不必在意他人眼光的理由：英語精讀講義

Landscape with the Fall of Icarus

《伊卡洛斯墜落的風景》

is a large painting from the 1560s

是一幅創作於1560年代的巨幅畫作，

that hangs in Belgium's largest museum,

掛在比利時最大的博物館

the Musées des Beaux-Arts,

比利時皇家美術博物館（Musées des Beaux-Arts）中，

and is held to be a meticulous copy of an original work, 文法

被認為是一幅精心臨摹的贗品，

now lost,

原作已遺失，

by the Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder.

出自法蘭德斯畫家老彼得·布呂赫爾（Pieter Bruegel the Elder）之手。

The painting shows a superficially bucolic scene. 表達脈絡

這幅畫呈現出一派看似田園詩般的景象。

Ships are taking sail.

船隻揚帆起航。

A shepherd is tending to his flock. 用詞

牧羊人照料著羊群。

Distant cities look prosperous and ordered.

遠處的城市顯得繁華而井然有序。

But,

但是，

in the bottom right hand corner of the canvas,

在畫布的右下角，

a tragedy is unfolding,

一場悲劇正在上演，

all but unheeded. 片語搭配

卻幾乎無人理會。

Reckless Icarus, 文化背景

魯莽的伊卡洛斯，

the legendary figure from classical mythology,

這位古典神話中的傳奇人物，

is in the final stages 片語搭配

正處於最後階段，

of one of the ancient world's most famous aeronautical disasters.

經歷著古代世界最著名的航空災難之一。

Together with his father Daedalus,

與他的父親代達洛斯一起，

the young man had made himself a pair of wings,

這個年輕人為自己做了一對翅膀，

glued together with wax.

用蠟黏合在一起。

Daedalus had warned his son not to fly too close to the sun, 文法

代達洛斯曾警告兒子不要飛得離太陽太近，

in case its heat were to melt the structure. 文法

以免高溫融化翅膀的結構。

But the impetuous boy soared too high anyway,

但這個衝動的男孩還是飛得太高了，

and in the painting

而在畫中

has just tumbled down into the waves to his death. 講解

他剛剛跌入海浪中喪生。

Icarus's end is deliberately not the central focus of the painting.

伊卡洛斯的結局被刻意地不作為畫作的中心焦點。

The eye is drawn instead to the glittering cities 片語搭配

相反，人們的目光被遠處的璀璨城市

and smart ships in the distance.

和華麗船隻所吸引。

As if to emphasize the point, 表達脈絡

似乎為了強調這一點，

the plowman at the center of the painting

畫面中心的犁地農夫

references a popular proverb,

引用了一句流行的諺語：

"No plow stops for the dying man." 慣用語

「沒有哪把犁會為了將死之人而停下。」

This neglect of Icarus's tragedy is,

這種對伊卡洛斯悲劇的漠視，

at one level, 表達脈絡

在某種程度上，

terrifying and sad.

讓人感到恐懼和悲哀。

We read into it how little the world cares about our own pains. 片語動詞

我們從中體會到，世界對我們自身的痛苦是多麼漠不關心。

And yet,

然而，

from another perspective,

從另一個角度來看，

this neglect is deeply gratifying and importantly redemptive.

這種漠視又令人深感欣慰，且具有重要的救贖意義。

It is one of the central sources of our unhappiness 文法

我們不快樂的一個核心根源

that we spend so much of our lives 文法

是我們將生命中大量的時間

fearing for our reputations

花在擔心自己的名聲上，

and wondering what others will think of us when we fail,

以及擔心當我們失敗時別人會怎麼看我們，

as we inevitably will, 文法

畢竟我們不可避免地，

at points.

有時會失敗。

The slightest change in our image in the eyes of others 慣用語

我們在別人眼中形象的絲毫改變，

can obsess us. 用詞

都會讓我們耿耿於懷。

We lie awake at night, 片語搭配

我們夜不能寐，

wondering how we could cope 片語搭配

苦苦思索如何才能在

without the approval of people

得不到別人的認可時挺過去，

we don't even like very much.

哪怕那是我們並不怎麼喜歡的人。

We surrender our freedom 慣用語

我們交出了自己的自由，

to the verdicts of strangers.

任由陌生人來評判。

But the painter's stroke of consoling genius 片語搭配

但畫家這令人欣慰的天才之筆，

is here to show us how,

在這裡向我們展示了，

when we really mess up, 片語動詞

當我們真的搞砸時，

almost no one will be looking or caring very much.

幾乎沒人會看著你，也沒人會太在乎。

The farmer is too busy plowing. 文法

農夫忙著犁地。

The shepherd is too taken up with thinking about the weather. 片語動詞

牧羊人滿腦子都在想著天氣。

Someone else is overwhelmingly intent on fishing. 片語搭配

還有人全神貫注地在釣魚。

Our tragedies don't occupy society

我們的悲劇並不會像我們害怕的那樣

the way we fear they will. 文法

佔據整個社會的注意力。

A few people might notice for a moment,

少數人可能會短暫地注意到，

then swiftly move on to the next thing. 片語動詞

然後迅速轉向下一件事。

We are at the center of the galaxy 慣用語

我們之所以是宇宙的中心，

only in our own tortured minds.

僅僅存在於我們自己飽受折磨的頭腦中。

The world is still filled with humans

世界上仍然充滿了

who haven't heard of us and never will. 用詞

沒聽說過我們、以後也不會聽說過我們的人。

Those who might be angry or disappointed with you now

那些現在可能對你感到生氣或失望的人，

will have forgotten all about you soon enough. 文法

很快就會把你忘得一乾二淨。

Your disgrace will,

你的恥辱，

in time,

隨著時間的推移，

be subsumed within the larger amnesia 用詞

將會融入更巨大的遺忘之中——

of a consolingly indifferent world.

一個令人欣慰的、漠不關心的世界。

It isn't just Icarus who is being swallowed up and obscured by the waves. 講解

被海浪吞噬和掩蓋的不僅僅是伊卡洛斯。

Some of the same obscurity 慣用語

同樣不為人所知的命運，

awaits our greatest errors and embarrassments.

也正等待著我們最大的錯誤和尷尬。

We hope you enjoyed this film.

希望你喜歡這部影片。

For more from The School of Life,

想了解更多The School of Life的內容，

you can subscribe to our channel

歡迎訂閱我們的頻道，

and take a look at our range of products on our website.

並造訪我們的網站查看系列產品。