性之中既极清晰明了，而又毫无怀疑余地的事物之外，不作任何其它的判断。

第二条，要把每一项在审察中的困难，尽问题所许可地划分成若干部分，好达到充分的解决。

第三条，要按次序引导我的思想，由最简单和最容易明了的事物着手，渐渐地和逐步地达到最复杂之事的知识，甚至在那些本质上原无先后次序的事物，也为假定排列层次。

最后，在每一种研究上，枚举事实要那么周全，而且审查要那么普遍，但可确实地知道没有任何遗漏。

下载中译

昨日一美国朋友，一位多年在台湾传道的老基督徒，给我发来一份他的翻译，让我修改。一老美，居然把诗歌翻成琅琅上口的中文韵文，让人吃惊。我作了些修改，如把“高深长阔”改作了“长阔高深”（deep and wide）——赞美诗里有“长阔高深”一说，没听过“高深长阔”。他来信问：为什么这么改？他说本来是让“深”和前面一个字押韵。这种较真让我惭愧。

但是在美国人思维里，找到那个准确表述几乎是本能。

英文讲究准确（precise），据说斯蒂芬·金写小说，是不怎么用副词的。副词来表述一概念，说明没找到合适名词、动词。这个极端了点，大道理却不错。

美国人对精确的崇拜，渗透到生活的方方面面。去其车库，会看到工具玲琅满目，不同工具派不同用途。在饭桌，他们喝汤有喝汤的汤匙，装色拉有色拉勺。

最近翻一小说，作者用词精确到了让GRE单词就如同小学水平的地步，翻起来艰涩费劲。这种准确，对他来说是一件自鸣得意的事。他描述主人公的用词是clunking precision, 这未尝不是自我标榜。我将其翻译成“掷地有声的准确”。这个clunking, 是指马蹄踏在地面上那种清脆的声音。真正准确，就是这样，不拖泥带水，选词当如马蹄落地，珠落玉盘。

中文讲究精炼（concise）这精炼有好处，且一向受推崇。“环滁皆山也”五个字，据说是“一字千金”，张榜求贤，修改而得。

这让我仿佛忽然洞开一个长久不解的谜题

其实南桥在最后的结论中并不完整，一字千金的用典也没有列出最原始的出处，也就没有点出这个典故本身的含义；此典最初语出《史记·吕不韦列传》：

「吕不韦乃使其客人人著所闻，集论以为八览、六论、十二纪，二十余万言。以为备天地万物古今之事，号曰《吕氏春秋》。布咸阳市门，悬千金其上，延诸侯游士宾客有能增损一字者予千金。」

在这里，结合对古文阅读的经验和古代书写困难程度的估计边际，我想古人用字不仅仅是精炼，更重要的精神所在亦是“精确”，因为吕不韦不仅让人多写字，也允许人少写，每字千金；而司马先生的史记行文的本身也是千古典范。有后人度不韦以此试天下文人之心，其心妄矣。

回顾中国不长的两三千年历史，从夏商周的起源，到春秋战国的思想铸成期，经历秦汉时民族的成长，经过南北朝风骨的铸炼，才迎来那么几十年所谓唐朝的盛世，其实前面的每一个过程都是唐时文化的一个部分——也是当今文化的一个部分。然而后面世事动荡，我们在宋朝开始，思想上几乎已经到了春秋战国所能支撑的顶端，技术、经济和人文上的进取的被元朝的毁灭所中断，从此以后，其后的明朝再无包容之心，更何况再被清朝狠狠地掐上一把——这种外来文化哪管你的人文风骨，只要经济稳定，政治稳固即可。

古今之势何其类似，从春秋战国时期开始，直到可以文化上的宋唐顶点，到现在，我们可以看到古人之心，造就古代辉煌的认真精神，开放精神，是如何一步一步凝聚在一起的，又是如何融化和溃散的。

我们需要呼唤真正中国的精神，中国的风骨，和西方社会在君士坦丁堡的图书馆里重新发现希腊一样，我们需要从残篇短文中寻回真正的中国的魂，而不是连篇累牍注解四书五经的中国，不是酸腐励志考就功名的中国，是一种真正意义上传承了从春秋到初唐宋文明的骨子里的东西，有包容，也有苛求，有严谨，也有飘逸，有胸怀天下之心，也有平心修己之行。

我们要自己奋发，重新开启属于东方文明的文艺复兴。

今天的太平洋不同以往
今天的太平洋为我闪闪发亮
我的太阳高悬上空 照耀这广阔太平洋

《答复》

麦地
别人看见你
觉得你温暖, 美丽
我则站在你痛苦质问的中心
被你灼伤
我站在太阳 痛苦的芒上

麦地
神秘的质问者啊

当我痛苦地站在你的面前
你不能说我一无所有
你不能说我两手空空

《询问》

在青麦地上跑着
雪和太阳的光芒

诗人, 你无力偿还
麦地和光芒的情义
一种愿望
一种善良
你无力偿还

你无力偿还
一颗放射光芒的星辰
在你头顶寂寞燃烧



今天只读这么几首。

“希腊的情况和未开化的蛮族完全不同，前者有很长的时期经历文明的兴衰，他们品味太高，所以不能抛弃自己的预言文字；也太自负，所以无法采用外国的典章制度。他们在丧失祖先遗留的德行后，却仍保持偏颇成见，认为罗马征服者的举止不够文雅，摆出一副轻视的样子，却也不得不钦佩，对方的智慧和权谋确是高人一等。”

这记叙的是希腊人吗？是的。不过，有些民族看起来和这个描述相差无几。

勒庞在书的最后居然还随意一笔，划出一个群体，一个种族，一个民族乃至一个国家到民族的侧面素描，真是令人叹为观止。

“我心中所敬畏的，是心中的道德率，和头顶的星空。”

如果说这句话还太过于抽象和简单，那么茨威格笔下生动的细节则如同一副细致的油画挥洒刻画了那一刻辉煌广阔的图景，是悲剧，还是圣歌？对于人类而言，所谈都为时尚早——是群星的一个，还是那飞逝的流星——都不太重要。

重要的是，人类的心灵在那一瞬间被释放，撞起涟漪，层层扩散，直到我们眼前，穿过我们的身躯，在我们的灵魂深处激起一滩浪花——然后，再次潺潺远去。

想象中浩瀚的兴衰纪实，在吉本笔下其实也就只是了了数笔，比如禁卫军第一次刺杀皇帝，一个锐意进取的皇帝。几百个人简简单单忽忽悠悠地涌进了皇宫，刚刚继位不久的皇帝申斥了士兵，士兵们都默然无以对，然而一个蛮族的士兵却第一个扔出了刀剑。于是皇帝的头颅便被插在了枪的顶端，尸体还遗留在宝座前，一直等到迎接那个买下帝位前来继任的新皇帝。

正在慷慨愤怒的情绪立刻就低落了下来，不管我们如何愤怒，感到不可思议，这世界远比我们想象中简单——以另外一种更加不可思议，不可理解的方式简单着。

罗马帝国早已倒下，唯有它遗留的文化、艺术、法制等灵魂的碎片还残留在这个世界上，深刻影响着现代世界，交织重叠在一起。有时候我会想，这大清国，是不是该真的让它就这样完了比较好呢，因为它毕竟总是会亡的。我们应该面向未来，就像，罗马帝国最后的民众，就算是远眺着地平线也看不见现代社会的那种迷茫，或许，他们能够相信，存在着一个他们可以信赖的未来。

这是属于活生生的，活着的人类的未来，而不是属于某具尸体或者僵尸的未来。

于是当我在年近30寻找其中一种东西的时候，发现自己面临不少的困难。首先是对音乐和艺术在相当程度上的绝缘；其次是宗教，很遗憾，几十年的无神论教育在我的记忆力留下了巨大的难以磨灭的痕迹，这条路也很难；再有就是哲学，不过正好这一门对我来说属于专业书籍，这些书和《经济学原理》、《心理和脑的100项历程》、《Objective-C权威指南》一样，只会给我带来巨大的压力感和压抑，这种书每一本我都需要看上好几年，看完了还得当作参考手册随时备用，太累了。最后我也没有海明威那么勇敢，可以用枪，又不至于懦弱到站到某楼的屋顶，毒药和毒品当然都不是上上之选。

那么至少还有伟大的文学吧。可能是因为我阅读甚少的缘故，我现在的阅读范围主要集中在，历史，传记，哲学，专业书籍（例如技术或者经济），看得久了每每觉得心里压抑地发慌。有些书是几千年前的人写的，有些是几百年前的人写的，不同的境遇，不同的民族和国家。总之这些书籍并不是为了特定写给我，或者像我这样的人看的书籍；至少不是我看了以后，觉得不会那么孤独，会觉得:啊，这就是我想看的书，说的是我想的事情，把我模模糊糊在想，但是没有时间想清楚，或者根本就想不清楚的事情说得非常简单清晰的书，令我非常舒服。

我寄托了很多的期望，隔三差五会买上一两本文学类的书籍来看，很不幸，有时候买回来的是《一九八四》，这种书也属于专业书籍适于逐句阅读和思考；要不就是看完了一脸茫然一点印象都回忆不起来的书。