In Search of Lost Time
By Marcel Proust [法]马塞尔·普鲁斯特
We believe that we can change the things around us in accordance with our desires —
人们以为能够顺随心意地改变周遭事物。
we believe it because otherwise we can see no favourable outcome.
如若不能，我们便会顿感前景困厄。
We do not think of the outcome which generally comes to pass and is also favourable:
我们并没有想到十分常见并同样有利的结局：
we do not succeed in changing things in accordance with our desires, but gradually our desires change.
虽然我们无法顺随心意地改变周遭事物，但是我们的心态在逐渐改变。
The situation that we hoped to change because it was intolerable becomes unimportant to us.
那些曾经使我们无法忍受、想要力图改变的境遇现在对我们来说已经无足轻重了。
We have failed to surmount the obstacle, as we were absolutely determined to do,
尽管我们未能像之前希望的那样去克服困难障碍，
but life has taken us round it, led us beyond it,
而生活却使我们绕过它们，并超越它们。
and then if we turn round to gaze into the distance of the past, we can barely see it, so imperceptible has it become.
当我们回看遥远的过往，它们已经变得朦胧不清，踪迹难寻了。
《追忆似水年华》是20世纪法国小说家马塞尔·普鲁斯特创作的长篇小说，被誉为二十世纪最重要的文学作品之一。这部作品以其出色的心灵追索描写、宏大的结构、细腻的人物刻画以及卓越的意识流技巧而风靡世界，并奠定了它在当代世界文学中的地位。本段节选自第六卷《女逃亡者》，爱人离家出走，男主人公痛苦万分，但转念一想，人可以自我调节来消弥悲伤，故而豁然。
整理：2024年2月3日于北城家园
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