The Bells
Краткая антология английской поэзии с
русскими переводами и комментариями
PART VI
Are moral values subject to a change? Yes, they are. They are transvaluated
with the change of the political orientation of the society. We have just witnessed such a
change. It was so abrupt, dramatic and shocking that many elderly people still find it
difficult to get oriented, to get adapted to the new values proclaimed.
Many parents grow concerned about the life their children inherit, the values they hold
dear and their expectations for the future. The consumer-oriented society we
live in is highly competitive and children are pushed by their anxious parents to
achieve at all costs. The time we are living in is a selfish, inward looking era, with the
individual to look after himself, regardless of the effect this might be having on others.
The new idols are money and materialism.
A lot of teenagers whose parents can’t afford to pay for their
education, and those homeless ones who are left without parents’ care (and
they number a million only in Moscow), find nothing to fill the emptiness of their
souls with. “An idle brain is the devil’s workshop” – as the proverb goes. No
wonder there is drug and alcohol abuse on a scale never seen before. Material
values outweigh spiritual ones. Consumption may turn out to be a new Tower of
Babel.
Man does not live by bread alone. What is needed is a new scientific
paradigm that would be built not on the contrast of spiritual and material but on their
unity. The dilemma, which is primary – consciousness or matter – seems to have been
solved – they are an integral part of each other. Nowadays the question is to
be formulated like this: if science is not accompanied by moral and spiritual progress,
then humanity will have no chances for survival. This is the only alternative. Otherwise,
a moral and ecological crisis is inevitable.
I do believe the present situation is temporary, there is a
light at the end of the tunnel. The new system of values is being imposed and,
logically, the more the society imposes upon its members the more people want to rebel.
True values are independent of any changes. They are permanent, eternal, and
classical. “Есть ценностей незыблемые скалы / Над
грубыми ошибками веков.” (О. Мандельштам)
Life is but a span. But what are we about in this world? The
answer seems plausible – to live or, to be more exact, “to live and let live” or, to
be even more exact, to live a worthy life. “What does it mean to live a worthy life? And
what’s the use of living a worthy life?” – you may ask – “To live in
harmony with the Universe, a part of which you are. In agreement with the people you live
side by side with, and, in the long run, to keep peace with your own soul – a good
conscience can’t be bought with money!” – (I heard an Orthodox preacher say.)
What values should one follow to live a worthy life?
There are 10 rules of behaviour – commandments which according to the Old Testament of
the Bible God says that we should follow.
Text of the Ten Commandments:
There are three versions of the Ten Commandments in the Hebrew
Scriptures (Old Testament). They are at Exodus 20:2-17, Exodus 34:12-26, and Deuteronomy
5:6-21. Exodus 20 is the most commonly used set. In the King James’ Version, its
text read:
Exodus 20:
God spoke these words saying,
1. “I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of
Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of
any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the
water under the earth; Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the
LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto
the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of
them that love me, and keep my commandments.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the
LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou
labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it
thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy
maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days
the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh
day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
5. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the
land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
6. Thou shalt not kill.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet
thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass,
nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.”
I think it is time these commandments were introduced into the school curriculum.
Even now when the question of religious education in state schools is still debated, the
commandments like “Love thy neighbour (as thyself). Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Love thy mother and thy father”, etc. would help to avoid ethical collisions
between people.
When the moral level of any society goes down it is compensated for by
poets who have high ideals and aspirations and people who have genuine religious beliefs. The
law of compensation holds not only on the physical level but on the ethical level as
well.
I hope the following text which was written in the 1920s by Max
Ehrmann, a poet and lawyer from Indiana, USA, may inspire you.
DESIDERATA
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
And remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
Be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
And listen to others, even to the dull and ignorant;
They too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
They are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
You may become vain or bitter, for always
There will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble,
It’s a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,
For the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
Many persons strive for high ideals,
And everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
For in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
It is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
Gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit
To shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars;
You have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
No doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
Whatever you conceive him to be.
And whatever your labours and aspirations,
In the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
It is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
Explanatory Notes and Vocabulary:
to be subject to подвергаться воздействию
to transvaluate переоценить
transvaluation of values переоценка ценностей
abrupt sudden
to get oriented to get adapted
to proclaim new values провозгласить новые ценности
to consume – consumption – consumer – consumer-oriented society
to expect expectations – When you expect smth you believe that it is going to
happen
to afford to do smth if you can afford to do smth you have enough money to do it
to compete competition – competitive – competitor
children left without parent’s care дети, лишенные
родительской заботы
to number a number (число)
a number of целый ряд
a workshop мастерская
No wonder that неудивительно, что
drug and alcohol abuse злоупотребление алкоголем и
наркотиками
may turn out + V1 может оказаться
which is primary, conscious ness or matter что первично – разум
или материя
seems to have been solved по-видимому была решена
nowadays at present, today
inevitable unavoidable
I do believe Я совершенно убеждена
to impose smth on smbd нaвязывать
to rebel бунтовать
to depend on зависить от, ant. to be independent of
a span a while, a short period
What’s the use of + Ving зачем?
conscience совесть
consciousness сознание
orthodox religion православие
to follow values придерживаться ценностей
а curriculum программа
to avoid to stop
the law holds is valid
Sharing Ideas
1. What does transvaluation of values mean? What is a generation gap?
Do fathers and sons follow different moral principles? Why? Does it concern you? Does it
concern everybody? What moral values do you hold dear? Do you think good (as morally good)
and evil (as morally bad) are eternal or are they are getting diffusible with time?
2. Do you agree that we live in a consumer-oriented society?
Are eastern and western countries differently oriented? Would you like to live in a
materially or spiritually-oriented society?
3. “An idle brain is the devil’s workshop”. Is it true?
A proverb is a concentration of wisdom. Is there an analogy to this proverb in Russian?
4. There is a Biblical legend which says that God cursed people who
started building a very high tower to reach the heavens.
They challenged God and God punished them by confusing their language so that they were
unable to communicate.
What does the author mean by saying that “consumption may turn out to be a new “Tower
of Babel”?
5. How many commandments are there in the Old Testament of the Bible
which God says we should follow. What are they?
6. “Live and let live.” What is the meaning of this proverb?
7. Read Desiderata. Use a dictionary. Write down the points you would
like to follow.
Desiderata is Latin for “Things to be Desired”.
to be continued
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