Lesson 27

It has been said that everyone lives by selling something.
据说每个人都以出售某种东西为生。
In the light of this statement, teachers live by selling knowledge, philosophers by selling wisdom and priests by selling spiritual comfort.
鉴于这一陈述，教师靠出售知识谋生，哲学家靠出售智慧，而牧师靠出售精神慰藉。
Though it may be possible to measure the value of material goods in terms of money, it is extremely difficult to estimate the true value of the services which people perform for us.
虽然用金钱来衡量物质商品的价值可能是可能的，但要估计人们为我们提供的服务的真正价值却是极其困难的。
There are times when we would willingly give everything we possess to save our lives, yet we might grudge paying a surgeon a high fee for offering us precisely this service.
有些时候，为了救命，我们愿意付出我们拥有的一切，然而对于医生提供的这项救命服务，我们却可能吝啬于支付高额的费用。
The conditions of society are such that skills have to be paid for in the same way that goods are paid for at a shop.
社会条件是这样的：技能必须以与在商店购买商品相同的方式来支付报酬。
Everyone has something to sell.
每个人都有东西要出售。
Tramps seem to be the only exception to this general rule.
流浪汉似乎是这条普遍规则的唯一例外。
Beggars almost sell themselves as human beings to arouse the pity of passers-by.
乞丐们几乎出卖了他们作为人的尊严，以博取路人的同情。
But real tramps are not beggars.
但是真正的流浪汉并不是乞丐。
They have nothing to sell and require nothing from others.
他们没有什么可卖的，也不向他人索取任何东西。
In seeking independence, they do not sacrifice their human dignity.
在寻求独立的过程中，他们不牺牲他们的人格尊严。
A tramp may ask you for money, but he will never ask you to feel sorry for him.
一个流浪汉可能会向你讨钱，但他永远不会要求你同情他。
He has deliberately chosen to lead the life he leads and is fully aware of the consequences.
他故意选择了过他现在的生活，并且充分意识到其后果。
He may never be sure where the next meal is coming from, but he is free from the thousands of anxieties which afflict other people.
他可能永远不确定下一顿饭从哪里来，但他免受那些折磨他人的成千上万种焦虑的困扰。
His few material possessions make it possible for him to move from place to place with ease.
他为数不多的物质财产使他能够轻松地从一个地方搬到另一个地方。
By having to sleep in the open, he gets far closer to the world of nature than most of us ever do.
由于必须在露天睡觉，他比我们大多数人都能更接近大自然。
He may hunt, beg, or steal occasionally to keep himself alive; he may even, in times of real need, do a little work; but he will never sacrifice his freedom.
他可能打猎、乞讨，或者偶尔偷窃以维持生计；在真正需要的时候，他甚至可能做一点工作；但他绝不会牺牲他的自由。
We often speak of tramps with contempt and put them in the same class as beggars, but how many of us can honestly say that we have not felt a little envious of their simple way of life and their freedom from care?
我们经常轻蔑地谈论流浪汉，并把他们归为与乞丐相同的一类，但我们中有多少人能诚实地说，我们没有对他们简单的生活方式和无忧无虑的自由感到一点羡慕呢？