叔本华-论智慧人生 第一章第4页

Though these may, indeed,in every case proceed from dissimilar causes,they are in their essential nature much the same in all their form with degrees of intensity which vary,no doubt,but in
no wise correspond to the part a man has to play,to the presence or absence of position and wealth.
忧虑和烦恼的具体内容因人而异；但它们的形式，亦即其本质，却大同小异；痛苦和忧虑的程度会存在差别，但这些差别却与人们的地位、财富的差别（有无财富、地位）并不相匹配，亦即和每个人所扮演的角色不相吻合.

***本小节注释：
第一句中的“though these may” 中的“these” 代指前文中提到的“hardships and troubles ”(忧愁和烦恼）

• in their essential nature 在他们的本质上
• degrees of intensity (which vary): 程度（不同）
  *no wise = not at all 毫不，完全不
• in correspondent to 与...相称、相符

Since everything which exists or happens for a man exists only in his consciousness and happens for it alone, the most essential thing for a man is the constitution of this consciousness, which is in most cases far more important than the circumstances which go to form its contents. All the pride and pleasure of the world, mirrored in the dull consciousness of a fool, are poor indeed compared with the imagination of Cervantes writing his Don Quixote in a miserable prison. The objective half of life and reality is in the hand of fate, and accordingly takes various forms in different cases:the subjective half is ourself, and in essentials is always remains the same.
对于人来说，存在和发生的一切事情总是直接存在他的意识中，而且只为他的意识而发生。 所以，很明显，人的意识构成是首要关键。在大多数情况下，主体意识比形成了意识中的物象和事件的外部环境更为重要。世上一切骄傲与喜悦的事情，经由一个愚人呆滞意识的反映，都会变得枯燥乏味。相比之下，塞万提斯却在一个简陋牢房里写作了他的《堂吉诃德》。构成人生和现实的客体部分是被掌握在命运的手里，因此会因人，因时，因地而异；但主体部分是我们的自身，所以，就其本质而言它是不变的。

• 注意 consciousness （意识）的 形容词形式 conscious [ˈkɒnʃəs]. adj, 清醒的；感到的；意识到的；不自然的；对关心…的；对… 感兴趣的； 和 conscience [ˈkɒnʃəns] n/良心；良知；道德心，两者发音类似 ，含义区别很大
• Don Kuixote [ˌdɑn kiˈhoʊdi] 堂吉诃德

Hence the life of every man is stamped with the same character throughout, however much his external circumstances may alter; it is like a series of variations on a single theme.

不论外界环境如何改变，终其一生，每个人的人生因其不变的个性而被打上烙印。就好比一连串的变奏曲并不会改变其主旋律。

• variations 这里解释为“变奏曲”
• theme 这里解释为“主旋律”， theme 其它的含义有“主题”等

No one can get beyond his own individuality. An animal, under whatever circumstances it is placed, remains within the narrow
limits to which nature has irrevocably consigned it; so that our endeavors to make a pet happy must always keep within the compass of its nature, and be restricted to what it can feel.
无人能够脱离自身个性。正如那些动物，不管人们把它们放置在何种环境里，它们仍然无法摆脱大自然为它们定下的不可更改的狭窄本性。这一点解释了诸如：为什么我们在努力使自己宠物快活的时候，应该把这种努力控制在动物本性范围以内，让它能够感知到的程度以内。
So it is with man; the measure of the happiness he can attain is determined beforehand by his individuality. More especially is this the case with the mental powers, which fix once for all his
capacity for the higher kinds of pleasure. If these powers are small, no efforts from without, nothing that his fellowmen or that fortune can do for him, will suffice to raise him above the ordinary degree of human happiness and pleasure, half animal though
it be; his only resources are his sensual appetite,-a cozy and cheerful family life at the most. - low company and vulgar pastime; even education, on the whole, can avail little, if anything, for the enlargement of his horizon.
人亦如是。一个人所能得到的属于他的快乐，从一开始就已经由这个人的个性规定了。一个人精神能力的范围尤其决定性地限定了他领略高级快乐的能力。如果这个人的精神能力相当有限，那么，所有来自外在的努力别人或者运气所能为他做的一切都不会使他超越只能领略平庸无奇、夹杂着动物性的快乐的范围。他只能享受感观的乐趣、低级的社交 、庸俗的消费和闲适的家庭生活。甚至教育就大体而言，也无法在拓宽我们精神眼界方面给人带来大的帮助，如果教育真的有某些用处的话。

• sensual appetite 感官欲望（感官乐趣）
• avail 动词 = help or benefit 有助于，有利于，词根来源于 'vail' be of　use　or　value, from　Old　French　valoir,　from　Latin valere　‘be　strong,　be　of　value’．