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卷九 二〇、梦想与理想


  (三月八日)

  梦想作大事业,人或笑之,以为无益。其实不然。天下多少事业,皆起于一二人之梦想。今日大患,在于无梦想之人耳。

  尝谓欧人长处在敢于理想。其理想所凝集,往往托诸“乌托邦”(Utopia)。柏拉图之Republic(《理想国》),倍根之New Atlantis(《新亚特兰蒂斯》),穆尔(Thomas More)之Utopia(《乌托邦》),圣阿格司丁(st. Augustine)之City of God(《上帝城》),康德之Kingdom of Ends(《论万物之终结》)及其Eternal Peace(《太平论》),皆乌托邦也。乌托邦者,理想中之至治之国,虽不能至,心响往焉。今日科学之昌明,有远过倍根梦想中之《郅治国》者,三百年间事耳。今日之民主政体虽不能如康德所期,然有非柏拉图两千四百年前所能梦及者矣。七十年前(一八四二),诗人邓耐生有诗云:

  Far I dipt into the future, far as human eye could see,

  Saw the vision of the world, and all the wonder that would be;

  Saw the heavens with commerce, argosies of magic sails,

  Pilot of the purple twilight, dropping down with costly bales;

  Heard the heavens fill with shouting, and there rain'd a ghastly dew

  From the nations' airy navies grappling in the central blue;

  Far along the world-wide whisper of the south wind rushing warm,

  With the standards of the peoples plunging through the thunderstorm;

  Till the war-drum throbb'd no longer, and the battle-flags were furl'd

  In the Parliament of man, the Federation of the World.

  —Locksley Hall

  〔中译〕

  吾曾探究未来,凭眼极力远眺,

  望见世界之远景,望见将会出现之种种奇迹;

  看到空中贸易不断,玄妙之航队穿梭往来,

  驾紫色暮霭之飞行者纷纷降落,携带昂贵之货品;

  听到天上充满呐喊声,交战各国之舰队在蓝天中央厮杀,

  降下一阵可怖之露水;

  同时,在遍及全世界之和煦南风奏响之飒飒声中,

  在雷电之轰鸣声中,各民族之军旗勇往直前;

  直到鸣金收兵,直到战旗息偃,

  息偃在全人类之议会里,在全世界之联邦里。

  ——《洛克斯利田庄》

  在当时句句皆梦想也。而七十年来,前数句皆成真境,独末二语未验耳。然吾人又安知其果不能见诸实际乎?

  天下无不可为之事,无不可见诸实际之理想。电信也,电车也,汽机也,无线电也,空中飞行也,海底战斗也,皆数十年前梦想所不及者也,今都成实事矣。理想家念此可以兴矣。

  吾国先秦诸子皆有乌托邦:老子、庄子、列子皆悬想一郅治之国;孔子之小康大同,尤为卓绝古今。汉儒以还,思想滞塞,无敢作乌托邦之想者,而一国之思想遂以不进。吾之以乌托邦之多寡,卜思想之盛衰,有以也夫!


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