A Little Learning Is a Dangerous Thing. Alexander Pope

A Little Learning Is a Dangerous Thing.(From An Essay on Criticism II)
                             -- Alexander Pope(1688-1744)
A little learn is a dangerous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring:
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again.
Fired at first sight with what the Muse imparts,
In fearless youth we tempt the heights of arts,
While from the bounded level of our mind
Short views we take, nor see the lengths behind;
But more advanced, behold with strange surprise
New distant scenes of endless science rise!
So pleased at first the towering Alps we try,
Mount o'er the vales, and seeme to tread the sky;
The eternal snows appear already past,
And the first clouds and mountains seem the last;
But, those attained, we tremble to survey
The growing labours of the lengthened way,
Th'increasing prospect tires our wandering eyes,
Hills peep o'er hills, and Alps on Alps arise!

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学识浅薄是一件危险的事情（节选《论批评》第215-232行）
                       -- 亚历山大·蒲柏（何功杰 译）
学识浅薄是一件危险的事情；
派利亚泉水要深吸，否则别饮。
浅浅喝几口会使大脑不清，
大量畅饮反会使我们清醒。
缪斯让第一个情景激发我们灵感，
无畏的青年就企图攀登艺术顶端，
但是，我们的眼界所见事物有限，
前瞻既看不远，后顾又看不见；
但再往前，我们会惊奇地发现，
远处胜景层出，那里新知无限！
我们初登阿尔卑斯山多么高兴，
越谷登山，仿佛踩着天底旅行，
永恒积雪似乎早就过去，不再出现，
初见的云彩和群山好象是最后景点；
然而，爬到山顶，我们颤抖着俯瞰
绵延的路还需要更大的努力去登攀，
前面不断出现的景色使我们眩目惊叹，
群山与群山相望，高山之外还有高山。