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Speaking as a Chinese, I do not think that any civilization can be called complete until it has progressed from sophistication to? unsophistication, and made a conscious return to simplicity of thinking and living, and I call no man wise until he has made the progress from the wisdom of knowledge to the wisdom of foolishness, and become a laughing philosopher, feeling first life's tragedy and then life's comedy. For we must weep before we can laugh. Out of sadness comes the awakening and out of the awakening comes the laughter of the philosopher, with kindliness and tolerance to boot.
以中國人的立場來說，我認為文化須先由巧辯矯飾進步到天真純樸，有意識地進步到簡樸的思想和生活里去，才可稱為完全的文化；我認為人類必須從知識的智慧，進步到無智的智慧，須變成一個歡樂的哲學家；也必須先感到人生的悲哀，然后感到人生的快樂，這樣才可以稱為有智慧的人類。因為我們必須先有哭，才有歡笑，有悲哀而后有醒覺，有醒覺而后有哲學的歡笑，另外再加上和善與寬容。

The modern man takes life far too seriously, and because he is too serious, the world is full of troubles. We ought, therefore, to take time to examine the origin of that attitude which will make possible a whole-hearted enjoyment of this life and a more reasonable, more peaceful and less hot-headed temperament.
現(xiàn)代的人們對人生過于嚴肅，所以充滿著煩擾和糾紛。我們應該費一些工夫，把那些態(tài)度，根本地研究一下，方能使人生有享受快樂的可能，并使人的氣質(zhì)有變?yōu)楸容^合理、比較和平、比較不暴躁的可能。

In this present age of threats to democracy and individual liberty, probably only the scamp and the spirit of the scamp alone will save us from becoming lost as serially numbered units in the masses of disciplined, obedient, regimented and uniformed coolies.
在這個民主主義和個人主義受著威脅的今日，也許只有放浪者和放浪的精神會解放我們，使我們不至于都變成有紀律的、服從的、受統(tǒng)馭的、一式一樣的大隊中的一名標明號數(shù)的士兵，因而無聲無息地湮沒。

Man, therefore, is a curious, dreamy, humorous and wayward creature.
人類是一種好奇的、夢想的、幽默的、任性的動物。

【注釋】
1、以…的立場來說—— speaking as …
2、文化—— (精神財富) civilization; culture
???????????????????????? 1、material culture(物質(zhì)文化);
???????????????????????? 2、The Chinese civilization is one of the oldest in the world.
?????????????????????????????? 中國文化是世界上最古老的文化之一。
?????????????????????? (知識) education; culture; schooling; literacy
???????????????????????? 3、acquire an elementary education/ acquire literacy
?????????????????????????????? 學習文化
???????????????????????? 4、a man of considerable culture
?????????????????????????????? 文化修養(yǎng)很高的人
3、人生的悲哀；人生的快樂—— life's tragedy; life's comedy (不用sadness/happiness 而選擇悲劇/喜劇，意蘊悠長)
4、體會中文的繁復與英文的簡練在文中的體現(xiàn)。我們常常會抱怨譯者不夠水平使得精巧的中文翻完之后令人大失所望，但實際上很并不只是理解或是語言水平的差距，很大程度上是兩種語言本身的差異。比如文中，英文很簡單的troubles, 林先生轉(zhuǎn)化中文就變成了煩擾和糾紛；become lost寫作無聲無息的湮沒。從英文譯成中文我們會贊賞先生文化底蘊深厚，但如果這篇文章是中譯英，怕是不少同學都要抱怨先生英文造詣不夠了。