Unit 8
Unit 8
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Audio
Text&Translation
One of the major pleasures in life is appetite, and one of our major duties should be to preserve it. Appetite is the keenness of living; it is one of the senses that tells you that you are still curious to exist, that you still have an edge on your longings and want to bite into the world and taste its multitudinous flavours and juices.
人生一大乐事即为拥有热望，而我们的一大责任便是呵护这份热望。热望是鲜活的生命力，它如一种知觉，提醒你依然对存在充满好奇，你的向往依然锐利，你仍渴望啃食世界这枚果实，品尝其万千滋味。
By appetite, of course, I don't mean just the lust for food, but any condition of unsatisfied desire, any burning in the blood that proves you want more than you've got, and that you haven't yet used up your life. Wilde said he felt sorry for those who never got their heart's desire, but sorrier still for those who did. I got mine once only, and it nearly killed me, and I've always preferred wanting to having since.
我所说的热望，自然不单指口腹之欲，更是指任何未获满足的渴求，任何热血深处燃烧的激情——它证明你贪恋更多，生命尚未耗尽。王尔德曾言，他为那些从未得偿所愿之人惋惜，更为那些得偿所愿之人悲叹。我亦曾一度得偿所愿，却险些为此殒命，自此而后，我便宁愿追寻，不愿拥有。
For appetite, to me, is this state of wanting, which keeps one's expectations alive. I remember learning this lesson long ago as a child, when treats and orgies were few, and when I discovered that the greatest pitch of happiness was not in actually eating a toffee but in gazing at it beforehand. True, the first bite was delicious, but once the toffee was gone one was left with nothing, neither toffee nor lust. Besides, the whole toffeeness of toffees was imperceptibly diminished by the gross act of having eaten it. No, the best was in wanting it, in sitting and looking at it, when one tasted an inexhaustible treasure-house of flavours.
于我而言，热望便是这企盼的状态，它使期待永葆鲜活。犹记孩提时便已领悟此中道理。那时，美食与盛筵皆属难得，我发现，幸福的极致并非真正吃到太妃糖，而在于品尝前对它的凝望与遐思。诚然，第一口香甜无比，可一旦糖已下肚，便空余失落，糖与热望皆不复存。况且，太妃糖的全部“糖之本味”，也在吞食这一粗行为中，不着痕迹地打了折扣。不，最美妙的还是渴求，是静坐凝视，那时，人便能品出无穷无尽的滋味宝藏。
So, for me, one of the keenest pleasures of appetite remains in the wanting, not the satisfaction. In wanting a peach, or a whisky, or a particular texture or sound, or to be with a particular friend. For in this condition, of course, I know that the object of desire is always at its most flawlessly perfect. Which is why I would carry the preservation of appetite to the extent of deliberate fasting, simply because I think that appetite is too good to lose, too precious to be bludgeoned into insensibility by satiation and over-doing it.
是以，于我，热望最极致的欢愉在于渴慕，而非满足。渴慕一颗蜜桃，一杯威士忌，一种独特的质感或声响，抑或与某位知己相伴。因为在此境遇中，我深知，欲望的客体总是完美无瑕。正因如此，我愿将对热望的珍视推至刻意断食的程度，只因我认为，热望如此美好，不应失去；如此珍贵，不容其因饱足与放纵而变得麻木不仁。
For that matter, I don't really want three square meals a day—I want one huge, delicious, orgiastic, table-groaning blow-out, say every four days, and then not be too sure where the next one is coming from. A day of fasting is not for me just a puritanical device for denying oneself a pleasure, but rather a way of anticipating a rare moment of supreme indulgence.
就此而言，我其实不想要一日三餐的墨守成规——我渴盼的是一场饕餮盛宴，大约每隔四日一次，要丰盛华美，酣畅淋漓，食物满桌，令人垂涎；而后，下一餐在何处，尚不必知晓。一日断食，于我并非清教徒式克制享乐的手段，而是对那珍稀的极致放纵时刻的殷殷期盼。
Fasting is an act of homage to the majesty of appetite. So I think we should arrange to give up our pleasures regularly—our food, our friends, our lovers—in order to preserve their intensity, and the moment of coming back to them. For this is the moment that renews and refreshes both oneself and the thing one loves. Sailors and travelers enjoyed this once, and so did hunters, I suppose. Part of the weariness of modern life may be that we live too much on top of each other, and are entertained and fed too regularly. Once we were separated by hunger both from our food and families, and then we learned to value both. The men went off hunting, and the dogs went with them; the women and children waved goodbye. The cave was empty of men for days on end; nobody ate, or knew what to do. The women crouched by the fire, the wet smoke in their eyes; the children wailed; everybody was hungry. Then one night there were shouts and the barking of dogs from the hills, and the men came back loaded with meat. This was the great reunion, and everybody gorged themselves silly, and appetite came into its own; the long-awaited meal became a feast to remember and an almost sacred celebration of life. Now we go off to the office and come home in the evenings to cheap chicken and frozen peas. Very nice, but too much of it, too easy and regular, served up without effort or wanting. We eat, we are lucky, our faces are shining with fat, but we don't know the pleasure of being hungry any more.
断食，是向热望之崇高庄严的致敬。故而，窃以为，我们应有计划地规律放弃自己的乐趣——美食、挚友、爱侣——以保持其浓烈，以及与它们重逢的瞬间。因为正是这一刻，焕新了我们自身，也焕新了我们所爱的事物。水手与旅人曾享有此乐，想来猎人亦然。现代生活的倦怠，部分原因或许在于我们彼此相处过密，享乐与饮食又过于规律。曾几何时，饥饿将我们与食物、与家人隔开，于是我们学会了珍惜两者。男人们外出狩猎，猎犬相随；妇孺挥手作别。洞穴中一连数日没有男人；无人进食，人人茫然。女人们蜷在火边，湿烟熏眼；孩子们哀哭不止；饥饿笼罩众人。忽一夜，山间传来呼喊与犬吠，男人们满载猎物归来。这便是盛大的重逢，人人狼吞虎咽，尽情欢宴，热望于此刻淋漓展现；这久盼的一餐，成为铭记于心的盛筵，近乎神圣的生命礼赞。如今，我们上班下班，傍晚回家面对的是廉价鸡肉和速冻青豆。固然不错，却失于泛滥，唾手可得，规律刻板，无需费力，也无甚渴求。我们饱食终日，面容滋润，却再也不知饥饿的乐趣了。
Too much of anything—too much music, entertainment, happy snacks, or time spent with one's friends—creates a kind of impotence of living by which one can no longer hear, or taste, or see, or love, or remember. Life is short and precious, and appetite is one of its guardians, and loss of appetite is a sort of death. So if we are to enjoy this short life we should respect the divinity of appetite, and keep it eager and not too much blunted.
凡事过犹不及——音乐、娱乐、佐餐零点，或与友人共度的时光，一旦过度，便会造成一种生活的“了无生趣”，使人再也听而不闻，食而无味，视而不见，爱而无感，忆而无痕。生命短暂而珍贵，热望是其守护神之一，而失去热望，便形同一种死亡。故此，若要尽享这短暂人生，我们便应敬畏热望的神圣，保持其热切与敏锐，不使其过度磨钝。
It is a long time now since I knew that acute moment of bliss that comes from putting parched lips to a cup of cold water. The springs are still there to be enjoyed—all one needs is the original thirst.
已然久违了那种极致的幸福瞬间——当干裂的嘴唇触碰到一杯清冽的泉水。甘泉依旧，静待有缘人——所缺的，唯有那份原始的焦渴而已。
Summary&Mindmap
English Summary The author posits that "appetite" is not merely a desire for food but a fundamental "keenness of living"—a curiosity and longing that signifies vitality. The central argument is that the state of "wanting" or anticipation is more pleasurable and valuable than "having" or satisfaction, as the latter can diminish the desire itself. Over-indulgence and regularity are seen as detrimental, dulling this vital appetite. Therefore, the author advocates for deliberate "fasting" or periodic deprivation from various pleasures (like food, company, or entertainment) to preserve and intensify appetite and the subsequent joy of reunion or re-engagement. Modern life, with its constant availability and routine, is criticized for potentially eroding this crucial life force, leading to a "kind of impotence of living." Ultimately, preserving and respecting one's appetite is presented as essential for a rich, intensely felt, and enjoyable life.
中文概括 作者认为“渴望”（appetite）远不止于食欲，而是一种对生活保持敏锐和好奇的生命力，一种对存在的渴求。核心论点是，“渴望”的过程比最终“拥有”或满足的瞬间更为珍贵和愉悦，因为满足本身会削弱渴望。过度放纵和一成不变的生活会钝化这种生命力。因此，作者提倡通过有意识地节制（如“斋戒”），定期放弃一些乐趣（如食物、陪伴、娱乐），来保持和增强我们对这些事物的渴望强度，以及重获它们时的喜悦。现代生活的过度便利和规律性，反而可能侵蚀这种至关重要的生命力，导致一种“生活的无力感”。因此，保持和尊重渴望，是享受短暂而珍贵人生的关键。
Analysis
"...that you still have an edge on your longings²..."
- 中文解释： 这句话是说，你对自己的渴望依然保持着一种“优势”或“敏锐度”。"have an edge on" 是一个习惯用语，原意是“比…略胜一筹”或“对…有优势”。在这里，它被引申为你对内心的渴望和向往依然保持着强烈的感知力、驱动力和新鲜感，这种渴望还没有被满足或消磨掉，依然像一把锋利的刀刃，能切割现实，驱动你行动。它强调的是一种主动的、有力的欲求状态，而不是被动的等待。
"...want to bite into the world and taste its multitudinous flavours and juices³."
- 中文解释： 这是一个生动的隐喻表达。"Bite into the world" (咬入世界) 并非指字面上的啃咬，而是象征着以一种充满激情和勇气的方式去积极、深入地体验生活，去探索世界所能提供的各种丰富多彩的经历。"Multitudinous flavours and juices" (其万千的滋味与汁液) 则比喻生活中形形色色的体验、情感、挑战和乐趣，如同品尝美味多汁的食物时感受到的丰富层次和感官刺激。整句话表达了一种对生活充满好奇、渴望全身心投入并尽情体验其一切美好与复杂的积极态度。
"Wilde said he felt sorry for those who never got their heart's desire⁵, but sorrier still for those who did."
- 中文解释： 这句话引用了奥斯卡·王尔德的一个看似矛盾却充满哲理的观点。"Heart's desire" 指的是一个人内心最深切的渴望或梦寐以求的事物。王尔德说，他为那些从未实现内心渴望的人感到遗憾，但更为那些最终实现了内心渴望的人感到遗憾。这其中的深层含义是，欲望一旦被满足，那种强烈的渴望、追求的动力以及与之相关的想象和期待就可能随之消失。未得到时，至少还有期盼和憧憬；得到后，若没有新的渴望来填补，反而可能陷入一种空虚、失落甚至幻灭感。这句话挑战了“得偿所愿即是最大幸福”的传统观念。
"Besides, the whole toffeeness of toffees was imperceptibly diminished by the gross act of having eaten it⁸."
- 中文解释： 这句话的理解难点在于抽象名词 "toffeeness" 和作者略带反讽的语气。"Toffeeness of toffees" 是作者创造的一个词，指的是太妃糖所具有的全部特质、魅力和吸引力——这不仅仅是它的甜味，更包括了对它的期待、想象、它所代表的稀有和愉悦感，以及它在被渴望时所具有的完美光环。"Imperceptibly diminished" 意味着这种内在的、精神层面的魅力“难以察觉地、不知不觉地减少了”。"The gross act of having eaten it" (吃掉它的粗鲁行为) 带有一定的贬义和反讽，暗示实际的生理满足行为（吃）相较于精神上的期待而言，显得有些“粗俗”，并且这种行为破坏了太妃糖在想象中的完美性。整句话表达的是，一旦欲望（想吃太妃糖）被满足（吃掉了太妃糖），太妃糖那种由期待和想象构成的、超越物质本身的完美魅力，就因现实的满足而悄然减损了。
"Which is why I would carry the preservation of appetite to the extent of deliberate fasting¹⁰, simply because I think that appetite is too good to lose, too precious to be bludgeoned into insensibility by satiation and over-doing it¹¹."
- 中文解释： 这是一句较长的复合句，阐述了作者为何极端到通过“刻意斋戒”（deliberate fasting）来“保持欲望”（preservation of appetite）。
- "carry ... to the extent of..." 意思是“将…推行/坚持到…的程度”。
- 核心理由在于后半部分："appetite is too good to lose" (欲望/渴望这种感觉太美好了，不应该失去它)，"too precious to be bludgeoned into insensibility by satiation and over-doing it" (它太珍贵了，不应该被“满足”和“过度行为”打击到麻木迟钝的状态)。
- "Bludgeoned into insensibility" 是一个非常强烈的隐喻。"Bludgeon" 指用重棍等猛击，"insensibility" 指失去感觉、麻木。整个短语生动地描绘了无节制的满足和过度沉溺是如何像棍棒一样重创我们宝贵的欲望和感知能力，使其变得麻木迟钝，不再敏锐。作者认为“渴望”本身是一种珍贵的能力和体验，需要被小心呵护，而不是被轻易地满足和过度消耗所摧毁。
- 中文解释： 这是一句较长的复合句，阐述了作者为何极端到通过“刻意斋戒”（deliberate fasting）来“保持欲望”（preservation of appetite）。
"Too much of anything—too much music, entertainment, happy snacks, or time spent with one's friends—creates a kind of impotence of living²⁰ by which one can no longer hear, or taste, or see, or love, or remember."
- 中文解释： 这句话阐述了“过犹不及”的道理，其理解难点在于核心隐喻 "impotence of living"。
- 破折号之间的内容 "too much music, entertainment, happy snacks, or time spent with one's friends" 列举了各种本身是美好的事物，但一旦“过多”（too much），性质就会发生改变。
- "creates a kind of impotence of living" (会造成一种“生活的无能/无力感”) 是关键。"Impotence" 原意多指生理上的阳痿或普遍的无能为力，这里被作者引申为一种精神和感官上的麻木、衰竭和失去活力。这种“生活的无力感”或“生活机能的丧失”导致的结果是 "by which one can no longer hear, or taste, or see, or love, or remember" (凭借这种无力感，一个人再也无法敏锐地聆听、细致地品尝、清晰地观察、真挚地去爱或深刻地去铭记)。
- 整句话的意思是，任何美好事物的过度泛滥，都会使人对生活本身的美好与深刻之处失去感知、体验和回应的能力，就如同身体机能衰退一样，生活的热情和敏感度也会随之降低。
- 中文解释： 这句话阐述了“过犹不及”的道理，其理解难点在于核心隐喻 "impotence of living"。