每天讀一點英文 那些激勵我前行的身影 26 致加西亞的信-艾爾伯特.哈伯德

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Words that moved a nation 感動一個國家的文字

By Elbert Hubbard 艾爾伯特·哈伯德

In all this Cuban business there is one man stands out on the horizon of my memory like Mars at perihelion.

在所有與古巴有關的故事中,有一個人令我無法忘懷,他就像近日點的火星一樣耀眼?

When war broke out between Spain and the United States, it was very necessary to communicate quickly with the leader of the Insurgents. Garcia was somewhere in the mountain vastness of Cuba -- no one knew where. No mail nor telegraph message could reach him. The President must secure his cooperation, and quickly.

美西戰(zhàn)爭爆發(fā)后,美國必須馬上與起義軍首領取得聯系?加西亞將軍就在古巴的崇山峻嶺之中,但沒人知道他具體在哪兒?郵件和電報都到不了加西亞將軍那里?美國總統(tǒng)必須盡快與他取得合作?

What to do﹖

Someone said to the President, “There’s a fellow by the name of Rowan will find Garcia for you, if anybody can.”

怎么辦?

有人對總統(tǒng)說:“有一個叫羅恩的人,只有他能為您找到加西亞將軍?”

Rowan was sent for and given a letter to be delivered to Garcia. How “the fellow by the name of Rowan” took the letter, sealed it up in an oil-skin pouch, strapped it over his heart, in four days landed by night off the coast of Cuba from an open boat, disappeared into the jungle, and in three weeks came out on the other side of the Island, having traversed a hostile country on foot, and delivered his letter to Garcia, are things I have no special desire now to tell in detail.

他們找來了羅恩,讓他給加西亞將軍送一封信?至于那個“叫羅恩的人”是怎樣接了信?用油皮紙袋封好?貼身捆在胸前?用4天的時間乘小舟在夜色中到達古巴海岸?用3個禮拜的時間穿越叢林來到古巴島的另一端?徒步穿越這個危機四伏的國家把信交到加西亞將軍面前,我并沒有興趣去講述這些細節(jié)?

The point I wish to make is this: McKinley gave Rowan a letter to be delivered to Garcia; Rowan took the letter and did not ask, “Where is he at﹖”

我想強調的是:麥金利總統(tǒng)把給加西亞將軍的信交給羅恩,羅恩只是接過信,而并沒有問:“他在哪里?”

There is a man whose form should be cast in deathless bronze and the statue placed in every college of the land. It is not book-learning young men need, nor instruction about this and that, but a stiffening of the vertebrae which will cause them to be loyal to a trust, to act promptly, concentrate their energies: do the thing -- “Carry a message to

Garcia!”

像羅恩這樣的人,應該為他塑一座不朽的雕像,豎立在全國各所高校里?年輕人需要的不僅是書本知識或者各種教導,更需要一種精神,讓他們樹立對信任的忠誠,立即采取行動,全心全意去完成任務——“把信交給加西亞”

General Garcia is dead now, but there are other Garcias.

加西亞將軍已經過世了,但還有很多別的加西亞?

No man, who has endeavored to carry out an enterprise where many hands were needed, but has been appalled at times by the imbecility of the average man -- the inability or unwillingness to concentrate on a thing and do it. You, reader, put this matter to a test: You are sitting now in your office -- six clerks are within call.

所有苦心經營一家公司?需要很多人手幫忙的人,都曾一次又一次為普通員工的低能感到震驚——不是無能,就是不愿集中精力去做一件事情?親愛的讀者,你可以設想一下:你現在坐在辦公室里,有6名員工可供差遣?

Summon any one and make this request: “Please look in the encyclopedia and make a brief memorandum for me concerning the life of Correggio”.

隨便找一個人給他一項任務:“你去百科全書里查一下,給我寫一個關于柯勒喬生平的簡短備忘錄?”

Will the clerk quietly say, “Yes, sir,” and go do the task﹖

那個員工會鎮(zhèn)靜地說“好的,先生”,然后去執(zhí)行任務嗎?

On your life, he will not. He will look at you out of a fishy eye and ask one or more of the following questions:

完全不可能?他會目光呆滯地看著你,問你下面的某個或幾個問題:

Who was he﹖

他是誰?

Which encyclopedia﹖

哪本百科全書?

Where is the encyclopedia﹖

百科全書在哪里?

Was I hired for that﹖

這是我的工作職責嗎?

Don’t you mean Bismarck﹖

您不是說俾斯麥吧?

What’s the matter with Charlie doing it﹖

為什么不讓查利去做呢?

Is he dead﹖

他還活著嗎?

Is there any hurry﹖

著不著急?

Shan’t I bring you the book and let you look it up yourself﹖

我可不可以把書拿過來您自己查?

What do you want to know for﹖

您要知道他做什么?

And I will lay you ten to one that after you have answered the questions, and explained how to find the information, and why you want it, the clerk will go off and get one of the other clerks to help him try to find Garcia -- and then come back and tell you there is no such man. Of course I may lose my bet, but according to the Law of Averages, I will not.

我可以打包票,你回答完這些問題?告訴他怎么去查?你要這些資料有什么用之后,那個員工會出去找來另一個員工幫助他找加西亞——然后回來告訴你根本沒這個人?當然我可能賭輸,但按照平均律我不會輸?

My heart goes out to the man who does his work when the “boss” is away, as well as when he is at home. And the man who, when given a letter for Garcia, quietly take the missive, without asking any idiotic questions, and with no lurking intention of chucking it into the nearest sewer, or of doing aught else but deliver it, never gets “laid off,”nor has to go on a strike for higher wages. Civilization is one long anxious search for just such individuals.

我欣賞那些老板不在的時候認真工作以及回到家里仍心系工作的人?那些接受了給加西亞送信的任務?只是默默地把信收下?不去問一些白癡的問題?也沒有暗地里打算回頭就扔進附近下水道里?一心一意地去送信的人,永遠不會被炒魷魚,也永遠不用靠罷工去爭取提薪?整個漫長的人類文明史都在焦急地找尋這樣的人?這樣的人所有的要求都能得到滿足,他們的善良如此珍稀,任何老板離開他們都損失慘重?

Anything such a man asks shall be granted, his kind is so rare that no employer can afford to let him go. He is wanted in every city, town and village -- in every office, shop, store and factory. The world cries out for such: the man who can carry a message to Garcia.

這樣的人在每個城市?鎮(zhèn)子?鄉(xiāng)村,在每間辦公室?每個商店和工廠都是被需要的?整個世界都在呼喚,呼喚那個能給加西亞送信的人?

【人物簡介】

100多年前的一個傍晚，出版家艾爾伯特·哈伯德與家人喝茶時受兒子的啟發(fā)，創(chuàng)作了一篇名為《致加西亞的信》的文章，刊登在《菲士利人》的雜志上，雜志很快就告罄。到1915年作者逝世為止，《致加西亞的信》的印數高達40，000，000冊。創(chuàng)造了一個作家的有生之年一本圖書銷售量的歷史記錄。其后的80余年，該書被翻譯成所有的文字，許多政府、軍隊和企業(yè)都將此書贈送給士兵和職員，作為培養(yǎng)士兵、職員敬業(yè)守則的必讀書。