世界身陷火海，读书意义何在：耶鲁大学校长2021年开学演讲（双语全文）

Good morning, everyone! To all Eli Whitney students, transfer students, visiting international students, and first-year Yale College students: Welcome to Yale!

大家早上好！欢迎所有伊莱·惠特尼项目录取的学生、转学生、来访的国际学生和耶鲁本科学院的一年级新生，欢迎来到耶鲁！

Let me begin by saying it is good, really good, to see you here today.

首先，我要说，很高兴今天在这里看到你们，真的很高兴。

And many families and loved ones are watching today’s ceremonies online. And on behalf of my colleagues here on stage and the entire Yale community, I want to extend a warm greeting to everyone joining us, wherever you are right now.

许多亲朋好友正在线上观看今天的开学典礼。无论你们现在身处何处，我谨代表台上的同事和整个耶鲁，向参与的每个人送上热情的问候。

This is a big moment—for you, our newest students, and for Yale.

这是一个重大的时刻——对你们这一届新生和对耶鲁都是如此。

I am so glad you are here.

我很高兴你们来到这里。

Fifty-one years ago, university President Kingman Brewster delivered an address to the entering class of new undergraduates, welcoming them to Yale, just as I am doing now. At the time, the university was coming out of a very unusual year. (We can relate!) Just a few months earlier, in May 1970, tens of thousands of people from across the country had come to New Haven—and to Yale—to protest the trials of Bobby Seale and Ericka Huggins, leaders of the Black Panther Party, who were being tried for murder. Thousands of National Guard troops had been deployed to the city as some expected the protests to turn violent. The situation was extremely tense. Fortunately, reason prevailed, the protests remained largely peaceful, and no one was seriously injured, let alone killed.

就像我现在所做的一样，51年前，金曼·布鲁斯特校长向新入学的本科生发表讲话，欢迎他们来到耶鲁。当时，耶鲁刚刚经历了不同寻常的一年。（对此我们感同身受！）就在开学几个月前，1970年5月，数万人从全国各地来到纽黑文，来到耶鲁，抗议对黑豹党领导人鲍比·西尔和埃莉卡·哈金斯的审判，当时他们二人正因涉嫌谋杀受审。一些人认为抗议活动会演变为暴力，于是成千上万的国民警卫队队员被部署到这座城市，局势一度非常紧张。所幸，人们的理性占据了上风，抗议活动基本保持了和平，没有人受重伤，更没有人死亡。

Still, these events rocked Yale’s campus. War was raging in Southeast Asia. Movements for civil rights and women’s rights were heading in new directions. And across society, it seemed like a younger generation was rising up to challenge the old guard. Against this backdrop, many people were wondering about Yale’s future. They were uncertain about the university’s role—its purpose—in a rapidly changing and unpredictable society.

但是，这些事件还是震撼了耶鲁校园：战争在东南亚肆虐；民权和女权运动正朝着新的方向发展；年轻一代似乎正在社会各个领域崛起，对守旧派发起挑战。在这种背景下，许多人对耶鲁的未来产生了疑虑。他们无法确定耶鲁在瞬息万变、难以预测的社会中扮演的角色，困惑于耶鲁的办学宗旨。

Standing here today, I’m feeling many of the same emotions that President Brewster must have felt in 1970. Looking out over that gathering of new students, he knew many of them were anxious; he knew they had questions about what they would do at Yale and many more about the kind of society they would encounter when they graduated. Yet, in his speech, he was asking them to study, to go to the library, to write papers, to conduct experiments. He was asking them to be students.

1970年时的布鲁斯特校长一定感慨万千，今天我站在这里感同身受。望着齐聚在一起的新生，他知道其中许多人都很焦虑，他知道他们对自己将在耶鲁做什么有所疑虑，对毕业后会进入怎样的社会更是疑问多多。然而，在那次演讲中，他要求学生们去学习、去图书馆、写论文、做实验。他要求他们去做学生该做的事。

And so he gave voice to a question that was probably on the minds of many, a question I also pose to you today. He asked, and these are his words, “Where then is the purpose which makes patient learning supportable when the world is on fire?” Where then is the purpose which makes patient learning supportable when the world is on fire?

由此，他还提出了一个可能梗在许多人心中的问题，今天我也向你们提出这个问题。这是他的原话，他问道：“当世界身陷火海时，潜心学习的意义是什么？”是啊，当世界身陷火海时，潜心学习的意义是什么？

Today, again, it seems like the world is on fire, literally and metaphorically. The United States is in the midst of its greatest crisis since 9/11. We are fighting a global pandemic, which will be, for many of us, the most significant geopolitical, and perhaps personal, event of our lives.

今天，无论从字面还是隐喻上说，世界似乎又一次身陷火海。美国正处于911事件以来最大的危机中。我们正在抗击一场全球疫情，对许多人来说，这将是一生中遭遇的最重大的地缘政治事件，也许也是最重大的个人经历。

But that is not all. This summer, we have witnessed terrible wildfires, drought, and flooding in many corners of the globe. Some of you have experienced these climate disasters firsthand. Not only climate change, but also racism, extremism, the widening gulf between the rich and poor—these are complex challenges that call out for urgent and concerted action.

不止如此。今年夏天，我们看到全球多地发生可怕的山火、干旱和洪水。你们中的一些人甚至亲身经历了这些气候灾难。不仅是气候变化，还有种族主义、极端主义和日益扩大的贫富差距——这些都是复杂的挑战，需要紧急反应、协调行动。

The world is on fire, and again we asked, what is our purpose here? And how do we learn—patiently, seriously, and rigorously, as I sincerely hope you will— in times such as these?

世界身陷火海，我们再次发问，我们聚在这里的目的是什么？在这样的时代，我们该怎样学习——怎样耐心、认真、严谨地学习（我真心希望你们会这样做）？

In thinking about the answer to this question, I was reminded of Musar, sometimes called Mussar in English, a nineteenth-century Jewish movement that came out of Lithuania, very close to where my ancestors were rabbis. The central idea of the Musar movement—and of similar religious and ethical practices beyond Judaism—is that we must improve ourselves before looking outward at society seeking to change it. We must examine our values, expand our knowledge, and develop our empathy and imagination.

在思考这个问题的答案时，我想起了穆萨运动，那是19世纪的一场犹太教运动，源自立陶宛，非常接近我的祖先担任拉比的地方。穆萨运动——以及犹太教之外的类似宗教实践和道德实践——的中心思想是，在观察社会并寻求改变社会之前，我们必须提升自己。我们必须审视自身的价值观，拓展自身的知识面，并培养自身的同理心和想象力。

One of the rabbis of the time is said to have told this story: “I set out to try to change the world, but I failed. So I decided to scale back my efforts and only try to influence the Jewish community of Poland, but I failed there, too. So I targeted the community in my hometown of Radin, but achieved no greater success. Then I gave all my effort to changing my own family and failed at that as well. Finally, I decided to change myself, and that’s how I had such an impact on the world.”

据说，当时有位拉比讲过这样一个故事：“最开始，我尝试改变世界，但失败了。于是，我决定缩小努力的范围，只尝试影响波兰的犹太社区，但也失败了。然后，我把目标放在家乡雷丁的社区，也没有成功。再然后，我尽己所能改变自己的家庭，但还是失败了。最后，我决定改变自己，而我就是这样影响世界的。”

Much like this sage, we are here to make an impact on our communities and on the world. Don’t get me wrong. But first, we must start by improving ourselves. Your college years are a time to develop your strengths and talents; to challenge yourself in ways you did not think possible; to gain knowledge and understanding; and to explore. Here at Yale, you will encounter new ideas and engage with people from different backgrounds and walks of life. You will take intellectual risks, and ask questions about everything from the structure of the cosmos to the structure of a novel.

与这位圣人一样，我们聚在这里是为了影响社会和世界。别误会。但首先，我们必须从提高自己开始。大学时代是培养长处和才能的时候，是以挑战不可能来挑战自我的时候；是获得知识和感悟的时候；是进行探索的时候。在耶鲁，你将遇到新思想，接触背景、经历各不相同的人。你将应对学习上的各种挑战，提出各种问题——大到宇宙的构造，小到一本小说的结构。

Improving yourself means leaving your comfort zone. Signing up for classes that sound interesting but unfamiliar. Going to office hours with slightly intimidating professors; you may be surprised by the conversation that unfolds. Attending talks by speakers whose views are different than yours—and really listening to their arguments. Regardless of what you study or the clubs you join, I promise you that you will not leave Yale the same person you are today. You will be changed, transformed, by Yale.

提高自己意味着离开舒适区。去报名那些听着有趣却不熟悉的课程。去找有点儿让人望而生畏的教授做课后辅导，你们的对话可能带给你惊喜。去参加那些与你观点不同的人的讲座，真正倾听他们的观点。无论你学习什么或加入什么社团，我向你保证，离开耶鲁时，你将不再是今天的这个你。你将被耶鲁改变，因耶鲁而转变。

We know that you are ready for these challenges, and we are excited to see what contributions you will make to Yale; how you will write new chapters in our shared history in the coming days, weeks, and years.

我们知道，你们已经为这些挑战做好了准备；我们也很期待看到你们会为耶鲁做出什么贡献，在未来或短或长的日子里，你们将如何在我们共度的历史中书写新的篇章。

Thinking back to that spring of 1970, I’m reminded of four Yale College students who, with others, played a pivotal role in the May Day events: Kurt Schmoke, Ralph Dawson, Bill Farley, Glenn de Chabert. They were serious students and active in founding and leading the Black Student Alliance at Yale. Two would be named Rhodes Scholars. That spring, along with Kingman Brewster, his special assistant Sam Chauncey, and other administrators, these students showed exemplary leadership during a time of crisis. They were instrumental in helping keep the peace on campus, and most likely, saving lives.

回想1970年的那个春天，我想起了耶鲁本科学院的4名学生——库尔特·施莫克、拉尔夫·道森、比尔·法利和格伦·德·钱伯特，他们和其他人一起，在五月事件中发挥了关键作用。他们不仅学习认真，还积极创建和领导了耶鲁大学的黑人学生联盟。其中两人后来获评罗德学者。那年春天，这些学生与金曼·布鲁斯特、他的特别助理萨姆·尚西及其他行政人员一起，在危机时刻表现出了堪称典范的领导力。他们在协助维持校园和平方面发挥了重要作用，很可能还拯救了许多生命。

The world was on fire, but their time at Yale prepared them to tackle important challenges then and after graduation: one as a big-city mayor and university president, others as distinguished attorneys; all as engaged community members. Like generations of alumni, these Yalies were deeply committed to making themselves better, making the university better, and making the world better.

世界当时身陷火海，但他们在耶鲁的经历让他们做好了准备，以应对当时以及毕业后的重要挑战：他们其中一个成为大城市的市长和大学校长，其他人成为了杰出的律师，他们都是积极的耶鲁人。像一代代校友一样，这些耶鲁人致力于让自己变得更好，让耶鲁变得更好，让世界变得更好。

You, too, are joining the Yale community at a historic moment. We are surrounded on all sides by fires small and large. And yet I can think of no better moment to be at Yale. We begin this academic year with a renewed commitment to nurture this community and the people in it. Yalies, you will soon discover, love to learn. They seek out new experiences, and they immerse themselves fully in everything they do. At Yale, you can study with top public health experts who are advising governments on the pandemic response. You can take a seminar with a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian of Frederick Douglass or a leading authority on John Milton. You can conduct research alongside faculty members in over 1,200 laboratories.

同样，你们也在一个历史性时刻加入了耶鲁。我们身边有着大大小小的火情。然而，我认为这是加入耶鲁的最佳时刻。新学年开始，我们再次投入培养耶鲁这个社区及其成员的工作中。你们很快就会发现，耶鲁人热爱学习。他们寻求新的体验，并完全沉浸在所做的每一件事中。在耶鲁，你可以与正在为政府提供新冠大流行应对建议的顶级公共卫生专家一起学习，可以和获得普利策奖的弗雷德里克·道格拉斯历史专家或研究约翰·米尔顿的权威一起研讨，还可以在1200多个实验室中与老师们一起做研究。

Yale’s great strength—now, as always—is that we learn from and are inspired by one another. Although we come from different places, we share a common purpose, and that is to improve ourselves, so that we can improve the world. Yale’s mission statement expresses our highest ambitions. It says, in part, “Yale is committed to improving the world today and for future generations.” It goes on to say, “Yale educates aspiring leaders worldwide who serve all sectors of society.”

耶鲁的巨大优势一直都在于互相学习、互相启发。虽然来自天南地北，但我们有一个共同的目标，那就是提升自己，如此才能改善世界。耶鲁大学的使命宣言表达了我们的最高理想。宣言中提到：“耶鲁致力于改善世界，为今天也为后人。”还有：“耶鲁以为世界各地和社会各界培养有志领导者为己任。”

You, you are those aspiring leaders, and this mission is our answer to the question my predecessor asked over fifty years ago. I believe the “patient learning” President Brewster spoke of means deep engagement in your studies; it means challenging your thoughts and beliefs; it means expanding the frontiers of knowledge—your own, and then the world’s. It means using your time at Yale to prepare for the trials ahead. In this sense, patient learning is not only supportable but essential if we are to fulfill Yale’s mission and, indeed, improve the world.

你们，你们就是那些有志领导者。这一使命正是对我的前任50多年前所提问题的回答。我相信布鲁斯特校长所说的“潜心学习”意味着孜孜不倦、深度投入，意味着批判思考、挑战权威，意味着开拓视野、创新认知——先扩大自己的，再拓展世界的。它意味着利用在耶鲁的时间为应对未来的考验做好准备。在这个意义上，如果我们要完成耶鲁的使命，切实改善世界，那么潜心学习不仅要鼓励，而且必不可少。

I will end with lyrics written by one of my favorite folk singers, Woody Guthrie, in his song, “World’s on Fire.” His words are only too applicable:

“While the skies they’re clearing

We’ll rise up dreaming;

Build our city from the ashes.”

最后，我想用我最喜欢的一位民谣歌手伍迪·格斯里一首歌曲里的几句歌词来结束我的演讲。他的《世界身陷火海》中的几句词非常应景：

“当天空放晴

梦想将再次启航；

在灰烬上重建城市。”

Yes, the world is on fire, but right in front of me, I see many reasons for optimism. Together, as part of this community, you will dream, you will build, and you will prepare for lives of leadership and service.

是的，世界正身陷火海，但此刻在我面前，我看到了许多让我保持乐观的理由。作为耶鲁的一分子，你们将同梦想、共努力，为未来承担起领导和服务的责任做好准备。

Welcome to Yale!

欢迎来到耶鲁！

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