I was at a dinner in London given in honor of one of the most celebrated1 English military men of his time. I do not want to tell you his real name and titles. I will just call him Lieutenant2 General Lord Arthur Scoresby.

　　我出席了一次在伦敦举行的为当时最著名的英国军人举行的宴会。我不想告诉你他真实的名字和头衔，我只想叫他阿瑟.斯考兹比爵士。

　　I cannot describe my excitement when I saw this great and famous man. There he sat, the man himself, in person, all covered with medals. I could not take my eyes off him. He seemed to show the true mark of greatness. His fame had no effect on him. The hundreds of eyes watching him, the worship of so many people, did not seem to make any difference to him.

　　当我见到这位伟大而著名的人物的时候，兴奋之情无以言表。他独自一人坐在那里，浑身戴满了勋章。我的注意力无法从他身上挪开，他好象就是真正伟大的标志。他的名望对他根本没什么影响，成百上千双敬佩的眼睛，那么多人的崇敬似乎对他没有一丝影响。

　　Next to me sat a clergyman, who was an old friend of mine. He was not always a clergyman. During the first half of his life he was a teacher in the military school at Woolwich. There was a strange look in his eye as he leaned toward me and whispered – “Privately – he is a complete fool.” He meant, of course, the hero of our dinner.

　　坐在我旁边的是一位牧师，我的一位老朋友。他并不是一直是个牧师，他的前半生在吾尔维希的军校当一名老师。当他向我斜着身子轻声说话的时候，眼睛里有一种奇怪的表情：“别跟别人说，他是个十足的傻子。”他，当然指的是宴会上的那位英雄。

　　This came as a shock to me. I looked hard at my friend. I could not have been more surprised if he had said the same thing about Napoleon, or Socrates, or Solomon.

　　他的话使我感到很震惊。这比他说拿破伦或者苏格拉底或者所罗门王是傻子更令我吃惊。

　　But I was sure of two things about the clergyman. He always spoke3 the truth. And, his judgment4 of men was good. Therefore, I wanted to find out more about our hero as soon as I days later I got a chance to talk with the clergyman, and he told me more. These are his exact words:

　　但是，对于这位牧师，我有两点可以确信：他总是说实话和他对人的判断总是对的。因此，我想尽快找出我们那位大英雄的更多的秘密。几天以后，我找到了一个和这位牧师谈话的机会。下面就是他跟我说的，原文是：

　　About forty years ago, I was an instructor5 in the military academy at Woolwich, when young Scoresby was given his first examination. I felt extremely sorry for him. Everybody answered the questions well, intelligently, while he – why, dear me – he did not know anything, so to speak. He was a nice, pleasant young man. It was painful to see him stand there and give answers that were miracles of stupidity.

　　大约四十年前，我在吾尔维希军事学院任教的时候，年轻的斯考兹比参加了他的第一次考试。我感到他那么可怜，每个人都出色机智地回答了问题，而他----我的天，不知道为什么----也就是说，他什么也不知道。他是个友善的、举止文雅的年轻人。看着他象块木头一样站在那儿，净给出一些愚蠢的回答，真是一件痛苦的事。

　　I knew of course that when examined again he would fail and be thrown out. So, I said to myself, it would be a simple, harmless act to help him as much as I could.

　　我当然知道，如果再考一次他还失败的话，他将会被开除了。于是，我对自己说，我尽自己最大所能去帮助他，将是一件简单而无恶意的善事。

　　I took him aside and found he knew a little about Julius Caesar’s history. But, he did not know anything else. So, I went to work and tested him and worked him like a slave. I made him work, over and over again, on a few questions about Caesar, which I knew he would be asked.

　　我把他带到一边，发现他知道有关凯撒的一点历史。由于其它的东西他都不知道，我就开始逼着他象做苦工一样学习和检测。我反复地让他学习一些我知道会用上的关于凯撒的问题。

　　If you will believe me, he came through very well on the day of the examination. He got high praise too, while others who knew a thousand times more than he were sharply criticized. By some strange, lucky accident, he was asked no questions but those I made him study. Such an accident does not happen more than once in a hundred years.

　　请相信我，考试那天他出色地通过了，也得到了很高的赞赏。那些知道的比他多一千倍的人也通过了考试。出于奇妙而幸运的巧合，除了我教他的那些问题以外，别的什么都没有问道。象这样的巧合，一百年也不会发生一次。

　　Well, all through his studies, I stood by him, with the feeling a mother has for a disabled child. And he always saved himself by some miracle.

　　不过，虽然他学习的时候，我就象一位照顾有残疾的孩子的母亲一样待在他身边，他还是通过一些奇迹救了自己。

　　I thought that what in the end would destroy him would be the mathematics examination. I decided6 to make his end as painless as possible. So, I pushed facts into his stupid head for hours. Finally, I let him go to the examination to experience what I was sure would be his dismissal from school. Well, sir, try to imagine the result. I was shocked out of my mind. He took first prize! And he got the highest praise.

　　我想最终会毁掉他的可能是数学。我决定尽可能使他的结局没有痛苦。我长时间地训练他，把知识硬塞进他那迟钝的脑壳。我只在那些考官们最有可能提出的问题上训练和灌输他。最后，我又让他吃了一些补脑药。呵。先生，你就尽力想象一下吧，我都被自己的智慧给震惊了，他得了一等奖!并且得到了最高奖励。

　　I felt guilty day and night – what I was doing was not right. But I only wanted to make his dismissal a little less painful for him. I never dreamed it would lead to such strange, laughable thought that sooner or later one thing was sure to happen: The first real test once he was through school would ruin him.

　　我日夜承受着良心的谴责----我所做的一切都是错误的，但是起初我只是想使他被开除的时候没那么痛苦。这纯粹是处于善意，我做梦也没想到会产生这样奇异的令人发笑的结果。我想一件事迟早肯定会发生：第一次真正的考试会毁了他。

　　Then, the Crimean War broke out. I felt that sad for him that there had to be a war. Peace would have given this donkey a chance to escape from ever being found out as being so stupid. Nervously7, I waited for the worst to happen. It did. He was appointed an officer. A captain, of all things! Who could have dreamed that they would place such a responsibility on such weak shoulders as his.

　　后来，克里米亚战争爆发了，我觉得对他来讲，战争是一件悲哀的事。和平的时候，可以给这头蠢驴一次机会，免得他被别人发现是个白痴。我神经紧张地等着最糟糕的事情发生。它的确发生了，它发生的时候，恐惧在我的大脑里萦绕不停。他被任命成了队长，负责全部事物的队长!谁能想到他们会把如此重任放在象他那样柔弱的肩膀上呢!队长!我觉得我的头发会愁白的。

　　I said to myself that I was responsible to the country for this. I must go with him and protect the nation against him as far as I could. So, I joined up with him. And away we went to the field.

　　你想想我做了些什么我跟自己说，我要为此事对国家负责：我必须和他一块去尽力保卫这个国家。于是我和他一块加入了部队，我们开到了战场。

　　And there – oh dear, it was terrible. Mistakes, fearful mistakes – why, he never did anything that was right – nothing but mistakes. But, you see, nobody knew the secret of how stupid he really was. Everybody misunderstood his actions. They saw his stupid mistakes as works of great intelligence. They did, honestly! His smallest mistakes made a man in his right mind cry, and shout and scream too – to himself, of course. And what kept me in a continual fear was the fact that every mistake he made increased his glory and fame.

　　在那----哦，老天，太可怕了。愚蠢的错误，可怕的错误----为什么，他从来没做过对的事情----除了愚蠢的错误。但是，你知道，没人知道他有多么愚蠢这个秘密。大家都在执行他的错误指示，当然都误解了他的战斗部署。他们把他白痴式的错误看成了天才的指挥，并且，一丝不扣地执行了。他犯的一个最小的错误使一个想法正确的人痛苦了起来，怒气冲冲地朝着他大嚷大叫，而且使我一直害怕的是，他犯的每一个错误都为他的愚蠢赢得了更多的荣誉和更高的名声。”

　　I kept saying to myself that when at last they find out about him, it will be like the sun falling out of the sky.

　　我一直在对自己说，当他们最终看清了他时，那就会象太阳从天空坠落一样。

　　He continued to climb up, over the dead bodies of his superiors. Then, in the hottest moment of one battle down went our colonel. My heart jumped into my mouth, for Scoresby was the next in line to take his place. Now, we are in for it, I said…

　　他踩着上级的尸体不断地往上爬。后来，在战斗最激烈的时候，我们的上校阵亡了。我的心一下子跳到了嗓子眼，对于斯考兹比，下一个要取代的就是他的位置。现在，我们要吃苦头了，我想。

　　The battle grew hotter. The English and their allies were steadily8 retreating all over the field. Our regiment9 occupied a position that was extremely important. One mistake now would bring total disaster.

　　战斗越来越激烈，英国人和他们的盟友持续地全线溃退。我们团占领了一处极其重要的位置。现在一个愚蠢的错误就会带来致命的灾难。

　　And what did Scoresby do this time – he just mistook his left hand for his right hand…that was all. An order came for him to fall back and support our right. Instead, he moved forward and went over the hill to the left. We were over the hill before this insane movement could be discovered and stopped. And what did we find A large and unsuspected Russian army waiting!

　　这次斯考兹比会做什么呢----他能做的，只会把左右手给搞错。上级下达了命令，让他后退来支持其他部队的右翼，可是，他却往前进发，爬上了左面的山头。这次疯狂的行动还没来得及发觉和阻止，我们已经爬上了左面的山头。我们发现了什么呢一整支毫无戒备的俄过部队正在那里待命。

　　And what happened – were we all killed That is exactly what would have happened in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred. But no – those surprised Russians thought that no one regiment by itself would come around there at such a must be the whole British army, they thought. They turned tail, away they went over the hill and down into the field in wild disorder10, and we after them. In no time, there was the greatest turn around you ever saw. The allies turned defeat into a sweeping11 and shining victory.

　　接下来发生什么了，我们被吃掉了吗----但是并没有发生----那些被吓坏了的俄国兵争吵了起来，他们认为，在那样紧张的时刻，不可能只有一个团在那里游荡。他们认为那肯定是整个英国军队。他们掉转方向仓促地跑到了另一座山上，又下了山，陷入了血腥混乱的战场。我们就跟在他们后面，接着他们就开始了从未见过的大溃败。盟军们转败为胜，取得了辉煌的胜利。

　　The allied12 commander looked on, his head spinning with wonder, surprise and joy. He sent right off for Scoresby, and put his arms around him and hugged him on the field in front of all the armies.

　　堪劳波特元帅在旁观战，惊奇而高兴地左右看着。他把右线让出来给斯考兹比，让自己的军队配合他，把他放在了所有军队的最前沿。

　　Scoresby became famous that day as a great military leader – honored throughout the world. That honor will never disappear while history books last.

　　那天斯考兹比赢得的军事天才的美誉传遍了世界，这种荣誉将永载史册。他还是象以前那样友善和举止文雅，他仍然不很清楚在雨天是呆在屋里还是出去。他还是天下那个最笨的傻瓜。

　　Until now, nobody knew it but Scoresby and myself. He has been followed, day by day, year by year, by a strange luck. He has been a shining soldier in all our wars for years. He has filled his whole military life with mistakes. Every one of them brought him another honorary title. Look at his chest, flooded with British and foreign medals. Well, sir, every one of them is the record of some great stupidity or other.

　　直到现在，除了斯考兹比和我自己，没人知道这件事。一天天，一年年，他总是伴随着奇妙的好运。多少年来，他是我们所有的战役中都耀眼的战士。他的整个军事生涯都在不断地犯着愚蠢的错误，而每一次错误都使他成了爵士或者其它的爵位。看他前胸都戴满了国内和国外的勋章。哎，先生，每一枚勋章都是某一个极其愚蠢行为的记录。

　　They are proof that the best thing that can happen to a man is to be born lucky. I say again, as I did at the dinner, Scoresby’s a complete fool.

　　好事总是发生在一个天生幸运的人身上，那些勋章就是证据。我再重复一次，正如我在宴会上说的，斯考兹比绝对是一个十足的笨蛋!