德川家康,日本伟大之武士,恃锋利之剑,弃残酷之魔鬼,摆脱旧有封建日本之约束;其临终,于榻前谓其孙德川家光,曰,“汝,有帝王之相,他日必将辖治一大帝国。汝当谨记,治帝国之道,心须温良仁慈[1](拉丁语:alma as in alma mater,意即:母亲般之温良仁慈)。”余以为,目今日本之政治家,之所以觉高丽难治者,盖因现代之日本人勿读《外史》,亦勿教之于学生,而览杜威教授之实用哲学及实用政治学,且教之于学生,其果也,忘其祖训已涵盖上文所引之实用政治学之本质。
余新近写有一文,曰,读威尔士人泰菲所作之英语童谣,有益于教化人之心灵。览此文者,多以为,此乃玩笑而已。然,余以为,吾所言甚为严肃,而非戏谑之言。盖因诸如英语童谣之诗,乃真正之诗;当然,此乃儿童诵读之真正之诗也;真正之诗,必生奇异之魔力,(如马太·阿诺德所言,荷马之诗),可使人脱胎换骨。如若疑之,可叫日本艺妓诵读日文之中国著名诗句“月落乌啼霜满天(Tsuki ochi karasu naite shimo ten ni mitsu)”,则可见,其眼突放异彩,如醉如痴,忘其所以;此时此刻,嫣然已成另一女人,较先前之状,更美也媚也。
[②] Y.M.C.A,全称为Young Men’s Christian Association,由佐治. 威廉1844年创建于英国伦敦。YMCA遵循“非以役人,乃役于人”的会训,目前世界上有一百三十多个国家和地区都有YMCA。在中国,著名者,有 YMCA of Guangzhou,始创于1909年,乃一个国际性之非营利之志愿者社会服务团体。
[③] Mr. Lkoyd George,生辰不详,但疑是David Lloyd George之误。David Lloyd George(1863-1945),英国首相(1916-1932)乔治。
[④] 原文此处所提及之莎士比亚及维吉尔,皆借指其人或其作品。
[⑤] 北京餐厅,座落于美国密歇根州底特律市杰斐逊大街。
[⑥] 此句出自《论语.阳货第十七》之十一,全句为:“礼云礼云,玉帛云乎哉?乐云乐云,钟鼓云乎哉?”辜鸿铭引用孔子言论以证明美国乃蛮夷之国,因为文明之本,在礼乐,礼尤甚。玉帛钟鼓只能是礼乐之外在形式而非全部。此处孔子言语之英译,与辜鸿铭翻译之《论语》全然不同。可见辜鸿铭对中国经典之理解亦有发展之过程。其英文《论语》曰:“Men speak about Art! Art! Do you really think that merely means paiting and sculpture? Men speak about music! Music! Do you think that means merely bells, drums, and musical instruments?”
[⑦] 盖尔塔(Gelthar),九世纪中期丹麦海盗头目,因其残忍而名噪一时。
[⑧] 原文“Last of all then, I would like again the remind the Japanese people, who, in my opinion, are now the real Se-i Shogun or Markgraf Nation, Military Guardian of Civilization in the Far East, of the words of their great dead Shogun Tokugawa lyeyasu, who, when speaking to his grandson, was really speaking to the Japanese Nation today.”
[1] 原文“The great Soldier-Gentleman of Japan, Tokugawa lyeyasy, after he had, with his sharp sword, cast the “devil of cruelty” out of old feudal Japan----just in the same way as the British “Unknown Warrior,” whom they lately buried in Westminster Abbey in England, has now cast the “devil” called Furor Teutonicus out of feudal Germany----was on his death-bed, he sent for his grandson lyemistsu and said to him, “You are the man who one day will have to govern an empire. Remember, the way to govern an empire is to have a gentle and tender heart (the Latin alma as in alma mater, the extreme gentle tenderness of a mother.”
[2] 原文“the Windsor “Garter Inn” and introducing him to Mrs. Ford, Mrs. Anne Page, Bardolf, Pistol, Nym”提及之地点、人物均出自莎士比亚之《温莎之风流娘们儿》。
译文摘自《春秋大义--中华文明之精神》(辜鸿铭著 颜林海译)