Sort of. I'm going to explain briefly, how that happened
对吧 算是吧 我将简短的描述 我是如何飞黄腾达的
I want you to understand just how mysterious careers can be before you go out and have one yourself
我希望你们在走出校门追寻自己的事业前 能够明白事业发展本身是多么神秘
So I graduated from Princeton without having published a word of anything, anywhere
我从普林斯顿毕业的时候 从来没有在任何地方任何时间发表任何东西
I didn't write for the Prince or for anyone else
我没有为the Prince刊物 或任何人写过任何文章
But at Princeton, studying art history
然而在普林斯顿大学 作为艺术史系的学生
I felt the first twinge of literary ambition
我第一次有了在文学界施展抱负的冲动
It happened while working on my senior thesis
这是在我写毕业论文的时候发生的
My adviser was a really gifted man professor named William Childs
我的导师是个超有天分的人 William Childs教授
The thesis I wrote for him... I tried to explain how the Italian sculptor
我毕业论文的题目是 研究意大利雕塑家Donatello
Donatello used Greek and Roman sources that's actually totally beside the point but I've always wanted to tell someone
如何借鉴了希腊和罗马资源 其实这跟今天的题目半毛钱关系都没有 只是我一直喜欢让别人知道
God knows what Professor Childs actually thought of it but he helped me to become engrossed
神知道Childs教授是怎么看待这个题目的 但他却帮助我全心投入
Actually more than engrossed, totally obsessed
不只是全心投入 根本就是痴迷
When I handed it in I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life
当我交上论文的那刻我知道了 我这一生想要从事的事业
I want to write senior theses. Or, to put it differently, to write books
写高级论文 或者说 写书
Then I went to my thesis defense
然后我去了论文答辩
It was just a few yards from here, in McCormick Hall
地方离这不远 就在McCormick厅
I listened and waited for Professor Childs to say how well written my thesis was
我等待着希望听到Childs教授告诉我 我的论文写得多么好
He didn't. And so after about 45 minutes I finally said
但他没有 于是等了45分钟后 我终于问
So. What did you think of the writing?
那你怎么评价我的写作呢？
Put it this way, he said. Never try to make a living at it
这么说吧 他说 千万不要靠这个谋生
And I didn't, not really
所以我放弃了 其实不是
I did what everyone does who has no idea what to do with themselves
我做了所有人不知道该做什么时做的那件事
I get out of the college and went to graduate school
去读研究生
