Chapter Ⅰ　My Family

I have been asked by my American friends to write the story of my life. At first,the idea seemed alien to me, but I yielded to persuasion. However, I could not conceivemy biography as a complete expression of personal feelings or a detailed descriptionof all incidents I would remember. Many of our feelings change with the years, and,when faded away, may seem altogether strange; incidents lose their momentary interest and may be remembered as if they have occurred to some other person. But there may be in a life some general direction, some continuous thread, due to a few dominant ideas and a few strong feelings, that explain the life and are characteristic of a human personality. Of my life, which has not been easy on the whole, I have described the general course and the essential features, and I trust that my story gives an understanding of the state of mind in which I have lived and worked.

My family is of Polish origin, and my name is Marie Sklodowska. My father and my mother both came from among the small Polish landed proprietors. In my country this class is composed of a large number of families, owners of small and medium-sized estates, frequently interrelated. It has been, until recently, chiefly from this group that Poland has drawn her intellectual recruits.

第一章　我的家庭

美國的朋友們讓我把自己的生活經歷寫出來。開始的時候，我覺得這個建議對我來說真的是難以接受，但是最后，我還是被友人們說服了，勉強地寫了這個簡短的生平傳記。但我不可能憑借這本簡略的傳記寫出我一生中的全部感受，也沒辦法對我所經歷過的全部事情進行詳述。時過境遷，許多關于當時感受的記憶已經模糊，時間越久，就越加模糊不清，竟至有時還認為有些事情與自己無關，像是別人所經歷的。無疑，人的一生總會受一些主要思想以及某些深刻感受的影響與支配，從而使生活能夠沿著一條主線往前走。有了這一主線，就會明白當時為什么這么做而不是那么做，就可以看出當事人的性格等各方面的特點。我會把自己并不算一帆風順的一生作一個概述，將其中的要點記敘下來。相信我的故事能夠將我從工作和生活中得到的啟示展示給大家。

我祖籍波蘭，名叫瑪麗·斯可羅多夫斯卡。我的父母都出生于波蘭的小地主家庭。在我的祖國，像我父母那樣擁有一份不大產業(yè)的中產階級的人數(shù)頗多。他們成為了社會上的一個階層，彼此之間通常有著千絲萬縷的聯(lián)系。直到現(xiàn)在，波蘭的知識分子大部分都還來自于這一階層。

While my paternal grandfather had divided his time between agriculture and directing a provincial college, my father, more strongly drawn to study, followed the course of the University of Petrograd, and later definitely established himself at Warsaw as Professor of Physics and Mathematics in one of the lyceums of that city. He married a young woman whose mode of life was congenial to his; for, although very young, she had, what was, for that time, a very serious education, and was the, director of one of the best Warsaw schools for young girls.

My father and mother worshiped their profession in the highest degree and have left, all over their country, a lasting remembrance with their pupils. I cannot, even today, go into Polish society without meeting persons who have tender memories of my parents.

Although my parents adopted a university career, they continued to keep in close touch with their numerous family in the country. It was with their relatives that I frequently spent my vacation, living in all freedom and finding opportunities to know the field life by which I was deeply attracted. To these conditions, so different from the usual villegiature, I believe, I owe my love for the country and nature.

Born at Warsaw, on the 7th of November, 1867, I was the last of five children, but my oldest sister died at the early age of fourteen, and we were left, three sisters and a brother. Cruelly struck by the loss of her daughter and worn away by a grave illness, my mother died at forty-two, leaving her husband in the deepest sorrow with his children. I was then only nine years old, and my eldest brother was hardly thirteen.

我的祖父對一所省立中學進行管理，閑暇時也干一些農活。我的父親熱愛學習，曾在俄國圣彼得堡大學讀書，畢業(yè)后回到波蘭，在華沙的一所預科大學里教授物理和數(shù)學。他娶了一位和他情投意合、志趣相同的女子為妻。母親很年輕時，就已經在華沙一所女子學校擔任校長了。那時候，她所從事的教育事業(yè)是極其崇高而又莊嚴的。

我的父母對自己所從事的教育事業(yè)兢兢業(yè)業(yè)、恪盡職守。他們的學生遍及波蘭，可謂桃李滿天下。這些學生直到現(xiàn)在仍對我的父母十分感激，并且懷念著他們。即便在今天，每當我回到波蘭，遇見以前父母教過的學生，他們還總要向我傾訴對我父母的懷念。

我的父母盡管在城市從事教育事業(yè)，但他們與農村的親戚們也都保持著往來。每到放假，我都會到農村親戚家去住上一段日子，這使我對波蘭的農村了解很深，并因此喜歡上了它。在那里，我很自然地就會感到無拘無束、散淡愜意。我想這段難忘的生活經歷也正是我終生喜愛田野鄉(xiāng)村，熱愛大自然的原因吧！

1867年11月，我出生于華沙，是家中五個孩子里最小的一個，但是我的大姐于14歲時不幸病逝，所以留下了我們姐妹三個和一個兄弟。我的母親因為大女兒的不幸病逝而悲慟欲絕，并因此而患上了不治之癥，在她年僅42歲的時候便撒手人寰。母親去世時，我僅9歲，哥哥也只有13歲，全家人都沉浸在無以言表的悲痛之中。

This catastrophe was the first great sorrow of my life and threw me into a profound depression. My mother had an exceptional personality. With all her intellectuality she had a big heart and a very high sense of duty. And, though possessing infinite indulgence and good nature, she still held in the family a remarkable moral authority. She had an ardent piety (my parents were both Catholics), but she was never intolerant; differences in religious belief did not trouble her; she was equally kind to any one not sharing her opinions. Her influence over me was extraordinary, for in me the natural love of the little girl for her mother was united with a passionate admiration.

Very much affected by the death of my mother, my father devoted himself entirely to his work and to the care of our education. His professional obligations were heavy and left him little leisure time. For many years we all felt weighing on us the loss of the one who had been the soul of the house.

We all started our studies very young. I was only six years old, and, because I was the youngest and smallest in the class, was frequently brought forward to recite when there were visitors. This was a great trial to me, because of my timidity; I wanted always to run away and hide. My father, an excellent educator, was interested in our work and knew how to direct it, but the conditions of our education were difficult. We began our studies in private schools and finished them in those of the government.

親人的突然離去，是我人生中第一次遭遇的最悲慘、最痛苦的事情。在這之后，我就陷入了憂傷悲戚之中，我的母親品格高尚、溫柔敦厚、心地善良，而且她知識廣博、心胸坦蕩且又嚴于律己，在家中很有威望，大家都信服她。她對自己的信仰非常虔誠（我的父母親都是天主教徒），但又能夠包容一切，對有關宗教的不同看法，她向來都是求同存異，不將自己的觀點強加于人。這對我們是有著很大影響的。就我個人而言，一方面是因為身為小女兒備受呵護與關切，從而使我深愛著我的母親；另一方面，那種崇拜之情也將我和母親緊密地聯(lián)系在一起。

母親去世之后，父親非常悲痛，但他并沒有因此而消沉，而是全身心地投入到了自己的工作當中，投入到對自己孩子們的教育上來，從而使自己沒有多少空閑再去傷心難過。母親過世多年后，我們仍然感到很不習慣，總是覺得家中少了靈魂和主宰。

我們兄弟姐妹很早就開始學習了。我在6歲的時候就入了學，在班里年齡最小、個子最矮。每當有人聽課或是參觀時，老師總是把坐在第一排的我叫上講臺朗讀課文。我性格內向，一叫我上臺就會嚇得不行，恨不能跑出教室躲起來。我的父親是一位優(yōu)秀的教師，十分關心我們的學習，并懂得如何對我們進行指導，但是由于家里的經濟條件不是很好，一開始我們上的是私立學校，后來就不得不轉到公立學校了。

Warsaw was then under Russian domination, and one of the worst aspects of this control was the oppression exerted on the school and the child. The private schools directed by Poles were closely watched by the police and overburdened with the necessity of teaching the Russian language even to children so young that they could scarcely speak their native Polish. Nevertheless, since the teachers were nearly all of Polish nationality, they endeavored in every possible way to mitigate the difficulties resulting from the national persecution. These schools, however, could not legally give diplomas, which were obtainable only in those of the government.

The latter, entirely Russian, were directly opposed to the Polish national spirit. All instruction was given in Russian, by Russian professors, who, being hostile to the Polish nation, treated their pupils as enemies. Men of moral and intellectual distinction could scarcely agree to teach in schools where an alien attitude was forced upon them. So what the pupils were taught was of questionable value, and the moral atmosphere was altogether unbearable. Constantly held in suspicion and spied upon, the children knew that a single conversation in Polish, or an imprudent word, might seriously harm, not only themselves, but also their families. Amidst these hostilities, they lost all the joy of life, and precocious feelings of distrust and indignation weighed upon their childhood. On the other side, this abnormal situation resulted in exciting the patriotic feeling of Polish youths to the highest degree.

華沙當時正處在俄國的統(tǒng)治之下，而他們的統(tǒng)治中最殘酷的一面就是對學校和學生進行嚴格的控制與迫害，波蘭人經營的私立學校都被警方監(jiān)視，并且全部使用俄語教學。這樣學生們在很小的時候就開始學習俄語，以至于對自己的母語波蘭語反而說不利索了。幸虧這些學校的老師全是波蘭人，他們不想受此迫害，想盡一切辦法讓學生們多掌握一些波蘭語。這些私立學校都不被準許授予正式文憑，僅有公立學校才有這個權力。

俄國人領導著所有的公立學校，他們一味地對波蘭人的民族意識覺醒進行壓制。學校里所有的課程全由俄國人用俄語講授。由于仇視波蘭民族，那些俄國教師對待學生就好像對待敵人似的。品德高尚、知識淵博的老師都不愿意到這種學校去教書，因為他們忍受不了這種敵視。處于這種校園環(huán)境中，孩子們學習的知識是否有用是很讓人懷疑的。尤其嚴重的是，這樣的環(huán)境對孩子們道德品質的影響是著實令人擔憂的。在這種監(jiān)視之下，孩子們不小心說了一句波蘭話，或是用詞稍不留神，就要受到嚴厲的處罰，不但自己倒霉，還會殃及家人。在這種嚴酷的環(huán)境里，孩子們天真爛漫的本性喪失殆盡，也無法感受到生命的樂趣。但是，另一方面，這種恐怖的氛圍也將青少年內心極大的愛國熱情激發(fā)起來了。

Yet of this period of my early youth, darkened though it was by mourning and the sorrow of oppression, I still keep more than one pleasant remembrance. In our quiet but occupied life, reunions of relatives and friends of our family brought some joy. My father was very interested in literature and well acquainted with Polish and foreign poetry; he even composed poetry himself and was able to translate it from foreign languages into Polish in a very successful way. His little poems on family events were our delight. On Saturday evenings he used to recite or read to us the masterpieces of Polish prose and poetry. These evenings were for us a great pleasure and a source of renewed patriotic feelings.

Since my childhood I have had a strong taste for poetry, and I willingly learned by heart long passages from our great poets, the favorite ones being Mickiewecz, Krasinski and Slowacki. This taste was even more developed when I became acquainted with foreign literatures; my early studies included the knowledge of French, German, and Russian, and I soon became familiar with the fine works written in these languages. Later I felt the need of knowing English and succeeded in acquiring the knowledge of that language and its literature.

My musical studies have been very scarce. My mother was a musician and had a beautiful voice. She wanted us to have musical training. After her death, having no more encouragement from her, I soon abandoned this effort, which I often regretted afterwards.

在異族蹂躪和喪母之痛的雙重影響下，我少年時期的日子過得郁郁寡歡、了無生趣。不過，仍舊有著一些愉快的事情，保留在我的記憶當中。親朋好友的歡聚令人興奮愉快，使我們原本郁悶的生活出現(xiàn)了慰藉與希望。除此之外，我父親特別喜歡文學，對于波蘭和外國詩人們的詩歌都能夠熟記，并且自己也能作詩賦詞，他還經常將外國的優(yōu)秀詩篇翻譯成波蘭文。他以家庭瑣事為題材所寫的短詩常使我們贊嘆不已、佩服至極。每個周末的夜晚，我們都圍在他旁邊，聽他為我們朗誦波蘭的著名詩歌和散文。這樣的夜晚其樂融融，并且在不知不覺中使我們的愛國主義情愫日益增強。

我從少年時起就對詩歌十分喜愛，并且能夠將波蘭著名詩人們的大段詩篇背誦下來，在這些詩人中，我最欣賞的就是密茨凱維奇、克拉西茨基和斯沃瓦茨基。當我日后開始學習外國文學時，這種愛好就更加明顯了。我很早就開始學習法語、德語和俄語，并且能夠對這些語言的外文書籍進行閱讀。后來，我覺得英語很有用，便又開始學習英語，不久就可以閱讀英文書籍了。

對于音樂，我研究的很少。我母親是個音樂家，具有很美的嗓音，她希望我們都能跟她學點音樂，但我卻因為對音樂不怎么感興趣而沒能開竅。自從她去世之后，沒有了她的鼓勵與督促，我曾經跟她學到的那僅有的一點音樂知識，也都荒廢了。每當我想到這些的時候，總是免不了要后悔。

I learned easily mathematics and physics, as far as these sciences were taken in consideration in the school. I found in this ready help from my father, who loved science and had to teach it himself. He enjoyed any explanation he could give us about Nature and her ways. Unhappily, he had no laboratory and could not perform experiments.

The periods of vacations were particularly comforting, when, escaping the strict watch of the police in the city, we took refuge with relatives or friends in the country. There we found the free life of the old-fashioned family estate; races in the woods and joyous participation in work in the far-stretching, level grain-fields. At other times we passed the border of our Russian-ruled division and went southwards into the mountain country of Galicia, where the Austrian political control was less oppressive than that which we suffered. There we could speak Polish in all freedom and sing patriotic songs without going to prison.

My first impression of the mountains was very vivid, because I had been brought up in the plains. So I enjoyed immensely our life in the Carpathian villages, the view of the pikes, the excursions to the valleys and to the high mountain lakes with picturesque names such as: "The Eye of the Sea."However, I never lost my attachment to the open horizon and the gentle views of a plain hill country.

Later I had the opportunity to spend a vacation with my father far more south in Podolia, and to have the first view of the sea at Odessa, and afterwards at the Baltic shore. This was a thrilling experience. But it was in France that I become acquainted with the big waves of the ocean and the ever-changing tide. All my life through, the new sights of Nature made me rejoice like a child.

中學時期很受重視的數(shù)學和物理我都學得毫不費力，并且成績很好。每當遇到問題，我便會向父親求教。父親熱愛科學，并且在學校也進行這類課程的教學。他喜歡盡自己所能向我們解說大自然的奧秘和他對科學的研究?？上У氖?，他沒有自己的實驗室，所以無法進行實驗研究。

假期是尤其令人感到欣慰的。我們住到鄉(xiāng)下的親友家中，避開了警探的監(jiān)視，可以自由自在、無憂無慮地生活。我們在林中奔跑喊叫，還在廣闊的田地間勞作，樂得心花怒放，自在極了。有些時候，我們甚至越過俄國邊境進入加里西亞山中，那兒不是俄國的領土，而是由奧地利人統(tǒng)治。奧地利人要比俄國人好一些。在那里，我們可以盡情地講波蘭語，高聲唱愛國歌曲，而不必擔心被捕入獄。

因為從小生活在平原地區(qū)，所以我對山巒的第一印象很好，也非常喜歡住在喀爾巴阡山的小村子里，喜歡那巍峨突兀的山峰，喜歡在山谷里和高山之間那被詩意地稱為“海之眼”的湖泊旁流連忘返。但是，在我心中，對那一望無垠的平原的眷念卻從未消逝，那開闊的視野，那柔和的色調，永遠使我的心靈感到震顫。

后來，父親帶我到更南邊的波多尼亞度假，并且在敖德薩第一次看到了大海，后來又北上到了波羅的海。這次經歷對我來說是美好的。但是，直到去了法國，我才算是真正地領略到了海洋的波濤澎湃和潮汐涌退的壯麗景象。在一生之中，每當看到大自然的新景象，我就總會像個孩子似的歡呼雀躍。

Thus passed the period of our school life. We all had much facility for intellectual work. My brother, Doctor Sklodowski, having finished his medical studies, became later the chief physician in one of the principal Warsaw hospitals. My sisters and I intended to take up teaching as our parents had done. However, my elder sister, when grown up, changed her mind and decided to study medicine. She took the degree of doctor at the Paris University, married Doctor Dluski, a Polish physician, and together they established an important sanatorium in a wonderfully beautiful Carpathian mountain place of Austrian Poland. My second sister, married in Warsaw, Mrs. Szalay, was for many years a teacher in the schools, where she rendered great service. Later she was appointed in one of the lyceums of free Poland.

I was but fifteen when I finished my high-school studies, always having held first rank in my class. The fatigue of growth and study compelled me to take almost a year's rest in the country. I then returned to my father in Warsaw, hoping to teach in the free schools. But family circumstances obliged me to change my decision. My father, now aged and tired, needed rest; his fortune was very modest. So I resolved to accept a position as governess for several children. Thus, when scarcely seventeen, I left my father's house to begin an independent life.

That going away remains one of the most vivid memories of my youth. My heart was heavy as I climbed into the railway car. It was to carry me for several hours, away from those I loved. And after the railway journey I must drive for five hours longer. What experience was awaiting me? So I questioned as I sat close to the car window looking out across the wide plains.

我們的學生生涯很快就結束了。那些需要動腦筋的課程我們都可以得心應手，學習起來毫不費力。我的哥哥從醫(yī)學院畢業(yè)之后，走上了從醫(yī)的道路，后來成為華沙一家著名醫(yī)院的主任醫(yī)師。我和我的姐姐們原打算像父母那樣去當教師。但是后來，隨著年齡的增長，我的大姐改變了主意，決定也去學醫(yī)，她在巴黎大學取得醫(yī)學博士學位后，嫁給了一位波蘭內科醫(yī)生德魯斯基。他們夫婦兩人前往奧屬波蘭喀爾巴阡山區(qū)一個風景秀麗的地方創(chuàng)辦了一家大型療養(yǎng)院。我的二姐在華沙嫁給了斯查萊先生，她在學校從事教育工作多年，一直兢兢業(yè)業(yè)，波蘭獨立后，擔任了一所中學的校長。

上中學的時候，我的成績一直名列前茅，畢業(yè)時，才剛剛15歲。由于讀書用功，身體勞累，我不得不在畢業(yè)之后到農村生活了將近一年的時間。在那之后，我又回到了華沙，回到了父親的身邊。開始我希望去一所免費中學任教，但因家境不佳，我不得已改變了自己的決定。當時父親已經年邁，心力交瘁，需要休息，但是他的收入?yún)s很微薄。所以，我決定找一份待遇更好的工作來減輕他的壓力。因此，17歲那年，我接受了一份家庭教師的工作，從那時起，我就離開了父親的家，開始了一個人在外地的生活。

離家時的情景我至今歷歷在目，記憶猶新。當上了火車的時候，我的心情十分沉重。我將被火車帶到要行駛幾個小時才能到達的遠方，并且下了火車后，我還需要乘坐馬車再走五個小時的路程。車窗外廣袤的平原飛一樣地向后退去，我的心里卻像是墜了鉛一樣：等待我的將會是什么呢？

The father of the family to which I went was an agriculturist. His oldest daughter was about my age, and although working with me, was my companion rather than my pupil. There were two younger children, a boy and a girl. My relations with my pupils were friendly; after our lessons we went together for daily walks. Loving the country, I did not feel lonesome, and although this particular country was not especially picturesque, I was satisfied with it in all seasons. I took the greatest interest in the agricultural development of the estate where the methods were considered as models for the region. I knew the progressive details of the work, the distribution of crops in the fields; I eagerly followed the growth of the plants, and in the stables of the farm I knew the horses.

In winter the vast plains, covered with snow, were not lacking in charm, and we went for long sleigh rides. Sometimes we could hardly see the road."Look out for the ditch! "I would call to the driver. "You are going straight into it, "and "Never fear! " he would answer, as over we went! But these tumbles only added to the gayety of our excursions.

I remember the marvelous snow house we made one winter when the snow was very high in the fields; we could sit in it and look out across the rose-tinted snow plains. We also used to skate on the ice of the river and to watch the weather anxiously, to make sure that the ice was not going to give way, depriving us of our pleasure.

我前去任教的那家的男主人是位農場主。他的大女兒和我年齡相仿，在跟我學習的過程中，漸漸成了我的伙伴。除了她，主人家還有一個男孩和一個女孩。我和他們相處得很好。每天課程結束之后，我們便一起出去散步。因為非常熱愛農村生活，所以在這里我并不覺得寂寞。雖然這里的景色并不算美，但卻四季各異，仍然能夠使我感到歡快和滿足。這個莊園先進的種植技術被公認為是這個地區(qū)的典型，對于它，我有著很濃厚的興趣。漸漸地，我懂得了種植技術，并且一直關注著谷物種植后的生長情況。在農莊的馬廄里，我還熟識了馬匹的脾性。

冬季到來的時候，一望無際的大地上白雪皚皚，顯得分外妖嬈。有時候，我們駕著雪橇在雪地上飛馳，竟至連路都看不清楚，嚇得我沖著駕雪橇的人大喊：“小心河溝！”駕雪橇的人卻毫不在意地回答我：“您這是正往河溝沖去，別害怕！”話音剛落，雪橇就翻倒了。不過，在雪野上翻倒不但不可怕，反而還給我們的遠足增添了樂趣。

我記得有一年冬天，大雪紛飛，地面上覆蓋著厚厚的積雪，我們用雪堆成了一座形狀怪異的雪屋，并且坐在里面觀賞遠處被映成玫瑰色的茫茫雪原。我們還經常到封凍的河上去溜冰，這一切都使我們感到欣喜若狂，歡快的同時我們最擔心的就是天氣轉暖，那樣我們的這份快樂就會被奪走。

Since my duties with my pupils did not take up all my time, I organized a small class for the children of the village who could not be educated under the Russian government. In this the oldest daughter of the house aided me. We taught the little children and the girls who wished to come how to read and write, and we put in circulation Polish books which were appreciated, too, by the parents. Even this innocent work presented danger, as all initiative of this kind was forbidden by the government and might bring imprisonment or deportation to Siberia.

My evenings I generally devoted to study. I had heard that a few women had succeeded in following certain courses in Petrograd or in foreign countries, and I was determined to prepare myself by preliminary work to follow their example.

I had not yet decided what path I would choose. I was as much interested in literature and sociology as in science. However, during these years of isolated work, trying little by little to find my real preferences, I finally turned towards mathematics and physics, and resolutely undertook a serious preparation for future work. This work I proposed doing in Paris, and I hoped to save enough money to be able to live and work in that city for some time.

My solitary study was beset with difficulties. The scientific education I had received at the lyceum was very incomplete; it was well under the bachelorship program of a French lyceum; I tried to add to it in my own way, with the help of books picked up at random. This method could not be greatly productive, yet it was not without results. I acquired the habit of independent work, and learned a few things which were to be of use later on.

因為在農莊的工作沒有占用我所有的時間，所以在教課之余我便把村子里許多因為被俄國人統(tǒng)治而沒法求學的兒童，以及那些想要加入我們學習讀寫的女孩子編成一個班，用波蘭語的課本教他們讀書寫字。在這個過程中，主人家的大女兒就成了我的助手。孩子們的父母對我非常感激，但是說實話，我需要承擔一定的風險：雖然我的這種義務教學有利無弊，但卻是政府所禁止的，因為它被認為不利于社會穩(wěn)定，所以，一旦被察覺，我就很有可能被捕入獄或是被流放到西伯利亞。

晚上的空余時間，我一般都用來學習。我曾經聽說過彼得格勒或者其他國家的女性在某些領域取得成功的事跡，于是我決定以她們?yōu)榘駱娱_始努力，爭取取得和她們同樣的成績。

當時我并沒有決定選擇什么方向進行發(fā)展。開始我對文學和社會學有著很濃厚的興趣，但是通過長達三年的學習，我卻逐漸發(fā)現(xiàn)自己真正喜歡的還是數(shù)學與物理，因此也就一步一步地朝著這個方向發(fā)展，并暗下決心日后要到巴黎求學，并為此認真地做了學習上的準備。并且我還計劃著積攢點錢，用來負擔自己今后在巴黎的學習與生活。

自學的過程中充滿了困難。我在中學時期所學的東西非常不完整，與法國的中學相比是有很大差距的。為了將差距縮小，我便通過自己選擇的一些書籍來自學。這種方法雖然不很理想，卻也收到了一些成效。我不但學到了一些對日后有所裨益的知識，還養(yǎng)成了獨立思考的習慣。

I had to modify my plans for the future when my eldest sister decided to go to Paris to study medicine. We had promised each other mutual aid, but our means did not permit of our leaving together. So I kept my position for three and a half years, and, having finished my work with my pupils, I returned to Warsaw, where a position, similar to the one I had left, was awaiting me.

I kept this new place for only a year and then went back to my father, who had retired some time before and was living alone. Together we passed an excellent year, he occupying himself with some literary work, while I increased our funds by giving private lessons. Meantime I continued my efforts to educate myself. This was no easy task under the Russian government of Warsaw; yet I found more opportunities than in the country. To my great joy, I was able, for the first time in my life, to find access to a laboratory: a small municipal physical laboratory directed by one of my cousins. I found little time to work there, except in the evenings and on Sundays, and was generally left to myself. I tried out various experiments described in treatises on physics and chemistry, and the results were sometimes unexpected. At times I would be encouraged by a little unhopedfor success, at others I would be in the deepest despair because of accidents and failures resulting from my inexperience. But on the whole, though I was taught that the way of progress is neither swift nor easy, this first trial confirmed in me the taste for experimental research in the fields of physics and chemistry.

在我大姐決定到巴黎學醫(yī)時，我被迫更改了自己的學習計劃。因為我家的經濟狀況不允許我們倆同時赴巴黎留學，所以我們兩個許諾互相幫助，先后完成學業(yè)。這樣，我便一直待在這位農莊主家，直到三年半后把我三個學生的課程教完。然后，我回到華沙，那兒有一個類似的工作在等著我。

這個新的工作我干了一年。然后，我就回到已經退休并且獨自生活的父親身邊，與他共同度過了一年的美好時光。在這一年中，他寫了一些作品，我則通過做家教獲得一些酬勞用以補貼家用。與此同時，我仍舊抓緊時間自學。在俄國人統(tǒng)治下的華沙，想要實現(xiàn)自己的夢想并不容易，但比起在農村時，成功的概率則更大一些。最使我興奮的是，我生平第一次可以進入一間實驗室去做實驗：這是屬于市政府的一個小實驗室，我的一個堂哥是這個實驗室的主任。除去晚上和星期天，我沒有時間進實驗室做實驗，而且通常都是我自己在做。按照課本上所講的方法，我做了各種各樣的物理與化學實驗，經常會獲得一些預料之外的結果。這時候，我會因為這些成功而興奮，并且大受鼓舞；不過有的時候，我也會由于缺乏經驗導致失敗而感到非常沮喪。這些經歷使我更加懂得，成功的道路非?？部?。不過，這也讓我更加堅信，我的天性的確適合對物理與化學進行研究。

Other means of instruction came to me through my being one of an enthusiastic group of young men and women of Warsaw, who united in a common desire to study, and whose activities were at the same time social and patriotic. It was one of those groups of Polish youths who believed that the hope of their country lay in a great effort to develop the intellectual and moral strength of the nation, and that such an effort would lead to a better national situation. The nearest purpose was to work at one's own instruction and to provide means of instruction for workmen and peasants. In accordance with this program we agreed among ourselves to give evening courses, each one teaching what he knew best. There is no need to say that this was a secret organization, which made everything extremely difficult. There were in our group very devoted young people who, as I still believe today, could do truly useful work.

I have a bright remembrance of the sympathetic intellectual and social companionship which I enjoyed at that time. Truly the means of action were poor and the results obtained could not be considerable; yet I still believe that the ideas which inspired us then are the only way to real social progress. You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end each of us must work for his own improvement, and at the same time share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can be most useful.

后來，我又找到了一個教學職務。我加入了華沙的一個學習團體，這個團體是由熱心于教育事業(yè)并且具有共同學習愿望的波蘭年輕人所組成的，他們有著一套自己獨特的學習方式。這個團體帶有一定的政治色彩，它要求自己的成員將服務社會、報效祖國作為自己的任務。在一次聚會時，有一位青年說道：“祖國的希望寄寓于人民知識水平的提高和道德觀念的加強之上，只有如此，才能使我們的祖國在世界上的地位得到提高。當前我們首要的任務就是努力自學，并竭盡所能地在工人和農民之間普及知識?！睘榇?，大家商量決定：晚間每個人向廣大群眾講授自己所精通的內容，用以普及知識。毋庸置疑，這個團體具有秘密結社的性質，每件事情的進展都充滿了艱難險阻。直到如今，我依然深信，這個團體的參與者必將為祖國、為社會作出有益的貢獻。

我至今仍對那曾經讓我欣喜的團體有著深刻的印象。當時那互助互勵的情景，至今回想起來還會令我感到欣慰、激動。由于活動經費不足，這個團體并沒有取得很大的成效，但是，直到現(xiàn)在，我仍然堅信，當時激勵我們的那種精神是推動波蘭社會進步的唯一途徑。如果不是社會中的每一個人都得到很好的教育，具備良好的素質，一個美好的社會是不可能建立起來的。為了實現(xiàn)這一美好的目的，所有人都必須完善自己，并且共同分擔社會責任，竭盡全力投入到本職工作中去，并有效地去幫助別人，這樣，我們才覺得自己生活得更有價值。

All the experiences of this period intensified my longing for further study. And, in his affection for me, my father, in spite of limited resources, helped me to hasten the execution of my early project. My sister had just married at Paris, and it was decided that I should go there to live with her. My father and I hoped that, once my studies were finished, we would again live happily together. Fate was to decide otherwise, since my marriage was to hold me in France. My father, who in his own youth had wished to do scientific work, was consoled in our separation by the progressive success of my work. I keep a tender memory of his kindness and disinterestedness. He lived with the family of my married brother, and, like an excellent grandfather, brought up the children. We had the sorrow of losing him in 1902, when he had just passed seventy.

So it was in November, 1891, at the age of twenty-four, that I was able to realize the dream that had been always present in my mind for several years.

When I arrived in Paris I was affectionately welcomed by my sister and brother in law, but I stayed with them only for a few months, for they lived in one of the outside quarters of Paris where my brother-in-law was beginning a medical practice, and I needed to get nearer to the schools. I was finally installed, like many other students of my country, in a modest little room for which I gathered some furniture. I kept to this way of living during the four years of my student life.

這段時期的經歷更加堅定了我日后學習、深造的決心。盡管我父親的經濟并不寬裕，但愛女之心使他愿意幫助我早日實現(xiàn)自己的夢想。我的姐姐剛剛在巴黎結婚，我便決定前往巴黎學習，同她住在一起。父親同我都希望我學成回國后，能夠再開開心心地生活在一起，但是，后來因為在巴黎結了婚，我便留在了那里，沒有再回到華沙，回到父親身邊。做科學研究工作是父親年輕時就一直有的夢想，后來我在法國取得的成功，令遠在波蘭的父親深感欣慰，因為我實現(xiàn)了他的夢想。父親無私的愛，令我終生難忘。后來，父親同我已婚的哥哥住在一起，并且作為一個慈祥的爺爺，撫養(yǎng)著幾個孫子。1902年，他在年逾古稀時離我們而去，給我們留下了深深的遺憾。

1891年11月，在24歲的時候，我終于實現(xiàn)了多年以來魂牽夢縈的愿望。

當?shù)搅税屠璧臅r候，我受到了姐姐和姐夫的熱情歡迎，但是我只在他們家里住了沒幾個月，便另外尋找住處了。這是因為他們?yōu)榱朔奖阈嗅t(yī)住在巴黎郊外，距離我上學的學校很遠，而我需要就近住宿，以便省下時間學習。像許多波蘭學生一樣，我租住了一間只有很少家具的小房間。就這樣我艱難地度過了四年留學生活。

It would be impossible to tell of all the good these years brought to me. Undistracted by any outside occupation, I was entirely absorbed in the joy of learning and understanding. Yet, all the while, my living conditions were far from easy, my own funds being small and my family not having the means to aid me as they would have liked to do. However, my situation was not exceptional; it was the familiar experience of many of the Polish students whom I knew. The room I lived in was in a garret, very cold in winter, for it was insufficiently heated by a small stove which often lacked coal. During a particularly rigorous winter, it was not unusual for the water to freeze in the basin in the night; to be able to sleep I was obliged to pile all my clothes on the blankets. In the same room I prepared my meals with the aid of an alcohol lamp and a few kitchen utensils. These meals were often reduced to bread with a cup of chocolate, eggs or fruit. I had no help in housekeeping and I myself carried the little coal I used up the six flights.

This life, painful from certain points of view, had, for all that, a real charm for me. It gave me a very precious sense of liberty and independence. Unknown in Paris, I was lost in the great city, but the feeling of living there alone, taking care of myself without any aid, did not at all depress me. If sometimes I felt lonesome, my usual state of mind was one of calm and great moral satisfaction.

四年中，我在學習上所取得的進步，不可能被一一講述出來。我只身一人，沒有任何紛擾，得以全身心地投入到學習中去，學業(yè)上的進步又令我心滿意足，歡快不已。至于我的日常生活，可以說是非常的艱難，因為我自己本身積蓄就不多，親人們也沒有多大能力對我進行幫助。但并不是我一個人這樣，據(jù)我所知，許多波蘭來的留學生的境況都是大同小異的。我住在位于頂層的閣樓里，冬天很冷，取暖爐又小，屋子里根本燒不暖和，而且煤還經常短缺，所以在夜晚，屋子里臉盆中的水經常結冰。為了能夠入睡，我把全部的衣服都壓在被子上。就在這樣一間小屋子里，我用一盞酒精燈和有限的幾件炊具做飯。為了節(jié)省金錢和時間，我常常用一點點面包加一杯巧克力茶、幾個雞蛋或一點水果充饑。我一個人處理家務，沒有任何人對我進行幫助，連取暖用的煤，也是由我親自弄上七樓的。

在別人看來，我的日子未免過于艱苦，但是我卻能夠自得其樂，每天都心情愉悅地埋頭于學習之中。這份生活經歷也使我充分體會到了自由與獨立精神的彌足珍貴。在偌大的巴黎，我默默無聞地獨自生活在自己的狹小天地里。盡管單寒羈旅，無依無靠，但是我并不沮喪消沉，也不覺得凄慘。當然，有的時候，孤獨之感也會突然涌上心頭，但由于我的情緒一般十分平靜，精神上又非常滿足，孤獨情緒總是轉瞬即逝。

All my mind was centered on my studies, which, especially at the beginning, were difficult. In fact, I was insufficiently prepared to follow the physical science course at the Sorbonne, for, despite all my efforts, I had not succeeded in acquiring in Poland a preparation as complete as that of the French students following the same course. So I was obliged to supply this deficiency, especially in mathematics. I divided my time between courses, experimental work, and study in the library. In the evening I worked in my room, sometimes very late into the night. All that I saw and learned that was new delighted me. It was like a new world opened to me, the world of science, which I was at last permitted to know in all liberty.

I have pleasant memories of my relations with my student companions. Reserved and shy at the beginning, it was not long before I noticed that the students, nearly all of whom worked seriously, were disposed to be friendly. Our conversations about our studies deepened our interest in the problems we discussed.

Among the Polish students I did not have any companions in my studies. Nevertheless, my relations with their small colony had a certain intimacy. From time to time we would gather in one another's bare rooms, where we could talk over national questions and feel less isolated. We would also go for walks together, or attend public reunions, for we were all interested in politics. By the end of the first year, however, I was forced to give up these relationships, for I found that all my energy had to be concentrated on my studies, in order to achieve them as soon as possible. I was even obliged to devote most of my vacation time to mathematics.

我在學習上有著一定的困難，特別是在開始的時候，因此，我把精力全部集中到學習上。確實，我從前的基礎知識非常薄弱，雖然到這之前做了一些準備，但卻很不充分，與法國同學的差距很大，尤其是數(shù)學的差距更大，所以我必須付出巨大的努力去對自己的不足進行彌補。白天我在課堂、實驗室和圖書館之間忙碌，晚上我就一個人躲在閣樓陋室里刻苦學習，常常學到深夜。每當學到新的東西，我便會激動興奮起來?？茖W奧秘就像一個新的世界一樣逐漸地展現(xiàn)在我的面前，我因此也就能夠自由地學習它們并且掌握它們了，這真的使我很高興。

與同學們的和睦相處同樣也給我留下了愉快的印象。初到巴黎時，我不愛說話，靦腆羞澀，但是不久我便發(fā)現(xiàn)同學們全都學習認真、待人親切，因此我便開始同他們一起探討學習上的問題，這使我對學習的興趣更濃厚了。

在我所就讀的那個系里，并沒有波蘭學生，但是我同一個波蘭僑民小團體的關系卻非常密切。我經常參與他們在一個簡陋的小屋中舉行聚會，和他們一起對祖國波蘭的各種問題進行討論，我那懷念祖國的情感在此得以盡情地抒發(fā)。我們有時會一起外出散步，有時還會參與公眾集會，對政治始終保持著一種極大的熱情。但是第一學年臨近結束時，我卻不得不離開了這個小團體，因為我認為自己應該把全部精力放在學習上面，這樣才能夠盡快地完成學業(yè)。即使是在假期里，我也仍在抓緊時間復習我的數(shù)學。

My persistent efforts were not in vain. I was able to make up for the deficiency of my training and to pass examinations at the same time with the other students. I even had the satisfaction of graduating in first rank as"licenciée es sciences physiques" in 1893, and in second rank as "licenciée es sciences mathématiques" in, 1894.

My brother-in-law, recalling later these years of work under the conditions I have just described, jokingly referred to them as "the heroic period of my sister-in-law's life." For myself, I shall always consider one of the best memories of my life that period of solitary years exclusively devoted to the studies, finally within my reach, for which I had waited so long.

It was in 1894 that I first met Pierre Curie. One of my compatriots, a professor at the University of Fribourg, having called upon me, invited me to his home, with a young physicist of Paris, whom he knew and esteemed highly. Upon entering the room I perceived, standing framed by the French window opening on the balcony, a tall young man with auburn hair and large, limpid eyes. I noticed the grave and gentle expression of his face, as well as a certain abandon in his attitude, suggesting the dreamer absorbed in his reflections. He showed me a simple cordiality and seemed to me very sympathetic. After that first interview he expressed the desire to see me again and to continue our conversation of that evening on scientific and social subjects in which he and I were both interested, and on which we seemed to have similar opinions.

天道酬勤，我的努力沒有白費。我成功地彌補了先前在知識方面的各種差距，從而能夠和同學們一起通過考試。1893年，我以優(yōu)異的成績完成了物理學的結業(yè)考試；1894年，數(shù)學結業(yè)考試時，我的成績位于乙等，這些成績使我感到非常滿意。

我的姐夫后來在談到我那幾年的艱難學習情況時，曾戲謔地說那是“我妻妹的一生當中英勇頑強的時期”，我自身也始終將這段時期的艱苦奮斗看做是我一生之中最值得回憶的美好時期。在這期間中，我孤身奮斗，廢寢忘食地埋頭鉆研，終于能夠進行科學研究了，這是我長久以來所期盼的。

那是在1894年，我與皮埃爾·居里第一次相遇了。我的同胞、弗利堡大學的一位教授打電話邀請我到他家去玩，同時也邀請了巴黎的一位年輕物理學家，他對這位物理學家非常熟悉，也十分贊賞。當我走進這位教授家的客廳時，我看見了這個年輕人。他正好站在一扇朝向陽臺的法式窗戶的凹入處，宛如鑲嵌在玻璃窗上的一幅畫一樣。他身材修長，頭發(fā)是赤褐色的，一雙大眼睛清澈明亮。他的神態(tài)飄逸，表情深沉而又溫柔。第一眼看到他時，你會認為他是一個沉浸在自己的思緒之中的夢幻者。他表現(xiàn)出一種質樸而又真誠的態(tài)度，仿佛對我很有好感。并且在第一次見面之后，他還希望以后能夠再見到我，繼續(xù)對科學和社會等各種問題進行討論。對于這些問題，我倆看法相似，很有共同語言。

Some time later, he came to me in my student room and we became good friends. He described to me his days, filled with work, and his dream of an existence entirely devoted to science. He was not long in asking me to share that existence, but I could not decide at once; I hesitated before a decision that meant abandoning my country and my family.

I went back to Poland for my vacation, without knowing whether or not I was to return to Paris. But circumstances permitted me again to take up my work there in the autumn of that year. I entered one of the physics laboratories at the Sorbonne, to begin experimental research in preparation for my doctor's thesis.

Again I saw Pierre Curie. Our work drew us closer and closer, until we were both convinced that neither of us could find a better life companion. So our marriage was decided upon and took place a little later, in July, 1895.

Pierre Curie had just received his doctor's degree and had been made professor in the School of Physics and Chemistry of the City of Paris. He was thirty-six years old, and already a physicist known and appreciated in France and abroad. Solely preoccupied with scientific investigation, he had paid little attention to his career, and his material resources were very modest. He lived at Sceaux, in the suburbs of Paris, with his old parents, whom he loved tenderly, and whom he described as "exquisite" the first time he spoke to me about them. In fact, they were so: the father was an elderly physician of high intellect and strong character, and the mother the most excellent of women, entirely devoted to her husband and her sons. Pierre's elder brother, who was then professor at the University of Montpellier, was always his best friend. So I had the privilege of entering into a family worthy of affection and esteem, and where I found the warmest welcome.

隨后，他來到我的學生公寓拜訪我，我們逐漸成了好朋友。他將他每天的工作情況、他的研究和他獻身科學的夢想與決心向我作了介紹。沒過多久，他便向我吐露心聲，希望能夠和我共同生活，共同對科學的夢想進行追求。但開始時，我還不能立刻下定決心，我猶豫著，因為這樣的話，我就不得不永遠離開自己的祖國與家人。

假期到了，我回到波蘭，并且當時也沒有作出決定是否返回巴黎。但是，那年秋天，我又回到了巴黎，進入巴黎大學的一個物理實驗室，著手進行實驗研究，為我的博士論文做準備。

我又見到了皮埃爾·居里。出于科研的緣故，我同他的接觸日益增多，關系也更加密切。等到我們彼此都認為除了對方，誰都不會找到更合適的生活伴侶的時候，我們便決定結婚了，并于1895年7月舉行了婚禮。

那個時候，皮埃爾·居里剛剛榮獲博士學位，并受聘任教于巴黎物理和化學學校。那一年，他36歲，已經成為國內外頗具名氣的物理學家了。他全心全意地投入科學研究當中，而很少留意自己的職位、待遇等問題，所以他的經濟狀況非常一般。結婚前，他與年邁的父母在一起生活，住在巴黎郊區(qū)的蘇城。他特別孝順，我記得他第一次跟我提到他的父母的時候，用了“慈父慈母”一詞。事實上，他并沒有夸大其詞。他的父親是一位很有資歷的物理學家，為人慷慨大度、性格剛強；他母親是一位典型的賢妻良母，一生相夫教子，從無怨言。他的哥哥為蒙彼利埃大學的教授，兄弟二人情深意篤，皮埃爾對他的哥哥十分敬重。進入這樣的一個家庭，我感到十分榮幸，而且我確實也受到這家人的熱忱歡迎。

We were married in the simplest way. I wore no unusual dress on my marriage day, and only a few friends were present at the ceremony, but I had the joy of having my father and my second sister come from Poland.

We did not care for more than a quiet place in which to live and to work, and were happy to find a little apartment of three rooms with a beautiful view of a garden. A few pieces of furniture came to us from our parents. With a money gift from a relative we acquired two bicycles to take us out into the country.

我們舉行了一個十分簡單的婚禮，也沒有專門購置結婚禮服。參加婚禮的只有為數(shù)不多的親朋好友。令我感到高興的是，我的父親和二姐也從波蘭趕來了。

除了想要一個安靜的地方用來居住和工作以外，我和皮埃爾并無其他什么奢望。我們非常高興地找到了一套三居室的小房子，從窗口看出去，眼前出現(xiàn)的是一座美麗的花園。老人們給我們購置了一些家具。我們還用一個親戚給我們的喜錢買了兩輛自行車，用來出去遠游。