Youth and Age
[英]羅伯特·路易斯·史蒂文森/Robert Louis Stevenson
在我們漸漸變老的過程中，一種平淡而緩慢的感覺替代了強烈的愛憎沉浮；同樣的感覺讓我們收斂自己的希望，撫慰我們的憂懼。如果說快樂能少幾分**，那麽煩惱也變得更加微不足道，更能夠忍受。總之，在這段時間裏，我們需要儲備一切，以備不時之需。在整個生命的曆程中，這段時間是最豐富多彩、最閑適、最幸福的。不僅如此，通過管理自己的行為，跟隨快樂的靈感而動，年輕人在竭盡全力賦予自己的時代以安逸的成分。充實、忙碌的青年時代是獨立、自由的晚年生活的前奏；那些不能完成這些的人，其晚年生活不可避免是令人厭煩的。這個世界上，約翰遜博士並不多，在64歲的時候才開始他們的第一次浪漫之旅。如果我們想要丈量勃朗峰，或是穿著潛水服潛水，或是坐著熱氣球升天，就必須趁著年輕去做，不要等到變得謹小慎微、腿腳不便的時候才想著去做。那樣的話，人們就會問我們：“怎麽這麽不安分？”無論是腦力還是體力上，青年時代都是周遊世界的時期。去領略不同國家的人文風情；去聆聽午夜的鍾聲；去觀看城市與鄉村的日出；去虔誠悔過；去統覽玄學，編寫牽強的詩句，跑遠路去看篝火，還為了給《艾那尼》喝彩而在劇院等上一天。
As we grow old， a sort of equable jog-trot of feeling is substituted for the violent ups and downs of passion and disgust； the same influence that restrains our hopes， quiets our apprehensions； if the pleasures are less intense， the troubles are milder and more tolerable； and in a word， this period for which we are asked to hoard up everything as for a time of famine， is， in its own right， the richest， easiest， and happiest of life. Nay， by managing its own work and following its own happy inspiration， youth is doing the best it can to endow the leisure of age. A full， busy youth is your only prelude to a self-contained and independent age； and the muff inevitably develops into the bore. There are not many Doctor Johnsons， to set forth upon their first romantic voyage at sixty-four. If we wish to scale Mont Blanc or go down in a diving dress or up in a balloon， we must be about it while we are still young. Itwill not do to delay until we are clogged with prudence and limping with rheumatism and people begin to ask us： "What does Gravity out of bed？" Youth is the time to go flashing from one end of the world to the other both in mind and body； to try the manners of different nations； to hear the chimes at midnight； to see sunrise in town and country； to be converted at a revival； to circumnavigate the metaphysics， write halting verses， run a mile to see a fire， and wait all day long in the theatre to applaud HERNANI.