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卷十 一〇、读托尔斯泰《安娜传》


  (七月十日)

  连日读托尔斯泰(Lyof N. Tolstoi)所著小说《安娜传》(Anna Karenina)。此书为托氏名著。其书结构颇似《石头记》,布局命意都有相似处,惟《石头记》稍不如此书之逼真耳。《安娜传》甚不易读;其所写皆家庭及社会纤细琐事,至千二百页之多,非有耐心,不能终卷。此书写俄国贵族社会之淫奢无耻,可谓铸鼎照奸。书中主人李问(Levin),盖托氏自写生也。其人由疑而复归于信仰。一日闻一田夫之言,忽大解悟,知前此种种思虑疑问都归无用,天国不远,即在心中,何必外求?此托氏之宗教哲学也。其说亦有不完处,他日当详论之。

  托氏写人物之长处类似莎士比亚,其人物如安娜,如李问夫妇,如安娜之夫,皆亦善亦恶,可褒可贬。正如莎氏之汉姆勒特王子,李耳王,倭色罗诸人物,皆非完人也。迭更司写生,褒之欲超之九天,贬之欲坠诸深渊:此一法也。萨克雷(Thackeray)写生则不然,其书中人物无一完全之好人,亦无一不可救药之恶人,如Vanity Fair(《名利场》)中之Rebecca Sharp(丽贝卡·夏普)诸人:此又一法也。以经历实际证之,吾从其后者,托氏亦主张此法者也。

  托氏主张绝对的不抗柜主义者也(道义的抗拒)。惟此书主人李问之言曰:

  Well, my theory is this: war, on the one hand, is such a terrible, such an atrocious thing that no man, at least no Christian man has the right to assume the responsibility of beginning it; but it belongs to government alone, when it becomes inevitable. On the other hand, both in law and in common sense, where there are state questions, and above all in matters concerning war, private citizens have no right to use their own wills. (Vol. Ⅲ, p. 381)

  〔中译〕

  那么,吾之理论是这样:一方面,战争是如此之可怕,又如此之残酷;没有人,至少是没有一个耶教徒,有权利承担挑起战争之责任;可是,当战争不可避免地发生时,其责任则当在政府。另一方面,在法律上,在常识上,平民百姓皆无权使其自己之意志对国家事务,尤其是有关战争之事务产生影响。(第三卷,第三八一页)

  则托氏著书时,犹未全臻不抗拒之境也,李问之兄问曰:

  Suppose you were walking in the street, and saw a drunken man beating a woman or a child. I think you would not stop to ask whether war had been declared on such a man before you attacked him and protected the object of his fury.

  〔中译〕

  假设汝正走在街上,看见一个醉汉正在殴打一位妇女,或是一个小孩。吾想,在汝拔刀相助以便保护受害者之前,汝决不会先停下来,去追究一下汝是否已对此人宣战。

  李问答曰:

  "No; but I should not kill him." "Yes,you might even kill." "I don't know. If I saw such a sight, I might yield to the immediate feeling. I cannot tell how it would be. But in oppression of the Slavs, there is not, and cannot be, such a powerful motive."

  〔中译〕

  “不会的;但是吾不会把他杀死。”“是的,可也许会杀了他。”“吾说不准。倘若吾看见如此之场景,吾也许会一时冲动。吾实在不知道后果将会是怎样。然而,在斯拉夫人之压迫之下,就没有,也不可能有,如此强大之冲动。”

  则托氏此时尚持两端也。


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