课文文本

Lesson 29 Pieces of Mind 思想片断

A young man sees a sunset and, unable to understand or to express the emotion that it rouses in him, concludes that it must be the gateway to a world that lies beyond. It is difficult for any of us in moments of intense aesthetic experience to resist the suggestion that we are catching a glimpse of a light that shines down to us from a different realm of existence, different and, because the experience is intensely moving, in some way higher. And, though the gleams blind and dazzle, yet do they convey a hint of beauty and serenity greater than we have known or imagined. Greater too than we can describe, for language, which was invented to convey the meanings of this world, cannot readily be fitted to the uses of another.

That all great art has this power of suggesting a world beyond is undeniable. In some moods Nature shares it. There is no sky in June so blue that it does not point forward to a bluer, no sunset so beautiful that it does not waken the vision of a greater beauty, a vision which passes before it is fully glimpsed, and in passing leaves an indefinable longing and regret.

But, if this world is not merely a bad joke, life a vulgar flare amid the cool radiance of the stars, and existence an empty laugh braying across the mysteries; if these intimations of a something behind and beyond are not evil humour born of indigestion, or whimsies sent by the devil to mock and madden us, if, in a word, beauty means something, yet we must not seek to interpret the meaning. If we glimpse the unutterable, it is unwise to try to utter it, nor should we seek to invest with significance that whichwe cannot grasp. Beauty in terms of our human meanings is meaningless.

生词短语

rouse vt.激起(情感词） \emotion\excitement激动\anger仇恨\love爱
同义词 arouse激发,flame\inflame火焰,stir搅拌
This film is really rousing.这片子真是让人激动。

▲intense a强烈的 love/passion热情/hatred/heat酷暑/coldness严寒/light/rays强光
intensive reading精读/extensive reading范读
intensive farming精耕细作/intensified training强化训练
同义词：violent/ferment/fierce/vehement

aesthetic a审美的 aesthetics审美学（a＋s－名词，如logic—logics）esthete爱美者，唯美主义者

realm n世界 见19课
gleam n光芒 见10课

dazzle vt 使眼花缭乱，头晕目眩
The fireworks dazzle me.那绽放的烟花使我头晕目眩
dazzling achivemeng令人瞩目的成就

convey vt 传达，表达information/meaning/knowledge
Teacher conveys knowledge to students.
同义词：transfer/transplant移植/transmit/transpacific横跨大西洋/pass over
pass!传

serenity n 静谧 adj serene
同义词：poetic/quice/peaceful（O）/placid/tranquil（w）/serene life
serene lake/face（安祥的脸）

readily ad 轻易地
The work is readily done.
The problem is readily solved.这个难题迎刃而解
同义词：smoothly/ painless

undeniable a 不可否认的
词源：否认deny/可否认的deniable
①deny sb.……sth.
He denies me admission.他不准我进去。
②deny oneself in sth.
I deny myself in drinking.我戒酒了
deny oneself毫无疑问/question－questionable－unqusetionable
mistakable-unmistakble

▲indefinable a 不可名状的，无法下定义的（表程度高）
define下定义
His kindness/hospitality is indefinable.他的热情真是难以表述。
难以描述的undesctibable/express－expressible-inexpressible/biyond words

▲longing n 渴望,热望
long for a villa/long to have a ville渴望一栋别墅
同义词：yearn－yearning for……/thirst/thirsty/hunger
※名词或动词类似，则其同义词用法类似
my hunger for books

vulgar a 平庸的（来源于宗教，与God所住之heaven相对应）
vulgar place/vulgar world/vugar language(nasty)言语粗俗
同义词：earthly 反义词：heavenly/godly/celestial星空的，高雅的

radiance n 发光
来源于radio adj－radiant smile/radioactive表辐射
wear a radiant face红光满面
※：wear 可用于表穿、戴、涂抹、留(胡子、头发等）如wear lipstick/whitening lotion增白蜜/beard

mysteries n 神秘的事物 /mystic见19课

intimation n 暗示
intimate v.告知，暗示 同义词：hint/suggestion/imlication

whimsy n 怪念头
whimsical adj.怪诞的见27课

▲in a word 总而言之
同义词：in short/in brief（见）26课/in a nutshell

▲interpret vt 阐明
I am an interpreter.(oral)/translator(written)
inter:between
如：international/interschool/interclass/interpersonal
trans- 表示“横过，贯穿”之义
interpret a role/play a role 扮演角色

▲unutterable a 不可言传的 同义词：indefinable
uttervt 说出，表达 adj 完全的
in utter exhaustion完全疲劳状态（见28课）/utterance(oral)/sentence(written)

invest vt 赋予 m.investment 同义词endow v.
invest in投资: He investen in china.
invest with给予/invest sb. with courage
invest sb. with loving heart
The novel is invested with mystery.这部小说极具神秘色彩！

grasp vt 理解
beyong/within my grasp无法/能理解
Grasp all and lose all. 贪多必失
He is very grasping.他太贪婪了。

课文注释

A young man sees（与concludes并列） a sunset and, unable（做原因状语） to understand or to express the emotion that it(sunset) rouses in him①, concludes that it must be the gateway to ②（通往……的门） a world that lies beyond（省略了 this world).（下一句从特殊引至一般,from a individual to the general） It is difficult for any of us( 后边跟 to do sth. )in moments of intense aesthetic experience ③to resist the suggestion（暗示） that（同位语从句） we are catching a glimpse（一瞥） of a light that shines down to④ us from a different realm of existence（=world), different（different 修饰 existence） and, because the experience is intensely moving（双关语，touching/quickly), in some way higher( 更加壮丽). And, though the gleams blind(v.使……一片茫然), and dazzle, yet do(do 起强调作用) they convey a hint of beauty and serenity greater than we have known or imagined. Greater too than we can describe⑤, for language, which was invented to convey the meanings of this world（this world:our worle）, cannot readily be fitted to the uses of another.
That all great art has this power of suggesting a world beyond is undeniable. In some moods Nature shares it. There is no sky in June so blue that it does not point forward to a bluer⑥, no sunset so beautiful that it does not waken the vision（幻觉） of a greater beauty, a vision which passes before it is fully glimpsed, and in passing（in passing 在流逝的过程中） leaves an indefinable longing and regret. But, if this world is not merely a bad joke⑦, life（省略了is not ）a vulgar flare ⑧amid the cool（冷，冷漠） radiance of the stars（宇宙间，意为上天）, and existence（＝life）（省略了is not） an empty laugh braying（donkey） across the mysteries（意为上天）; if these intimations（暗示，联想） of a something（a something 指前边所联想的东西，日落、蓝天） behind（inside/inside my heart,见文章第二句‘to express the emotion that it rouses in him’) and beyond（higher universe） are not evil humour born of indigestion（born of indigestion:come from misunderstangding，误解）, or whimsies sent by the devil（与hell相对，意指邪恶） to mock（joke，嘲笑） and madden us, if, in a word, beauty means something, yet we must not seek to（try to） interpret the meaning⑨. If we glimpse the unutterable, it is unwise to try to utter it, nor should we seek to invest with significance that which we cannot grasp⑩. Beauty in terms of（in terms of 就……而言） our human meanings is meaningless.

①What's your emotion when you see the sun is rising radianly from the Mount Tai?
it is great!/beautifu!/it is really glamorous!
it is really beyond my words!
a glorious future behind him/ a glorious future in front of him（见6课）

②gateway to 通往……的门To master English is a gateway to a rosy future.（非常灿烂的未来）

③in moments of intense aesthetic experience 插入语＝when we have the moments of intense aesthetic experience

④shines down to/above/high above

⑤Greater too than we can describe.无谓语句(exclamation)，表达一种惊叹.即美得语言难以描述。
如：How nice!

⑥此句暗示更好的未来。结构上双重否定等于肯定There is sky in June so blur than it does point forward to a bluer .六月总有一种蓝天能使你联想到更湛蓝的天空。
如：There is no man in the world so nice that he does not deserve any praise.
There is no man in the worle so vicious that he dose not deserve any abuse.
He is rotten to the core,so I hate him to death.他坏到心肠了，我恨死他了。to death 表一种状态。
I love him to death.我爱死他了
I am hungry to death./I am angry to death.

⑦a bad joke 一个拙劣的玩笑，此句意为人生充满不幸（misfortune/happiness/laughter），西方宗教中上帝认为人是罪恶的，所以要惩罚人类，即理解为文中bad joke。

⑧vulgar flare 平庸的一闪，flare:short in passing；vulgar:fruitless


⑨前面4句分句引出文中主题句－yet we must not seek to interpret the meaning.

⑩invest sth.(that which we cannot grasp) with significance，倒装句，宾语较长放在后，
此文章为哲学家所写，比较难，而科学类文章相对简单。（philosopher/scientist）
作者：C.E.M.JOAD(1891-1953) Britisher/Meaning of Life/God and Evil sculpture
文中图片为著名雕塑家Hogarth的自画像。The Line of Beauty 线条的美，在当时其作品被评为粗暴、低俗（vulgar and inferior）。其最擅长于勾画眼睛。
文章要求背诵，至少读10次，领悟其内涵。