《大學一年級英文教本》編者陳福田. 大師雲集的西南聯大當然不乏一些有趣的名人軼事，彼時年少狷狂的錢鍾書被破格用為西南聯大教授，但他對這位學識淵博的外國語言文學家卻不太瞧得上眼，毫不客氣地評價陳福田「太俗」。
Wood engraving revolutionised the mass production of images in the Victorian era, but the craftspeople (affectionately known as ‘woodpeckers’), are often forgotten.
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中國最厲害的英文課本
1937年11月1日，是國立西南聯合大學校慶日。當天，1000多名大一新生，拿到了《大學一年級英文教本》。這所僅存在了8年的大學，培養出兩個諾貝爾獎得主，在中國教育史上有著舉足輕重的地位。而《大學一年級英文教本》，是...
據《國立西南聯合大學各院系必修選修課程表（1945年至1946年度）》可知，夏濟安所教授的課程有三門：英文壹（作文）H組、英文壹（作文）L組、英文壹（讀本）M組，與他同時教授大一英文課的還有楊周翰、卞之琳、錢學熙、王佐良、金隄等人。據夏濟安自己所說，他所教的三門課中最成功的是讀本課，全班幾乎無人缺席，而兩班作文課則只有二十人左右出席，有時則更少。他還談到，「其實我教讀本頂擅長，因講解清楚，穿插豐富，頗易引人興趣。作文則選材難，講來又不免枯燥也」
（《夏濟安日記》，人民文學出版社，2011年，93頁）
《現代英文選評註》
對陳福田《大一英文教本》附註的正誤、補遺和質疑
夏濟安
陳福田教授所編的《大一英文教本》（商務出版）是本採用很廣的教科書。全書三百四十九頁，課文佔二百二十八頁，自二百三十一頁起都是附屬於各課的註解和練習問題，共佔全書的三分之一強。其中練習問題所佔篇幅不多，大部分都是註解，這許多註解對於教學雙方，實在便利不少。不過在這些註解裏面，一個採用這本書做課本的教員往往能發現些毛病。現在把筆者所看到的應該改正或補充的地方，或者感到有疑問的地方，列舉在下，敬就正於高明。
1.「to the Lady of the mountain, Pi Hsia-Yüen, who is at once the Venus of Lucretius—『goddess of procreation, god as the clouds, blue as the sky,』one inscription calls her—etc.」（pp. 21-22，A Sacred Mountain, by G. Lowes Dickinson）
關於這一句，陳先生只給了一個註解：「Pi Hsia-yüen——碧霞雲」（p. 250），可是Venus of Lucretius似乎也該說明一下。中國學生對於Venus都有些模糊的觀念，但是他們大多不知道Venus是Aeneas的母親，和羅馬人是崇拜Venus的。關於羅馬詩人Lucretius的年代等等，可得諸普通百科全書，這裏不贅。至於Venus of Lucretius為何像「碧霞雲」，這裏可從Lucretius的長詩「De Rerum Natura」（「of the Nature of Things」，按：英譯應為「On the Nature of Things」）中抄錄一段，以資比較：
Mother of Rome, delight of gods and men,
Dear Venus that beneath the gliding stars
Makest to teem the many-voyaged main
And fruitful lands-for all of living things
Through thee alone are evermore conceived,
Through thee are risen to visit the great sun—
（W. E. Leonard英譯，Everyman's Library版，p.3）
2. 「Great god, I』d rather be（夏濟安附註：此行不全，應往右移，此處排列法系照抄陳先生書。）
A pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn」
（p.22，課文同上）
這四行詩未註明出處，僅「suckled」（包括「pagan」）「forlorn」兩字有注（p.251）。按該詩為Wordsworth所著，原為十四行詩，無題，首行：
「The world is too much with us；late and soon.」
3. The Roman Empire（p.23）—（注）—established by Augustus(27 B.C.), divided by Theodosius (A.D.395) into western and eastern, Western down till 1806.
「Western down till 1806」非但文字欠妥，且與史實不符。西羅馬帝國亡於476A.D.，1806年系Francis II辭神聖羅馬帝國皇帝尊號之年，神聖羅馬帝國（Holy Roman Empire）與羅馬帝國不能混同。
4. decadent aesthetes（p.25）—（注）—lovers or appreciators of beauty who cling to theories that are declining or dying.（p.252）此注誤。Decadent與theories無關，按《牛津大字典》（
OED
）解decadent曰：「decadent—said of a French school which affects to belong to an age of decadence in literature＆art.」中文有「頹廢文人」一語，「頹廢」兩字想即本此。
P.35 the sauce to meat is ceremony p.258（按：手稿如此）
P.36 Mephistophelean eyebrow p.259（按：手稿如此）
5.「I remember going to the British museum one day to read up the treatment for some slight ailment of which I had a touch——hay fever，I fancy it was.」(p.47. The Imaginary Invalid, by Jerome K. Jerome)
注：touch—twinge or light attack of fever（p.267）. 按此處touch僅有「slight tinge or trace」之意，否則，「a light attack of fever of some ailment」不通。
6.「Sweet day, so pure, so calm, so bright,
The bridal of the Earth and Sky!」
(p.55. The Widow＆Her Son, by Washington Irving)
此兩行詩未註明出處。按出自George Herbert: Virtue一首，原詩「so pure」作「so cool」。
7.「I recalled the graceful antics of a couple of birds that the mythical Abel observed during his flight with Rima to the land of her birth.」(p.35. A Pair of Woodpeckers, Anonymous)
本文前面作者雖已說明方才在讀Hudson之
green mansions
，且陳先生也已為Hudson與
green mansions
作注（p.258），但Abel與Rima為何人也應一注。按此處所指「antics of a couple of birds」見
green mansions
第十四章，
Modern Library
（舊式）本子pp.178-179。
8.「The third democracy to vindicate itself is our own during the last few weeks.」(p.75.
The Strength of Democracy
, by Walter Lippmann.)
此處陳先生僅有一注our own—Lippmann, an American, is here speaking of his own country, the United States of America. 其實此語包含史實甚多，宜詳註。按1933年美國經濟恐慌，羅斯福總統向國會提出緊急法案，予總統以處理大權，是為羅總統新政之始。Lippmann此處正敘述法英兩國為何以權力集中政府，克服經濟危機，美國亦為法辦理，應加詳細說明。
9.「Habit a second nature!……」
（p.107.
Habit
, by William James）
陳先生先解釋nature，然後再說：「Hence, second nature means one's real nature, something that has become so much a part of the individual that he cannot escape from it.」 (p.303) 既稱second nature，自然並非real nature，「second nature means one's real nature」一語中后三字應刪去。
10. Practical Joker（p.107）（注）—A practical joke is a joke put into practice…（中略）He who practices such witticisms is called a practical joker. (p.303)
此處witticisms仍以改用joke為是，因一則joke與witticism本非一物；再則witticism只可說，不可做（practice）。
11.「You sought innocent relaxation,but you are one of the nonelect and have gone to the place prepared for you.」(p.151.
Every Man's Natural Desire to be Somebody Else
, by S. M. Crothers)
注nonelect—nonchosen, that is, not belonging to the group that is up to date on the latest literary development.（p.321）
按nonelect本系基督教神學用語，指不為上帝所挑選之人，似與up-to-dateness無關。此處用法意義似稍晦，若與下引之句對照研究，或可明白：
A doubtful tale from faery land（按：此句應為That is a doubtful tale from faery land）
Hard for the none-elect to understand
——Keats：Lamia II.5-6.
12.「Or he might be a saint—not a commonplace modern saint who does chores and attends tiresome committee meetings, but a saint such one reads about……」（p.152.課文同上）
（注）modern saint—is a modern man who has to work so hard to earn a living that he has become sanctified. (p.322.)
註解意義欠明，為何work hard即能成為saint？按
OED
解saint曰：「a person of extraordinary holiness of life, sometimes ironically, A person making an outward profession of piety.」
此譏諷意，殆即本文所用者。Do chores而 attends committee meetings者，大致即指社會上一般慈善家之流之人物。
13.「We have the authority of Benjamin Disraeli that royalty must be treated with abundant flattery. I seize my trowel.」(p.158. The Philosopher, by W. S. Maugham)
（注）trowel—weapon. The trowel is a bricklayer』s tool,used also as a gardening tool. (p.326) 此兩句大可研究，Authority of Benjamin Disraeli無注。Disraeli為何許人，想易尋到。渠論flattery一語，系晚年對Matthew Arnold所說者：
「you have heard me called a flattery, and it is true. everyone like flattery, and, when you come to royalty, you should lay it on with a trowel.」
Life of Benjamin Disraeli, by G.E.Buckle
Vol.vi, p.463. John Murray. London.1920
「Lay it on with a trowel」一成語自從莎士比亞在
As You Like It
用過以後，
Celia—well said; that was laid on with a trowel.
(Act I.sc.ii)
早已成為普通用語，普通字典均載。今解作「weapon」，實是大誤。
14.「you cannot fence without an antagonist,nor challenge all comers in disputation before you have supported a thesis; and in like manner, it stands to reason, you cannot learn to converse till you have the world to converse with…」(P.186, What is a University, by John Henry Newman)
（注）fence—debate (p.341)
按fence雖可引申作debate之意，此處仍可作「比劍」解較妥。至少，不應將其意義固定為debate，而減少文字之彈性。
15. 「…the periodical meetings…such as the British Association. Such gatherings would to many persons appear at first sight simply preposterous. Above all subjects of study science is conveyed, is propagated, by books, or by private teachings; …discoveries are made in solitude. what have philosophers to do with festive celebrities, and panegyrical solemnities with mathematical and physical truth?」（p.187.課文同上）
（注）panegyrical solemnities—a ceremony of praise. (p.341) 「a ceremony of praise」一語意義不明。細看上下文，Newman似只討論開會與科學研究之關係，並未涉及praise。何故忽來praise之意義？按panegyrical原出自希臘πανηγυρις一字，原有an assembly of the people，a high festival之意。今英文字典中於panegyrical下，仍有「of the nature of a general assembly」一廢（obsolete）義，
OED
並引Thomas Goodwin之句如下：
「In the primitive church the persons of the bishops…were chosen by all the people, and by panegyrical meetings.」
此雖古義，然Newman實常用古字古義者，（其文中且多希臘字），此處仍以照古意講為通。故panegyrical solemnities實即等於festive celebrities，Newman為行文求變化，與festive celebrities之後，故意又換一說法。
16. 陳書於廿八年二月初版，註解中關於人名數則，應參考最近材料而隨時變動，惟查卅五年二月所出版之第十一版，材料仍舊，亟應更正。如Galsworthy（p.309），Hitler（p.333）均已死，Sir Samuel Hoare（p.335）已於1944年被封為Lord Templewood，現為上院議員。凡此均望陳先生於下次新版時更正。
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