16Julyиюля · 16-е июля
Ничто так не поощряет праздности, как пустые разговоры. Если бы люди молчали и не говорили тех пустяков, которыми они отгоняют от себя скуку праздности, они не могли бы переносить ее.
Nothing encourages idleness so much as empty talk. If people kept silent and did not utter the trifles with which they drive off the boredom of idleness, they could not bear it.
1. Тот, кто много говорит, редко приводит в действие свои слова. Мудрый же человек всегда боится, чтобы слова его не превзошли его дел.
1. He who talks much seldom puts his words into action. But the wise man is always afraid that his words may go beyond his deeds.
From Analects · joined by Tolstoy from several places .
What Tolstoy read · G. Pauthier, Confucius et Mencius: Les quatre livres de philosophie morale et politique …Celui qui parle sans modération et sans retenue met difficilement ses paroles en pratique.
L'homme supérieur rougit de la crainte que ses paroles ne dépassent ses actions.
Source text: gutenberg.orgIn English · James Legge, 1861He who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good.
The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.
Source text: gutenberg.orgTolstoy’s own version · Мысли мудрых людей на каждый деньТот, кто много говорит, редко приводит в действие свои слова. Мудрый же человек всегда боится, чтобы слова его не превзошли его дел.
Source text: tolstoy.ruDetails
The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Analects (Lunyu), XIV.21 and XIV.29 (Legge XIV.xxi, xxix; Pauthier XIV.21, 29).
Two sayings of Pauthier's chapter XIV joined, word for word Tolstoy's 1903 version (Thoughts of Wise Men, 20 April, which prints 7-16.2 after it under one signature). First, XIV.21: 'Celui qui parle sans modération et sans retenue met difficilement ses paroles en pratique' (he who speaks without moderation or restraint puts his words into practice with difficulty), which Tolstoy makes «Тот, кто много говорит, редко приводит в действие свои слова» (he who talks much seldom puts his words into action). Second, XIV.29: 'L'homme supérieur rougit de la crainte que ses paroles ne dépassent ses actions' (the superior man blushes for fear that his words exceed his actions), which becomes «Мудрый же человек всегда боится, чтобы слова его не превзошли его дел» (the wise man always fears that his words may exceed his deeds). Tolstoy follows Pauthier's reading of XIV.29; Legge reads the same Chinese, 君子恥其言而過其行, as 'The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.' Both sayings are Confucius's (子曰).
2. Мудрые не говорят пустых слов, боясь того, чтобы дела их не были несоответственны их словам.
2. The wise do not speak empty words, for fear that their deeds may not match their words.
From Analects · reworded by Tolstoy .
What changedPauthier’s “Les anciens,” the ancients (Legge: “the ancients”), become “The wise,” so a saying about the past becomes a rule for the wise of any time.
What Tolstoy read · G. Pauthier, Confucius et Mencius: Les quatre livres de philosophie morale et politique …Les anciens ne laissaient point échapper de vaines paroles, craignant que leurs actions n'y répondissent point.
Source text: gutenberg.orgIn English · James Legge, 1861The reason why the ancients did not readily give utterance to their words, was that they feared lest their actions should not come up to them.
Source text: gutenberg.orgTolstoy’s own version · Мысли мудрых людей на каждый деньМудрые не говорят пустых слов, боясь того, чтобы дела их не были несоответственны их словам.
Source text: tolstoy.ruDetails
The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Analects (Lunyu), IV.22 (Legge IV.xxii; Pauthier IV.22).
Pauthier's French, word for word Tolstoy's 1903 version (Thoughts of Wise Men, 20 April), with one change: 'Les anciens' (the ancients) become «Мудрые» (the wise). Pauthier: 'Les anciens ne laissaient point échapper de vaines paroles, craignant que leurs actions n'y répondissent point' (the ancients let no idle words escape them, fearing that their actions would not answer to them). The Chinese 古者言之不出，恥躬之不逮也: 'the ancients did not let their words out, ashamed lest their conduct not come up to them.' A saying of the past becomes a rule for the wise of any time. The saying is Confucius's (子曰).
3. Прежде думай, потом говори! Остановись прежде, чем тебе скажут: «довольно». Человек выше животного способностью речи, но он ниже его, если делает недолжное употребление из нее.
3. Think first, then speak! Stop before you are told, “Enough.” Man is above the animal by virtue of the faculty of speech, but he is below it if he puts that faculty to improper use.
From Gulistan, Preface · close to the original .
What Tolstoy read · The Sacred AnthologyFirst think, and then speak, but stop before they say, ' It is enough.'
Man excelleth the brute creation by the faculty of speech, but you are beneath the brute if you make an improper use of that gift.
Source text: archive.orgOriginal · Persianبیندیش، وآنگه بر آور نفس
وز آن پیش بس کن، که گویند «بس»
به نطقْ آدمی بهتر است از دَواب
دَواب از تو به، گر نگویی صواب
Source text: api.ganjoor.netIn English · Francis Gladwin, 1806First think, and then speak, but stop before they say, It is enough.
Man excelleth the brute creation by the faculty of speech, but you are beneath the brute if you make an improper use of that gift.
Source text: archive.orgTolstoy’s own version · Путь жизниПрежде думай, потом говори. Но остановись прежде, чем тебе скажут: «довольно». Человек выше животного способностью речи, но ниже его, если болтает, что попало.
Source text: tolstoy.ruDetails
The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Gulistan, Preface, Saadi's preface, the verses after Buzurjmihr's saying (Ganjoor, Dibacheh); Gladwin (1865), pp. 107-108; Conway (1874), no. CXCI, Speech, pp. 121-122.
Saadi's preface to the Gulistan, in Gladwin's English through Conway, close: 'First think, and then speak, but stop before they say, It is enough. Man excelleth the brute creation by the faculty of speech, but you are beneath the brute if you make an improper use of that gift.' Tolstoy turns the second person of the last clause into the third («но он ниже его»). The Persian is two couplets: 'Think, and then draw breath to speak, and stop before they say "Enough"; by speech man is better than the beasts, the beasts are better than you if you do not speak aright.' In The Path of Life (1910), ch. XXIII, Tolstoy made the last clause «если болтает, что попало» (if he babbles whatever comes). Not in Thoughts of Wise Men (1903).
4. Не отвечай безумцу в духе его безумия, чтобы не быть подобным ему.
4. Do not answer fools in the spirit of their folly, so as not to be like them.
Translation note. Tolstoy’s wording of Proverbs 26:4; the KJV has “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.”
5. Пребывающий в безмолвии легко возносится к богу; рассеяние и пустые разговоры влекут за собою скуку и раздражительность.
5. He who dwells in silence rises easily to God; distraction and empty talk bring boredom and irritability in their train.
From «Благочестивые мысли и наставления для руководства христианина на пути к совершенству» · close to the original .
Original · RussianПребывающий в безмолвии, легко возносится к Богу; рассеяние и пустые разговоры влекут за собою скуку и раздражительность.
Source text: azbyka.ruDetails
The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. «Благочестивые мысли и наставления для руководства христианина на пути к совершенству» (Moscow, 1872 printing; Tolstoy used the 3rd edition, 1879), § III.38.
From § III.38, word for word (Tolstoy drops the comma after «безмолвии» and writes «богу» in lower case). The anthology's own source was not identified.
6. Из тысячи раз, когда мы раскаемся в том, что говорили, едва ли случится один раз раскаяться в том, что промолчали.
6. Out of a thousand times that we regret having spoken, there will hardly be one time that we regret having kept silent.
Translation note. The Russian italic is broken only at the commas; it is set here as one span.
7. Больше всех говорит тот, кому нечего сказать.
7. Those who have nothing to say talk most of all.
8. Если вы желаете удержать человека от какого-нибудь поступка, заставьте его разговориться на эту тему: чем больше люди говорят, тем меньше у них склонности делать.
8. If you wish to keep a man from some action, get him to talk about it: the more people talk, the less inclined they are to act.
From Latter-Day Pamphlets, No. V, Stump-Orator · reworded by Tolstoy .
What changed“What he believes” becomes “some action,” and “Every time he speaks it, the tendency to do it will grow less” becomes a rule for all: “the more people talk, the less inclined they are to act.”
Carlyle’s own wordsDo you want a man _not_ to practise what he believes, then encourage him to keep often speaking it in words.
Every time he speaks it, the tendency to do it will grow less.
Source text: gutenberg.orgDetails
The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Latter-Day Pamphlets, No. V, Stump-Orator (1 May 1850), The paragraph after 'Words will not express what mischiefs the misuse of words has done'.
The same advice, made general. 'Do you want a man not to practise what he believes, then encourage him to keep often speaking it in words' becomes 'If you wish to keep a man from some act, get him to talk on the subject': what he believes becomes 'some act' (какого-нибудь поступка). 'Every time he speaks it, the tendency to do it will grow less' becomes 'the more people talk, the less inclined they are to do': one man's repeated speech of his belief becomes a rule about all talk and all doing. Carlyle goes on to the 'insincere speech' of Parliament, which Tolstoy leaves out. The passage was found by its sense; no closer wording was found in the saved Carlyle (Past and Present, Sartor Resartus, Heroes, the Critical and Miscellaneous Essays). No printable.
Чем меньше будешь говорить, тем больше будешь работать.
The less you talk, the more you will work.
Tolstoy TodayТолстой сегодня · tolstoytoday.org/july/16