The Moon And Sixpence 54.4

"Evidemment, it is not exciting on my island, and we are very far from the world-- imagine, it takes me four days to come to Tahiti -- but we are happy there.It is given to few men to attempt a work and to achieve it. Our life is simpleand innocent. We are untouched by ambition, and what pride we have is due onlyto our contemplation of the work of our hands. Malice cannot touch us, nor envyattack. Ah, mon cher monsieur, they talk of the blessedness of labour, and itis a meaningless phrase, but to me it has the most intense significance. I am ahappy man. "

"I am sureyou deserve to be, " I smiled.

"I wish Icould think so. I do not know how I have deserved to have a wife who was theperfect friend and helpmate, the perfect mistress and the perfect mother."

I reflected fora while on the life that the Captain suggested to my imagination.

"It isobvious that to lead such an existence and make so great a success of it, youmust both have needed a strong will and a determined character. "

"Perhaps;but without one other factor we could have achieved nothing. "

"And whatwas that?"

He stopped,somewhat dramatically, and stretched out his arm.

"Belief inGod. Without that we should have been lost. "

Then we arrivedat the house of Dr. Coutras.

“当然了①，在我们那个小岛上，日子可以说比较平淡，我们离开文明社会非常遥远——你可以想象一下，就是到塔希提来一趟，在路上也要走四天，但是我们过得很幸福。世界上只有少数人能够最终达到自己的理想。我们的生活很单纯、很简朴。我们并不野心勃勃，如果说我们也有骄傲的话，那是因为在想到通过双手获得的劳动成果时的骄傲。我们对别人既不嫉妒，更不怀恨。唉，我亲爱的先生②，有人认为劳动的幸福是句空话，对我说来可不是这样。我深深感到这句话的重要意义。我是个很幸福的人。”

①原文为法语。

②原文为法语。

“我相信你是有资格这样说的。”

“我也希望我能这样想。我的妻子不只是我贴心的朋友，还是我的好助手；不只是贤妻，还是良母，我真是配不上她。”

船长的这番话在我的脑子里描绘了别样一种生活，使我思索了好大一会儿。

“你过着这样的生活，而且取得很大成功，显然这不只需要坚强的意志，而且要有坚毅的性格。”我说。

“也许你说得对。但是如果没有另外一个因素，我们是什么也做不成的。”

“那是什么呢？”

他站住了，有些象演戏似地抬起了两只胳臂。

“对上帝的信仰。要是不相信上帝我们早就迷途了。”

话说到这里，我们已经走到库特拉斯医生的门口。