二十年来,我的生活费中至少十分之一二是消耗在书上的。我的房子里比较贵重的东西就是书。
In the
recent 20 years or so, one tenth to two tenths of my living cost
falls to books. In my house, books are comparatively the
valuables.
我一向没有对于任何问题作高深研究的野心,因之所以买的书范围较广,宗教、艺术、文学、社会、哲学、历史、生物,各方面差不多都有一点。最多的是各国文学名著的译本,与本国古来的诗文集,别的门类只是些概论等类的入门书而已。我不喜欢向别人或图书馆借书。借来的书,在我好像过不来瘾似的,必要是自己买的才满足。这也可谓是一种占有的欲望。买到了几册新书,一册一册在加盖藏书印记,我最感到快悦的是这时候。
I don’t have
the ambition of thorough study in any special fields at all, so the
content of books I buy are of a wide variety of ranges, they are
about religion, literature, society, history, biology, only to name
a few. The most of my book collection are the translated Chinese
versions of literature classics of different countries, as well as
collections of Chinese poems. Books of other categories are merely
introductions to the related theories in respective fields. I am
not into borrowing books from others, neither am I a fan of
libraries. Books borrowed, as to me, just couldn’t bring me the
enthusiasm to read, while the books I owned could only be
satisfying. This can be regarded as a desire of possession. After
buying new books, I find printing my own symbols on them the most
joyful moment for me.
书籍到了我的手里,我的习惯是先看序文,次看目录。页数不多的往往立刻通读,篇幅大的,只把正文任择一二章节略加翻阅,就插在书架上。除小说外,我少有全体读完的大部的书,只凭了购入当时的记忆,知道某册书是何种性质,其中大概有些什么可取的材料而已。什么书在什么时候再去读再去翻,连我自己也无把握,完全要看一个时期一个时期的兴趣。关于这事,我常自比为古时的皇帝,而把插在架上的书籍诸列屋而居的宫女。
When having
a new book, I used to read the preface firstly, then the table of
content. I only read the books with shorter content after that, and
as of the longer ones, just 1 or 2 chapters are carefully read
before put away on the shelf. I almost never finish a book, except
novels. Only thanks to the recollections of the content when I buy
them can I know what they are about, and what I can get from them
when I may need to read them. As for when I will read them, that’s
a question I can’t answer myself. The decision base on in what I am
interested at different times of my life. In this aspect, I often
see myself as an Emperor of the old times, who had a number of
concubines in the palace, just as I have a number of books on my
shelf.
我虽爱买书,而对于书却不甚爱惜。读书的时候,常在书上把我认为要紧的处所标出。线装书竟用红铅笔划粗粗的线。经我看过的书,统体干净的很少。据说,任何爱吃糖果的人,只要叫他到糖果铺中去做事,见了糖果就会生厌。自我入书店以后,对于书的贪念也已消除了不少了,可不免要故态复萌,想买这种,想买那种。这大概因为糖果要用嘴去吃,摆存毫无意义,而书则可以买了不看,任其只管插在架上的缘故吧。
As much as I
love books, I never deal with them carefully. I used to make marks
where I regard important when reading. So the papers in many
string-attached books are often filled with my red bold remarks.
Books are hardly clean after me reading. Candy-lovers are said to
begin hate candies when they work in a candy shop. Since I found I
job in a bookstore, my enthusiasm about books are in much wane. But
sometimes due to crush I want to buy all kinds of books again. The
difference maybe lies in that to enjoy a candy you need to eat it,
and it makes no sense when you just buy candies can put them away
in store. However, with books, you can buy them without reading
them, and put them away high in a shelf.
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