某網頁刊登下面這段文字, 沒有其他說明:

Reading books in one’s youth is like looking at the moon through a crevice; reading books in middle age is like looking at the moon in one’s courtyard; and reading books in old age is like looking at the moon on an open terrace. This is because the depth of benefits of reading varies in proportion to the depth of one’s own experience.

— Chang Ch’ao

Chang Ch’ao 顯然是舊式中文名字英譯, 不過一 google 就得知是明末清初文人張潮 (Zhang Chao), 上面的文字來自他的文集《幽夢影》 :

少年讀書, 如隙中窺月;

中年讀書, 如庭中望月;

老年讀書, 如臺上玩月.

皆以閱歷之淺深, 為所得之淺深耳.

我碰巧讀過 20世紀加拿大作家 Robertson Davies 的一句名言有類似的啟示:「Nobody ever reads the same book twice.」

英文大師林語堂翻譯過《幽夢影》, 上面那段文字的英譯如下, 最明顯的差別是林語堂的「窺」用比較合適的「peeping」.

"Reading in youth is like peeping at the moon through a crevice; reading in middle age is like gazing at the moon in one’s courtyard; and reading in old age is like playing with the moon on a terrace. This is because the depth of ones experience is reflected in the depth of ones understanding."