第7章 我的家庭(5)

后来，我又找到了一个教学职务。我加入了华沙的一个学习团体，这个团体是由热心于教育事业并且具有共同学习愿望的波兰年轻人所组成的，他们有着一套自己独特的学习方式。这个团体带有一定的政治色彩，它要求自己的成员将服务社会、报效祖国作为自己的任务。在一次聚会时，有一位青年说道：“祖国的希望寄寓于人民知识水平的提高和道德观念的加强之上，只有如此，才能使我们的祖国在世界上的地位得到提高。当前我们首要的任务就是努力自学，并竭尽所能地在工人和农民之间普及知识。”为此，大家商量决定：晚间每个人向广大群众讲授自己所精通的内容，用以普及知识。毋庸置疑，这个团体具有秘密结社的性质，每件事情的进展都充满了艰难险阻。直到如今，我依然深信，这个团体的参与者必将为祖国、为社会作出有益的贡献。

我至今仍对那曾经让我欣喜的团体有着深刻的印象。当时那互助互励的情景，至今回想起来还会令我感到欣慰、激动。由于活动经费不足，这个团体并没有取得很大的成效，但是，直到现在，我仍然坚信，当时激励我们的那种精神是推动波兰社会进步的唯一途径。如果不是社会中的每一个人都得到很好的教育，具备良好的素质，一个美好的社会是不可能建立起来的。为了实现这一美好的目的，所有人都必须完善自己，并且共同分担社会责任，竭尽全力投入到本职工作中去，并有效地去帮助别人，这样，我们才觉得自己生活得更有价值。

All the experiences of this period intensified my longing for further study.And，in his affection for me，my father，in spite of limited resources，helped me to hasten the execution of my early project.My sister had just married at Paris，and it was decided that I should go there to live with her.My father and I hoped that，once my studies were finished，we would again live happily together.Fate was to decide otherwise，since my marriage was to hold me in France.My father，who in his own youth had wished to do scientific work，was consoled in our separation by the progressive success of my work.I keep a tender memory of his kindness and disinterestedness.He lived with the family of my married brother，and，like an excellent grandfather，brought up the children.We had the sorrow of losing him in 1902，when he had just passed seventy.

So it was in November，1891，at the age of twenty-four，that I was able to realize the dream that had been always present in my mind for several years.

When I arrived in Paris I was affectionately welcomed by my sister and brother in law，but I stayed with them only for a few months，for they lived in one of the outside quarters of Paris where my brother-in-law was beginning a medical practice，and I needed to get nearer to the schools.I was finally installed，like many other students of my country，in a modest little room for which I gathered some furniture.I kept to this way of living during the four years of my student life.

这段时期的经历更加坚定了我日后学习、深造的决心。尽管我父亲的经济并不宽裕，但爱女之心使他愿意帮助我早日实现自己的梦想。我的姐姐刚刚在巴黎结婚，我便决定前往巴黎学习，同她住在一起。父亲同我都希望我学成回国后，能够再开开心心地生活在一起，但是，后来因为在巴黎结了婚，我便留在了那里，没有再回到华沙，回到父亲身边。做科学研究工作是父亲年轻时就一直有的梦想，后来我在法国取得的成功，令远在波兰的父亲深感欣慰，因为我实现了他的梦想。父亲无私的爱，令我终生难忘。后来，父亲同我已婚的哥哥住在一起，并且作为一个慈祥的爷爷，抚养着几个孙子。1902年，他在年逾古稀时离我们而去，给我们留下了深深的遗憾。

1891年11月，在24岁的时候，我终于实现了多年以来魂牵梦萦的愿望。

当到了巴黎的时候，我受到了姐姐和姐夫的热情欢迎，但是我只在他们家里住了没几个月，便另外寻找住处了。这是因为他们为了方便行医住在巴黎郊外，距离我上学的学校很远，而我需要就近住宿，以便省下时间学习。像许多波兰学生一样，我租住了一间只有很少家具的小房间。就这样我艰难地度过了四年留学生活。

It would be impossible to tell of all the good these years brought to me.Undistracted by any outside occupation，I was entirely absorbed in the joy of learning and understanding.Yet，all the while，my living conditions were far from easy，my own funds being small and my family not having the means to aid me as they would have liked to do.However，my situation was not exceptional；it was the familiar experience of many of the Polish students whom I knew.The room I lived in was in a garret，very cold in winter，for it was insufficiently heated by a small stove which often lacked coal.During a particularly rigorous winter，it was not unusual for the water to freeze in the basin in the night；to be able to sleep I was obliged to pile all my clothes on the blankets.In the same room I prepared my meals with the aid of an alcohol lamp and a few kitchen utensils.These meals were often reduced to bread with a cup of chocolate，eggs or fruit.I had no help in housekeeping and I myself carried the little coal I used up the six flights.

This life，painful from certain points of view，had，for all that，a real charm for me.It gave me a very precious sense of liberty and independence.Unknown in Paris，I was lost in the great city，but the feeling of living there alone，taking care of myself without any aid，did not at all depress me.If sometimes I felt lonesome，my usual state of mind was one of calm and great moral satisfaction.

四年中，我在学习上所取得的进步，不可能被一一讲述出来。我只身一人，没有任何纷扰，得以全身心地投入到学习中去，学业上的进步又令我心满意足，欢快不已。至于我的日常生活，可以说是非常的艰难，因为我自己本身积蓄就不多，亲人们也没有多大能力对我进行帮助。但并不是我一个人这样，据我所知，许多波兰来的留学生的境况都是大同小异的。我住在位于顶层的阁楼里，冬天很冷，取暖炉又小，屋子里根本烧不暖和，而且煤还经常短缺，所以在夜晚，屋子里脸盆中的水经常结冰。为了能够入睡，我把全部的衣服都压在被子上。就在这样一间小屋子里，我用一盏酒精灯和有限的几件炊具做饭。为了节省金钱和时间，我常常用一点点面包加一杯巧克力茶、几个鸡蛋或一点水果充饥。我一个人处理家务，没有任何人对我进行帮助，连取暖用的煤，也是由我亲自弄上七楼的。

在别人看来，我的日子未免过于艰苦，但是我却能够自得其乐，每天都心情愉悦地埋头于学习之中。这份生活经历也使我充分体会到了自由与独立精神的弥足珍贵。在偌大的巴黎，我默默无闻地独自生活在自己的狭小天地里。尽管单寒羁旅，无依无靠，但是我并不沮丧消沉，也不觉得凄惨。当然，有的时候，孤独之感也会突然涌上心头，但由于我的情绪一般十分平静，精神上又非常满足，孤独情绪总是转瞬即逝。

All my mind was centered on my studies，which，especially at the beginning，were difficult.In fact，I was insufficiently prepared to follow the physical science course at the Sorbonne，for，despite all my efforts，I had not succeeded in acquiring in Poland a preparation as complete as that of the French students following the same course.So I was obliged to supply this deficiency，especially in mathematics.I divided my time between courses，experimental work，and study in the library.In the evening I worked in my room，sometimes very late into the night.All that I saw and learned that was new delighted me.It was like a new world opened to me，the world of science，which I was at last permitted to know in all liberty.

I have pleasant memories of my relations with my student companions.Reserved and shy at the beginning，it was not long before I noticed that the students，nearly all of whom worked seriously，were disposed to be friendly.Our conversations about our studies deepened our interest in the problems we discussed.