62、In Search of Lost Time (Excerpt)

In Search of Lost Time (Excerpt)

By Marcel Proust

We believe that we can change the things around us in accordance with our desires—we believe it because otherwise we can see no favourable outcome. We do not think of the outcome which generally comes to pass and is also favourable: we do not succeed in changing things in accordance with our desires, but gradually our desires change. The situation that we hoped to change because it was intolerable becomes unimportant to us. We have failed to surmount the obstacle, as we were absolutely determined to do, but life has taken us round it, led us beyond it, and then if we turn round to gaze into the distance of the past, we can barely see it, so imperceptible has it become.

追忆似水年华（节选）

作者：马塞尔·普鲁斯特

当我们碰到一些事情，总是以为只要我们愿意，就可以改变现状。我们如此认为，是因为，除了这样想，我们也想不到其他的好的结果。而有些在我们不知不觉中溜走的结局，其实也是好的。我们并不能想改变什么就改变什么，只是我们的心态变了而已。因为难以忍受所以我们想要马上改变的事情，最后变得不那么重要了而已。我们并没有克服当初的困难，当我们毅然决然去做的时候，生活其他的琐碎让我们围着它转，把它甩在后面，然后，当我们回过头去看当初的时候，不知不觉地，我们已经看不见了。