快樂吧！

Be Happy!

勞埃德·莫里斯 / Lloyd Morris

勞埃德·莫里斯（1613—1680），英國(guó)作家，作品富于機(jī)智幽默，著有《格言集》等。本文以演繹的手法論述快樂對(duì)人的影響。作者先借梅斯菲爾德的詩(shī)引出“快樂”與“智慧”的關(guān)系，接著以人在快樂時(shí)的種種心理反應(yīng)，點(diǎn)出快樂無(wú)處不在。最后再給予肯定的結(jié)論：快樂是智慧的開端。

Ace in the Hole

Understand these new words before you read this article.

1. startle ['stɑ:tl] v. 使嚇一跳；使驚奇

2. arrest [?'rest] v. 吸引

3. bud [b?d] n. 芽，萌芽  

"The days that make us happy make us wise."

—John Masefield When I first read this line by England’s Poet Laureate, it startled me. What did Masefield mean? Without thinking about it much, I had always assumed that the opposite was true. But his sober assurance was arresting. I could not forget it.

Finally, I seemed to grasp his meaning and realized that here was a profound observation. The wisdom that happiness makes possible lies in clear perception, not fogged by anxiety nor dimmed by despair and boredom, and without the blind spots caused by fear.

Active happiness—not mere satisfaction or contentment—often comes suddenly, like an April shower or the unfolding of a bud. Then you discover what kind of wisdom has accompanied it. The grass is greener, bird songs are sweeter, the shortcomings of your friends are more understandable and more forgivable. Happiness is like a pair of eyeglasses correcting your spiritual vision.

Nor are the insights of happiness limited to what is near around you. Unhappy, with your thoughts turned in upon your emotional woes, your vision is cut short as though by a wall. Happy, the wall crumbles.

The long vista is there for the seeing. The ground at your feet, the world about you—people, thoughts, emotions, pressures—are now fitted into the larger scene. Everything assumes a fairer proportion. And here is the beginning of wisdom.

參考譯文 “快樂的日子，使我們聰明?！?/p>

——約翰·梅斯菲爾德第一次讀到英國(guó)桂冠詩(shī)人梅斯菲爾德這行詩(shī)的時(shí)候，我非常驚訝，它真正的寓意是什么呢？不仔細(xì)考慮的話，我一直認(rèn)為這句詩(shī)倒過來(lái)才對(duì)。不過他的冷靜與自信卻俘獲了我，所以我一直無(wú)法忘記這句詩(shī)。

終于，我好像領(lǐng)會(huì)了他的意思，意識(shí)到其中蘊(yùn)涵著深刻的觀察思考?？鞓穾?lái)的智慧存在于清晰的心靈感覺中，不因憂慮、擔(dān)心而困惑，不因絕望、厭煩而遲鈍，不因惶恐而出現(xiàn)盲點(diǎn)。

跳動(dòng)的快樂——不僅是滿足或愜意——會(huì)突然到來(lái)，就像四月的春雨或是花蕾的綻放，然后你發(fā)覺智慧已隨快樂而來(lái)。草兒更綠，鳥兒的歌聲更加美妙，朋友的缺點(diǎn)也變得更加可以理解、原諒?？鞓肪拖褚桓毖坨R，可以修正你精神的視力。

快樂的視野并不受你周圍事物的局限。只不過當(dāng)你不快樂的時(shí)候，思想便轉(zhuǎn)向你感情上的苦惱，眼界也就被心靈之墻隔斷了。而當(dāng)你快樂的時(shí)候，這道墻便崩塌了。

你的眼界更寬了。腳下的大地，身旁的世界——人們、思想、情感、壓力——現(xiàn)在都溶進(jìn)了一個(gè)更加宏偉的情境中，每件事都恰如其分。這就是智慧的開端。