英文散文佳作賞析：Fame 聲譽

Fame
聲譽

Fame is very much like an animal chasing its own tail who, when he captures it, does not know what else to do but to continue chasing it. Fame and the delighting popularity that accompanies it, force the famous person to participate in his or her own destruction.
聲譽很像一隻追逐自己尾巴的動物，當它抓住了自己的尾巴後，除了再繼續追逐外再不知做什麼。聲譽與令人興奮的知名度相生相伴，從而使名人走向毀滅。

Those who gain fame most often gain it as a result of possessing a single talent or skill: singing, dancing, painting, or writing, etc. The successful performer develops a style that is marketed aggressively and gains some popularity.
那些聲名鵲起之人多半是由於有一技之長；唱歌、跳舞、繪畫或寫作等。一個成功的表演者發展了一種雄踞市場的風格因而受到歡迎。

And it is this popularity that usually convinces the performer to continue performing in the same style, since that is what the public seems to want and to enjoy. But in time, the performer becomes bored singing the same songs in the same way year after year, or the painter becomes bored painting similar scenes or portraits, or the actor is tired of playing the same character repeatedly.
正是由於這種受歡迎程度才使得他繼續保持這種風格，因爲這種風格是大衆所需要和喜愛的。但最終，歌手爲年復一年地以同樣的方式唱同樣的歌而感到心煩，畫家爲畫類似的風景人物而感到厭倦，演員爲反覆演同樣的角色而疲憊不堪。

The demand of the public holds the artist hostage to his or her own success, fame. If the artist attempts to change his or her style of writing or dancing or singing, etc. the audience may turn away and look to confer changeable fame which is passing quickly on another.
公衆的需求使得藝術家們固守自己的名譽。若他們企圖改變自己的寫作風格、唱腔、舞步等，則聽衆、觀衆便會離去，把稍縱即逝的名譽給予他人。

I believe that fame and celebrity, influence and power, success and failure, reality and illusion are all somehow neatly woven into a seamless fabric we laughingly call reality. I say to those who desperately seek fame and fortune, celebrity: good luck.
我相信名譽和聲望、影響和權力、成功與失敗，現實和幻想都以某種方法整齊地編織在山張無縫隙的織緞中，即我們所笑稱的現實。我對那些拼命尋求名譽、財富和聲望的人說：祝你好運。

But what will you do when you have caught your tail, your success, and your fame? Keep chasing it? If you do catch it, hang on for dear life because falling is not as painful as landing. See you soon famous and almost famous.
但當你抓住自己的尾巴、獲得成功和贏得名譽之後你又能做什麼呢?繼續追逐名利嗎?如果你確實抓住的話，千萬抓緊了，因爲下墜與落地的痛楚不一樣。祝你很快成名或差不多成名!