第4章 我的家庭(2)
母亲去世之后，父亲非常悲痛，但他并没有因此而消沉，而是全身心地投入到了自己的工作当中，投入到对自己孩子们的教育上来，从而使自己没有多少空闲再去伤心难过。母亲过世多年后，我们仍然感到很不习惯，总是觉得家中少了灵魂和主宰。
我们兄弟姐妹很早就开始学习了。我在6岁的时候就入了学，在班里年龄最小、个子最矮。每当有人听课或是参观时，老师总是把坐在第一排的我叫上讲台朗读课文。我性格内向，一叫我上台就会吓得不行，恨不能跑出教室躲起来。我的父亲是一位优秀的教师，十分关心我们的学习，并懂得如何对我们进行指导，但是由于家里的经济条件不是很好，一开始我们上的是私立学校，后来就不得不转到公立学校了。
Warsaw was then under Russian domination，and one of the worst aspects of this control was the oppression exerted on the school and the child.The private schools directed by Poles were closely watched by the police and overburdened with the necessity of teaching the Russian language even to children so young that they could scarcely speak their native Polish.Nevertheless，since the teachers were nearly all of Polish nationality，they endeavored in every possible way to mitigate the difficulties resulting from the national persecution.These schools，however，could not legally give diplomas，which were obtainable only in those of the government.
The latter，entirely Russian，were directly opposed to the Polish national spirit.All instruction was given in Russian，by Russian professors，who，being hostile to the Polish nation，treated their pupils as enemies.Men of moral and intellectual distinction could scarcely agree to teach in schools where an alien attitude was forced upon them.So what the pupils were taught was of questionable value，and the moral atmosphere was altogether unbearable.Constantly held in suspicion and spied upon，the children knew that a single conversation in Polish，or an imprudent word，might seriously harm，not only themselves，but also their families.Amidst these hostilities，they lost all the joy of life，and precocious feelings of distrust and indignation weighed upon their childhood.On the other side，this abnormal situation resulted in exciting the patriotic feeling of Polish youths to the highest degree.
华沙当时正处在俄国的统治之下，而他们的统治中最残酷的一面就是对学校和学生进行严格的控制与迫害，波兰人经营的私立学校都被警方监视，并且全部使用俄语教学。这样学生们在很小的时候就开始学习俄语，以至于对自己的母语波兰语反而说不利索了。幸亏这些学校的老师全是波兰人，他们不想受此迫害，想尽一切办法让学生们多掌握一些波兰语。这些私立学校都不被准许授予正式文凭，仅有公立学校才有这个权力。
俄国人领导着所有的公立学校，他们一味地对波兰人的民族意识觉醒进行压制。学校里所有的课程全由俄国人用俄语讲授。由于仇视波兰民族，那些俄国教师对待学生就好像对待敌人似的。品德高尚、知识渊博的老师都不愿意到这种学校去教书，因为他们忍受不了这种敌视。处于这种校园环境中，孩子们学习的知识是否有用是很让人怀疑的。尤其严重的是，这样的环境对孩子们道德品质的影响是着实令人担忧的。在这种监视之下，孩子们不小心说了一句波兰话，或是用词稍不留神，就要受到严厉的处罚，不但自己倒霉，还会殃及家人。在这种严酷的环境里，孩子们天真烂漫的本性丧失殆尽，也无法感受到生命的乐趣。但是，另一方面，这种恐怖的氛围也将青少年内心极大的爱国热情激发起来了。
Yet of this period of my early youth，darkened though it was by mourning and the sorrow of oppression，I still keep more than one pleasant remembrance.In our quiet but occupied life，reunions of relatives and friends of our family brought some joy.My father was very interested in literature and well acquainted with Polish and foreign poetry；he even composed poetry himself and was able to translate it from foreign languages into Polish in a very successful way.His little poems on family events were our delight.On Saturday evenings he used to recite or read to us the masterpieces of Polish prose and poetry.These evenings were for us a great pleasure and a source of renewed patriotic feelings.
Since my childhood I have had a strong taste for poetry，and I willingly learned by heart long passages from our great poets，the favorite ones being Mickiewecz，Krasinski and Slowacki.This taste was even more developed when I became acquainted with foreign literatures；my early studies included the knowledge of French，German，and Russian，and I soon became familiar with the fine works written in these languages.Later I felt the need of knowing English and succeeded in acquiring the knowledge of that language and its literature.
My musical studies have been very scarce.My mother was a musician and had a beautiful voice.She wanted us to have musical training.After her death，having no more encouragement from her，I soon abandoned this effort，which I often regretted afterwards.
在异族蹂躏和丧母之痛的双重影响下，我少年时期的日子过得郁郁寡欢、了无生趣。不过，仍旧有着一些愉快的事情，保留在我的记忆当中。亲朋好友的欢聚令人兴奋愉快，使我们原本郁闷的生活出现了慰藉与希望。除此之外，我父亲特别喜欢文学，对于波兰和外国诗人们的诗歌都能够熟记，并且自己也能作诗赋词，他还经常将外国的优秀诗篇翻译成波兰文。他以家庭琐事为题材所写的短诗常使我们赞叹不已、佩服至极。每个周末的夜晚，我们都围在他旁边，听他为我们朗诵波兰的著名诗歌和散文。这样的夜晚其乐融融，并且在不知不觉中使我们的爱国主义情愫日益增强。
我从少年时起就对诗歌十分喜爱，并且能够将波兰著名诗人们的大段诗篇背诵下来，在这些诗人中，我最欣赏的就是密茨凯维奇、克拉西茨基和斯沃瓦茨基。当我日后开始学习外国文学时，这种爱好就更加明显了。我很早就开始学习法语、德语和俄语，并且能够对这些语言的外文书籍进行阅读。后来，我觉得英语很有用，便又开始学习英语，不久就可以阅读英文书籍了。
对于音乐，我研究的很少。我母亲是个音乐家，具有很美的嗓音，她希望我们都能跟她学点音乐，但我却因为对音乐不怎么感兴趣而没能开窍。自从她去世之后，没有了她的鼓励与督促，我曾经跟她学到的那仅有的一点音乐知识，也都荒废了。每当我想到这些的时候，总是免不了要后悔。
I learned easily mathematics and physics，as far as these sciences were taken in consideration in the school.I found in this ready help from my father，who loved science and had to teach it himself.He enjoyed any explanation he could give us about Nature and her ways.Unhappily，he had no laboratory and could not perform experiments.
The periods of vacations were particularly comforting，when，escaping the strict watch of the police in the city，we took refuge with relatives or friends in the country.There we found the free life of the old-fashioned family estate；races in the woods and joyous participation in work in the far-stretching，level grain-fields.At other times we passed the border of our Russian-ruled division and went southwards into the mountain country of Galicia，where the Austrian political control was less oppressive than that which we suffered.There we could speak Polish in all freedom and sing patriotic songs without going to prison.