Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book, called True Stories from Nature, about the primeval forest.It was a picture of a boa constrictor in the act of swallowing an animal.Here is a copy of the drawing.
有一次，我六岁的时候，在一本书里看到了一幅壮丽的画，这本书叫做《自然界的真实故事》，是关于原始森林的。那是一幅蟒蛇正在吞食动物的画。这是一份画的副本。
In the book it said: "Boa constrictors swallow their prey whole, without chewing it. After that they are not able to move, and they sleep through the six months that they need for digestion."
书上说：“蟒蛇囫囵吞下它们的猎物，不咀嚼。之后它们就无法移动，需要睡上六个月来进行消化。”
I pondered deeply, then, over the adventures of the jungle.
然后，我深深地思考着丛林的冒险。
And after some work with a colored pencil I succeeded in making my first drawing.My Drawing Number One.It looked something like this:
用彩色铅笔画了一些画之后，我成功地完成了我的第一幅画。我的第一号画作。它看起来像这样：
I showed my masterpiece to the grown-ups, and asked them whether the drawing frightened them.
我把我的杰作给成年人看，问他们这幅画是否吓到了他们。
But they answered: "Frighten? Why should any one be frightened by a hat?"
但是他们回答说：“吓到？ 为什么有人会被帽子吓到呢？”
My drawing was not a picture of a hat.It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant.But since the grown- ups were not able to understand it, I made another drawing:
我的画不是一顶帽子。那是一幅蟒蛇正在消化一头大象的画。但是，既然成年人无法理解它，我又画了另一幅画：
I drew the inside of a boa constrictor, so that the grown-ups could see it clearly.They always need to have things explained.My Drawing Number Two looked like this:
我画了一条蟒蛇的内部，这样成年人就能清楚地看到它。他们总是需要别人解释事情。我的二号作品看起来是这样的：
The grown-ups' response, this time, was to advise me to lay aside my drawings of boa constrictors, whether from the inside or the outside, and devote myself instead to geography, history, arithmetic, and grammar.That is why, at the age of six, I gave up what might have been a magnificent career as a painter.I had been disheartened by the failure of my Drawing Number One and my Drawing Number Two.Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.
这一次，成年人的反应是建议我放弃蟒蛇的绘画，无论是从内部还是外部，而是将精力投入到地理、历史、算术和语法中。这就是为什么我在六岁时放弃了可能成为一名伟大画家的职业。我因我的第一号和第二号作品的失败而感到沮丧。成年人从来不自己理解任何事情，而且孩子们总是没完没了地向他们解释事情是很烦人的。
So then I chose another profession, and learned to pilot airplanes.I have flown a little over all parts of the world; and it is true that geography has been very useful to me.At a glance I can distinguish China from Arizona.If one gets lost in the night, such knowledge is valuable.
所以后来我选择了另一种职业，并学会了驾驶飞机。我飞过世界各地；而且地理对我来说确实很有用。我一眼就能区分中国和亚利桑那州。如果有人在晚上迷路了，这些知识就很有价值。
In the course of this life I have had a great many encounters with a great many people who have been concerned with matters of consequence.I have lived a great deal among grown-ups.I have seen them intimately, close at hand.And that hasn't much improved my opinion of them.
在这一生中，我与很多人有过很多次相遇，他们都关心重要的事情。我与成年人相处了很长时间。我近距离地、亲密地观察过他们。而且这并没有怎么提高我对他们的看法。
Whenever I met one of them who seemed to me at all clear-sighted, I tried the experiment of showing him my Drawing Number One, which I have always kept.I would try to find out, so, if this was a person of true understanding.
每当我遇到一个在我看来稍微有点眼光的人，我就会试着给他看我一直保存着的“一号图”。我会试着 выяснить，看看这是否是一个真正有理解力的人。
But, whoever it was, he, or she, would always say:
但是，不管是谁，他或她总是会说：
"That is a hat."
“那是一顶帽子。”
Then I would never talk to that person about boa constrictors, or primeval forests, or stars.I would bring myself down to his level.I would talk to him about bridge, and golf, and politics, and neckties.And the grown-up would be greatly pleased to have met such a sensible man.
然后我再也不会和那个人谈论蟒蛇、原始森林或星星。我会把自己降低到他的水平。我会和他谈论桥牌、高尔夫、政治和领带。而成年人会很高兴遇到这样一个明智的人。
Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book, called True Stories from Nature, about the primeval forest.It was a picture of a boa constrictor in the act of swallowing an animal.Here is a copy of the drawing.
有一次，我六岁的时候，在一本书里看到了一幅壮丽的画，这本书叫做《自然界的真实故事》，是关于原始森林的。那是一幅蟒蛇正在吞食动物的画。这是一份画的副本。
In the book it said: "Boa constrictors swallow their prey whole, without chewing it. After that they are not able to move, and they sleep through the six months that they need for digestion."
书上说：“蟒蛇囫囵吞下它们的猎物，不咀嚼。之后它们就无法移动，需要睡上六个月来进行消化。”
I pondered deeply, then, over the adventures of the jungle.
然后，我深深地思考着丛林的冒险。
And after some work with a colored pencil I succeeded in making my first drawing.My Drawing Number One.It looked something like this:
用彩色铅笔画了一些画之后，我成功地完成了我的第一幅画。我的第一号画作。它看起来像这样：
I showed my masterpiece to the grown-ups, and asked them whether the drawing frightened them.
我把我的杰作给成年人看，问他们这幅画是否吓到了他们。
But they answered: "Frighten? Why should any one be frightened by a hat?"
但是他们回答说：“吓到？ 为什么有人会被帽子吓到呢？”
My drawing was not a picture of a hat.It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant.But since the grown- ups were not able to understand it, I made another drawing:
我的画不是一顶帽子。那是一幅蟒蛇正在消化一头大象的画。但是，既然成年人无法理解它，我又画了另一幅画：
I drew the inside of a boa constrictor, so that the grown-ups could see it clearly.They always need to have things explained.My Drawing Number Two looked like this:
我画了一条蟒蛇的内部，这样成年人就能清楚地看到它。他们总是需要别人解释事情。我的二号作品看起来是这样的：
The grown-ups' response, this time, was to advise me to lay aside my drawings of boa constrictors, whether from the inside or the outside, and devote myself instead to geography, history, arithmetic, and grammar.That is why, at the age of six, I gave up what might have been a magnificent career as a painter.I had been disheartened by the failure of my Drawing Number One and my Drawing Number Two.Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.
这一次，成年人的反应是建议我放弃蟒蛇的绘画，无论是从内部还是外部，而是将精力投入到地理、历史、算术和语法中。这就是为什么我在六岁时放弃了可能成为一名伟大画家的职业。我因我的第一号和第二号作品的失败而感到沮丧。成年人从来不自己理解任何事情，而且孩子们总是没完没了地向他们解释事情是很烦人的。
So then I chose another profession, and learned to pilot airplanes.I have flown a little over all parts of the world; and it is true that geography has been very useful to me.At a glance I can distinguish China from Arizona.If one gets lost in the night, such knowledge is valuable.
所以后来我选择了另一种职业，并学会了驾驶飞机。我飞过世界各地；而且地理对我来说确实很有用。我一眼就能区分中国和亚利桑那州。如果有人在晚上迷路了，这些知识就很有价值。
In the course of this life I have had a great many encounters with a great many people who have been concerned with matters of consequence.I have lived a great deal among grown-ups.I have seen them intimately, close at hand.And that hasn't much improved my opinion of them.
在这一生中，我与很多人有过很多次相遇，他们都关心重要的事情。我与成年人相处了很长时间。我近距离地、亲密地观察过他们。而且这并没有怎么提高我对他们的看法。
Whenever I met one of them who seemed to me at all clear-sighted, I tried the experiment of showing him my Drawing Number One, which I have always kept.I would try to find out, so, if this was a person of true understanding.
每当我遇到一个在我看来稍微有点眼光的人，我就会试着给他看我一直保存着的“一号图”。我会试着 выяснить，看看这是否是一个真正有理解力的人。
But, whoever it was, he, or she, would always say:
但是，不管是谁，他或她总是会说：
"That is a hat."
“那是一顶帽子。”
Then I would never talk to that person about boa constrictors, or primeval forests, or stars.I would bring myself down to his level.I would talk to him about bridge, and golf, and politics, and neckties.And the grown-up would be greatly pleased to have met such a sensible man.
然后我再也不会和那个人谈论蟒蛇、原始森林或星星。我会把自己降低到他的水平。我会和他谈论桥牌、高尔夫、政治和领带。而成年人会很高兴遇到这样一个明智的人。