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美丽英文(哲理卷)-第8部分
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习嗣瞧毡榻邮埽獠徽弥っ髁苏庖坏懵穑课裁次颐亲苁窍Ｍ谧约旱木杭寄芰χ舛钔獾梅帜兀�
“哦，但是，”我的读者也许会说，“弱一些的参赛者希望额外得分是为了促使强者有更好的表现。”但我并不这样认为。也许有时候，一个强壮但虚荣的参赛者希望给弱者额外加分，以使他的胜利更为显著。但我并不认为这是一个极好的解释。前些天去参加网球锦标赛时，我就把想法说给大赛秘书听了。“为什么要设置这些无聊的障碍呢？为什么不让我们尽情发挥？”我问他。“因为，”他回答道，“如果不设置这些障碍，就没有好一点的玩家参赛了。”这不就是承认了我们大多数人没有意识到草草行事的真正价值，还要固执己见、自欺欺人吗？
草草行事的重要性（2）
然而，并不是只有像游戏这样的小事才可以草草了之。虽然很奇怪，但事实是，我们易于接受草草地做某些事情，却不能接受草草地去做另一些事情。在我们认为可以草草去做的事情中，我举演戏为例，尽管演戏同其他表演艺术一样，会因其短暂性而减弱，但如果达到顶峰，也可以认为是一门伟大的艺术，一种值得好好去做的事情。演戏可以影响人类多变的情感，这就是演员所创造的东西——我们所说的表演艺术家是指能影响人类情感的有创造性的艺术家——是观众内心深处的一种印象、情感和思想，这是无法记录的。
所以，我认为，演戏可以称得上是一种艺术，虽然我只是简单地拿出了我的论据。然而，是否有人因为演得不好而不允许进入业余的戏剧表演呢？从来没有！因为演戏就像我写这篇短文一样，是一种可以草草去做的事情。
另一种就是音乐。那句谚语的谬误在音乐上得到了验证。然而，不知为何，它在演戏上并没有得到验证。很多人认为如果他们不能唱出很动听的歌，不能很娴熟地弹奏钢琴或者小提琴、竖琴，那么，他们最好不要去做这些事情。我承认，他们不应该不加选择地把低劣的表演给公众或者他们的熟人看。但如果在家里也不能容忍这种低劣的音乐表演，这是我不赞成的。
没什么天赋的儿女，通过简单的歌声给她们的父母或不存在偏见的朋友带来快乐——这样的例子还少吗？然而有一天，这些小歌唱家开始因为不满足而苦恼。他们开始去学习音乐——如果他们资质平庸，性情温和——他们的局限就会暴露出来。十有八九，歌声就像一枚不值钱的硬币被抛在一边。有多少父亲为了鼓励女儿学歌而紧抓音乐不放？然而在教区音乐会上，她们可能会遭到打击。
在这里，我应该驻足观察一些奇怪的现象，有些人在画室或自家浴室从不唱歌，但在宗教集会或教堂里，他们会毫不犹豫地用那五音不全的嗓子放声高歌。我相信，要想回答这个问题，就得有一个完好的解释，但这属于神学的范畴，已经超出了我的研究范围。
“如果一件事值得去做，就应该好好去做”，这该死的说法就是导致个人生活极其匮乏的原因，从某种意义上讲，它也是公众生活水平降低的原因。这条谚语对资质平庸的人有两方面影响：它让资质平庸之辈不屑练习，而令资质超凡者为此付出很多，同时也将自己的思想强加给他人；它使人们疏于写作和写日记，同时也导致了本该锁在作者抽屉里的文集和日记的发表。
它导致了布兰克先生不去写诗——出于自娱自乐或与朋友的消遣，他可以写得很好。同时，它也致使德茜小姐为了她那些并不成功的模仿之作（模仿德拉梅尔先生、叶芝先生和布里奇斯博士）而去纠缠各个杂志社疲惫的编辑们。结果是，现在，我们整个国家的艺术生活存在着两方面的迫切需求：更多的业余爱好者从事艺术实践以及更高水平、更专业的艺术。只有达到这两个目标，我们才能获取心灵深处最美好的东西。
我认为，对我们来说，除去公民的职责，除去我们作为儿子、丈夫、父亲或者女儿、妻子、母亲的责任外，只有一件事情值得我们好好去做，值得我们全力以赴。这件事可以是写作、制造蒸汽机，也可以是砌砖块。除此之外，很多事我们都可以草草地去做，仅用我们一部分的精力，目的是为了放松自己或者触动自己的心灵。只有意识到这一点，人们才会幸福，才会满意，我们的家园才会更加美好。
我认为，有些事情草草去做可能比认真去做要好一些。比如钓鱼，其结果就是鱼儿被宰杀，一想到这些，钓鱼的乐趣就会荡然无存。当然，如果你既能钓到鱼又不去宰杀它，那就另当别论了。
草草行事的重要性（3）
■ 心灵小语
很多事我们都可以草草地去做，用我们一部分的精力，达到放松自己或者触动自己心灵的目的。只有意识到这一点，我们才会幸福，才会满意，我们的家园才会更加美好，更加令人愉悦！
The Importance of Doing Things Badly
Anonymous
I。 A。 Williams was born in England and educated at Cambridge。 After World War I he served as a correspondent for the London Times。 Williams wrote several books on eighteenth…century poetry and drama； published widely in journals and magazines； and published collections of his own poetry。 The following article first appeared in London’s The Outlook in 1923。
Perhaps the greatest threat to productivity in both work and play is the fear of doing things badly or wrong。 This article offers some fort。 Williams points out that there are many things worth doing badly； and that our lives are enriched and our personalities enhanced by these activities。 Two central examples； sports and music； are valuable to most people in proportion to how enthusiastically they do them； rather than how well。
Charles Lamb wrote a series of essays upon popular fallacies。 I do not； at the moment； carry them very clearly in my memory； but； unless that treacherous servant misleads me more even than she usually does； he did not write of one piece of proverbial so…called wisdom that has always seemed to me to be peculiarly pernicious。 And this saw； this scrap of specious advice； this untruth masquerading as logic； is one that I remember to have had hurled at my head at frequent intervals from my earliest youth right up to my present advanced age。 How many times have I not been told that “If a thing is worth doing at all； it is worth doing well”？
Never was there a more untruthful word spoken in earnest。 For the world is full of things that are worth doing； but certainly not worth doing well。 Was it not so great a sage as Herbert Spencer who said to the young man who had just beaten him at billiards； “Moderate skill； sir； is the sign of a good eye and a steady hand； but skill such as yours argues a youth misspent？” Is any game worth playing supremely well； at the price of constant practice and application？
Against the professional player I say nothing； he is a public entertainer； like any other； and by his skill in his particular sport he at least fulfills the first social duty of man—that of supporting himself and his family by his own legitimate exertions。 But what is to be said of the crack amateur？ To me he seems one of the most contemptible of mankind。 He earns no money； but devotes himself； for the mere selfish pleasure of the thing； to some game； which he plays day in day out； he breaks down the salutary distinction between the amateur and the professional； eventually his skill deserts him； and he leaves behind him nothing that is of service to his fellow men—not a brick laid； not an acre ploughed； not a line written； not even a family supported and educated by his labor。书 包 网 txt小说上传分享
草草行事的重要性（4）
It is true that he has provided entertainment for a certain number of persons； but he has never had the pluck to submit himself to the test by which we demand that every entertainer should justify his choice of a calling—the demonstration of the fact that the public is willing to pay him for his entertainment。 And； when his day is over； what is left； not even to the world； but to himself？ Nothing but a name that is at once forgotten； or is remembered by stout gentlemen in clubs。
The playing of games； certainly； is a thing which is not worth doing well。
But that does not prove that it is not worth doing at all； as the proverb would； by implication； persuade us。 There is nothing more agreeable and salutary than playing a game which one likes； and the circumstance of doing it badly interferes with the pleasure of no real devotee of any pastime。 The man who minds whether or not he wins is no true sportsman—which observation is trite； but the rule it implies is seldom observed； and paratively few people really play games for the sheer enjoyment of the playing。 Is this not proved by the prevalence and popularity of handicaps？ Why should we expect to be given points unless it be that we wish to win by means other than our own skill？
“Ah！ but；” my reader may say； “the weaker player wants to receive points in order that he may give the stronger one a better game。” Really； I do not believe that that is so。 Possible； sometimes； a strong and vainglorious player may wish to give points； in order that his victory may be the more notable。 But I do not think that even this is the true explanation。 That； I suspect； was given to me the other day by the secretary of a lawn…tennis tournament； in which I played。 “Why all this nonsense of handicaps？ Why not let us be squarely beaten； and done with it？” I asked him。 “Because；” He replied； “if we did not give handicaps； none of the less good players would enter。” Is that not a confession that the majority of us have both realized the true value doing a trivial thing badly； for its own sake； and must needs have our minds buoyed and cheated into a false sense of excellence？
Moreover it is not only such intrinsically trivial things as games that are worth doing badly。 This is a truth which； oddly enough； we accept freely of some things—but not of others—and as a thing which we are quite content to do will let me instance acting。 Acting； at its best； can be a great art； a thing worth doing supremely well； though its worth； like that of all interpretative arts； is lessened by its evanescence。 For it works in the impermanent medium of human flesh and blood； and the thing that the actor create—for what we call an interpretative artist is really a creative artist working in a perishable medium—is an impression upon； an emotion or a thought aroused in； the minds of an audience； and is incapable of record。 txt小说上传分享
草草行事的重要性（5）
Acting； then； let me postulate—though I have only sketched ever so briefly the proof of my belief—can be a great art。 But is anyone ever deterred from taking part in amateur theatricals by the consideration that he cannot act well？ Not a bit of it！ And quite rightly not； for acting is one of the things about which I am writing this essay—the things that are worth doing badly。
Another such thing is music； but here the proverbial fallacy again exerts its power； as it does not； for some obscure and unreasoning discrimination； in acting。 Most people seem to think that if they cannot sing； or play the piano； fiddle； or sackbut； admirably well； they must not do any of these things at all。 That they should not indiscriminately force their inferior performances upon the public； or even upon their acquaintances； I admit。 But that there is no place “in the home” for inferior musical performances； is an untruth that I flatly deny。
How many sons and daughters have not； with a very small talent； given their parents—and even the less fondly prejudiced ears of their friends—great pleasure with the singing of simple songs？ Then one day there es to the singer the serpent of dissatisfaction； singing lessons are taken； and—if the pupil is of moderate talent and modest disposition—limitations are discovered。 And then； in nine cases out of ten； the singing is dropped； like a hot penny。 How many fathers have not banished music from their homes by encouraging their daughters to take singing lessons？ Yet a home may be the fresher for singing that would deserve brickbats at a parish concert。
I may pause here to notice the curious exception that people who cannot on any account be persuaded to sing in the drawing…room； or even in the bath； will without hesitation uplift their tuneless voices at religious meetings or in church。 There is a perfectly good and honorable explanation of this； I believe； but it belongs to the realm of metaphysics and is beyond my present scope。
This cursed belief； that if a thing is worth doing at all； it is worth doing well； is the cause of a great impoverishment in our private life； and also； to some extent； of the lowering of standards in our public life。 For this tenet of proverbial faith has two effects on small talents： it leads modest persons not to exercise them at all； and immodest persons to attempt to do so too much and to force themselves upon the public。 It leads to the decay of letter…writing and of the keeping of diaries； and； as surely； it leads to the publication of memoirs and diaries that should remain locked in the writers’ desks。
It leads Mr。 Blank not to write verses at all—which he might very well do； for the sake of his own happiness； and for the amusement of his friends—and it leads Miss Dash to pester the overworked editors of various journals with her unsuccessful imitations of Mr。 de la Mare； Mr。 Yeats； and Dr。 ： A wider amateur practice o
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