英语学习网站威廉·萨默塞特·毛姆（William Somerset Maugham，1874年1月25日—1965年12月16日），英国小说家、剧作家。代表作有戏剧《圈子》，长篇小说《人生的枷锁》、《月亮和六便士》，短篇小说集《叶的震颤》、《阿金》等。
《人性的枷锁》（Of Human Bondage）是英国威廉·萨默赛特·毛姆创作的长篇小说，首次出版于1915年。该小说叙述了主人公菲利普从童年时代起在家庭、学校和社会的三十年的生活经历，反映了主人公成长过程中的迷惘、挫折、痛苦、失望和探索及其所受到的身体缺陷、宗教和情欲的束缚，以及主人公最后摆脱这些枷锁的成长历程。
One day he went alone up a certain hill so that he might see a view which, he knew not why, filled him always with wild exhilaration. It was autumn now, but often the days were cloudless still, and then the sky seemed to glow with a more splendid light: it was as though nature consciously sought to put a fuller vehemence into the remaining days of fair weather.
有一天他独自爬到山顶去欣赏一出壮景。不知为何，这样的景色总是能让他心神荡漾。即使已经入秋，天空却依然万里无云，闪耀着更加夺目的光彩。好像大自然有意识地攒足了劲把满满的热情投入到一年中仅剩的晴朗日子里。
Here and there a more piercing glitter was the Rhine. The tremendous spaciousness of it was glowing with rich gold. Philip, as he stood there, his heart beating with sheer joy, thought how the tempter had stood with Jesus on a high mountain and shown him the kingdoms of the earth.
波光粼粼的莱茵河穿梭在城市、山谷中，时隐时现；看不到头的河面在日光照耀下反射点点金光。菲利普站在山顶，喜悦的心简直要跳出胸膛。他想到当年在高山之巅，魔鬼站在上帝的身边，给他指点人世间的天国。
Suddenly he realized that he had lost also that burden of responsibility which made every action of his life a matter of urgent consequence. He could breathe more freely in a lighter air. He was responsible only to himself for the things he did. Freedom! He was his own master at last. From old habit, unconsciously he thanked God that he no longer believed in Him.
忽然他发觉自己也毋需为继续承担责任而烦恼，责任的重担让之前的他必须先考虑后果，才敢做出行动。现在他终于可以大口呼吸自由的空气了，他只需要为自己做过的事而负责。自由啊！他成了自己的主人。只是旧时的习惯根深蒂固，他此刻竟然在心里默默地感谢已经不再相信的上帝。
Drunk with pride in his intelligence and in his fearlessness, Philip entered deliberately upon a new life. But his loss of faith made less difference in his behaviour than he expected. Though he had thrown on one side the Christian dogmas, it never occurred to him to criticise the Christian ethics; he accepted the Christian virtues, and indeed thought it fine to practise them for their own sake, without a thought of reward or punishment.
对自己的机智无畏深感自豪的菲利普慎重地迈入了人生新篇章。只是他抛弃信仰的决定并不像期望的一样，给自己的行为带来多大的不同。即使一方面他将基督教的教条弃之脑后，可另一方面，他从未想过要批判基督教的道德标准，对教派颂扬的美德也照单全收。他觉得纯粹地修德行善，而不为奖罚所烦忧是一件大好的事。
And sometimes, as though the influence of innumerable ancestors, Godfearing and devout, were working in him unconsciously, there seized him a panic fear that perhaps after all it was all true, and there was, up there behind the blue sky, a jealous God who would punish in everlasting flames the atheist. At these times his reason could offer him no help, he imagined the anguish of a physical torment which would last endlessly, he felt quite sick with fear and burst into a violent sweat. At last he would say to himself desperately: “After all, it’s not my fault. I can’t force myself to believe. If there is a God after all and he punishes me because I honestly don’t believe in Him I can’t help it.”
有时候似乎无数崇敬上帝的、虔诚的祖先在冥冥中向他施加影响，让他感到惶恐。也许一切都是真的：苍穹之上有一位嫉妒心很重的上帝，将用永不熄灭的烈火惩罚无神论者。这时菲利普的理智就帮不上什么忙了。他想象着无尽折磨给人带来的肉体上的痛苦，恐惧之情害他有些反胃，浑身被冷汗浸透。最后他绝望地自言自语：“毕竟这不是我的错。我没法逼着自己去相信。我发自内心地不信上帝，如果他要因此而惩罚我，那也没有什么办法了。”
来源｜百度百科词条：《人性的枷锁》；威廉·萨默塞特·毛姆（侵删）
译者｜张乐
