悦读｜赫胥黎《进化论与伦理学》（《天演论》）节选（双语两版）

时间：2023-08-12

　　(Credit: historia-biografia.com)

　　托马斯·亨利·赫胥黎（Thomas Henry Huxley，1825—1895），英国著名博物学家、生物学家、教育家，达尔文进化论最杰出的代表。代表作品有《人类在自然界的位置》、《无脊椎动物解剖学手册》、《进化论与伦理学》（即《天演论》）等。严复（1854—1921），中国近代极具影响力的资产阶级启蒙思想家，著名的翻译家、教育家，新法家代表人物。他所提出的“信、达、雅”的翻译标准对后世翻译工作产生了深远影响。

　　《进化论与伦理学》翻译组，1971年，科学出版社出版了新译本，遵照毛主席关于“古为今用,洋为中用”的教导，书名为直译，译者没有直接署名。此书是在严复《天演论》的基础上进行的直译，也只译出了原书的前两个部分。

　　（朗读：侯润娟）

　　【译本一】

　　Evolution and Ethics (Excerpt)《天演论》（节选）By Thomas Henry Huxley文/托马斯·亨利·赫胥黎译/严复It may be safely assumed that, two thousand years ago, before Caesar set foot in southern Britain, the whole country-side visible from the windows of the room in which I write, was in what is called "the state of nature." Except, it may be, by raising a few sepulchral mounds, such as those which still, here and there, break the flowing contours of the downs, man's hands had made no mark upon it; and the thin veil of vegetation which overspread the broad-backed heights and the shelving sides of the coombs was unaffected by his industry. 赫胥黎独处一室之中，在英伦之南，背山而面野。槛外诸境，历历如在几下。乃悬想二千年前，当罗马大将恺彻未到时，此间有何景物。计惟有天造草昧，人工未施，其借征人境者，不过几处荒坟，散见坡陀起伏间。而灌木丛林，蒙茸山麓，未经删治如今日者，则无疑也。The native grasses and weeds, the scattered patches of gorse, contended with one another for the possession of the scanty surface soil; they fought against the droughts of summer, the frosts of winter, and the furious gales which swept, with unbroken force, now from the Atlantic, and now from the North Sea, at all times of the year; they filled up, as they best might, the gaps made in their ranks by all sorts of underground and overground animal ravagers. 怒生之草，交加之藤，势如争长相雄，各据一杯壤土。夏与畏日争，冬与严霜争，四时之内，飘风怒吹，或西发西洋，或东起北海，旁午交扇，无时而息。上有鸟兽之践啄，下有蚁蝝之啮伤。One year with another, an average population, the floating balance of the unceasing struggle for existence among the indigenous plants, maintained itself. It is as little to be doubted, that an essentially similar state of nature prevailed, in this region, for many thousand years before the coming of Caesar; and there is no assignable reason for denying that it might continue to exist through an equally prolonged futurity, except for the intervention of man.憔悴孤虚，旋生旋灭。菀枯顷刻，莫可究详。是离离者亦各尽天能，以自存种族而已。数亩之内，战事炽然，强者后亡，弱者先绝。年年岁岁，循有遗留。未知始自何年，更不知止于何代。苟人事不施于其间，则莽莽榛榛，长此互相吞并，混逐蔓延而已，而诘之者谁耶?

　　(Credit: Fine Art America)

　　【译本二】Evolution and Ethics (Excerpt)《进化论与伦理学》（节选）By Thomas Henry Huxley文/托马斯·亨利·赫胥黎译/《进化论与伦理学》翻译组It may be safely assumed that, two thousand years ago, before Caesar set foot in southern Britain, the whole country-side visible from the windows of the room in which I write, was in what is called "the state of nature." Except, it may be, by raising a few sepulchral mounds, such as those which still, here and there, break the flowing contours of the downs, man's hands had made no mark upon it; and the thin veil of vegetation which overspread the broad-backed heights and the shelving sides of the coombs was unaffected by his industry. 可以有把握地想象，二千年前，在凯撒到达不列颠南部之前，从我正在写作的这间屋子的窗口，可以看到整个原野是处在一种所谓“自然状态”之中。也许除了就像现在还在这里或那里破坏着连绵的丘陵轮廓的为数不多的一些垒起的坟堆以外，人的双手还没有在它上面打上烙印。笼罩着广阔高地和狭谷斜坡的薄薄的植被，还没有受到人的劳动的影响。The native grasses and weeds, the scattered patches of gorse, contended with one another for the possession of the scanty surface soil; they fought against the droughts of summer, the frosts of winter, and the furious gales which swept, with unbroken force, now from the Atlantic, and now from the North Sea, at all times of the year; they filled up, as they best might, the gaps made in their ranks by all sorts of underground and overground animal ravagers. 本地的牧草和杂草，分散在一小块一小块土地上的金雀花，为了占据贫乏的表面土壤而互相竞争着；它们同夏季的干旱斗争，同冬季的严霜斗争，同一年四季时而从大西洋时而从北海不断吹来的狂风斗争；它们竭尽全力来填补各种地面上和地下的动物破坏者在它们行列中间所造成的空隙。One year with another, an average population, the floating balance of the unceasing struggle for existence among the indigenous plants, maintained itself. It is as little to be doubted, that an essentially similar state of nature prevailed, in this region, for many thousand years before the coming of Caesar; and there is no assignable reason for denying that it might continue to exist through an equally prolonged futurity, except for the intervention of man.年复一年，它们总维持着一种平均的类群数量，也就是本地植物在不断的生存斗争中维持着一种流动的平衡。无可怀疑，在凯撒到来之前的几千年中，这个地区就已存在着一种基本上类似的自然状态；除非人类进行干预，否则就没有任何明显的理由来否定它能够在同样长久的未来岁月中继续存在下去。对外经济贸易大学英语学院实习生卢铭整理

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