lesson11-13

　　談睡眠

　　Lesson Eleven 　On Getting off to Sleep

　　人真是充滿矛盾啊！ 毫無疑問，幽默是惟一幫助我們擺脫矛盾的辦法，要是沒有它，我們就會死于煩惱。

　　What a bundle of contradictions is a man！ Surety， humour is the saving grace of us， for without it we should die of vexation.

　　在我看來，沒有什么比睡眠更能說明事物間的矛盾。

　　With me， nothing illustrates the contrariness of things better than the matter of sleep.

　　比如，我打算寫一篇文章，面前放好了筆、墨和幾張白紙，準保沒寫幾個字我就會困得要命，無論當時是幾點都會那樣。

　　If， for example， my intention is to write an essay， and 1 have before me ink and pens and several sheets of virgin paper， you may depend upon it that before I have gone very far I feel an overpowering desire for sleep， no matter what time of the day it is.

　　我瞪著那似乎在譴責我的白紙，直到眼前一片模糊，聲音也難以辨清，只有靠意志力才能勉強堅持。

　　I stare at the reproachfully blank paper until sights and sounds become dim and confused， and it is only by an effort of will that I can continue at all.

　　即使這時，我也會迷迷糊糊地像在做夢一樣繼續堅持工作。

　　Even then， I proceed half-heartedly， in a kind of dream.

　　但是當深夜躺在床上，我什么事都能干，只有睡覺無法做到。

　　But let me be between the sheets at a late hour， and I can do any-thing but sleep.

　　隨著時鐘一遍一遍的報時，我可以完成大量的文章。

　　Between chime and chime of the clock I can write essays by the score.

　　極有吸引力的主題和崇高的思想紛紛出現在腦海，隨之而來的還有恰如其分的意象和措辭。

　　Fascinating subjects and noble ideas come pell-mell， each with its appropriate imagery and expression.

　　除了筆、墨和紙，什么也不能阻止我寫出半打不朽的杰作。

　　Nothing stands between me and half-a-dozen imperishable masterpieces but pens， ink， and paper.

　　如果，我們的思想和主觀意象對于來世的人來說真的就像我們的書本和圖片一樣是有形的、摸得著的，那么我在來世會比在今生獲得更高的聲譽。

　　If it be true that our thoughts and mental images are perfectly tangible things， like our books and pictures， to the inhabitants of the next world， then I am making for myself a better reputation there than I am in