【美】本杰明·富兰克林《哨子》中英文版
2014-11-15 20:35阅读：
哨子
【美】本杰明·富兰克林
我七岁的时候，有一次过节，大人们给我的衣袋里塞满了铜币。我立刻向一家卖儿童玩具的店铺跑去。半路上，我却被一个男孩吹哨子的声音吸引住了，于是我用所有的铜币换了他这个哨子。回到家里，我非常得意，吹着哨子满屋子转，却打扰了全家人。我的哥哥、姐姐和表姐们知道我这个交易后，便告诉我，我为这个哨子付出了比它原价高四倍的钱。他们还告诉我，用那些多付的钱，我不知道可以买到多少好东西。大伙儿都取笑我傻，竟使我懊恼得哭了。回想起来，那只哨子给我带来的悔恨远远超过了给我的快乐。
不过，这件事情后来却对我很有用处，它一直保留在我的记忆中。因此，当我打算买一些不必要的东西时，我便常常对自己说，不要为哨子花费太多，于是便节省了钱。
我长大了走进社会，观察人们的作为，感到我遇到的很多很多的人，他们都为了一个哨子付出了过高的代价。
当我看见一个人过分热衷于猎取恩宠荣禄，把自己的光阴牺牲在侍候权贵、谋求接见之中，为了得到这种机会，他不惜牺牲自己的自由、品德甚至于自己的朋友，我便对自己说，这个人为他的哨子付出了太高的代价。
当我看见另一个人醉心于名望，无休止地投身于政界的纷扰之中，却忽视了自己的事，我说，他的确也为了他的哨子付出了过高的代价。
如果我听说有个守财奴为了积累财产，宁愿放弃各种舒适的生活、为别人做好事的一切乐趣、同乡们对他的尊重，以及慷慨无私的友谊的快乐，我说，可怜的人啊，为了你的哨子，你付出了过高的代价。
当我遇到一个寻欢作乐的人，他不愿使自己在精神或命运方面得到一切可赞美的改善，而仅仅为了达到肉体上的享受，为了这种需求，损坏了自己的身体，我就说，误入歧途的人啊，你真是有福不享自找苦吃；为了你的哨子，你付出了太高的代价啊。
当我看到一个人沉迷于外表，或者是漂亮的装束、讲究的住宅、上等的家具、精致的设备，这一切都远远超出了他的收入的水平，为了得到这一切，他借债，最后以被投进监狱而告终，我说，天啊！为了他的哨子，他付出了太高太高的代价。
当我看到一个漂亮温顺的姑娘相信对方的甜言蜜语而嫁给一个生性恶劣、人面兽心的丈夫，我说，多么遗憾呀，她为了一个哨子付出了太高的代价。
总之，我认为，他们所遭受的人类极大的悲苦都是由于他们对事物的价值做出了错误的估价而造成的，都是为了他们的哨子付出了太高的代价。
The Whistle
by Benjamin
Franklin，To Madame
Brillon
I received my dear friend’s
two letters, one for Wednesday
and one for Saturday. This
is again Wednesday. I do
not deserve one for today,
because I have not answered
the former. But, indolent as
I am, and averse to
writing, the fear of having
no more of your pleasing
epistles, if I do not
contribute to the correspondence,
obliges me to take up my
pen; and as Mr. B. has
kindly sent me word that
he sets out tomorrow to
see you, instead of spending
this Wednesday evening, as I
have done its namesakes, in
your delightful company, I sit
down to spend it in
thinking of you, in writing
to you, and in reading
over and over again your
letters.
I am charmed with your
description of Paradise, and
with your plan of living
there; and I approve much
of your conclusion, that, in
the meantime, we should draw
all the good we can from
this world. In my opinion
we might all draw more
good from it than we do,
and suffer less evil, if
we would take care not to
give too much for whistles.
For to me it seems that
most of the unhappy people
we meet with are become
so by neglect of that
caution.
You ask what I mean?
You love stories, and will
excuse my telling one of
myself.
When I was a child
of seven years old, my
friends, on a holiday, filled
my pocket with coppers. I
went directly to a shop
where they sold toys for
children; and being charmed with
the sound of a whistle,
that I met by the way
in the hands of another
boy, I voluntarily offered and
gave all my money for
one. I then came home,
and went whistling all over
the house, much pleased with
my whistle, but disturbing all
the family. My brothers, and
sisters, and cousins, understanding
the bargain I had made,
told me I had given four
times as much for it as
it was worth; put me in
mind what good things I
might have bought with the
rest of the money; and
laughed at me so much for
my folly, that I cried
with vexation; and the
reflection gave me more chagrin
than the whistle gave me
pleasure.
This, however, was afterwards
of use to me, the
impression continuing on my
mind; so that often, when
I was tempted to buy some
unnecessary thing, I said to
myself, Don’t give too much
for the whistle; and I
saved my money.
As I grew up, came
into the world, and observed
the actions of men, I
thought I met with many,
very many, who gave too
much for the
whistle.
When I saw one too
ambitious of court favor,
sacrificing his time in
attendance on levees, his
repose, his liberty, his virtue,
and perhaps his friends, to
attain it, I have said to
myself, this man gives too
much for his
whistle.
When I saw another fond
of popularity, constantly employing
himself in political bustles,
neglecting his own affairs, and
ruining them by that neglect,
'He pays, indeed,' said I,
'too much for his
whistle.'
If I knew a miser,
who gave up every kind of
comfortable living, all the
pleasure of doing good to
others, all the esteem of
his fellow-citizens, and the
joys of benevolent friendship,
for the sake of accumulating
wealth, 'Poor man,' said I,
'you pay too much for
your whistle.'
When I met with a
man of pleasure, sacrificing
every laudable improvement of
the mind, or of his
fortune, to mere corporeal
sensations, and ruining his
health in their pursuit,
'Mistaken man,' said I, 'you
are providing pain for yourself,
instead of pleasure; you give
too much for your
whistle.'
If I see one fond of
appearance, or fine clothes,
fine houses, fine furniture,
fine equipages, all above his
fortune, for which he contracts
debts, and ends his career
in a prison, 'Alas!' say
I, 'he has paid dear,
very dear, for his
whistle.'
When I see a beautiful
sweet-tempered girl married to
an ill-natured brute of a
husband, 'What a pity,' say
I, 'that she should pay
so much for a
whistle!'
In short, I conceive that
great part of the miseries
of mankind are brought upon
them by the false estimates
they have made of the
value of things, and by
their giving too much for
their whistles.
Yet I ought to have
charity for these unhappy
people, when I consider that,
with all this wisdom of
which I am boasting, there
are certain things in the
world so tempting, for example,
the apples of King John,
which happily are not to
be bought;
