In his autobiography, Darwin himself speaks of his intellectual powers with extraordinary modesty. He points out that he always experienced much difficulty in expressing himself clearly and concisely, but he believes that this very difficulty may have had the compensating advantage of forcing him to think long and intently about every sentence, and thus enabling him to detect errors in reasoning and in his own observations. He disclaimed the possession of any great quickness of apprehension or wit, such as distinguished Huxley. He asserted, also, that his power to follow a long and purely abstract train of thought was very limited, for which reason he felt certain that he never could have succeeded with mathematics. His memory, too, he described as extensive, but hazy. So poor in one sense was it that he never could remember for more than a few days a single date or a line of poetry. On the other hand, he did not accept as well founded the charge made by some of his critics that, while he was a good observer, he had no power of reasoning. This, he thought, could not be true, because the “Origin of Species” is one long argument from the beginning to the end, and has convinced many able men. No one, he submits, could have written it without possessing some power of reasoning. He was willing to assert that “I have a fair share of invention, and of common sense or judgment, such as every fairly successful lawyer or doctor must have, but not, I believe, in any higher degree.” He adds humbly that perhaps he was “superior to the common run of men in noticing things which easily escape attention, and in observing them carefully.”

Writing in the last year of his life, he expressed the opinion that in two or three respects his mind had changed during the preceding twenty or thirty years. Up to the age of thirty or beyond it poetry of many kinds gave him great pleasure. Formerly, too, pictures had given him considerable, and music very great, delight. In 1881, however, he said: “Now for many years I cannot endure to read a line of poetry. I have also almost lost my taste for pictures or music.” Darwin was convinced that the loss of these tastes was not only a loss of happiness, but might possibly be injurious to the intellect, and more probably to the moral character.

 

参考答案及分析：

1. 原文：He believes that this very difficulty may have had the compensating advantage of forcing him to think long and intently about every sentence, and thus enabling him to detect errors in reasoning and in his own observations.

分析：he believes that后面整个是宾语从句，the compensating advantage of后面接了两个由and连接的并列分词结构forcing…, and thus enabling…，起补充说明作用。Reasoning在这里的意思是“推理”。

参考译文：他认为，这种表达上的困难反而是好事，促使他认真反复思考每一个句子，从而得以发现自己在推理和观点中存在的错误。

 

2. 原文：He asserted, also, that his power to follow a long and purely abstract train of thought was very limited, for which reason he felt certain that he never could have succeeded with mathematics.

分析：在词汇理解层面上，asserted“断言”，power“能力”，follow“理解，领悟”，train“系列”，train of thought可译为“思路”。在结构层面上，he never could have succeeded with mathematics是对过去的虚拟。

参考译文：他还断言，自己理解完全抽象的复杂思维的能力非常有限，因此觉得自己要是当初选择数学的话，毫无疑问永远不可能取得成功。

 

3. 原文：On the other hand, he did not accept as well founded the charge made by some of his critics that, while he was a good observer, he had no power of reasoning.

分析：结构上，accept as well founded the charge存在语序倒装，正常语序是accept the charge as well founded。而that, while he was a good observer, he had no power of reasoning是charge的同位语从句。power of reasoning的意思是“推理能力”。

参考译文：另一方面，有些人批评说，尽管他善于观察，但不具备推理能力。他认为这种批评是没有根据的。

 

4. 原文：He adds humbly that perhaps he was “superior to the common run of men in noticing things which easily escape attention, and in observing them carefully.”

分析：the common run of“普通的，一般的”。 in noticing… and in observing…是两个并列结构，与superior to 形成搭配关系，意思是“在某方面比某人强”。

参考译文：达尔文还谦虚地补充说，“有些东西很容易被人忽视，自己却能注意到，而且观察得非常仔细，在这些方面自己也许比一般人强。”

 

5. 原文：Darwin was convinced that the loss of these tastes was not only a loss of happiness, but might possibly be injurious to the intellect, and more probably to the moral character.

分析：character“品性、品质”。 to the moral character与 be injurious形成搭配关系，换言之，be injurious后接了两个平行结构：to the intellect, and… to the moral character。

参考译文：达尔文深信，对这些东西丧失兴趣，不仅仅会导致丧失幸福，而且可能危害智力，更有可能危害道德品质。

 

全文参考译文：

达尔文在自传中非常谦虚地谈到了自己的智力问题。他指出，自己过去一直在语言方面存在很大障碍，不能清楚、简洁地表达自己的思想。但他认为，正是这种表达上的困难迫使他长时间斟酌每一个句子，得以发现自己在推理和观点中存在的错误，从而起到了弥补作用。他否认自己具有著名学者赫胥黎那样敏捷的理解力或智力。他还断言，自己理解完全抽象的复杂思维的能力非常有限，因此觉得要是当初选择数学的话，毫无疑问永远不可能取得成功。他还说，自己能记很多东西，但记得不牢。从某种意义上来说，他的记忆力非常糟糕。哪怕是一次约会或一行诗，他从来记不了几天就忘记了。有些人批评说，尽管他善于观察，但不具备推理能力，但他认为这种批评是没有根据的。他说，不可能存在这种情况，因为《物种起源》一书从开始动笔到最终完成经历了漫长岁月，许多博学多才之士都对觉得该书很有说服力。他说，没有一定的推理能力是不可能写出这本书的。他愿意声明：“我的创造力、常识、判断力是相当不错的。这种能力是每一个取得较大成功的律师或医生都必须具备的。但我的能力仅此而已，并不比他们更高。”达尔文还谦虚地补充说，“有些东西很容易被人忽视，自己却能注意到，而且观察得非常仔细，在这些方面自己也许比一般人强。”

就在去世前一年，他还表示，自己的思想在最近二、三十年在两、三个方面发生了变化。在三十岁之前甚至三十岁后，他从各种各样的诗歌中获取了很大乐趣。以前，图画和音乐也给他带来了很大快乐。但到了1881年，他说道：“如今，读一行诗都是不能容忍的事情。这种情况已经持续多年。我还几乎丧失了对图画或音乐的兴趣。”达尔文深信，对这些东西丧失兴趣，不仅仅会导致丧失幸福，而且可能伤及智力，更有可能危害道德品质。