Some ungentle reader will check us here by informing us that philosophy is as useless as chess, as obscure as ignorance, and as stagnant as content. "There is nothing so absurd," said Cicero, "but that it may be found in the books of the philosophers." Doubtless some philosophers have had all sorts of wisdom except common sense; and many a philosophic flight has been due to the elevating power of thin air. Let us resolve, on this voyage of ours, to put in only at the ports of light, to keep out of the muddy streams of metaphysics and the "many-sounding seas" of theological dispute.
这一段里，作者使用了很多修辞方法，有很多类比或比喻（隐喻）或象征，如chess，flight，elevating power，voyage， ports，muddy streams，many-sounding seas，也有许多对比或对照，如obscure vs ignorance，stagnant vs content，wisdom vs common sense。行文优美，又令人浮想联翩，思绪跌宕。
想到恩格斯在《论权威》里的一个句子：能最清楚地说明需要权威，而且是需要最专断的权威的，要算是在汪洋大海上航行的船了。
据说，被誉为红学权威的俞平伯遭到批斗时，人家逼他承认自己是反动权威，他只承认自己反动，却始终不承认自己是权威。今日，自诩权威的人太多。2019年起始的疫情，不知让多少权威失去权威。
回到这段话，原文的优美往往会令翻译感到有难度，尤其比喻象征的大量使用，翻译的人多会担心译文言犹未尽，担心读者看不明白（其实是担心自己没把原文的意思表达清楚）。
文章讲内容、讲逻辑、讲修辞。内容要有物，逻辑要有理，修辞要有方，三者兼而顾之，文章自然可观。（摘自《文字是肉做的》，作者：董桥）
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