爱因斯坦留下的“鸡汤便条”告诉你幸福的秘诀

A note that Albert Einstein gave to a courier in Tokyo, briefly describing his theory on happy living, has surfaced after 95 years and is up for auction in Jerusalem.

95年前，阿尔伯特•爱因斯坦在东京时曾经给一个邮递员写过一个字条，简要描述了他的幸福生活理论。如今，这一字条浮出水面，并将在耶路撒冷拍卖。

The year was 1922, and the German-born physicist, most famous for his theory of relativity, was on a lecture tour in Japan.

这张字条是爱因斯坦在1922年写的，当时他正在日本做巡回讲座。这位德国出生的物理学家最著名的就是他的相对论。

He had recently been informed that he was to receive the Nobel Prize for physics, and his fame outside of scientific circles was growing.

在那之前不久，爱因斯坦被告知将获得诺贝尔物理学奖，他在科学圈外的名气正与日俱增。

A Japanese courier arrived at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo to deliver Einstein a message. The courier either refused to accept a tip, in line with local practice, or Einstein had no small change available.

一位日本邮递员到东京帝国酒店给爱因斯坦送信。这位邮递员按本地惯例谢绝了小费，也可能是爱因斯坦手边没有零钱。

Either way, Einstein didn't want the messenger to leave empty-handed, so he wrote him two notes by hand in German, according to the seller, a relative of the messenger.

字条的卖家介绍称，不管当时是哪种情况，爱因斯坦不想让邮递员空手离去，所以他就用德文手写了两张字条。字条的卖家是那位邮递员的亲戚。

"Maybe if you're lucky those notes will become much more valuable than just a regular tip," Einstein told the messenger, according to the seller, a resident of the German city of Hamburg who wished to remain anonymous.

据卖家称，爱因斯坦对邮递员说，“如果你幸运的话，这些字条可能会比寻常小费有价值得多。”卖家是德国汉堡市一位不愿透露姓名的居民。

One note, on the stationary of the Imperial Hotel Tokyo, says that "a quiet and modest life brings more joy than a pursuit of success bound with constant unrest."

其中一句话是写在一张东京帝国酒店便签纸上的：“平静朴素的生活带来的快乐比追逐成功、永无安宁的生活带来的快乐更多。”

The other, on a blank piece of paper, simply reads: "where there's a will, there's a way."

另外一句话写在一张空白纸上：“有志者事竟成。”

It is impossible to determine if the notes were a reflection of Einstein's own musings on his growing fame, said Roni Grosz, the archivist in charge of the world's largest Einstein collection, at Jerusalem's Hebrew University.

耶路撒冷希伯来大学的档案保管员罗尼•格罗茨掌管着全世界最大的爱因斯坦藏品。格罗茨说，无法确定这些字条是否反映了爱因斯坦对自己与日俱增名气的反思。

While the notes, previously unknown to researchers, hold no scientific value, they may shed light on the private thoughts of the great physicist whose name has become synonymous with genius, according to Grosz.

研究人员此前对这些字条一无所知。格罗茨说，尽管这些字条没有科学价值，但可能有助于人们了解这位伟大物理学家的私人想法。爱因斯坦的名字已经成为天才的代名词。

"What we're doing here is painting the portrait of Einstein -- the man, the scientist, his effect on the world -- through his writings," said Grosz.

格罗茨说：“我们这里所做的就是通过爱因斯坦的文字勾勒出他的形象——作为男人和科学家的爱因斯坦，以及他对世界的影响。”

"This is a stone in the mosaic."

“这些字条就是构成爱因斯坦马赛克肖像画的一块石头。”

The two notes will go on sale on Tuesday at the Winner's auction house in Jerusalem, alongside other items including two letters Einstein wrote in later years.

这两张字条周二将在耶路撒冷的赢家拍卖行进行拍卖，一起拍卖的其他物品还包括爱因斯坦在晚年写的两封信。