英文散文佳作赏析：Fame 声誉

Fame
声誉

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.
声誉很像一只追逐自己尾巴的动物，当它抓住了自己的尾巴后，除了再继续追逐外再不知做什么。声誉与令人兴奋的知名度相生相伴，从而使名人走向毁灭。

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.
那些声名鹊起之人多半是由于有一技之长；唱歌、跳舞、绘画或写作等。一个成功的表演者发展了一种雄踞市场的风格因而受到欢迎。

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.
正是由于这种受欢迎程度才使得他继续保持这种风格，因为这种风格是大众所需要和喜爱的。但最终，歌手为年复一年地以同样的方式唱同样的歌而感到心烦，画家为画类似的风景人物而感到厌倦，演员为反复演同样的角色而疲惫不堪。

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.
公众的需求使得艺术家们固守自己的名誉。若他们企图改变自己的写作风格、唱腔、舞步等，则听众、观众便会离去，把稍纵即逝的名誉给予他人。

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.
我相信名誉和声望、影响和权力、成功与失败，现实和幻想都以某种方法整齐地编织在山张无缝隙的织缎中，即我们所笑称的现实。我对那些拼命寻求名誉、财富和声望的人说：祝你好运。

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.
但当你抓住自己的尾巴、获得成功和赢得名誉之后你又能做什么呢?继续追逐名利吗?如果你确实抓住的话，千万抓紧了，因为下坠与落地的痛楚不一样。祝你很快成名或差不多成名!