雙語散文:人格是最高的學位大綱

很多年前，有一位學大提琴的年輕人去向20世紀最偉大的大提琴家卡薩爾斯討教：我怎樣才能成爲一名優秀的大提琴家？卡薩爾斯面對雄心勃勃的年輕人，意味深長地回答：先成爲優秀而大寫的人，然後成爲一名優秀而大寫的音樂人，再然後就會成爲一名優秀的大提琴家。 (翻譯備註: “大寫” 在這裏的意思是有品格, 做人堂堂正正)
Many years ago, a young man learning cello went to Casals, the greatest cellist in the 20th century, for advice: how can I become an excellent cellist? Seeing such an ambitious young man standing in front, Casals answered emotionally: you should first learn to be an excellent and good-virtue man, then learn to be an excellent and good-virtue musician, and finally become an excellent and good-virtue cellist.

聽到這個故事的時候，我還年少，對老人回答中所透露出的含義理解不多。然而，在以後的工作生涯中，隨着採訪接觸的人越來越多，這個回答在我腦海中便越印越深。
When I first learnt this story, I was still too young to interpret the essence of Casals’ remarks. But now, with my treating with more and more people in my work, his remarks become increasingly impressive in my mind.

在採訪北大教授季羨林的時候，我聽到一個關於他的真實故事。有一年秋天，北大新學期開學，一個外地來的學子揹着大包小包走進了校園，實在太累了，就把包放在路邊。這時正好一位老人走來，年輕學子就拜託老人替自己看一下包，自己則輕裝去辦理手續。老人爽快地答應了。近一個小時過去，學子歸來，老人還在盡職盡責地看守着。學子謝過老人，兩人分別。幾日後北大舉行開學典禮，這位年輕的學子驚訝地發現，主席臺上就座的北大副校長季羨林，正是那一天替自己看行李的老人。
When I interviewed Ji Xianlin, a renowned professor in Peking University, he told me one of his true stories. In the autumn of one year, a new semester began and a student from other province was carrying tons of luggage on campus. After a while, he felt very tired and put his luggage by the road. At that moment, an old man was walking towards him. The student asked the old man to help him take care of his luggage for a while and he went to deal with the admission formalities. The old man promised without the least hesitation. After almost one hour, the student came back and saw the old man still keeping an eye on his luggage responsibly. He thanked the old man sincerely and they parted Later. After several days, the school was holding the opening ceremony and the student astonishingly found that the vice-president of Peking University, Ji Xianlin, was exactly the old man who helped him take care of his luggage!

我不知道這位學子當時是一種怎樣的心情，但我聽過這個故事之後卻強烈地感覺到：人格纔是最高的學位。後來，我又在醫院採訪了世紀老人冰心。我問她：您現在最關心的是什麼？老人的回答簡單而感人：是老年病人的狀況。
I cannot imagine how the student felt at that time, but for myself, after hearing this story, I strongly felt that good personality is the highest degree in our lives. Later, I had the chance to interview the almost century-old famous writer in China, Bing Xin. I asked her, “What is the greatest concern you are having now?” She gave me a simple but deeply touching answer, “The condition of the sick old people.”

當時的冰心已接近自己人生的終點，而這位在“五.四運動”中走上文學之路的老人，對芸芸衆生的關愛之情歷經80年的歲月而仍然未老。這又該是怎樣的一種傳統！
At that time, Bing Xin was approaching the end of life, but this old lady, who had been working hard in literature writing after the “May Fourth Movement” (the first anti-imperialist, cultural, and political movement taking place on May 4th, 1919), had not reduced the least of her love and concern towards the people. What a great virtue it is!

冰心的身軀並不強壯，然而她這生卻用自己當筆，拿歲月當稿紙，寫下了一篇關於愛是一種力量的文章，在離去之後給我們留下了一個偉大的背影。
Bing Xin was not physically sound, but she set herself as an example by composing numerous real moving stories that are diffusing fragrance of love, leaving us a grand profile after she went to the Heaven.

當你有機會和經過“五.四”或受過“五.四”影響的老人接觸，你就知道，歷史和傳統其實一直離我們很近。這些世紀老人身上所獨具的人格魅力是不是也該作爲一種傳統被我們延續下去呢？
If you have chances to communicate with those old people who have gone through the “May Fourth Movement” or who have been affected by this movement, you will perceive that history and tradition are very close to us indeed. Those sparking virtues and personalities embodied by these people should be well worth our learning and inheriting from generation to generation.

不久前，我在北大又聽到一個有關季先生的清新而感人的新故事。一批剛剛走進校園的年輕人，相約去看季羨林先生，走到門口，卻開始猶豫，他們怕冒失地打擾了先生，最後決定每人用竹子在季老家門口的地上留下問候的話語，然後才滿意地離去。
Before long, I heard another fresh and touching story about Ji Xianlin in Peking University. A group of freshmen made an appointment to visit Ji. But when they got Ji’s house, they felt worried that their visit might disturb his work. Finally, all of them used a bamboo stick to write their best wishes to Ji on the ground by the door and then left satisfactorily.

這該是怎樣美麗的一幅畫面！在季老家不遠，是北大的伯雅塔在未名湖中留下的投影，而在季老家門口的問候語中，是不是也有先生的人格魅力在學子心中留下的投影呢？
What a beautiful picture it is! Not far from Ji’s home is the famous Weiming Lake in Peking University, and the Boya Pagoda standing by the lake was mirrored by the water. Those wishes from students also reflected the grand profile of Ji embedded in students’ hearts.

聽多了這樣的故事，便常常覺得自己像只氣球，彷彿飛得很高，仔細一看卻是被浮雲託着；外表看上去也還飽滿，但肚子裏卻是空空。這樣想着就不免有些擔心：這樣怎麼能走更長的路呢？於是，“渴望老年”四個字，對於我就不再是幻想中的白髮蒼蒼或身份證上改成60歲，而是如何在自己還年輕的時候，能吸取優秀老人身上所具有的種種優秀品質。於是，我也更加知道了卡薩爾斯回答中所具有的深義。怎樣才能成爲一個優秀的主持人呢？心中有個聲音在回答：先成爲一個優秀的人，然後成爲一個優秀的新聞人，再然後就會成爲一名優秀的節目主持人。
Having heard so many stories like this, I just feel I am like a balloon, which is seemingly flying high but is actually upheld by the cloud, and which is seemingly “full” but actually very “empty”. Then I could not help feeling concerned: how can I go better in the long way of my life in the future? Then I would no longer yearn for getting old to accumulate experience, but yearn for learning all the virtues and great personalities in those great minds. So now, I think I have a far better understanding of Casals’ remarks. For me, how can I become a super host in CCTV? The answer echoing in my heart is: you should first learn to be an excellent and good-virtue man, then learn to be an excellent and good-virtue journalist, and finally become an excellent and good-virtue host of TV programs!

（作者: 白巖鬆 譯者: 愛爾蘭都柏林大學 賴小琪）