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On the Decay of the Art of Lying by Mark Twain, Part 1

Part 1

Observe, I do not mean to suggest that the custom of lying has suffered any decay or interruption-no, for the Lie, as a Virtue, A Principle, is eternal; the Lie, as a recreation, a solace, a refuge in time of need, the fourth Grace, the tenth Muse, man's best and surest friend, is immortal, and cannot perish from the earth while this club remains. My complaint simply concerns the decay of the art of lying.

No high-minded man, no man of right feeling, can contemplate the lumbering and slovenly lying of the present day without grieving to see a noble art so prostituted. In this veteran presence I naturally enter upon this theme with diffidence; it is like an old maid trying to teach nursery matters to the mothers in Israel. It would not become to me to criticize you, gentlemen-who are nearly all my elders-and my superiors, in this thing-if I should here and there seem to do it, I trust it will in most cases be more in a spirit of admiration than fault-finding; indeed if this finest of the fine arts had everywhere received the attention, the encouragement, and conscientious practice and development which this club has devoted to it, I should not need to utter this lament, or shed a single tear. I do not say this to flatter: I say it in a spirit of just and appreciative recognition. It had been my intention, at this point, to mention names and to give illustrative specimens, but indications observable about me admonished me to beware of the particulars and confine myself to generalities.

No fact is more firmly established than that lying is a necessity of our circumstances-the deduction that it is then a Virtue goes without saying. No virtue can reach its highest usefulness without careful and diligent cultivation-therefore, it goes without saying that this one ought to be taught in the public schools-even in the newspapers. What chance has the ignorant uncultivated liar against the educated expert? What chance have I against Mr. Per-against a lawyer? Judicious lying is what the world needs. I sometimes think it were even better and safer not to lie at all than to lie injudiciously. An awkward, unscientific lie is often as ineffectual as the truth.

Now let us see what the philosophers say. Note that venerable proverb: Children and fools always speak the truth. The deduction is plain-adults and wise persons never speak it. Parkman, the historian, says, "The principle of truth may itself be carried into an absurdity." In another place in the same chapters he says, "The saying is old that truth should not be spoken at all times; and those whom a sick conscience worries into habitual violation of the maxim are imbeciles and nuisances." It is strong language, but true. None of us could live with an habitual truth-teller; but thank goodness none of us has to. An habitual truth-teller is simply an impossible creature; he does not exist; he never has existed. Of course there are people who think they never lie, but it is not so-and this ignorance is one of the very things that shame our so-called civilization. Everybody lies-every day; every hour; awake; asleep; in his dreams; in his joy; in his mourning; if he keeps his tongue still, his hands, his feet, his eyes, his attitude, will convey deception-and purposely. Even in sermons-but that is a platitude.

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Part 1 部分 الجزء 1 Teil 1 Parte 1 パート1 Część 1 Parte 1 Часть 1 Bölüm 1 Частина 1 第1部分

Observe, I do not mean to suggest that the custom of lying has suffered any decay or interruption-no, for the Lie, as a Virtue, A Principle, is eternal; the Lie, as a recreation, a solace, a refuge in time of need, the fourth Grace, the tenth Muse, man's best and surest friend, is immortal, and cannot perish from the earth while this club remains. |||||||||||||||衰退|||||||||美德||||永恆|||||||安慰||||||||||||||||最可靠|||不朽的|||||||||| Beachten Sie||||||andeuten|||Sitte||||gelitten||Verfall|||||||||Tugend||||ewig|||||||Trost||||||||||||||||||||||vergehen||||||| Take note||||intend||imply|||practice||deception|||significant|decline||disruption|not at all|because|||||moral quality|||||||||activity||comfort in distress|||||||||Grace|||Inspiration|man's|||most reliable|||αθάνατος|||cease to exist||||||| |||||||||usanza||||||decadenza||interruzione||||menzogna||||||||||||||conforto||||||||||||||||più sicuro|||immortale|||perire||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||consolo|||||||||||décima musa|||||||||||||||||| لاحظ ، لا أقصد الإيحاء بأن عادة الكذب قد عانت من أي انحلال أو مقاطعة - لا ، لأن الكذبة ، كفضيلة ، مبدأ ، هي الأبدية. الكذبة ، كترفيه ، وعزاء ، وملجأ في وقت الحاجة ، والنعمة الرابعة ، والموسى العاشر ، أفضل وأوثق صديق للإنسان ، خالدة ، ولا يمكن أن تموت من الأرض طالما بقي هذا النادي. Pozoruju, nemám v úmyslu naznačit, že zvyk lhaní utrpěl jakýkoli úpadek nebo přerušení - ne, protože lži, jako ctnost, princip, jsou věčné; lži jako rekreace, útěcha, útočiště v době potřebnosti, čtvrtá milost, desátá Muse, nejlepší a nejbezpečnější přítel člověka, je nesmrtelný a nemůže zůstat z země, zatímco tento klub zůstává. Beachten Sie, ich will damit nicht andeuten, dass die Sitte des Lügens irgendeinen Verfall oder eine Unterbrechung erlitten hat – nein, denn die Lüge als eine Tugend, ein Prinzip, ist ewig; die Lüge, als Erholung, Trost, Zuflucht in Zeiten der Not, die vierte Grazie, die zehnte Muse, der beste und sicherste Freund des Menschen, ist unsterblich und kann nicht von der Erde verschwinden, solange diese Keule bleibt. Observe, I do not mean to suggest that the custom of lying has suffered any decay or interruption-no, for the Lie, as a Virtue, A Principle, is eternal; the Lie, as a recreation, a solace, a refuge in time of need, the fourth Grace, the tenth Muse, man's best and surest friend, is immortal, and cannot perish from the earth while this club remains. Заметьте, я не имею в виду, что обычай лжи претерпел какое-либо разрушение или прерывание - нет, потому что Ложь, как Добродетель, Принцип, вечна; Ложь как отдых, утешение, убежище во время нужды, четвертая Милость, десятая Муза, лучший и верный друг человека, бессмертны и не могут погибнуть от земли, пока этот клуб остается. My complaint simply concerns the decay of the art of lying. |grievance||||||||| |lament||||||||| ||||||||||to lie My complaint simply concerns the decay of the art of lying.

No high-minded man, no man of right feeling, can contemplate the lumbering and slovenly lying of the present day without grieving to see a noble art so prostituted. ||||||||||contemplate||awkwardly moving||careless and messy|||||||grieving|||||||prostituted ||||||||||||pesado||descuidado|||||||||||||| ||||||||||||笨拙的|||||||||悲傷|||||||被亵渎 ||||||||||nachdenken über|||||||||||trauern||||||| ||||||||||||goffo||trasandato|||||||addolorandosi|||||||degradato svenduto ||||||||||||||असंगठित|||||||||||||| ||||||||||||torpe||desaliñada|||||||||||||| لا يمكن لأي رجل سامي العقل ، ولا رجل يتمتع بالشعور الصحيح ، أن يفكر في الكذب المتثاقل والكذب في يومنا هذا دون أن يحزن على رؤية فن نبيل يمارس الدعارة. Kein hochgesinnter Mann, kein Mann mit rechtem Gefühl kann das schwerfällige und schlampige Lügen der Gegenwart betrachten, ohne sich darüber zu beklagen, eine edle Kunst so prostituiert zu sehen. No high-minded man, no man of right feeling, can contemplate the lumbering and slovenly lying of the present day without grieving to see a noble art so prostituted. Ни один возвышенный человек, ни один здравомыслящий человек не может созерцать неуклюжую и неряшливую ложь современности, не огорчаясь при виде столь проституированного благородного искусства. In this veteran presence I naturally enter upon this theme with diffidence; it is like an old maid trying to teach nursery matters to the mothers in Israel. |||||||||||timidité|||||||||||||||| |||||||||||hesitance||||||maid||||nursery|||||| |||||||||||timidez|||||||||||||||| |||||||||||Zurückhaltung|||||||||||||||| |||||||su||tema||||||||||||asilo nido|||||| |||||||||||संकोच|||||||||||||||| In dieser altgedienten Gegenwart gehe ich dieses Thema natürlich mit Zurückhaltung an; es ist wie eine alte Jungfer, die versucht, den Müttern in Israel etwas über Kinderbetreuung beizubringen. В присутствии этого ветерана я, естественно, берусь за эту тему с робостью; это как старая дева, пытающаяся научить матерей в Израиле тому, что делать с яслями. It would not become to me to criticize you, gentlemen-who are nearly all my elders-and my superiors, in this thing-if I should here and there seem to do it, I trust it will in most cases be more in a spirit of admiration than fault-finding; indeed if this finest of the fine arts had everywhere received the attention, the encouragement, and conscientious practice and development which this club has devoted to it, I should not need to utter this lament, or shed a single tear. |||||||||||||||elders|||superiors in rank|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||attention||spirit of encouragement||dedicated||||||||dedicated||||||||express||lament||shed||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||expressar||lamento||derramar||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||哀嘆||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||gewissenhaft||||||||||||||||||Klage||||| ||||||||voi|||||||anziani||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||critica negativa||infatti||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||avere bisogno||esprimere|||o|versare||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||derramar||| Es würde mir nicht zustehen, Sie zu kritisieren, meine Herren – die fast alle meine Ältesten – und meine Vorgesetzten in dieser Sache sind – wenn ich es hier und da tun sollte, ich hoffe, es wird in den meisten Fällen mehr im Geiste sein der Bewunderung als der Fehlersuche; Wenn diese beste der schönen Künste überall die Aufmerksamkeit, die Ermutigung und die gewissenhafte Praxis und Entwicklung erhalten hätte, die dieser Club ihr gewidmet hat, müsste ich diese Klage nicht aussprechen oder eine einzige Träne vergießen. Мне не подобает критиковать вас, джентльмены, -- которые почти все мои старшие -- и выше меня в этом деле, -- если я буду то тут, то там делать это, я надеюсь, что в большинстве случаев это будет более благоразумно. восхищения, чем придирки; действительно, если бы это лучшее из изящных искусств повсюду получало внимание, поддержку, добросовестную практику и развитие, которые этот клуб посвятил ему, мне не нужно было бы произносить этот плач или проливать ни единой слезы. I do not say this to flatter: I say it in a spirit of just and appreciative recognition. ||||||praise or compliment||||||||||| ||||||para elogiar||||||||||| ||||||恭維||||||||||| ||||||schmeicheln||||||||||wertschätzender|Anerkennung ||||||lusingare||||||||||| ||||||halagar||||||||||| Ich sage das nicht, um zu schmeicheln: Ich sage es im Geiste gerechter und wertschätzender Anerkennung. Я говорю это не для того, чтобы льстить: я говорю это в духе справедливого и благодарного признания. It had been my intention, at this point, to mention names and to give illustrative specimens, but indications observable about me admonished me to beware of the particulars and confine myself to generalities. |||||||||||||||||||||mahnte||||||||||| |||||||||||||||specimens|||evident|||admonished|||beware|||||confine|||generalities |||||||||||||||esempi||||||ammonito|||fare attenzione|||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||advertiram||||||||||| Es war meine Absicht gewesen, an dieser Stelle Namen zu nennen und anschauliche Beispiele zu geben, aber Hinweise, die an mir zu beobachten waren, ermahnten mich, mich mit Einzelheiten zu hüten und mich auf Allgemeines zu beschränken.

No fact is more firmly established than that lying is a necessity of our circumstances-the deduction that it is then a Virtue goes without saying. ||||strongly|proven|||||||||||deduction||||||virtue||| Keine Tatsache steht fester, als dass das Lügen eine Notwendigkeit unserer Umstände ist – die Schlussfolgerung, dass es sich dann um eine Tugend handelt, versteht sich von selbst. No fact is more firmly established than that lying is a necessity of our circumstances-the deduction that it is then a Virtue goes without saying. No virtue can reach its highest usefulness without careful and diligent cultivation-therefore, it goes without saying that this one ought to be taught in the public schools-even in the newspapers. |quality|||||||||diligent||||||||||ought|||||||||||newspapers ||||||||||||||||||||dovrebbe||||||||||| ||||||||||||||||||||debe ser||||||||||| Keine Tugend kann ohne sorgfältige und fleißige Kultivierung ihren höchsten Nutzen erreichen – daher versteht es sich von selbst, dass diese in den öffentlichen Schulen gelehrt werden sollte – sogar in den Zeitungen. No virtue can reach its highest usefulness without careful and diligent cultivation-therefore, it goes without saying that this one ought to be taught in the public schools-even in the newspapers. What chance has the ignorant uncultivated liar against the educated expert? ||||無知|未開化的||||| What chance has the ignorant uncultivated liar against the educated expert? What chance have I against Mr. Per-against a lawyer? Welche Chance habe ich gegen Mr. Per – gegen einen Anwalt? Judicious lying is what the world needs. Wise|||||| |||||mondo| sensata|||||| I sometimes think it were even better and safer not to lie at all than to lie injudiciously. |||||||||||||||||unüberlegt |||||||||||||||||poorly considered ||||||||||di|||||||inopportunamente |||||||||||||||||inapropiadamente |||||||||||||||||imprudentemente An awkward, unscientific lie is often as ineffectual as the truth. |peinlich||||||ineffektiv||| ||unscientific|||||ineffectual|||

Now let us see what the philosophers say. Note that venerable proverb: Children and fools always speak the truth. |||Sprichwort||||||| ||respected|proverb||||||| The deduction is plain-adults and wise persons never speak it. |statement||||||||| Der Abzug ist einfach – Erwachsene und weise Personen sprechen es nie. Parkman, the historian, says, "The principle of truth may itself be carried into an absurdity." ||||||||||||||荒謬 Parkman|||||||||||||| Parkman, der Historiker, sagt: "Das Prinzip der Wahrheit kann selbst in eine Absurdität getragen werden." In another place in the same chapters he says, "The saying is old that truth should not be spoken at all times; and those whom a sick conscience worries into habitual violation of the maxim are imbeciles and nuisances." ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||Idiotien||Belästigungen ||||||||||||||||||||||||||troubled|guilty conscience|||habitual||||||fools||nuisances ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||aborrecimentos An einer anderen Stelle in denselben Kapiteln sagt er: "Das Sprichwort ist alt, dass die Wahrheit nicht immer gesprochen werden sollte; und diejenigen, die ein krankes Gewissen wegen gewohnheitsmäßiger Verletzung der Maxime befürchtet, sind Schwachköpfe und Belästigungen." It is strong language, but true. Es ist eine starke Sprache, aber wahr. None of us could live with an habitual truth-teller; but thank goodness none of us has to. |||||||habitual|||||||||| An habitual truth-teller is simply an impossible creature; he does not exist; he never has existed. |習慣性的||||||||||||||| ||truth|||||||||||||| Of course there are people who think they never lie, but it is not so-and this ignorance is one of the very things that shame our so-called civilization. Natürlich gibt es Menschen, die denken, dass sie niemals lügen, aber dem ist nicht so – und diese Ignoranz ist eines der Dinge, die unsere sogenannte Zivilisation beschämen. Everybody lies-every day; every hour; awake; asleep; in his dreams; in his joy; in his mourning; if he keeps his tongue still, his hands, his feet, his eyes, his attitude, will convey deception-and purposely. ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||vermitteln|Täuschung|| ||||||||||||||||mourning||||||||||||||||convey|deception||purposely ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||trasmetteranno ing|inganno|| ||||||||||||||||duelo||||||||||||||||||| Jeder lügt - jeden Tag; jede Stunde; Erwachen; schlafend; in seinen Träumen; in seiner Freude; in seiner Trauer; Wenn er seine Zunge ruhig hält, werden seine Hände, seine Füße, seine Augen, seine Haltung Täuschung vermitteln - und das absichtlich. Even in sermons-but that is a platitude. ||講道||||那是一個|陳詞濫調 ||Predigten||||| ||sermons|||||platitude |||||||lugar común |||||||lugar-comum Auch in Predigten – aber das ist eine Plattitüde. Even in sermons-but that is a platitude.