第7章 论人间荣誉之虚渺

On the Instability of Human Glory

[英]丹尼尔·笛福/Daniel Defoe

人生的工作是什么？那些伟大人物们，被我们称作英雄的人们，他们得意洋洋地走过了世界的舞台又做了些什么呢？难道就是要在众口盛传中变得伟大，以及在历史上占据许多篇章吗？唉！那只不过是编一个故事，供后人阅读，直到它变成了神话或传奇罢了。难道就是要供给诗人们以吟咏的题材，生活在他们那些所谓不朽的诗篇之中吗？说起来那只不过是在将来变为歌谣，由老奶奶唱给凝神静听的孩子，或由卖唱的在街角唱出，以吸引大批的听众，使扒手和穷人多了一个谋生机会而已。他们所应做的事情，是不是要为自己的荣耀添加上美德和虔诚呢？只有这两样东西才可以使他们进入永生，真正不朽！如果没有美德，荣耀又算什么呢？一个没有宗教信仰的伟人，和一只没有灵魂的巨兽又有什么区别？如果没有价值存在，荣誉又算什么呢？被称作真正有价值的东西，除了那种不仅把一个人造就成伟人，并且使他具有好人的本质之外，还有什么呢？

What then is the work of life？ What the business of great men， that pass the stage of the world in seeming triumph as these men we call heroes have done？ Is it to grow great in the mouth of fame and take up so many pages in history？ Alas！ That is no more than making a tale for the reading of posterity till it turns into fable and romance. Is it to furnish subjects to the poets， and live in theirimmortal rhymes as they call them？ That is， in short， no more than to be hereafter turned into ballad and song and be sung by old women to quiet children， or at the corner of the street to gather crowds in aid of the pickpocket and the poor. Or is their business rather to add virtue and piety to their glory， which alone will pass them into eternity and make them truly immortal？ What is glory without virtue？ A great man without religion is no more than a great beast without a soul. What is honour without merit？ And what can be called true merit but that which makes a person be a good man as well as a great man？