佚名/Anonymous
Our whole life is startlingly moral.There is never an instant's tr uce between virtue and vice.Goodness is only investment that never fail s.In the music of the harp which trembles round the world it is the ins isting on this which thrills us.Though the youth at last grows indiffer ent,the laws of the universe are not indifferent,but are forever on th e side of the most sensitive.We cannot touch a string or move a stop bu t the charming moral transfixes us.Many an irksome noise,go a long way off,is heard as music,a proud,sweet satire on the meanness of our liv es.
We are conscious of an animal in us,which awakens in proportion as our higher nature slumbers.It is reptile and sensual,and perhaps canno t be wholly expelled;like the worms which,even in life and health,occ upy our bodies.Possibly we may withdraw from it,but never change its n ature.I fear that it may enjoy a certain health of its own;that we may be well,yet not pure.
If I knew so wise a man as could teach me purity I would go to seek him forthwith.Yet the spirit can for the time pervade and control every member and function of the body,and transmute what in form is the gross est sensuality into purity and devotion.The generative energy,which,w hen we are loose,dissipates and makes us unclean,when we are continent invigorates and inspires us.Chastity is the flowering of man;and what are called Genius,Heroism,Holiness,and the like,are but various frui ts which succeed it.Man flows at once to God when the channel of purity is open.By turns our purity inspires and our impurity casts us down.He is blessed who is assured that the animal is dying out in him day by day,and the divine being established.Perhaps there is none but has cause for shame on account of the inferior and brutish nature to which he is a llied.I fear that we are the divine allied to beasts,and that,to some extent,our very life is our disgrace.
All sensuality is one,though it takes many forms;all purity is one.The impure can neither stand nor sit with purity.If you would be chas te,you must be temperate.What is chastity?How shall a man know if he is chaste?He shall not know it.We have heard of this virtue,but we kn ow not what it is.We speak conformably to the rumor which we have heard.From exertion come wisdom and purity;from sloth ignorance and sensual ity.In the student sensuality is a sluggish habit of mind.An unclean p erson is universally a slothful one,one who sits by a stove,whom the s un shines on prostrate,who reposes without being fatigued.If you would avoid uncleanness,and all the sins,work earnestly,though it be at cle aning a stable.Nature is hard to be overcome,but she must be overcome.
We discourse freely without shame of one form of sensuality,and are silent about another.We are so degraded that we cannot speak simply of the necessary functions of human nature.In earlier ages,in some countr ies,every function was reverently spoken of and regulated by law.Nothi ng was too trivial for the Hindoo lawgiver,however offensive it may be to modern taste.He teaches how to eat,drink,cohabit,void excrement a nd urine,and the like,elevating what is mean,and does not falsely exc use himself by calling these things trifles.
Every man is the builder of a temple,called his body,to the god he worships.We are all sculptors and painters,and our material is our own flesh and blood and bones.Any nobleness begins at once to refine a man's features,any meanness or sensuality to imbrute them.
我們的整個人生都是充滿感性的。美德與邪惡之間的戰爭一刻也沒有停止過。隻有善良才是萬無一失的投資。在全世界奏響的豎琴樂曲中，善良的主題激勵著我們。盡管到了最後，年輕人對此可能會逐漸淡漠，但是宇宙中的規律是永遠不會改變的，永遠與最敏銳的人同在。我們撥動一下琴弦，調整一下音調，動人的旋律就會使我們陶醉。許多令人厭惡的噪音，傳得很遠之後，聽起來反而像一種音樂，這是對我們生活中卑劣行徑的一個絕妙諷刺。
我們能夠意識到靈魂中野獸的存在，當我們較崇高的本性變得漸漸麻木時，野獸就開始慢慢蘇醒。它卑鄙，貪圖感官享樂，並且有可能是無法徹底清除的。就像蠕蟲一樣，即使是在我們活著和健康的時候，也要寄存在身體裏。也許，我們能夠回避它，卻永遠也改變不了它的本性。我擔心它的健康狀況很好，以至於會使我們原本健康的身體變得不再純潔。
如果我知道有一位英明的人，能夠教給我潔身之道，我一定會毫不猶豫地去找他。然而，精神能夠在一個特定的時間滲透，並控製身體的各個器官和功能，然後將最粗俗的貪欲改變成純淨和虔誠。我們旺盛的精力一旦被放縱，就會散布開來，使我們變得不再純潔；如果稍加節製，就能給予我們鼓舞與啟迪。純潔是人性的花朵，而所謂的天才、英勇、神聖等隻不過是它成功的果實。打開通往純淨靈魂的渠道，人類就能立刻到達上帝的麵前。純潔的靈魂使我們歡欣鼓舞，不潔的靈魂使我們消沉沮喪。確保自己心中的野獸日漸消亡的人，是被人們祝福的人，神聖的本質也將在他的靈魂中存在。也許隻有卑劣與粗野的習性才會使人蒙羞。我害怕，我們是神與獸的結合，如果是這樣的話，我們的生命恰恰就是我們的恥辱。
盡管貪欲形式多樣，但終歸還是一回事，所有的純潔本質上都是相同的。純潔與不純潔始終勢不兩立。如果你想變得貞節，那麽你就必須節製自己。什麽是貞節？人們如何知道自己是否貞節？無從得知。我們聽說過美德，但是我們不知道什麽是美德。聽到謠傳，我們便人雲亦雲。努力可以創造智慧與純潔，懶惰卻隻能得到無知與貪欲。學生的貪欲是心智墮落的表現。不純淨的人通常都是懶惰的，他整天坐在火爐旁，不去享受外麵的陽光；他整天都躺在**，不管疲倦與否。如果想要避免不純潔，避免所有的罪惡，那麽就認真地工作吧，即使你的工作是清理馬廄。盡管本性難移，但是本性一定要移。
我們毫無顧忌又恬不知恥地談論著色欲，卻對其他貪欲緘口不提。我們如此墮落，以至於不能簡單地談論人性的必要作用。在古代的一些國家裏，人性的每個機能都如實地被認知，都受到法律的規範。對於印度的立法者來說，再瑣碎的事物都是應該的。然而對於現代人的品味來說，就有些令人厭煩了。他教人們如何吃、喝、拉、撒、睡等，並提升這些最卑微的事情的意義，而不視它們為煩瑣之事，對其避而不談。
每個人都是神殿的建造者，而他們所崇拜的上帝正是他們自身。我們都是雕刻家和畫家，我們進行創作的材料就是自身的肉體、鮮血和骨骼。任何高尚的品質都能使人類的特征得以提升，而卑鄙或貪欲隻會使人墮落。
1.Though the youth at____grows indifferent,the____of th e universe are not indifferent,but are forever on the side of the most sensitive.We cannot touch a string or move a____but the charming m oral transfixes us.
2.If you would be chaste,you____be temperate.What is chasti ty?How____a man know if he is chaste?He shall not____it.We have heard of this virtue,but we____not what it is.We speak conf ormably to the rumor____we have heard.
3.Every____is the builder of a temple,____his body,to the god he worships.We are all sculptors and painters,and our material is our____flesh and blood and bones.
1.我們的整個人生都是充滿感性的。
2.我們能夠意識到靈魂中野獸的存在。
3.如果你想變得貞節，那麽你就必須節製自己。
1....but are forever on the side of the most sensitive.
on the side of：擁護……；站在……一邊；讚助
2.He is blessed who is assured that the animal is dying out in him day by day,and the divine being established.
day by day：逐日；一天天