中国典籍英译
孝当竭力,
非徒养身。
鸦有反哺之孝,
羊知跪乳之恩。
岂无远道思亲泪,
不及高堂念子心。
爱日以承欢,
莫待丁兰刻木祀;
椎牛而祭墓,
不如鸡豚逮亲存。
Mere support of your parents is not enough,
You should do your utmost to be dutiful.
A crow feeds its parents when they are old,
A lamb kneels down
When sucking milk from its mother,
Because it has gratitude to show.
Do people travelling far away
Not miss their parents?
Yet parents at home
Worry more about their absent children.
Cherish your parents' remaining years
And make them happy,
Ding Lan's carving of wood portraits
For his parents after their death
Is not a good example.
Killing a bull to offer at your parents' graves
Is not as good as serving them chicken and pork
Before they are decrepit and old.
兄弟相害,
不如友生;
外御其侮,
莫如弟兄。
有酒有肉多兄弟,
急难何曾见一人。
一回相见一回老,
能得几时为弟兄。
父子和而家不败,
兄弟和而家不分,
乡党和而争讼息,
夫妇和而家道兴。
只缘花底莺声巧,
遂使天边雁影分。
Brothers struggling with each other
Are not as useful as friends;
To resist insults from outside,
Brothers are better than best friends.
Meat and wine bring you a lot of brothers,
But is there anyone seen near you
When you are in misfortune?
Each time brothers meet,
Each gets older than the last time;
How many times are left
When they can call each other brother again?
A father and his sons in harmony
Can keep a family from decline,
Brothers in harmony
Can keep a family from division;
Neighbors in harmony
Can avoid disputes and lawsuits,
A husband and his wife in harmony
Can make their family flourish.
Brothers are often estranged from each other
Because of their wives' blandishments.
楚有祠者,赐其舍人卮酒,舍人相谓曰:“数人饮之不足,一人饮之有余。请画地为蛇,先成者饮酒。”
一人蛇先成,引酒且饮之,乃左手持卮,右手画蛇,曰:“吾能为之足。”未成,一人之蛇成夺其卮,曰:“蛇固无足,子安能为之足?”遂饮其酒。为蛇足者终亡其酒。
Adding Feet to a Snake While Drawing It
A native of Chu after worshiping his ancestors gave his retainers a pot of wine. One of the retainers said: “It’s insufficient for all of us, but too much for one of us. I suggest, therefore, that we draw snakes on the ground, and the one who first finishes drawing the snake will win the pot of wine.”
When one retainer had completed his drawing, he took the pot to drink. As he held it in his left hand, he continued to draw the snake with his right hand, saying: “I can add feet to it.” While he was adding feet to his snake, another man who had then drawn his snake snatched the pot from his hand, protesting: “No snake has feet. How can you add feet to it?” Then he drank the wine.
The man who added feet to the snake lost his prize at last.
逍遥游
A Happy Excursion
In the northern ocean there is a fish, called the k'un, I do not know how many thousand li in size. This k'un changes into a bird, called the p'eng. Its back is I do not know how many thousand li in breadth. When it is moved, it flies, its wings obscuring the sky like clouds. When on a voyage, this bird prepares to start for the Southern Ocean, the Celestial Lake.
And in the Records of Marvels we read that when the p'eng flies southwards, the water is smitten for a space of three thousand li around, while the bird itself mounts upon a great wind to a height of ninety thousand li, for a flight of six months' duration.
There mounting aloft, the bird saw the moving white mists of spring, the dust-clouds, and the living things blowing their breaths among them. It wondered whether the blue of the sky was its real color, or only the result of distance without end, and saw that the things on earth appeared the same to it.
If there is not sufficient depth, water will not float large ships. Upset a cupful into a hole in the yard, and a mustard-seed will be your boat. Try to float the cup, and it will be grounded, due to the disproportion between water and vessel.
So with air. If there is not sufficient a depth, it cannot support large wings. And for this bird, a depth of ninety thousand li is necessary to bear it up. Then, gliding upon the wind, with nothing save the clear sky above, and no obstacles in the way, it starts upon its journey to the south.
科学研究证实:植物受伤会叫痛
在花园行走脚步要放轻,摘玫瑰要小心。根据对植物充满压力的生活的最新声学研究:剪花时,花会叫痛,切黄瓜时,黄瓜会尖叫,甚至正常生长的水果也会咕噜咕噜作响。
波恩大学应用物理研究所公布的这些发现对农民可能具有重要意义,因为如果配备合适的窃听装置,就能区分健康蔬菜与病害蔬菜。看来,对植物谈话不如倾听它们的声音更为有益。
波恩大学的科学家已研制出一种激光驱动的麦克风,能接收人耳听不到的声音。茎叶被切开,植物就会在整个切面释放出乙烯气体,以示痛苦(也许仅仅是惊慌) 。
波恩大学弗兰克·屈内曼博士一直在用钟形广口瓶收集这种气体。然后用校准激光束轰击气体分子,使其振动,产生声波,由麦克风接收。屈内曼说:“植物受到的压力越大,麦克风接收到的信号就越强。”
但是,波恩大学的这些科学家认为,植物不仅仅诉苦喊痛,就象人们在候诊室消磨时间一样,他们还认为,植物会互相提醒迫在眉睫的危险。这种“警报”是植物单株之间传递的一种化学信息,也能用这种新装置加以测量。