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ElizabethGilbert_2009-_呵护创造力及减轻创作压力_
I am a writer. 我是個作家
Writing books is my profession but it's more than that, of course. 寫作是我的專業,但當然,不僅如此
profession:n.行业,职业;业内人士;同行;
It is also my great lifelong love and fascination . 這也是我一輩子的最愛與迷戀
fascination:n.魅力;魔力;入迷;
And I don't expect that that's ever going to change. 所以我也沒想過這會有所改變
But, that said, something kind of peculiar has happened recently in my life and in my career , which has caused me to have to recalibrate my whole relationship with this work. 但,說到這,最近有件相當奇特的事發生了 在我的生命與事業生涯中 這讓我重新審查我與這份工作間的整個關係
peculiar:adj.特殊的;独特的;奇怪的;罕见的;n.特权;特有财产; recently:adv.最近;新近; career:n.职业;事业;生涯;经历; recalibrate:vt.重新校准,再校准;重校准;
And the peculiar thing is that I recently wrote this book, this memoir called "Eat, Pray, Love" 而這特別的事就是我最近寫了這本書 這本回憶錄叫做 飲食,禱告,愛
memoir:n.回忆录;研究报告;自传;实录;
which, decidedly unlike any of my previous books, went out in the world for some reason, and became this big, mega-sensation, international bestseller thing. 這本書很明顯地,跟我之前的書很不一樣 因著某些原因被出版 並成為相當轟動且國際知名的暢銷書
decidedly:adv.果断地;断然地;明显;毫无疑问; previous:adj.以前的;早先的;过早的;adv.在先;在…以前; bestseller:n.畅销书;畅销书作者;畅销商品(等于bestseller);
The result of which is that everywhere I go now, people treat me like I'm doomed . 這讓我現在不論到了哪 人們都異樣地對待我,彷彿我已經完蛋了
treat:v.治疗;处理;招待;款待;n.款待;乐事;乐趣; doomed:adj.注定的;命定的;v.使…注定失败(doom的过去分词和过去式)
Seriously -- doomed, doomed! 真的! 玩完了,沒救了！
Like, they come up to me now, all worried, and they say, "Aren't you afraid -- aren't you afraid you're never going to be able to top that? 像是,他們會往前走向我,並擔心地說著 你不怕嗎？你不擔心你再沒有辦法寫出超越這本書的作品了嗎？
come up to:v.达到;等于;
Aren't you afraid you're going to keep writing for your whole life and you're never again going to create a book that anybody in the world cares about at all, ever again?" 你不怕你終身都要一直寫作嗎？ 你不怕你再也無法創作出一本 讓全世界的人都在乎的書 從此不再
So that's reassuring , you know. 所以這一切都還蠻慶幸的,你也知道的
reassuring:adj.安心的;可靠的;鼓气的;v.使放心(reassure的现在分词);
But it would be worse, except for that I happen to remember that over 20 years ago, when I first started telling people -- when I was a teenager -- that I wanted to be a writer, 但情況也可能更糟,要不是我突然記起 二十年前,當我還是個青少年時,我第一次開始告訴人們 我想要成為一個作家
I was met with this same kind of, sort of fear-based reaction . 我常碰到同樣帶著出自幾分恐懼的反應
reaction:n.反应,感应;反动,复古;反作用;
And people would say, "Aren't you afraid you're never going to have any success? 然後人們會說, 難道你不怕你永遠都不會成功嗎？
Aren't you afraid the humiliation of rejection will kill you? 難道你不怕被人拒絕的恥辱會把你逼到絕路嗎？
humiliation:n.丢脸,耻辱;蒙羞;谦卑; rejection:n.抛弃;拒绝;被抛弃的东西;盖帽;
Aren't you afraid that you're going to work your whole life at this craft and nothing's ever going to come of it and you're going to die on a scrap heap of broken dreams with your mouth filled with bitter ash of failure?" 難道你不怕終身都要做著這樣的工作 卻一點成就都沒有嗎？ 然後你就這樣困死在破碎的夢當中 言語中還充滿著失敗的苦楚
craft:n.工艺;船;手艺;飞行器;v.(尤指用手工)精心制作; scrap heap:n.垃圾[废料]堆; bitter:adj.苦的; n.苦味; v.激烈地; v.使变苦;
(Laughter) （笑聲）
Like that, you know. 諸如此類,你知道的
The answer -- the short answer to all those questions is, "Yes." 這答案,所有問題的答案,就是 是的
Yes, I'm afraid of all those things. 是的,我是害怕著這所有的事情
And I always have been. 而且我一直這樣害怕著
And I'm afraid of many many more things besides that people can't even guess at. 而同時也有更多的事令我感到害怕 這些是其他人不曾猜想到的
besides:adv.此外;而且;prep.除…之外;
Like seaweed , and other things that are scary. 像是海草,還有其他可怕的東西
seaweed:n.海藻,海草;
But, when it comes to writing the thing that I've been sort of thinking about lately, and wondering about lately, is why? 但,當講到寫作這一件事 我最近常想到,並且不斷思索的是 為什麼
You know, is it rational ? 你知道的,這合理嗎？
rational:n.理性;人类;合理的事物;[数]有理数;adj.合理的;理性的;明智的;理智的;
Is it logical that anybody should be expected to be afraid of the work that they feel they were put on this Earth to do. 這合乎邏輯嗎？人們被預期著 應該要為他們覺得在這世上註定做的工作感到害怕
logical:adj.合逻辑的,合理的;逻辑学的;
You know, and what is it specifically about creative ventures that seems to make us really nervous about each other's mental health in a way that other careers kind of don't do, you know? 你知道的,創意工作到底有著什麼樣具體的東西 似乎用著某種方式,讓我們變得如此緊張擔心於彼此的心靈健康 在別種行業不太會這樣,對嗎？
specifically:adv.特别地;明确地; creative:adj.创造性的; ventures:n.合资企业(venture的复数); v.敢尝试,冒险一试(venture的第三人称单数); mental:adj.精神的;脑力的;疯的;n.精神病患者; careers:n.职业(career的复数);事业;职业生涯;v.全速前进(career的三单形式);
Like my dad, for example, was a chemical engineer and I don't recall once in his 40 years of chemical engineering anybody asking him if he was afraid to be a chemical engineer, you know? 舉個例來說,像我父親,他是個化學工程師 而你知道嗎？在他四十年的化學工程生涯中,我不曾記得 任何人問過他是否他害怕成為一個化學工程師
recall:v.记起;回想起;使想到;勾起;召回;n.记忆力;记性;回归请求;回收令; chemical engineering:n.化学工程;
It didn't -- that chemical engineering block John, how's it going? 並沒有。 化學工程妨礙了約翰嗎？,狀況如何了呢？
It just didn't come up like that, you know? 你知道的,事情並沒有變成這樣
But to be fair, chemical engineers as a group haven't really earned a reputation over the centuries for being alcoholic manic-depressives. 但平心而論,化學工程總體來說 在過去的幾個世紀裡,並沒有因酗酒躁鬱症 而享譽全世界
alcoholic:adj.酒精的,含酒精的;n.酒鬼,酗酒者;
(Laughter) （笑聲）
We writers, we kind of do have that reputation, and not just writers, but creative people across all genres , it seems, have this reputation for being enormously mentally unstable . 我們作家,就有點這樣的聲譽 當然不只是作家,也包含了各領域的創作人才 似乎都有著情緒非常不穩定的惡名
genres:n.流派(genre的复数);体裁;种类; enormously:adv.巨大地,庞大地;非常地,在极大程度上; mentally:adv.精神上,智力上;心理上; unstable:adj.不稳定的;变化莫测的;(行为、情绪)反复无常的
And all you have to do is look at the very grim death count in the 20th century alone, of really magnificent creative minds who died young and often at their own hands, you know? 你所需做的就是看看光在二十世紀,就有無數偉大的創作靈魂隕落 這是多令人悲痛的死亡 這些藝術家通常早逝且總是死於自己的手上,你知道嗎？
grim:adj.冷酷的;糟糕的;残忍的; magnificent:adj.高尚的;壮丽的;华丽的;宏伟的;
And even the ones who didn't literally commit suicide seem to be really undone by their gifts, you know. 而即使是那些沒有真的自殺的人 就像你所知的,似乎也因著他們的天賦而被困擾抑鬱著
literally:adv.按字面:字面上:确实地: commit:v.犯(罪等);干(坏事等);[法]提(审);判处; suicide:n.自杀;自杀行为;自杀者;adj.自杀的;v.自杀;vi.自杀;
Norman Mailer, just before he died, last interview , he said "Every one of my books has killed me a little more." 諾曼˙梅勒,就在他死前的最後一場訪問,他說道 每個在我書中出現的角色都扼殺了我一些
interview:n.接见,采访;面试,面谈;v.采访;接见;对…进行面谈;
An extraordinary statement to make about your life's work, you know. 你知道的,這是對於你生命中的作品非常特殊的陳述
extraordinary:adj.非凡的;特别的;离奇的;临时的;特派的; statement:n.声明;陈述,叙述;报表,清单;
But we don't even blink when we hear somebody say this because we've heard that kind of stuff for so long and somehow we've completely internalized and accepted collectively 但當我們聽到有人這樣說時,我們甚至連眼睛都不會眨一下 因為長久以來我們都聽著這類的話語 且不知為何,我們完全將這觀念內化並全面接受
blink:vt.眨眼;使…闪烁;vi.眨眼;闪烁;n.眨眼;瞬间;闪光; stuff:n.东西:物品:基本特征:v.填满:装满:标本: somehow:adv.以某种方法;莫名其妙地; internalized:v.内在化(internalize的过去分词); collectively:adv.共同地,全体地;
this notion that creativity and suffering are somehow inherently linked and that artistry , in the end, will always ultimately lead to anguish . 這觀念就是--我們的創造力和所遭受的痛苦息息相關 而其中藝術的本質,到頭來,都會導致心中的苦悶
notion:n.观念;信念;理解; inherently:adv.内在地;固有地;天性地; artistry:n.艺术性;工艺;艺术技巧;艺术效果;艺术工作; ultimately:adv.最终;最后;归根结底;终究; anguish:n.痛苦;苦恼;v.使极度痛苦;感到极度的痛苦;
And the question that I want to ask everybody here today is are you guys all cool with that idea? 而今天我想問在場各位的問題是 你們全部都接受這樣的想法嗎？
Are you comfortable with that -- because you look at it even from an inch away and, you know -- 你覺得這樣妥當嗎？ 因為即使是從一吋遠的地方來看這件事
I'm not at all comfortable with that assumption . 我對這樣的臆測仍無法完全認同
not at all:毫无;一点也不;不用谢; assumption:n.假定;设想;担任;采取;
I think it's odious . 我覺得這是很可恨的
odious:adj.可憎的;讨厌的;
And I also think it's dangerous, and I don't want to see it perpetuated into the next century. 我也認為這是危險的 而且我並不想看到這樣的想法延伸到下一個世紀
perpetuated:vt.使不朽;保持;adj.长存的;
I think it's better if we encourage our great creative minds to live. 我認為如果我們激勵我們偉大的創造心靈繼續活躍下去,那會更好
And I definitely know that, in my case -- in my situation -- it would be very dangerous for me to start sort of leaking down that dark path of assumption, particularly given the circumstance that I'm in right now in my career. 我當然知道,就我而言,在我的狀況來說 如果我開始走入剛提的那條黑暗的假設路途,那是相當危險的 尤其是我現在處於這樣的處境中 處於現在的工作環境中
definitely:adv.清楚地,当然;明确地,肯定地; leaking:v.渗漏;泄露(秘密信息);走漏;(leak的现在分词) particularly:adv.特别地,独特地;详细地,具体地;明确地,细致地; circumstance:n.环境,情况;事件;境遇;
Which is -- you know, like check it out, 這有點像是,你懂的,你瞧
I'm pretty young, I'm only about 40 years old. 我相當年輕,我只有大概40歲
I still have maybe another four decades of work left in me. 也許我還有大概另外四十年的工作年頭
And it's exceedingly likely that anything I write from this point forward is going to be judged by the world as the work that came after the freakish success of my last book, right? 而很有可能的是我從這一刻起寫的東西 將被世界論斷為我上一部 曠世巨作後的作品
exceedingly:adv.非常;极其;极度地;极端; freakish:adj.畸形的;奇特的;朝三暮四的;异想天开的;
I should just put it bluntly , because we're all sort of friends here now -- it's exceedingly likely that my greatest success is behind me. 我應該直說,因為我們現在在此有點像是朋友 很有可能的是,我最偉大的作品已在我身後了
bluntly:adv.坦率地,直率地;迟钝地;
Oh, so Jesus , what a thought! 噢,天啊,這是多糟的一個想法
Jesus:int.上帝啊:天哪:n.耶稣:耶稣基督:
You know that's the kind of thought that could lead a person to start drinking gin at nine o'clock in the morning, and I don't want to go there. 你知道的,這是那種想法,會讓一個人 一早九點就開始喝著琴酒 而我並不想這樣
(Laughter) （笑聲）
I would prefer to keep doing this work that I love. 我較喜歡繼續做我愛的工作
prefer:v.更喜欢;宁愿;提出;提升;
And so, the question becomes, how? 而這問題現在變成該怎麼辦呢？
And so, it seems to me, upon a lot of reflection , that the way that I have to work now, in order to continue writing, is that I have to create some sort of protective psychological construct , right? 似乎對我來說,在多次省思後 為了能繼續寫作,我現在必須採取的方式是 我必須創造出某種保護式的心理架構
reflection:n.反映;沉思;映像;深思; protective:adj.防护的;关切保护的;保护贸易的; psychological:adj.心理的;心理学的;精神上的; construct:v.建造;创建;建筑;修建;n.概念;构筑物;结构体;建造物;
I have to, sort of find some way to have a safe distance between me, as I am writing, and my very natural anxiety about what the reaction to that writing is going to be, from now on . 從現在起,我必須,有點像是找出某個方式讓我在寫作時 在我內心憂慮與我本身間保持安全距離 而這憂慮無非來自他人對作品的反應
anxiety:n.焦虑;渴望;挂念;令人焦虑的事; from now on:从今以后;从现在起;
And, as I've been looking over the last year for models for how to do that 過去的幾年,為了如何做到,我一直在尋找可以仿效的模式
I've been sort of looking across time, and I've been trying to find other societies to see if they might have had better and saner ideas than we have about how to help creative people, sort of manage the inherent emotional risks of creativity. 我依著歷史的時間軸去尋找 我也一直在找其他的社會模式 看看是否他們有更好且更合乎情理的想法 讓我們可以知道如何幫助有創作力的人們 這有點像是管理創作力下天生的情緒風險
saner:心智健全的;神智正常的(sane的比较级); emotional:adj.情绪的;易激动的;感动人的;
And that search has led me to ancient Greece and ancient Rome. 這研究引領我回到古希臘與古羅馬
So stay with me, because it does circle around and back. 所以請專心聽我說,因為我們還會繞回來講這個話題
But, ancient Greece and ancient Rome -- people did not happen to believe that creativity came from human beings back then, OK? 但,當時古老的希臘與羅馬人 並不是湊巧相信創造力 來自於人類
People believed that creativity was this divine attendant spirit that came to human beings from some distant and unknowable source , for distant and unknowable reasons. 人們相信創造力是種跟隨著人的神聖靈魂 這來自於遙遠不可知的源頭,並存於人類 因著遙遠且不可知的原因
divine:adj.神圣的;非凡的;天赐的;极好的;v.占卜;预言;用占卜勘探;n.牧师;神学家; attendant:adj.伴随的;侍候的;n.服务员,侍者;随员,陪从; distant:adj.遥远的;远处的;久远的; unknowable:adj.不可知的;不能知道的; source:n.来源;水源;原始资料;
The Greeks famously called these divine attendant spirits of creativity "daemons." 著名的希臘人稱這伴隨著人的創造力神聖靈魂為 守護神
famously:adv.著名地;极好地;
Socrates , famously, believed that he had a daemon who spoke wisdom to him from afar . 名聲顯赫的蘇格拉底相信他就有這樣的守護神 會從遠方向他傾瀉智慧
Socrates:n.苏格拉底(古希腊哲学家); daemon:n.守护进程;后台程序; wisdom:n.智慧;明智;才智;学问; afar:adv.遥远地;在远处;
The Romans had the same idea, but they called that sort of disembodied creative spirit a genius . 羅馬人也有相同的概念 但他們稱這種虛幻的創作靈為天才
disembodied:adj.空洞的;无实质的;无实体的; genius:n.天才;天资;才能,本领;
Which is great, because the Romans did not actually think that a genius was a particularly clever individual . 這是很棒的,因為事實上羅馬人並不認為 天才是一個聰慧的單獨個體
individual:n.个人;有个性的人;adj.单独的;个别的;
They believed that a genius was this, sort of magical divine entity , who was believed to literally live in the walls of an artist's studio , kind of like Dobby the house elf , 他們相信天才是一種不可思議並神聖的實體 並相信這實體是真的住在藝術家工作室的牆壁中 有點像是家中的小精靈多比
entity:n.实体;存在;本质; studio:n.工作室;[广播][电视]演播室;画室;电影制片厂; elf:n.小精灵;淘气鬼;
and who would come out and sort of invisibly assist the artist with their work and would shape the outcome of that work. 祂能不為人察覺地出現並幫助藝術家完成作品 並修飾作品讓其成形
invisibly:adv.看不见地;看不出地; outcome:n.结果,结局;成果;
So brilliant -- there it is, right there that distance that I'm talking about -- that psychological construct to protect you from the results of your work. 這是如此地聰慧！就是這個,這就是我在講的距離 心靈層面的構造可以讓你與作品保持距離
And everyone knew that this is how it functioned, right? 而大家都知道這是如何運行的,對吧？
So the ancient artist was protected from certain things, like, for example, too much narcissism , right? 所以古代的藝術家就可以受到保護,不被某些事物影響 像是,太多的自我陶醉,對吧？
narcissism:n.[心理]自恋,自我陶醉;
If your work was brilliant you couldn't take all the credit for it, everybody knew that you had this disembodied genius who had helped you. 如果你有著令人讚嘆的作品,你不能完全歸功於你本身 大家都知道你有著這非實體的天才幫著你
If your work bombed, not entirely your fault, you know? 如果你工作不順,這也不完全是你的錯,明白嗎？
Everyone knew your genius was kind of lame . 大家會知道你內的天才有點拙劣
lame:adj.瘸的; n.(金属)薄板; v.使残废;
And this is how people thought about creativity in the West for a really long time. 這就是西方人長久以來對創造力的看法
And then the Renaissance came and everything changed, and we had this big idea, and the big idea was let's put the individual human being at the center of the universe 接著文藝復興來臨並改變了所有的事 我們有了這偉大的想法,也就是 我們將人類個人放在宇宙的中心
Renaissance:n.文艺复兴(欧洲14至17世纪);
above all gods and mysteries, and there's no more room for mystical creatures who take dictation from the divine. 超越所有的神與一切的神祕事物,而且沒有留下多餘的空間 給轉述神聖話語的奧祕生物
mystical:adj.神秘的;神秘主义的; creatures:n.生物;动物;(具有某种特征的)人(creature的复数) dictation:n.听写;口述;
And it's the beginning of rational humanism , and people started to believe that creativity came completely from the self of the individual. 這就是理性人文主義的開端 人們開始相信 創造力完完全全來自人類本身
humanism:n.人道主义;adj.人文主义的;人道主义的;
And for the first time in history, you start to hear people referring to this or that artist as being a genius rather than having a genius. 在歷史上,頭一次 你開始聽到人們稱這個或那個藝術家為天才 而非身邊有著天才的靈
referring:v.引用;提到;将…归因于…;把…提交;(refer的现在分词)
And I got to tell you, I think that was a huge error. 而我必須告訴你,我認為這是個極大的錯誤
You know, I think that allowing somebody, one mere person to believe that he or she is like, the vessel you know, like the font and the essence and the source 你知道的,我認為任憑一個人,就只是一個人 去相信他或她自己就像是個容器 負載著像是所有神聖、有著創造力的、不可知的、永恆的奧祕
mere:adj.仅仅的;只不过的;n.小湖;池塘; vessel:n.器皿;轮船;脉管;大船; font:n.字型;圣洗池(设于教堂中,常为石造); essence:n.本质;实质;精髓;香精;
of all divine, creative, unknowable, eternal mystery is just a smidge too much responsibility to put on one fragile , human psyche . 這些事物的形狀、本質與源頭 這只是在人類脆弱的靈魂上放上太多的責任
eternal:adj.永恒的;不朽的; smidge:n.少量; fragile:adj.脆的;易碎的; psyche:n.灵魂;心智;
It's like asking somebody to swallow the sun. 這就像要一個人去吞下太陽
swallow:v.吞下;咽下;吞没;相信;n.吞;咽;燕;一次吞咽的量;
It just completely warps and distorts egos , and it creates all these unmanageable expectations about performance . 這只會完全扭曲挫敗一個人的自我 並製造出無法預期與掌握的成果
warps:n.[纺]经纱(warp的复数); v.弄歪; distorts:v.使变形;扭曲;使失真;歪曲;(distort的第三人称单数) egos:n.自我(ego的复数); unmanageable:adj.难处理的,处理不了的;难管理的;难操纵的; expectations:n.预料;预期;期待;希望;指望;(expectation的复数) performance:n.性能;表现;业绩;表演;
And I think the pressure of that has been killing off our artists for the last 500 years. 我想這帶來的壓力 已在過去的五百年中扼殺了我們身旁的藝術家
And, if this is true, and I think it is true, the question becomes, what now? 而,如果這是真的 我想這也的確是真的 現在面臨到的問題是,怎麻辦？
Can we do this differently? 我們是否可以有不同的作為？
Maybe go back to some more ancient understanding about the relationship between humans and the creative mystery. 也許可以回溯到更古老的理解方式 去看待人們與創造奧祕間的關係
Maybe not. 也許不行
Maybe we can't just erase 500 years of rational humanistic thought in one 18 minute speech. 也許我們不能就這樣在十八分鐘的演講中 就這樣抹煞了五百多年的理性人文主義
erase:vt.抹去;擦除;vi.被擦去,被抹掉; humanistic:adj.人文主义的;人道主义的;
And there's probably people in this audience who would raise really legitimate scientific suspicions about the notion of, basically fairies who follow people around rubbing fairy juice on their projects and stuff. 也許在今天的觀眾中 會有人提出相當合法的科學懷疑 懷疑有關精靈的這種基本觀念 這些精靈跟著人們到處跑並在作品上撒下精靈水
legitimate:adj.合法的;正当的;合理的;正统的;v.使合法;认为正当(等于legitimize); scientific:adj.科学的,系统的; suspicions:n.怀疑;感觉;看法;猜疑;不放心;(suspicion的复数) basically:adv.主要地,基本上; fairies:n.精灵(fairy的复数);瓶之仙女; rubbing:v.擦;磨;搓;(使)相互摩擦;摩擦;(rub的现在分词) fairy:n.仙子;adj.美丽的;优雅的;妖精(一样)的;
I'm not, probably, going to bring you all along with me on this. 或許,我並無法讓你們同意我的看法
But the question that I kind of want to pose is -- you know, why not? 但我要提出的問題是 你知道的,為何不這樣想？
pose:v.引起; n.装腔作势; (为画像、拍照等摆的)姿势;
Why not think about it this way? 為何不用這樣的方式作思考呢？
Because it makes as much sense as anything else I have ever heard in terms of explaining the utter maddening capriciousness of the creative process . 因為這就跟我聽過的其他事情一樣地有道理 尤其是在解釋這徹底瘋狂並變化無常的 創作過程
utter:v.说;出声;讲;adj.完全的;十足的;彻底的; maddening:adj.令人发狂的;使人恼火的;v.发狂(madden的现在分词); process:v.处理;加工;列队行进;n.过程,进行;方法,adj.经过特殊加工(或处理)的;
A process which, as anybody who has ever tried to make something -- which is to say basically, everyone here --- knows does not always behave rationally . 在創作過程中,當一個人試著創作出些什麼時 基本上來說,在座的每個人 都知道創作者並不總是理性地創作著
behave:v.表现;(机器等)运转;举止端正;(事物)起某种作用; rationally:adv.理性地;讲道理地;
And, in fact, can sometimes feel downright paranormal . 而且,事實上,我們有時會覺得完全超乎常理
downright:adj.明白的;直率的;显明的;adv.完全,彻底;全然; paranormal:adj.超常的;超过正常范围的;
I had this encounter recently where I met the extraordinary American poet Ruth Stone, who's now in her 90s, but she's been a poet her entire life and she told me that when she was growing up in rural Virginia , she would be out working in the fields, and she said she would feel and hear a poem coming at her from over the landscape . 當我最近遇到傑出的美國詩人露絲·斯通時,就有這樣的感受 她現在約九十多歲,在其一生中,她一直扮演詩人的角色 她告訴我她成長於維吉利亞的鄉間 她會在外面的田野工作著 在那時,她會感受到並聽到一首詩 從山水景色中來到她眼前
encounter:v.遭遇,邂逅;遇到;n.遭遇,偶然碰见; rural:adj.农村的,乡下的;田园的,有乡村风味的; Virginia:adj.弗吉尼亚州的; landscape:n.景观;乡村风景画;(文件的)横向打印格式;v.对…做景观美化;美化…的环境;
And she said it was like a thunderous train of air. 她說這就像是列車行駛下轟隆轟隆響的空氣
thunderous:adj.像打雷的,隆轰隆响的;多雷的,强有力的;
And it would come barreling down at her over the landscape. 在山水之間向她傾洩而下
barreling:n.滚磨;研磨;圆筒;v.把…装桶;快速移动;(barrel的现在分词)
And she felt it coming, because it would shake the earth under her feet. 然後她會感受到這股力量,因為這股力量會晃動她腳下的大地
She knew that she had only one thing to do at that point, and that was to, in her words, "run like hell." 她很清楚在當下,她必須做的只有一件事 那就是,套句她的話, 死命地奔跑
And she would run like hell to the house and she would be getting chased by this poem, and the whole deal was that she had to get to a piece of paper and a pencil 然後她會瘋狂奔跑到房子裡 像是快被詩追趕上一般 這一切就是要她是以極快的速度拿出紙筆
fast enough so that when it thundered through her, she could collect it and grab it on the page. 快到讓她可以在當這一切靈感奔向她時,她可以匯集到一切 並將其呈現在字句之間
thundered:n.雷;轰隆声;恐吓;vi.打雷;怒喝;vt.轰隆地发出;大声喊出; grab:v.攫取;霸占;将…深深吸引;n.攫取;霸占;夺取之物;
And other times she wouldn't be fast enough, so she'd be running and running and running, and she wouldn't get to the house and the poem would barrel through her and she would miss it 當然有時她速度不夠快 所以她會一直奔跑,卻怎樣也跑不回家裡 而這首詩不再傾洩而下,她錯過了這首詩
and she said it would continue on across the landscape, looking, as she put it "for another poet." 她說這靈感會繼續在山水間尋找 如她說的 尋找另一個詩人
And then there were these times -- this is the piece I never forgot -- she said that there were moments where she would almost miss it, right? 然後也會有著這樣的時候 這是我不會忘記的片刻 她說她也會有幾乎錯過一首詩的時候
So, she's running to the house and she's looking for the paper and the poem passes through her, and she grabs a pencil just as it's going through her, and then she said, it was like she would reach out with her other hand and she would catch it. 所以,她會跑向房子並找出紙來 然後詩會向她襲來 當詩襲向她時,她會抓下一枝筆 接著她說,這就像她伸出了另一隻手 然後她會抓住這感覺
grabs:n.链钩(grab的复数);v.抓取;捕获(grab的第三人称单数);
She would catch the poem by its tail, and she would pull it backwards into her body as she was transcribing on the page. 她會抓住這首詩的尾巴 接著她會順勢把詩向後拉入身體內 並同時謄寫於紙本上時
transcribing:v.记录;抄录;把…转成;用音标标音;改编;(transcribe的现在分词)
And in these instances , the poem would come up on the page perfect and intact but backwards, from the last word to the first. 就在這些瞬間中,詩會精準完美地躍然紙上 由後往前,從最後一個字到第一個字
instances:n.相依物体,例子; v.举例说明(instance的第三人称单数形式); intact:adj.完整的;原封不动的;未受损伤的;
(Laughter) （笑聲）
So when I heard that I was like -- that's uncanny , that's exactly what my creative process is like. 所以當我聽到我就像--這真的很不可思議 這簡直像是的我創作過程
uncanny:adj.神秘的;离奇的;可怕的;
(Laughter) （笑聲）
That's not all what my creative process is -- I'm not the pipeline! 這也不完全就是我的創作過程,我並不像一個輸油管
I'm a mule , and the way that I have to work is that I have to get up at the same time every day, and sweat and labor and barrel through it really awkwardly . 我就像隻驢子,而我必須工作的方式 就是每天必須同一時間起床 然後笨拙地,汗如雨下地創作著
mule:n.骡子;越境运毒者;(室内使用的)拖鞋; at the same time:同时;另一方面;与此同时; awkwardly:adv.笨拙地;无技巧地;
But even I, in my mulishness, even I have brushed up against that thing, at times. 但即使在我笨拙努力下 即使我不時潤飾我的作品
And I would imagine that a lot of you have too. 我可以想像得到你們大多數人也會這樣
You know, even I have had work or ideas come through me from a source that I honestly cannot identify . 你們知道的,即使我努力創作或有著點子從某處向我展現時 老實說,我無法認清這源頭
identify:v.识别:鉴定:确认:发现:
And what is that thing? 而這是什麼呢？
And how are we to relate to it in a way that will not make us lose our minds, but, in fact, might actually keep us sane? 我們要用怎樣的方式與其相處卻不會讓我們喪失心智 而是,事實上,卻很有可能讓我們保持清醒呢？
And for me, the best contemporary example that I have of how to do that is the musician Tom Waits, who I got to interview several years ago on a magazine assignment . 對我來說,當代有個最好的例子讓我知道怎樣做到 那就是音樂家湯姆威茲 我幾年前曾因雜誌社的工作需要去採訪過他
contemporary:n.同时代的人;同时期的东西;adj.当代的;同时代的;属于同一时期的; assignment:n.分配:(分派的)工作,任务:
And we were talking about this, and you know, Tom, for most of his life he was pretty much the embodiment of the tormented contemporary modern artist, trying to control and manage and dominate these sort of uncontrollable creative impulses that were totally internalized. 我們討論著這個話題 你知道的,湯姆,終其一生,是個實實在在 受盡折磨的當代藝術家的化身 他試著去控制、管理並主宰 這些無法掌控的創造衝動 而這些衝動完全是內化的
embodiment:n.体现;化身;具体化; tormented:v.使备受折磨;使痛苦;烦扰;戏弄;捉弄;(torment的过去分词和过去式) dominate:vt.控制;支配;占优势;在…中占主要地位;vi.占优势;处于支配地位; uncontrollable:adj.无法控制的;无法管束的;难以驾驭的; impulses:n.[心理]冲动; v.推动(impulse的第三人称单数);
But then he got older, he got calmer, and one day he was driving down the freeway in Los Angeles he told me, and this is when it all changed for him. 但隨著年紀增長,他也越趨內斂 有天他自洛杉磯的高速公路開車,他告訴我 而這就是改變他一生的時刻
freeway:n.高速公路;
And he's speeding along, and all of a sudden he hears this little fragment of melody , that comes into his head as inspiration often comes, elusive and tantalizing , and he wants it, you know, it's gorgeous , and he longs for it, but he has no way to get it. 當時他正在加速前進,突然間 他聽到了這美妙旋律的片段 這就像靈感臨到他腦海中,難以捉摸卻又令人心動著急 你知道的,他迫切地想抓住它 這是如此的珍貴,而他迫切地渴望著,但他沒辦法得著
all of a sudden:突然地,出乎意料地; fragment:n.片段;破片;弹片;小块;v.分割;使成碎片; melody:n.旋律;歌曲;美妙的音乐; elusive:adj.难懂的;易忘的;逃避的;难捉摸的; tantalizing:v.招惹,使干着急;(tantalize的现在分词) gorgeous:adj.华丽的,灿烂的;极好的;
He doesn't have a piece of paper, he doesn't have a pencil, he doesn't have a tape recorder . 他沒有紙或筆 他也沒有錄音機
tape recorder:n.录音机;
So he starts to feel all of that old anxiety start to rise in him like, "I'm going to lose this thing, and then I'm going to be haunted by this song forever. 於是他感覺到以往的焦急又開始向他襲擊而來 像是,*我就要失去這靈感了! 然後這旋律又要在我腦海中永遠揮之不去！
I'm not good enough, and I can't do it." 我不夠好,我做不到！
And instead of panicking , he just stopped. 沒有驚恐,相反地,他停下來
panicking:v.(使)惊慌,惊慌失措;(panic的现在分词)
He just stopped that whole mental process and he did something completely novel . 他只是停下這所有的心理過程 接著他做了件滿新穎的事
novel:adj.新奇的;异常的;n.小说;
He just looked up at the sky, and he said, "Excuse me, can you not see that I'm driving?" 他只是抬頭望著天空,然後說 不好意思,難道你看不出來我正在開車嗎？
(Laughter) (笑聲）
'"Do I look like I can write down a song right now? 我現在看起來像是可以寫下一首歌嗎？
If you really want to exist, come back at a more opportune moment when I can take care of you. 如果你真的想要給我這樣的靈感,那就等等適合的時候 等我有空應付的時候再來
opportune:adj.适当的;恰好的;合时宜的;
Otherwise, go bother somebody else today. 否則,今天就先去找別人吧
bother:v.烦扰,打扰;使…不安;操心,麻烦;n.麻烦;烦恼;
Go bother Leonard Cohen." 去麻煩李歐納科恩吧
And his whole work process changed after that. 接著他整個的創作過程都改變了
Not the work, the work was still oftentimes as dark as ever. 並不是作品本身,他的作品仍像以往一般黑暗
oftentimes:adv.时常地;
But the process, and the heavy anxiety around it was released when he took the genie , the genius out of him where it was causing nothing but trouble, and released it kind of back where it came from, and realized that this didn't have to be this internalized, tormented thing. 但這過程,還有這其中巨大的焦慮感 都在他將這創作的精靈解放出來時,也獲得舒緩 在他心中,這天才引起的僅是困擾,將其釋放到它來的地方 他瞭解這一切用不著像是現在這樣在心裡折磨或痛苦著
released:v.释放;使免除;已发布;(release的过去分词和过去式) genie:n.妖怪;鬼;
It could be this peculiar, wondrous , bizarre collaboration kind of conversation between Tom and the strange, external thing that was not quite Tom. 這可以是獨特的,奇妙的,而又奇怪的結合 有點像是湯姆和不太像湯姆本身 這奇異外界事物間的對話
wondrous:adj.奇妙的;令人惊奇的;非常的; bizarre:adj.奇异的(指态度,容貌,款式等); collaboration:n.合作;勾结;通敌; external:n.外部;外观;形式;外部情况;adj.外部的;外面的;外界的;外来的;
So when I heard that story it started to shift a little bit the way that I worked too, and it already saved me once. 所以當我聽到這個故事,我也開始慢慢轉換我創作的方式 這也已經救過我一次
shift:n.移动;变化;手段;轮班;v.移动;转变;转换;
This idea, it saved me when I was in the middle of writing "Eat, Pray, Love," 這觀點救了我一次,救出現在當我正在寫 飲食,祈禱,愛
and I fell into one of those, sort of pits of despair that we all fall into when we're working on something and it's not coming and you start to think this is going to be a disaster , this is going to be the worst book ever written. 我又掉入了某個絕望的坑洞裡 當我們在專注創作於某個作品時,我們會陷進去,靈感卻一直不來￥￥ 然後你開始會覺得這又將是一個大災難 這將會是我寫過最糟的一本書
pits:n.维修区(pit的复数); v.除去…的核; despair:v.绝望;失去希望;丧失信心;n.绝望; disaster:n.灾难,灾祸;不幸;
Not just bad, but the worst book ever written. 不僅是糟糕,還會是有史以來最爛的
And I started to think I should just dump this project. 我甚至會開始想我應該就把這計畫丟掉了
dump:v.倾倒;抛售;抛弃;转存;n.垃圾场;转储;转存;废物堆;
But then I remembered Tom talking to the open air and I tried it. 但接著我又想到湯姆和空氣喊話的場景 我試了一試
So I just lifted my face up from the manuscript and I directed my comments to an empty corner of the room. 所以我就從手稿中抬起頭來 我對著房間的空角落講出了心中的想法
manuscript:n.[图情]手稿;原稿;adj.手写的;
And I said aloud, "Listen you, thing, you and I both know that if this book isn't brilliant that is not entirely my fault, right? 接著我大聲地喊著, 你！聽著！ 你跟我都知道如果這本書不夠精彩 這並不完全是我的錯,對嗎？
Because you can see that I am putting everything I have into this, 因為你看的出來我已經盡全力去創作了
I don't have anymore than this. 我再也擠不出任何更好的東西了
So if you want it to be better, then you've got to show up and do your part of the deal. 所以你若是要讓這創作更好,那你就要出現並做好你該做的工作
OK. But if you don't do that, you know what, the hell with it. 如果你不做,也沒關係,你知道嗎？那就算了
I'm going to keep writing anyway because that's my job. 我還是會繼續寫作因為這是我的工作
And I would please like the record to reflect today that I showed up for my part of the job." 我希望今天記錄上記載的是 我現身在我的工作崗位上
for my part:就我而言,对我来说;
(Laughter) （笑聲）
Because -- 因為
(Applause) （掌聲）
in the end it's like this, OK -- centuries ago in the deserts of North Africa, people used to gather for these moonlight dances of sacred dance and music that would go on for hours and hours, until dawn . 到最後會有點像 在幾世紀前的北非沙漠中 人們會為著月光下神聖的舞蹈與音樂聚集著 這會延續著數小時,直到黎明
go on for:接近; dawn:n.黎明;开端;vt.破晓;出现;被领悟;
And they were always magnificent, because the dancers were professionals and they were terrific , right? 這表演總是十分壯觀,因為舞者門相當的專業 而且他們也很棒,對吧？
professionals:n.[管理]专业人员(professional的复数); terrific:adj.极好的;极其的,非常的;可怕的;
But every once in a while , very rarely , something would happen, and one of these performers would actually become transcendent . 但偶爾,很少地,還是會有這樣的事發生 其中會有一位表演者真的表現得比別人優越
every once in a while:有时;偶然;偶尔;时而; rarely:adv.很少地;难得;罕有地; transcendent:adj.卓越的;超常的;出类拔萃的;n.卓越的人;超绝物;
And I know you know what I'm talking about, because I know you've all seen, at some point in your life, a performance like this. 我知道你們都明白我在講什麼 因為我知道在你們生命中某些時刻一定看過像這樣的表演
It was like time would stop, and the dancer would sort of step through some kind of portal and he wasn't doing anything different than he had ever done, 1,000 nights before, but everything would align . 這一瞬間時間好像靜止了 舞者會有點像是穿越過某種入口 他所跳的動作其實跟一千個夜晚前做的表演沒有任何不同 但一切都會安排好
portal:n.大门,入口; different than:不同于; align:vt.使结盟;使成一行;匹配;vi.排列;排成一行;
And all of a sudden, he would no longer appear to be merely human. 突然之間,他表現得不再像只是一個人類
merely:adv.仅仅,只不过;只是;
He would be lit from within, and lit from below and all lit up on fire with divinity . 他會自內部發光,從心底層發光 因著這神靈,所有的事物都跟著在火上發光
divinity:n.神;神性;神学;
And when this happened, back then, people knew it for what it was, you know, they called it by it's name. 當這樣的事發生時 當時的人們都知道為何會這樣,你知道的,他們會呼喊它的名
They would put their hands together and they would start to chant , " Allah , Allah, Allah, God God, God." 他們會把手牽起來,開始吟唱著 阿拉,阿拉,阿拉,神啊,神,我的神！
chant:v.吟唱;歌颂;赞扬;卖唱;n.颂歌;单调的歌;吟诵语调;呆板无味; Allah:n.真主;阿拉;
That's God, you know. 這就是神,你知道嗎？
Curious historical footnote -- when the Moors invaded southern Spain, they took this custom with them and the pronunciation changed over the centuries from "Allah, Allah, Allah," to "Ole, ole, ole," 這是很奇異的歷史註腳 當摩爾帝國侵略南西班牙時,他們帶著這個習俗 而在過去的幾個世紀裡,發音也隨著改變 從 阿拉,阿拉,阿拉 到 , 歐勒,歐勒,歐勒
Curious:adj.好奇的,有求知欲的;古怪的;爱挑剔的; historical:adj.历史的;史学的;基于史实的; footnote:n.脚注;补充说明;vt.给…作脚注;在脚注里评议; Moors:n.荒野;[地理]沼泽;系泊(moor的复数);v.使停泊;被系住(moor的三单形式); invaded:v.入侵;拥入;遍布(invade的过去分词);adj.被侵入的;
which you still hear in bullfights and in flamenco dances. 這你可能在鬥牛賽與佛朗明歌中聽到
bullfights:n.斗牛(流行于西班牙和南美); flamenco:n.弗拉门科民歌;弗拉曼柯舞(西班牙的吉卜赛舞蹈);
In Spain, when a performer has done something impossible and magic, "Allah, ole, ole, Allah, magnificent, bravo ," 在西班牙,當一個表演者做了件不可能且不可思議的表演時 阿拉！歐勒！歐勒！阿拉！棒呆了！好極了！
bravo:n.喝彩;亡命徒;v.喝彩;int.好极了;
incomprehensible , there it is -- a glimpse of God. 不可置信的,就在那裡,你在表演者身上看到上天的化身
incomprehensible:adj.费解的;不可思议的;无限的; glimpse:v.瞥见;[诗]闪现;n.领悟;概况;见识;一睹;
Which is great, because we need that. 這是很棒的,因為我們需要這些
But, the tricky bit comes the next morning, for the dancer himself, when he wakes up and discovers that it's Tuesday at 11 a.m., and he's no longer a glimpse of God. 但,隔天早上詭譎的事發生了 當舞者他自己起床時 會發現時間是星期二的早上11點,而他身上再也看不到神的影子
tricky:adj.难办的;难对付的;狡猾的;诡计多端的;
He's just an aging mortal with really bad knees, and maybe he's never going to ascend to that height again. 他只會個會老化的人類,並有著受傷的膝蓋 也許他再也無法到達那樣的表演高峰
mortal:adj.凡人的;致死的;终有一死的;不共戴天的;n.人类,凡人; ascend:vi.上升;登高;追溯;vt.攀登,上升;
And maybe nobody will ever chant God's name again as he spins , and what is he then to do with the rest of his life? 也許當他表演旋轉時,再也沒有人會吟唱著神的名字 那他餘生該怎麼辦呢？
spins:n.[物]旋转; v.[物]旋转(spin的三单形式);
This is hard. 這相當棘手
This is one of the most painful reconciliations to make in a creative life. 這是我們在創作生涯中 必須做的最痛苦的妥協之一
painful:adj.痛苦的;疼痛的;令人不快的; reconciliations:和解;一致;
But maybe it doesn't have to be quite so full of anguish if you never happened to believe, in the first place , that the most extraordinary aspects of your being came from you. 但也許這一切不用這樣的痛苦 如果你在一開始就不曾相信 你自我最獨特的部分是來自於你本身
in the first place:首先;起初; aspects:n.方面;相位;面貌(aspect的复数);
But maybe if you just believed that they were on loan to you from some unimaginable source for some exquisite portion of your life to be passed along when you're finished, with somebody else. 也許你只是深信這些不凡的能力是借給你的 來自某個不可思議的地方,為著成就你生命中某個細膩的部分 而這些能力會在結束後,傳給下一個人
unimaginable:adj.不可思议的;难以想像的; exquisite:adj.精致的;细腻的;优美的,高雅的;异常的;剧烈的;n.服饰过于讲究的男子; portion:n.部分;(食物的)一份;分担的责任;v.把…分成若干份(或部分);
And, you know, if we think about it this way it starts to change everything. 而你知道的,當我們這樣想時,這就會開始改變所有的事
This is how I've started to think, and this is certainly how I've been thinking in the last few months as I've been working on the book that will soon be published, 這就是我重新思考的方式 這當然也是過去幾個月我所思考的方式 同時我也忙於創作即將出版的下一本書
as the dangerously , frighteningly overanticipated follow up to my freakish success. 也就是被過於期待到令我感到恐怖甚至驚慌 上一本熱門暢銷書的續集
dangerously:adv.危险地;不安全; frighteningly:adv.令人恐惧地;
And what I have to, sort of keep telling myself when I get really psyched out about that, is, don't be afraid. 我所必須一直告訴我自己的是 當我因創作又真的快精神崩潰時 要知道,不要害怕
psyched:adj.兴奋;殷切期待;v.用精神分析治疗(psych的过去分词和过去式)
Don't be daunted . 別畏懼
daunted:v.使气馁,使畏缩;威吓;
Just do your job. 做你該做的
Continue to show up for your piece of it, whatever that might be. 繼續堅守在你的工作崗位上,無論這工作是什麼
If your job is to dance, do your dance. 如果你的工作是跳舞,那就跳好你的舞
If the divine, cockeyed genius assigned to your case decides to let some sort of wonderment be glimpsed , for just one moment through your efforts, then "Ole!" 如果那個分派到你創作上的那個非凡卻又荒誕的精靈 決定在某些瞬間讓令人讚嘆的事 透過你的創作被看見,那就真的太棒了
cockeyed:adj.斗鸡眼的;歪的;荒唐的; assigned:v.分配(某物);分派;指定;委派;(assign的过去分词和过去式) wonderment:n.惊奇;惊叹; glimpsed:v.瞥见;看一眼;开始认识到(glimpse的过去分词和过去式)
And if not, do your dance anyhow. 若是沒有,那就繼續跳舞
And "Ole!" to you, nonetheless . 即使如此,你還是最棒的
nonetheless:adv.尽管如此,但是;
I believe this and I feel that we must teach it. 我深信不疑,也覺得我們應該把這個觀念教導出去
'"Ole!" to you, nonetheless, just for having the sheer human love and stubbornness to keep showing up. 不管怎樣,你都是最棒的 憑藉著人類單純的愛與執著 持續地堅守著我們的工作崗位
sheer:adj.纯; v.十足地; n.透明薄纱; v.[航海](使)偏航; (使)转向; stubbornness:n.倔强;顽强;棘手;
Thank you. 謝謝
(Applause) （掌聲）
Thank you. 謝謝大家
(Applause) （掌聲）
June Cohen: Ole! 瓊恩科恩:歐勒
(Applause) （掌聲）