今天是世界读书日。 1995年，联合国教科文组织把每年的4月23日定为了世界图书与版权日，又称作世界读书日。这个节日是鼓励大家更多地参与阅读和写作。我本人很喜欢这个节日，因为它提醒我在这一天可以安静地坐下来，休闲地读一会儿书。在读书日，让我们温习一下培根的经典之作《论读书》吧。我以前读过许多翻译版本都感觉有些咬文嚼字，这里是通俗一点的解释，诚邀共赏。
Of Study by Francis Bacon
论读书 译者： 叶子 （奥斯汀新生活）
论读书 译者： 叶子 （奥斯汀新生活）
STUDIES serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. Their chief use for delight is in privateness and retiring; for ornament, is in discourse; and for ability, is in the judgment, and disposition of business. For expert men can execute, and perhaps judge of particulars, one by one; but the general counsels, and the plots and marshalling of affairs, come best, from those that are learned.
读书可以陶冶情操，增加人格魅力和增长才干。陶冶情操的意思就是在你独处幽居的时候，可以怡然自得；增加人格魅力的意思就是在你和朋友们高谈阔论的时候可以才气横溢；所谓增长才干的意思就是在你处事为人时可以表现得睿智练达。对于行家里手，读书可以帮助他们事无巨细地明断是非；对于运筹帷幄的谋士，读书可以让他们纵观全局、通盘策划和力排众议。
To spend too much time in studies is sloth; to use them too much for ornament, is affectation; to make judgment wholly by their rules, is the humor of a scholar. They perfect nature, and are perfected by experience: for natural abilities are like natural plants, that need proyning, by study; and studies themselves, do give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience.
用很多时间读书而不思考和学以致用是懒惰的表现；读了一点点书就四处炫耀就是虚荣做作；如果一个学者只会完全用自己的标准做判断，那么就显得可笑了。读书可以弥补我们天生知识的匮乏，读书学到的知识也需要在我们的实践中得到完善：这就好比自然中的花草需要适当的修剪一样，我们与生俱来的本事也需要通过学习来充实，而学习本身也需要我们在实践中不断地修正。
Crafty men contemn studies, simple men admire them, and wise men use them; for they teach not their own use; but that is a wisdom without them, and above them, won by observation. Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider.
耍小聪明的人看不起读书，浅薄的人羡慕读书，睿智的人则是可以有效地利用读书（学以致用）。睿智的人所学的决不仅仅局限于书本上的那一点点知识，而是书中讲述的道理和智慧，更重要的是在自己的实践中去印证智慧。在读书的时候，一方面不要一味地批判和寻找作者的错误，另一方面也不要盲目相信书上的所有言论，更不要只是找一些可以引经据典的谈资。正确的方法是推敲和理解作者的思想。
Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention. Some books also may be read by deputy, and extracts made of them bothers; but that would be only in the less important arguments and the meaner sort of books, else distilled books are like common distilled waters, flashy things.
读书时，（不同的书可以有不同的读法），有的书可以浅尝辄止，有的可以就只了解其中心的意思，而有的则需要精敲细琢，细细体味。换而言之，有的书可以只挑些章节读一读，有的书可以泛读，而有的书就需要全神贯注，孜孜不倦。有的书甚至可以请人代读而你只看摘要，但这只限于题材通泛或价值不高的书，否则好书经过提炼就好比矿泉水经过蒸馏，水质自然变得淡而无味了。
Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man. And therefore, if a man write little, he had need have a great memory; if he confer little, he had need have a present wit: and if he read little, he had need have much cunning, to seem to know, that he doth not.
读书让人变得知识渊博，辩论让人变得机敏，把学到的东西写出来则让人变得更加精准。因此，写得少的人，必须要有很好的记忆；平时辩论少的人，就必须天资聪颖；读书读得少的人，就要欺世有术，不懂装懂了。
Histories make men wise; poets witty; the mathematics subtitle; natural philosophy deep; moral grave; logic and rhetoric able to contend.
（这句王佐良先生翻译得太经典了，在这里不做改动。）“读史使人明智，读诗使人灵秀，数学使人周密，科学使人深刻，伦理学使人庄重，逻辑修辞之学使人善辩：凡有所学，皆成性格。”
Abeunt studia in mores. Nay, there is no stand or impediment in the wit, but may be wrought out by fit studies; like as diseases of the body, may have appropriate exercises. Bowling is good for the stone and reins; shooting for the lungs and breast; gentle walking for the stomach; riding for the head; and the like. So if a man's wit be wandering, let him study the mathematics; for in demonstrations, if his wit be called away never so little, he must begin again. If his wit be not apt to distinguish or find differences, let him study the Schoolmen; for they are cymini sectors. If he be not apt to beat over matters, and to call up one thing to prove and illustrate another, let him study the lawyers' cases. So every defect of the mind may have a special receipt.
读书造就性格。不仅如此，适当得读书还可以疏导心灵的障碍；这就好比人身体里得的疾病可以通过运动来消除一样：打保龄球益于腰肾，射击益于胸肺，慢走益于肠胃，骑马益于大脑等等。因此，如果一个人的注意力分散，那么就让他学习数学；数理推演必须全神贯注，稍有分心就要从头开始；如果一个人的缺乏辨别力，那么就让他学习哲学；这个学科的人都要会吹毛求疵；如果一个人不善于事务处理和旁征博引的阐述事物，那么就让他学习法律。由此可见，心智上的各种欠缺都是可以通过各种读书学习来予以改善的。
（译文结束）
英文Study的确切翻译是学习，从培根的时代出发，我们可以将其翻译为读书。然而，时至当下，我们学习的方式已经更加多样化了。上网，看视频和听书等等新的方式都可以和读书一起帮助我们获取知识。然而，培根所谈到的获取知识的意义和方法还是值得我们今天学习和借鉴的。
读书可以陶冶情操，增加人格魅力和增长才干。陶冶情操的意思就是在你独处幽居的时候，可以怡然自得；增加人格魅力的意思就是在你和朋友们高谈阔论的时候可以才气横溢；所谓增长才干的意思就是在你处事为人时可以表现得睿智练达。对于行家里手，读书可以帮助他们事无巨细地明断是非；对于运筹帷幄的谋士，读书可以让他们纵观全局、通盘策划和力排众议。
To spend too much time in studies is sloth; to use them too much for ornament, is affectation; to make judgment wholly by their rules, is the humor of a scholar. They perfect nature, and are perfected by experience: for natural abilities are like natural plants, that need proyning, by study; and studies themselves, do give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience.
用很多时间读书而不思考和学以致用是懒惰的表现；读了一点点书就四处炫耀就是虚荣做作；如果一个学者只会完全用自己的标准做判断，那么就显得可笑了。读书可以弥补我们天生知识的匮乏，读书学到的知识也需要在我们的实践中得到完善：这就好比自然中的花草需要适当的修剪一样，我们与生俱来的本事也需要通过学习来充实，而学习本身也需要我们在实践中不断地修正。
Crafty men contemn studies, simple men admire them, and wise men use them; for they teach not their own use; but that is a wisdom without them, and above them, won by observation. Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider.
耍小聪明的人看不起读书，浅薄的人羡慕读书，睿智的人则是可以有效地利用读书（学以致用）。睿智的人所学的决不仅仅局限于书本上的那一点点知识，而是书中讲述的道理和智慧，更重要的是在自己的实践中去印证智慧。在读书的时候，一方面不要一味地批判和寻找作者的错误，另一方面也不要盲目相信书上的所有言论，更不要只是找一些可以引经据典的谈资。正确的方法是推敲和理解作者的思想。
Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention. Some books also may be read by deputy, and extracts made of them bothers; but that would be only in the less important arguments and the meaner sort of books, else distilled books are like common distilled waters, flashy things.
读书时，（不同的书可以有不同的读法），有的书可以浅尝辄止，有的可以就只了解其中心的意思，而有的则需要精敲细琢，细细体味。换而言之，有的书可以只挑些章节读一读，有的书可以泛读，而有的书就需要全神贯注，孜孜不倦。有的书甚至可以请人代读而你只看摘要，但这只限于题材通泛或价值不高的书，否则好书经过提炼就好比矿泉水经过蒸馏，水质自然变得淡而无味了。
Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man. And therefore, if a man write little, he had need have a great memory; if he confer little, he had need have a present wit: and if he read little, he had need have much cunning, to seem to know, that he doth not.
读书让人变得知识渊博，辩论让人变得机敏，把学到的东西写出来则让人变得更加精准。因此，写得少的人，必须要有很好的记忆；平时辩论少的人，就必须天资聪颖；读书读得少的人，就要欺世有术，不懂装懂了。
Histories make men wise; poets witty; the mathematics subtitle; natural philosophy deep; moral grave; logic and rhetoric able to contend.
（这句王佐良先生翻译得太经典了，在这里不做改动。）“读史使人明智，读诗使人灵秀，数学使人周密，科学使人深刻，伦理学使人庄重，逻辑修辞之学使人善辩：凡有所学，皆成性格。”
Abeunt studia in mores. Nay, there is no stand or impediment in the wit, but may be wrought out by fit studies; like as diseases of the body, may have appropriate exercises. Bowling is good for the stone and reins; shooting for the lungs and breast; gentle walking for the stomach; riding for the head; and the like. So if a man's wit be wandering, let him study the mathematics; for in demonstrations, if his wit be called away never so little, he must begin again. If his wit be not apt to distinguish or find differences, let him study the Schoolmen; for they are cymini sectors. If he be not apt to beat over matters, and to call up one thing to prove and illustrate another, let him study the lawyers' cases. So every defect of the mind may have a special receipt.
读书造就性格。不仅如此，适当得读书还可以疏导心灵的障碍；这就好比人身体里得的疾病可以通过运动来消除一样：打保龄球益于腰肾，射击益于胸肺，慢走益于肠胃，骑马益于大脑等等。因此，如果一个人的注意力分散，那么就让他学习数学；数理推演必须全神贯注，稍有分心就要从头开始；如果一个人的缺乏辨别力，那么就让他学习哲学；这个学科的人都要会吹毛求疵；如果一个人不善于事务处理和旁征博引的阐述事物，那么就让他学习法律。由此可见，心智上的各种欠缺都是可以通过各种读书学习来予以改善的。
（译文结束）
英文Study的确切翻译是学习，从培根的时代出发，我们可以将其翻译为读书。然而，时至当下，我们学习的方式已经更加多样化了。上网，看视频和听书等等新的方式都可以和读书一起帮助我们获取知识。然而，培根所谈到的获取知识的意义和方法还是值得我们今天学习和借鉴的。
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