[美國]威廉·福克納/William Faulkner
威廉·福克納（1897-1962），1949年諾貝爾文學獎得主。其文以人物心理的細微刻畫及複雜迂回的形式結構見長。因其兩度獲普利策獎，而贏得“美國偉大小說家”的美譽。本文是他獲得諾貝爾獎時發表的著名演說，文中勉勵作家必須提升自己的心靈，時時以愛、憐憫與犧牲來喚醒人類亙古的真理。
I feel that this award was not made to me as a man, but to my work-a life's work in the agony and sweat of the human spirit, not for glory and least of all for profit, but to create out of the materials of the human spirit something which did not exist before. So this award is only mine in trust. It will not be difficult to find a dedication for the money part of it commensurate with the purpose and significance of its origin. But I would like to do the same with the acclaim too, by using this moment as a pinnacle from which I might be listened to by the young men and women already dedicated to the same anguish and travail, among whom is already that one who will some day stand here where I am standing.
Our tragedy today is a general and universal physical fear so long sustained by now that we can even bear it. There are no longer problems of the spirit. There is only the question:When will I be blown up?Because of this, the young man or woman writing today has forgotten the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself which alone can make good writing because only that is worth writing about, worth the agony and the sweat.
He must learn them again. He must teach himself that the basest of all things is to be afraid;and, teaching himself that, forget it forever, leaving no room in his workshop for anything but the old verities and truths of the heart, the old universal truths lacking which any story is ephemeral and doomed-love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice.
我覺得這個獎並不是給我個人的，而是給我的工作——包含人類精神苦痛和掙紮的終生工作，不為榮耀，也絕不為任何利益，而是為了創造出人類精神中的某些事物——一些前所未有的事物。所以這個獎隻是暫時屬於我。為這份獎金找一篇與它原始目的及重要性相當的獻詞並不難。不過，我更願意在歡呼聲中做同樣的致謝，把這個激動人心的時刻獻給那些可能正在聆聽我講話的、同樣獻身於艱苦的文學事業的年輕男女們，這些人當中肯定有人將來會站在我現在站著的地方。
今天，我們的悲劇是一種全人類的肉體恐懼，它維持的時間之久——直到現在，以至於我們都可以忍受它了。那兒已經不再有精神上的問題，隻有這樣的問題：什麽時候我將被轟炸？因此，如今從事寫作的青年男女，已經忘卻人類精神自相矛盾衝突的問題，而隻有這個問題才能成就好的作品，因為隻有它才值得寫作，值得我們去經曆痛苦和掙紮。
人類必須再次學習它們。他必須使自己認識到，任何事物卑賤的底層都令人害怕。告訴自己，永遠忘記它，在自己的工作室裏不給任何東西留下位置，除了那些古老的真理和心靈的真實。如果這些古老、普遍的真理缺少了，任何故事都將瞬間消失——這些真理就是愛、榮耀、憐憫、自豪、同情和犧牲。
心靈小語
一直以來推動人類進步是什麽？大自然慷慨無私的饋贈嗎？日益先進的生產力嗎？富人的金子和窮人的勞動嗎？也許吧，但其中最核心的，一定是人類亙古常新的美德。
詞匯筆記
agony['?ɡ?ni]n.極大的痛苦
In an agony of suspense and fear, I waited for the verdict.
我在懸疑和恐懼的痛苦中等待著判決。
dedication[,dedi'kei??n]n.（書等作品上的）題詞；獻詞
The dedication lay on top and handy, so by and by I unconsciously stole it.
那獻詞浮在最上麵，信手就可拈來，於是不知不覺地，我就把它偷來了。
verity['veriti]n.真實；事實；真理；真實的陳述
The"verity"concept of western painting has experienced thousands of years'evolution, during which its connotation and extension are improving continuously.
西方繪畫藝術的“真”的概念在數千年的嬗變中，其內涵和外延不斷豐富。
ephemeral[i'fem?r?l]adj.短暫的；瞬息的
Humans born into the world are like ephemeral insects on an old tree, like a drop of water in the ocean.
人生天地間，就好比蜉蝣之於老椿，滴水之於大海。
小試身手
我們的悲劇是一種全人類的肉體恐懼。
_____________________________________
如今從事寫作的青年男女，已經忘卻人類精神自相矛盾衝突的問題，而隻有這個問題才能成就好的作品。
_____________________________________
任何事物卑賤的底層都令人害怕。
_____________________________________
短語家族
It will not be difficult to find a dedication for the money part of it commensurate with the purpose and significance of its origin.
commensurate with：與……相應；與……相當
_____________________________________
There is only the question:When will I be blown up?
blow up：爆發；爆炸
_____________________________________