「 As a Man Thinketh 」を現代の米国英語で、中学3年生レベルの語彙と文法をコンセプトに英訳を作成しています。
第五章「THE THOUGHT-FACTOR IN ACHIEVEMENT-2」です。原文と日本語解説もつけています。
The Though-Factor in Achievement-2 (Modernized Version)
① No one can grow or succeed without giving something up. A person’s success in the world depends on how much they control their selfish desires and focus on their plans, their willpower, and their independence. The more they improve their thoughts, the stronger, more honest, and better they become. Then their success will be greater, and their achievements will be more blessed and last longer.
② The universe doesn’t support people who are greedy, dishonest, or evil—even if it sometimes looks that way on the surface. It supports people who are honest, kind, and good. All the great teachers in history have said this in different ways. If a person keeps trying to become better by thinking good and pure thoughts, they will see this truth （for themselves）
③ Intellectual achievements come from thinking deeply about knowledge, or about the beauty and truth in life and nature. Such achievements are sometimes connected with selfish pride and ambition, but they don’t come from those factors. They grow naturally from hard work over a long time and from good, unselfish thoughts.
④ Spiritual achievements are the final result of pure and holy ideals. A person who always thinks about noble and great ideas, and focuses on pure and unselfish things, will become a wise and noble person—just like the sun rises to the top of the sky and the moon becomes full. They will rise to a place of leadership and blessing.
⑤Any kind of achievement is the honor of effort and the glory of thought. With self-control, strong will, purity, honesty, and clear thinking, a person rises; with animal desires, laziness, impurity, corruption, and confused thinking, a person falls.
⑥ A person can rise to great success in the world, and even to high places in the spiritual world, but can again fall into weakness and misery by allowing arrogant, selfish, and corrupt thoughts to take control of them.
⑦ Victories achieved by right thinking can only be maintained by staying alert. Many people lose focus when success seems certain, and quickly fall back into failure.
⑧ All achievements, whether in business, intellectual, or spiritual worlds, come from clearly directed thought, follow the same law, and use the same method; the only difference is the goal.
⑨ He who wants to accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who wants to achieve much must sacrifice much; he who wants to reach great heights must sacrifice greatly.
The Though-Factor in Achievement-2 (Original text)
(Based on As a Man Thinketh by James Allen)
① There can be no progress, no achievement without sacrifice, and a man’s worldly success will be in the measure that he sacrifices his confused animal thoughts, and fixes his mind on the development of his plans, and the strengthening of his resolution and self-reliance. And the higher he lifts his thoughts, the more manly, upright, and righteous he becomes, the greater will be his success, the more blessed and enduring will be his achievements.
sacrifice（犠牲） achievement（達成） worldly（世俗的な） in the measure that（〜の程度に応じて） resolution（決意） self-reliance（自立） upright（正直な） righteous（高潔な） blessed（恵まれた） enduring（長続きする）
② The universe does not favour the greedy, the dishonest, the vicious, although on the mere surface it may sometimes appear to do so; it helps the honest, the magnanimous, the virtuous. All the great Teachers of the ages have declared this in varying forms, and to prove and know it a man has but to persist in making himself more and more virtuous by lifting up his thoughts.
favour（ひいきにする） greedy（貪欲な） dishonest（不正直な） vicious（悪意のある） mere surface（表面的なこと） magnanimous（寛大な） virtuous（高潔な） declare（宣言する） persist in（〜し続ける） lift up one’s thoughts（思考を高める）has but to + 動詞の原形 ＝ 「〜しさえすればよい」
③ Intellectual achievements are the result of thought consecrated to the search for knowledge, or for the beautiful and true in life and nature. Such achievements may be sometimes connected with vanity and ambition, but they are not the outcome of those characteristics; they are the natural outgrowth of long and arduous effort, and of pure and unselfish thoughts.
intellectual（知的な） achievement（達成） consecrate（捧げる） vanity（虚栄心） ambition（野心） outcome（結果） outgrowth（成り行き） arduous（骨の折れる） unselfish（利他的な）
④ Spiritual achievements are the consummation of holy aspirations. He who lives constantly in the conception of noble and lofty thoughts, who dwells upon all that is pure and unselfish, will, as surely as the sun reaches its zenith and the moon its full, become wise and noble in character, and rise into a position of influence and blessedness.
consummation（完成） holy（神聖な） aspiration（熱望） conception（心に抱くこと） noble（高貴な） lofty（気高い） dwell upon（〜を深く考える） zenith（天頂） blessedness（祝福された状態） influence（影響力）
⑤ Achievement, of whatever kind, is the crown of effort, the diadem of thought. By the aid of self-control, resolution, purity, righteousness, and well-directed thought a man ascends; by the aid of animality, indolence, impurity, corruption, and confusion of thought a man descends.
achievement（達成） crown（王冠） diadem（宝冠） self-control（自制） resolution（決意） purity（純粋さ） righteousness（高潔さ） well-directed（正しく導かれた） ascend→ascend（上昇する） descend（下降する） animality（動物的本能） indolence（怠惰） impurity（不純） corruption（堕落） confusion（混乱）
⑥ A man may rise to high success in the world, and even to lofty altitudes in the spiritual realm, and again descend into weakness and wretchedness by allowing arrogant, selfish, and corrupt thoughts to take possession of him.
rise（上昇する） lofty（高尚な） altitude（高度） realm（領域、分野） descend（下降する） wretchedness（惨めさ） arrogant（傲慢な） selfish（利己的な） corrupt（堕落した） take possession of（〜を支配する）
⑦ Victories attained by right thought can only be maintained by watchfulness. Many give way when success is assured, and rapidly fall back into failure.
attain（達成する） maintain（維持する） watchfulness（用心、注意深さ） give way（屈する、気が緩む） assure（保証する） rapidly（急速に） fall back（後退する）
⑧ All achievements, whether in the business, intellectual, or spiritual world, are the result of definitely directed thought, are governed by the same law and are of the same method; the only difference lies in the object of attainment.
whether（〜であろうと） definitely（明確に） direct（方向づける） govern（支配する） object（対象）
⑨ He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much; he who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.
would（～したいと思う） accomplish（成し遂げる） sacrifice（犠牲にする） attain（到達する） greatly（大いに）
和訳の要約
現代英語版は、中学レベルの英語ですが、分かりにくい部分があるかもしれません。
ここでアウトラインを掴んでおくとスッと頭に入るはずです！
これは名言と思える箇所は太字にしておきます。
犠牲と成功の法則
人が何かを成し遂げるためには、必ず何らかの犠牲を払わねばなりません。
混乱した卑しい思考を手放し、計画を練り、決意を固め、自立心を鍛えることで、成功は形作られます。
思考を高めれば、人はより正直で高貴な人格となれる。
その者が成し遂げた成果は、末永く、そして、祝福されるものとなりましょう。
正しい思考とその報い
宇宙は欲深く不正な者を見放し、誠実で心広き者に力を与えます。
偉大な賢者たちは皆、正しい思考が善き実を結ぶと語ってきました。
知の果実もまた、美や真理を求める純粋な思いから静かに育まれます。
精神的高みへの道
スピリチュアルな達成とは、神聖な思考が結実したものです。
高貴で純粋な思いに心を注ぐ者は、やがて賢く気高い人格となり、祝福の中で影響力を持つ者となるでしょう。
努力と正しい思考がもたらす栄誉は、宝冠のように輝きます。
逆に、怠惰や混乱に心を委ねる者は、堕落と失敗へと沈みます。
栄光を失わぬための戒め
正しい思考で得た勝利も、絶え間ない注意を怠れば儚く消えます。
多くの人は成功を確信した瞬間に気を緩め、再び失敗の淵へと落ちてしまうのです。
知的な世界、スピリチュアルな世界、そして世俗の社会においても、成功の法則は変わることがありません。
まとめ
本ブログのポイントは、原文を読みやすい現代英語でリライトした英訳版です。
現代英語版は英語勉強に最適です。覚えるぐらい繰り返し読んで欲しいです。
これをしっかり読み込めば自己啓発の根本である「思考は現実化する」「人は考えた通りの人になる」が理解できるようになります。
6-1に続きます。
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