Thrills， indeed， are merely an amusement， and their effect vanishes as quickly as the effect of a game of cards. Those who enjoy life most enjoy thrills least. Or it might be nearer the truth to say that they are least dependant on thrills for their happiness. The autobiographyautobiography n.自传 of the happiest man would not be record of sensationalsensational adj.使人感动的， 非常好的 experiences. Charles Lamb，s tenderest essay was called “Old China”， not “Murderers I Have Met”. Think yourself back into happiness and it is ten to one you will find yourself in a sunny garden and not at some exciting public show. The first time you heard a willowwren，s song and saw it lifting it beak to sing in the shadow of the sycamore leaves seems an infinitelyinfinitely adv.无限地， 无穷地 more wonderful thing to look back on than a riot in the streets with bayonets drawn and policemen charging and brokenskulled civilians borne off to the hospital.
Nor are the best books the most thrilling books. Guy Boothby was a more thrilling author than Jane Austen， yet who troubles even to remember any of Guy Boothby，s novels today？ Great literatureliterature n.文学（作品）， 文艺， 着作， 文献 has its exaltations， but a thrill is merely a superficial excitement of the nerves， and moves the imagination or the affections about as little or as much as a strong cup of coffee.
I confess to an occasional - may， frequent - craving for coffee and to an occasional - may， frequent - craving for thrills， but， as for happiness， I should prefer to grow broad beans and lettuces in a walled garden and to sit in a deckchair in my shirtsleeves， watching their brief lives till they were ready for the table.
刺激时代
罗·林德
如今这时代充满刺激，远为别的一切时代所不及。毋庸置疑，古罗马人是有椭圆形竞技场，不过我怀疑就连古罗马人是否也像我们如今这般要不间断地享受刺激。在他们的罗马城里，各地并无全天营业的电影院，也无大量倾销“人猿泰山”和“阿拉伯酋长”读物的出版社。人们现在驾着摩托车比赛所能领略的速度兴奋感，古罗马人是一无所知的。他们一架飞机也没有，所以不可能提心吊胆地坐着观看空中“特技表演”。他们或者去读维吉尔和恺撒着名教科书作者写的书，或者去看角斗士角斗，此外，似乎别无其他选择。不论学童的心地如何善良，了解到大多数古罗马人宁愿去看角斗士角斗时都不会感到惊奇。
然而我怀疑，由于我们日常生活中的刺激增多，我们是否随之更加愉快。我们的最愉快的记忆很少是关于轰动事件的记忆。见过第一家“齐柏林”飞艇在伦敦上空被击中而燃烧的人，个个在第二天似乎都很高兴：他们有了目睹这一奇观的见识，暂时能沾沾自喜而傲视错过这惊险场面的同胞。但是，现在有谁是因为这惊险场面既可怖又可喜而回想时才感到更加愉快呢？我只见过两架被击中燃烧的“齐柏林”飞艇，但是我毫不稀罕，想起它们而带来的那种所谓愉快，以它换取区区六便士我都情愿。我宁可无休止地回想十多年前的复活节次日，在阳光下，我仰面躺在一座长满青草的铁路桥上，吃的是用报纸包着的两种三明治。我并不记得三明治的味道，但是我记得跟我在一起的伙伴，晴朗的天气，青草和我就算到了天堂也不会觉得更愉快的那种心情。我们回顾往事时，感到更为愉快，是因为我们喜欢过某个人或某件事，而不是因为我们参与过某次出名的大事件。
刺激确实只是一种消遣，其效用跟玩牌一样，转眼即逝。最善于享人生之乐者最不屑寻刺激之欢。或许这样说更接近实情：他们不靠刺激去求愉快。最快乐的人的自传不会是一部耸人听闻的经历的纪录。查尔斯·兰姆写得最微妙的散文名为《老瓷器》而不是什么《我遇到的谋杀者》。你不妨回忆过去的愉快，十之八九会发现你自己是在一个满园阳光的花园里，而不是在某个令人激动的公开演出会上。你第一次听见鹪鹩的歌，看见它在美国梧桐树叶附近啾啾而唱，回想起来是无限的奇妙，相比之下，刺刀出鞘、警察袭击、平民头破血流被抬进医院的街头骚乱是大为逊色的。
最好的书也不是最刺激的书。比起简·奥斯丁来，作家盖伊·布恩比更有刺激性，然而如今有谁不嫌麻烦还记得盖伊·布恩比的任何一本小说呢？伟大的文学作品是激发人的，但是刺激只是一种肤浅的神经兴奋剂，对想像与心情的激奋作用之大小，不过像一杯浓咖啡而已。
我承认我偶尔渴望——不，是经常渴望——咖啡，也偶尔渴望——不，是经常渴望——刺激，但说到快乐，我宁可在有围墙的园子里种蚕虫和莴苣，我不穿外衣，坐在帆布睡椅上，观察它们的短暂生命，直到它们成为盘中菜。
The Essay and the Essayist
E. B. White
The essayist is a selfliberated man， sustained by the childish belief that everything he thinks about， everything that happens to him， is of general interest. He is a fellow who thoroughly enjoys his work， just as people who take bird walks enjoy theirs. Each new excursion of the essayist， each new “attempt”， differs from the last and takes him into new country. This delights him. Only a person who is congenitallycongenitally adv.天生地， 先天地 selfcentered has the effrontery and the stamina to write essays.
There are as many kinds of essays as there are human attitudes or poses， as many essay flavors as there are Howard Johnson ice creams. The essayist arises in the morning and， if he has work to do， selects his garb from an unusually extensive wardrobe： he can pull on any sort of shirt， be any sort of person， according to his mood or his subject matter - philosopher scold， jesterjester n.讲笑话的人， 小丑， raconteurraconteur n.健谈者， 善谈者， confidantconfidant n.心腹朋友， 知己， punditpundit n.印度学者， 梵文学家， 博学者， devil，s advocate， enthusiast. I like the essay， have always liked it， and even as a child was at work， attempting to inflict my young thoughts and experiences on others by putting them on paper. I early broke into print in the pages of St. Nicholas. I tend still to fall back on the essay form （or lack of form） when an idea strikes me， but I am not fooled about the place of the essay in twentiethcentury American letters-it stands a short distance down the line. The essayist， unlike the novelist， the poet， and the playwright， must be content in his selfimposed role of secondclass citizen. A writer who has his sights trained on the Nobel Prize or other earthly triumphs had best write a novel， a poem， or a play， and leave the essayist to ramble aboutramble about v.闲逛， 漫步于， content with living a free life and enjoying the satisfactions of a somewhat undisciplined existence. （Dr. Johnson called the essay “an irregular， undigested piece”； this happy practitioner has no wish to quarrel with the good doctor，s characterization.）
There is one thing the essayist cannot do， though he cannot indulge himself in deceit or in concealment， for he will be found out in no time. Desmond MacCarthy， in his introductoryintroductory n adj.介绍性的 remarks to the 1928 E. P. Dutton & Company edition of Montaigne， observes that Montaigne had the gift of natural candor...“ It is the basic ingredient. And even the essayist，s escape from discipline is only a partial escape： the essay， although a relaxed form， imposes its own disciplines and problems soon become apparent and （we all hope） act as a deterrent to anyone wielding a pen merely because he entertains randomrandom n.随意， 任意 adj.任意的， 随便的， 胡乱的adv.胡乱地 thoughts or is in a happy or wandering mood.”
