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For some 400 years across the European Middle Ages, one philosophy book was prized above any other.
在中世纪欧洲的四百年里，一本哲学书籍独占鳌头。
Present in every educated person’s library,
这本《哲学的慰藉》出现在每一个受教育者的个人收藏中，
it was titled in Latin De Consolatione Philosophiae or,
这本书的拉丁文名字是Latin De Consolatione Philosophiae，
as we know it in English today, The Consolation of Philosophy.
它的英文名字众所周知：The Consolation of Philosophy。
Editions appeared in all the large European languages,
这本书的版本几乎涵盖所有欧洲主流语言，
Chaucer translated it into English,
乔叟把它翻译成英语，
as did Sir Thomas More and Elizabeth I –
托马斯·莫尔爵士和伊丽莎白一世也翻译出了英文版本，
and Dante made it a centerpiece of the intellectual scaffolding of his Divine Comedy.
但丁把它作为《神曲》的智力架构的核心。
The book was the work of the Italian statesman, scholar and academic Boethius,
《哲学的慰藉》的作者是意大利政治家、学者、大学教师波爱修斯，
who penned it in a few months in appalling circumstances in a prison in Pavia in 523 A.D.
公元523年，波爱修斯在帕维亚的一所简陋监狱里，用了几个月的时间写下这本书。
Boethius was born into a highly successful and wealthy family in the years after the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West.
在西罗马帝国覆灭后的几年里，波爱修斯出生在一个非常成功和富有的家庭。
From an early age, he took an interest in the Classics,
波爱修斯从小就对古典文学感兴趣，
and translated much of Plato and Aristotle’s work from Latin into Greek;
他曾把柏拉图和亚里士多德的许多著作从拉丁文翻译成希腊文；
it is thanks in great measure to his efforts
在他的孜孜不倦下，
that Classical philosophy made its way into the Middle Ages and then into the modern world.
古典哲学得以迈进中世纪，并流传至今。
For many years, Boethius’s life was seemingly blessed.
许多年来，波爱修斯的生活似乎很幸福。
He lived in a sumptuous villa in Rome
他生活在罗马一座豪华的别墅里，
and was married to a kind and beautiful woman called Rusticiana,
娶了一个善良美丽的女子，名叫鲁斯蒂西亚娜，
with whom he had two handsome, clever and affectionate sons.
他们育有两个英俊、聪明、多情的儿子。
Under a sense of obligation to his society, Boethius eventually entered politics
出于对社会的责任感，波爱修斯最终进入政坛，
and occupied a number of elevated administrative positions under the ruler of Italy, Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths.
并成了意大利统治者东哥特王国国王狄奥多里克手下的高官。
Bertrand Russell wrote of him:
伯特兰·罗素曾这样描述他：
He would have been remarkable in any age,
他的非凡脱俗于时代，
in the age in which he lived, he is utterly amazing.
在他所处的时代，他简直闪闪发光。
But suddenly, in the spring of 523 A.D, Boethius’s fortune ran out.
但突然间，在公元523年春天，波爱修斯的好运到头了。
There was a knock at the door
有人敲响了他的家门，
and a gang of Theodoric’s guards accused him (quite falsely) of having plotted against the increasingly paranoid and vengeful king.
狄奥多里克的一伙卫兵（完全不实地）指控他密谋反对这个愈加偏执和心存报复的国王。
With scarcely time to say goodbye to his family, Boethius was carted off to prison.
波爱修斯还没来得及和家人道别，就被押解到监狱去了。
Entirely innocent but also aware of the risk he was in, Boethius fell into despair.
他认识到完全清白的自己在劫难逃，波伊提乌陷入了绝望。
In a tiny cell, he contemplated his rapid fall from grace,
在一间狭小的牢房里，他见证了自己从高贵迅速跌至落魄
his love for his family and the unfairness of his destiny.
他对家庭的爱与命运的不公交织在一起
What would eventually lift his spirits –
是什么最终让他振作起来，
and at the same time, gift humanity one of its greatest works of prison literature of any time or place –
并与此同时催生了人类最伟大的监狱作品之一？
was his decision to think his way philosophically out of his sorrows.
答案是，他决定用哲学的方式走出悲伤。
As The Consolation of Philosophy opens, Boethius describes his listless sadness and terror at his state:
在《哲学的慰藉》开篇，波爱修斯诉说了无尽的悲伤和恐惧：
‘White hairs are scattered untimely on my head, and the skin hangs loosely from my worn-out limbs’.
“我满头白发，皮肤松弛地挂在脆弱的骨架上。”。
But in this downcast state,
但正当波爱修斯沮丧时
Boethius receives an unexpected visit:
他邂逅了一位不期而来的客人
‘While I was pondering thus in silence,
“当我在静寂中沉思，
and using my pen to set down so tearful a complaint,
准备将催人泪下的抱怨诉诸笔端之时，
there appeared standing over my head a woman’s form,
我头顶上出现了一个女人的身影，
whose countenance was full of majesty, whose eyes shone as with fire
她的表情非常庄严，眼睛闪烁着光辉
and whose power of insight surpassed that of all men…’
她能洞察一切”
His visitor is a metaphorical figure whom Boethius terms Lady Philosophy.
访客是一个隐喻性的人物，波爱修斯称之为哲学女神。
Lady Philosophy is carrying a pile of classical books in one hand and a sceptre in the other
哲学女神一手拿着一堆经典书籍，另一手拿着权杖
– and she has come to visit Boethius in his cell
——她来到波爱修斯的牢房里探望他，
in order to remind him of some of the fundamental truths of his favourite subject,
目的是提醒他一些他最喜欢的哲学中的一些基本原理，
largely as defined by the Stoic school of Greece and Rome.
这主要是由希腊和罗马的斯多葛学派所定义的。
That she should have dropped in on him was, in a sense, no surprise:
从某种意义上说，她的顺道拜访一点也不奇怪：
in the classical world, philosophy was not an abstract academic discipline,
在古典世界，哲学不是一门抽象的学术学科，
it was a set of tools specifically designed to help one live and die well,
这是一套专门帮助人更好地生存和死亡的工具，
and with acute relevance at the darkest moments.
在最黑暗的时刻发挥效用。
Lady Philosophy begins by gently chiding Boethius for ‘flaring up against’ his fate.
哲学女神开始温和地责怪波爱修斯'怨憎'他的命运。
She reminds him, as Stoic philosophers had constantly stressed,
她提醒他，正如斯多葛派哲学家不断强调的那样，
that human beings are not in control of most of what happens to them.
人生不如意事常八九。
Our destiny is in large measure in the hands of a devilishly powerful seductive goddess
我们的命运在很大程度上掌握在一位魔鬼般强大诱人的女神手中，
whom the Romans knew as Fortuna, the Goddess of Fortune.
罗马人称之为命运女神福尔图娜。
This figure was a central deity in the Roman pantheon
这个人物是罗马万神殿的主神，
and was represented across the Roman world on coins and statues.
罗马的硬币和雕像上都有命运女神的身影。
She was typically depicted holding a cornucopia in one hand,
她的经典造型是一只手拿丰饶角
overflowing with fruit and luxuries,
里面盛满水果和珍宝
and on the other, leaning on a tiller,
另一只手扶在方向舵上
a marker of her capacity to direct people’s fates.
这是她主宰人们时运的能力标志
Depending on her mood,
命运女神的行为全凭心情
Fortune might either shower us with gifts or,
可能会给我们送上礼物，
with a blithe smile, steer us towards catastrophe.
或者带着愉快的微笑，引导我们走向灾难。
To be a philosopher means to understand all that Fortune controls,
作为一个哲学家，意味着要明白运控制一切，
to resist her blandishments,
抵制命运女神的花言巧语，
to know never to put complete faith in the things
知道永远不要完全相信现实，
that are, ultimately, always in the hands of an immoral and reckless force –
因为，命运最终总是掌握在不道德和鲁莽力量手中，
and to prepare for the day when we may have to surrender her gifts at a stroke.
而且你还要准备着命运女神会一下子拿走赐予你的东西
These gifts comprise most of what we would today think of as the fundamental ingredients of happiness:
这些礼物构成了我们今天所认为的幸福的基本要素：
love, family, children, prosperity, reputation and career.
爱、家庭、孩子、繁荣、声誉和事业。
But, for a Stoic philosopher,
但是，对于一个斯多葛学派的哲学家来说，
none of them should be things that the wise should ever really trust –
这些都不是智者应该信奉的东西
for all of them can be lost in horrific circumstances at any moment.
因为所有这些东西都可能在任何时候因可怖的意外而失去。
Lady Philosophy sits with Boethius in his cell
“哲学女神”坐在波爱修斯的牢房里，
and reminds him of his appalling exposure to Fortune’s deceptive charm:
让他想起自己曾可怕地暴露在命运迷人的欺骗之下
‘I know the many disguises of that monster, Fortune,
“我知道命运这个怪物的许多伪装，
and the extent to which she seduces with friendship the very people she is striving to cheat,
以及她会用友谊诱惑那些想欺骗的人，
until she overwhelms them with unbearable grief at the suddenness of her desertion.’
直到她突然将你抛弃，让你悲痛欲绝”
But Lady Philosophy also reminds Boethius that the wise have to resist putting their faith in the gifts of Fortune.
但哲学女神也提醒波爱修斯，智不能把自己的信仰寄托在命运女神的恩赐上。
She introduces a famous image of a Wheel of Fortune,
她介绍了著名的命运之轮，
which spins between success and favour –
它会带来成功、失败，
and appalling punishment and pain.
还会带来骇人的惩罚和痛苦。
Fortune spins the wheel with abandon and merciless cruelty,
命运女神肆意无情地转动着轮子，
enjoying the screams of those who, only hours before, were confident of their future.
享受着那些几个小时前对自己的未来充满信心的人的尖叫。
‘If you are trying to stop her wheel from turning, you of all men are the most obtuse,’
“如果你试图阻止她的车轮转动，那你就是蠢笨至极，”
Lady Philosophy tells Boethius,
哲学女神告诉波爱修斯，
‘You are seeking to regain what really did not belong to you.’
“你在寻求重新获得其实不属于你的东西。”
Fortune herself pipes up at this point and says with chilling candour:
幸运女神突然直言不讳地说出让人胆寒的话：
‘Inconstancy is my very essence;
“反复无常是我的本质；
it is the game I never cease to play
这是一个我百玩不厌的游戏，
as I turn my wheel in its ever changing circle…
我转动我的车轮，使其处于不断变化中
yes, rise up on my wheel if you like,
是的，如果你愿意的话，站在我的轮子上，
but don’t count it an injury when by the same token you begin to fall,
但是当你开始跌倒的时候，不要把它看作是一种伤害，
as the rules of the game will require….
因为游戏的规则如此。
Isn’t this what tragedy commemorates with its tears and tumult?’
这不就是悲剧要用眼泪和喧嚣来纪念的原因吗？”
Lady Philosophy now gets to the heart of her message.
哲学女神的话触及了问题的核心
Boethius must, like any good philosophically inclined person,
波爱修斯必须像任何有哲学倾向的好人一样，
stop trusting in anything that Fortune can take away at once:
不再相信任何能被命运女神一下子夺走的东西：“
‘You know there is no constancy in human affairs,
“你知道人世间没什么东西会永恒
when a single swift hour can often bring a man to nothing.’
一个人能瞬间失去所有东西。”
‘If you are in possession of yourself
“若你能拥有自己，
you will possess something you would never wish to lose
将拥有一些你永远不想失去的东西，
and something Fortune could never take away….
一些幸运女神永远不会带走的东西……
Happiness cannot consist in things governed by chance.’
幸福不可能存在于由偶然性支配的事物中。”
Boethius must retreat to what the Stoic philosophers called his ‘inner citadel,’
波爱修斯必须撤退到斯多葛派哲学家所称的“内心堡垒”，
a minimal self immune from the cruelty of Fortune.
即在残酷命运中最小限度的自我免疫。
Lady Philosophy stresses that a different sort of happiness can be found by focusing on all that Fortune can never make one lose,
哲学女神强调，把注意力集中在命运永远无法拿走的东西上，
specifically one’s powers of reasoning,
特别是一个人的理智，可以找到一种不同的幸福，
which give one access to the beauty, mystery and complexity of the universe.
这种理智让人接触到宇宙的美丽、神秘和复杂。
True philosophers rise above their immediate circumstances,
真正的哲学家超然物外，
become indifferent to their own fate
对自己的命运漠不关心，
and identify with the vast forces of history and nature.
认同历史和自然的巨大力量。
It’s a measure of the relevance of Boethius’s message
波爱修斯的反省具有普世价值，
that we today so firmly identify happiness with two areas that lie entirely in the hands of Fortune: romantic love and career success.
我们今天如此坚定地把幸福与浪漫的爱情和事业的成功这两个完全掌握在命运手中的领域联系在一起。
And, unsurprisingly, we are continually let down here too,
而且，不出所料，我们在事业和爱情上也经常失望，
the wheel of fortune spinning us randomly from promise to disgrace, from hope to ruin.
命运女神之轮随机地让我们从前途无量到耻辱收场，毁灭我们的希望。
Boethius’s provocative message to his own times and to our own
波爱修斯向他自己的时代和我们的时代发出挑衅，
is that the best way to find peace of mind may be to perceive the ingredients we associate with happiness
找到心灵平静的最佳方式可能是感知我们与幸福相关联的成分，
as in truth direct conduits to a fundamental instability, and thereby to inner torment and anxiety.
不是那些摇摇欲坠，让我们的内心产生折磨和焦虑的东西。
Boethius’s wisdom was to be the last eloquent outcry of the guiding ideas of Classical philosophy
波爱修斯的智慧是古典哲学指导思想的最后振臂高呼，
and in particular, its Stoic branch.
尤其是它是斯多葛派的分支。
Thereafter, Christianity subsumed its insights,
此后，基督教吸收了波爱修斯的见解，
which were then further obscured by the scientific optimism of the modern period.
而现代时期的科学乐观主义则进一步掩盖了这些见解。
Our own troubled times deserve to witness the rediscovery of the Stoic message.
这个动荡不安的时代需要重新发掘斯多葛学派的思想。
We become philosophers not by writing books or attending university courses,
我们成为哲学家，不是因为写书或上大学，
but by appreciating how little of our lives is in our hands,
而是因为我们懂得我们生命的渺小，
the ubiquity and fickleness of Fortune
命运女神的无处不在和变化无常，
and our need to look beyond public opinion, family, love and status –
我们需要超越公众舆论、家庭，爱和地位——
in order to build up serenity through the exercise of one’s distinctive and fate-independent mental powers.
通过运用自己独特的、与命运无关的精神力量来建立宁静。
Boethius was killed, as he feared, a few months after being imprisoned.
正如他所担心的，波爱修斯在被监禁几个月后被杀。
His grave lies in the Church of San Pietro in Ciel d’Oro in Pavia,
他的坟墓位于帕维亚Ciel d’Oro的圣彼得罗教堂
half an hour from Milan.
距离米兰半小时车程。
In his honour, we should leave space for Lady Philosophy occasionally to come and visit us –
为了纪念他，我们应该抽空让哲学女神偶尔来拜访我们——
and, when we are facing the worst turns of Fortune’s wheel,
而且，当我们面临命运之轮最糟糕的转折时，
let her strengthen our resolve to depend a little less on what was in fact never really ours to rely upon.
让哲学女神坚定我们的决心，减少依赖其实从未真正属于我们的东西。
If you liked this film, you might be interested in our range of books
如果你喜欢这部影片，你可能会对我们的一系列书籍感兴趣，
on topics such as Relationships, Sex, Self-Knowledge and Confidence.
这些书的主题包括人际关系、性、自我认识和自信。
Click the link on your screen now.
请点击屏幕上的链接
