[转载]林语堂 译 李渔·《贫贱行乐之法》

How to Be Happy Through Poor

Li Liweng

 林语堂 译

The art of being happy through poor consists in one phrase, to think “it could be worse.” I am poor and humble but there are people poorer and more humble than myself. I have a big family to support, but there are people living alone and without children, and widows and orphans. I have to work hard on a farm, but there are people without a farm, or who would rather work hard on their farm like me but cannot because they are sitting in jail. It is a way of thinking, or of looking at it. The same situation may look like hell to one and like paradise to another. On the other hand, always to want to compare oneself with one’s betters will breed a state of mind conducive only to one’s own misery.

I remember the story of a high official who was traveling abroad. It was summer and his bed was full of mosquitoes inside the net. He thought of his own spacious hall at home, where the summer mat was cooling to the body and many maids would attend to his comforts. The more he thought, the more miserable he felt. He was not able to sleep a wink. Then he saw a man walking about in the court of the inn, seemingly quite happy with himself. He was puzzled and inquired how he seemed to be so happy with the mosquitoes around and was not bothered at all. The man replied, “I once had an enemy and was put in jail. It was summer and the jail was full of vermin. But my hands and feet were tied to prevent me from escape. It was terrible to be bitten by insects and mosquitoes and not be able to do anything about it. There are mosquitoes now. But I move about and they can’t touch me. In fact, it makes me happy to feel just the freedom of the limbs alone.” The man saw one side of it and the other man saw the other side. The rich man felt quite lost when he heard the story.

李渔·《贫贱行乐之法》

穷人行乐之方，无他秘巧，亦止有退一步法。我以为贫，更有贫于我者；我以为贱，更有贱于我者；我以妻子为累，尚有鳏寡孤独之民，求为妻子之累而不能者；我以胼胝为劳，尚有身系狱廷，荒芜田地，求安耕凿之生而不可得者。以此居心，则苦海尽成乐地。如或向前一算，以胜己者相衡，则片刻难安，种种桎梏幽囚之境出矣。一显者旅宿邮亭，时方溽暑，帐内多蚊，驱之不出，因忆家居时堂宽似宇，簟冷如冰，又有群姬握扇而挥，不复知其为夏，何遽困厄至此！因怀至乐，愈觉心烦，遂致终夕不寐。一亭长露宿阶下，为众蚊所啮，几至露筋，不得已而奔走庭中，俾四体动而弗停，则啮人者无由厕足；乃形则往来仆仆，口则赞叹嚣嚣，一似苦中有乐者。显者不解，呼而讯之，谓：“汝之受困，什伯于我，我以为苦，而汝以为乐，其故维何？”亭长曰：“偶忆某年，为仇家所陷，身系狱中。维时亦当暑月，狱卒防予私逸，每夜拘挛手足，使不得动摇，时蚊蚋之繁，倍于今夕，听其自啮，欲稍稍规避而不能，以视今夕之奔走不息，四体得以自如者，奚啻仙凡人鬼之别乎！以昔较今，是以但见其乐，不知其苦。”显者听之，不觉爽然自失。