【双语】钱钟书：从吃葡萄顺序看人的性格

天下只有两种人。比如一串葡萄到手，一种人挑好的吃，另一种人把最好的留到最后吃。照例第一种人应该乐观，因为他每吃一颗都是吃剩的葡萄里最好的；第二种人应该悲观，因为他每吃一颗都是吃剩的葡萄里最坏的。不过事实却适得其反，缘故是第二种人还有希望，第一种人只有回忆。从恋爱到白头偕老，好比一串葡萄，总有最好的一颗，最好的只有一颗，留着做希望，多少好？

There are but two kinds of people in the world. If given a bunch of grapes, for example, one kind will eat the best ones first, which the other kind will leave the best for last. In principle, the first kind of person should be an optimist, since with each grape he eats he is eating the best of the remaining grapes, while the second kind should be a pessimist, since with each grape he eats he is eating the worst of the remaining grapes. But in actual fact, it’s just the opposite, the reason being that the second kind of person still has hope while the first kind has only memories. From first falling in love to growing old together it’s like a bunch of grapes: There is always justone best grape remaining at the end to provide hope. Isn’t that wonderful?

鸿渐研究出西洋人丑得跟中国人不同：中国人丑像造物者偷工减料的结果，潦草塞责的丑；西洋人丑像造物者恶意的表现，所以丑得有计划、有作用。

Hung-chien had found from close study that Westerners are ugly in a different way from Chinese: Chinese ugliness seems to be the result of the Creator’s having skimped on time and materials. It is a slapdash, perfunctorily put together ugliness. Westerners’ ugliness seems a mark of the Creator’s spite. He has purposely set out to play jokes with the facial features. The ugliness thus has a plan and a motive behind it.

因为她是我们的恩人，我不忍细看她。对于丑人，细看是一种残忍——除非他是坏人，你要惩罚他。（觉得这句话好狠，你有没有被这样同情过）

I know she’s ugly, but since she’s our benefactress I couldn’t bear to take a close look at her. Taking a close look at someone ugly is a form of cruelty—unless it’s an evil person you want to punish.

推荐阅读

篇篇有干货，天天有惊喜

长按二维码关注我们

微信@我：563730218

↓↓↓点击【阅读全文】发现更多惊喜