The original text of Robinson Crusoe

1632, I was born in an upper-class family in York. We are not locals. My father is from Bremen, Germany. After he moved to England, he first lived in Hull City, made a fortune in business and then went into business, and finally moved to York City, where he married my mother. My mother's maiden name is Robinson, which is a famous local family, so she named me Robinson Cruz. As soon as the British read the German surname "kreuz", the pronunciation becomes distorted. As a result, everyone called us "Croso", so much so that even we did. So, my friends call me Croso.

I have two older brothers. Eldest brother is a lieutenant colonel of the British Infantry Regiment in Flanders. The famous Colonel Lockhart once led this unit. Eldest brother was killed fighting the Spanish near Dunkirk. As for the whereabouts of my second brother, I know nothing so far, just as my parents know nothing about my later situation.

I am the youngest son in my family, and my parents won't let me learn the craft of making a living, so I like to think wildly and want to travel abroad since I was a child. At that time, my father was old, but he still gave me a pretty good education. He once sent me to boarding school, and also let me go to rural free schools to receive compulsory education, wholeheartedly wanting me to study law in the future. But I'm not interested in anything but sailing.

I completely ignored my father's wishes, even disobeyed his orders, completely ignored my mother's entreaties and my friends' discouragement. This nature of mine seems to be doomed to my unfortunate fate in the future.

My father is both clever and cautious. He foresaw that my intentions would inevitably bring me misfortune, so he often earnestly enlightened me and gave me many useful suggestions. One morning, he called me into his bedroom; Because, at that time, he just had a gout attack and was inconvenient to move. He gave me a very serious advice. He asked me, besides satisfying my hobby of roaming around the world, what reason is there to leave my parents and my hometown? In my hometown, I can gain a foothold in the society through introduction. If I work hard, I can make a fortune and live a comfortable and happy life in the future. He told me that people who start businesses abroad are either poor or want to make a fortune; They are ambitious and want to be famous for their extraordinary career. But for me, it is neither worthwhile nor necessary. As far as my social status is concerned, it is just between the two, which is generally called the middle position. Judging from his long experience, this is the best class in the world, and this middle position can also make people happy. They don't have to do hard physical labor like the lower classes, and their lives are still gone; Nor will they be exhausted by arrogance, extravagance, ambition and fighting with each other like those in the upper class. He said, I can learn from the following facts that life in the middle position is really extremely happy; That is to say, everyone envies this position. Many emperors lament the unfortunate consequences of their aristocratic origins and wish they were born in the middle class between poverty and nobility. Wise people have also proved that middle-class people can get real happiness. The wise men in the Bible also prayed: "Make me neither poor nor rich." He reminded me that as long as you look closely, you will find that people at the upper and lower levels are troubled, but the middle class is the least. The life of the middle class will not change as rapidly as the ups and downs of the upper class and the lower class. And the middle position will not be exhausted by profligacy and corruption like the rich; Nor will it be as haggard as the poor because they work all day and have no food and clothing. Only people in the middle position can enjoy the happiness and comfort of the world. Middle-class people live a stable and prosperous life all the year round. Enough is enough, enough is enough, self-denial, health and tranquility, making friends and entertainment, and all kinds of fun in life are the blessings of the middle class. This way of life makes people calm and happy, live a contented life, and will not suffer from fatigue. They don't have to work for their daily livelihood, or be forced by difficulties, or even hurt their bodies and disturb their spirits; I will not be manic and restless because of jealousy or greed. Middle-class people can spend their lives in peace and enjoy the sweetness of life without any suffering; They feel happy, and as time goes on, they realize this happiness more and more deeply.

Then, he sincerely and lovingly advised me not to be childish and not to rush to ask for trouble; Because, no matter from human nature or from my family background, I won't suffer. He said, I don't have to work hard for my daily livelihood. He will make all the arrangements for me and try his best to let me live the middle class life mentioned above. If I can't live a comfortable and happy life in the world, it's entirely my fate or my own fault. He has done his duty. He gave me advice because he saw that the action I was going to take would inevitably bring me pain. In a word, he promised that if I listened to him and stayed at home, he would try his best to arrange it for me. He never allows me to go too far from home. Don't blame him if anything happens to me in the future. At the end of the conversation, he added, I should learn from my big brother. He also earnestly advised his eldest brother not to go to Flanders to fight, but he wouldn't listen. At that time, he was young and energetic, and he decided to serve in the army. As a result, he lost his life on the battlefield. He also told me that, of course, he would always pray for me, but if I insisted on taking this stupid action, then he dared to say that God would not bless me. When I am not helpful in the future, I will regret not following his advice.

In hindsight, my father's last words became my later predictions; Of course, I believe that my father himself may not have realized this foresight at that time. I noticed that my father burst into tears when he said these words, especially when he talked about my eldest brother's corpse battlefield, and regretted that I had nowhere to call for help in the future. He was even more heartbroken and had to interrupt the conversation. Finally, he told me that he was too worried to go on.

I was deeply moved by this conversation. Really, who will be indifferent to such words? I am determined not to think about going abroad, but to listen to my father's wishes and stay at home with peace of mind. But, my God! After only a few days, I put my determination behind me. To put it simply, after that conversation, I didn't stay with my father for several weeks so as not to pester me anymore. However, I did not act in a hurry. I don't want to do it when it is as hot as before. I will go to see my mother when she is in a better mood. I told her that I wanted to go out and see the world, but I didn't want to do anything else. Father had better promise me lest I run away without permission. I said, I'm eighteen years old, and it's too late to be an apprentice or a paralegal. Moreover, I absolutely believe that even if I go to be an apprentice or an assistant, I will definitely run away from my master and wait for the whole teacher to sail. If she can plead with my father to allow me to go abroad by boat once, and if I feel that I don't like sailing when I get home, I will redouble my efforts to make up for the wasted time.

My mother lost her temper at my words. She told me that she knew it was useless to tell her father such a thing. My father is well aware of the stakes in this matter and will never allow me to do anything to hurt myself. She also said that my father and I talked so seriously and convincingly that I wanted to travel far away from home, which really made her hard to understand. She said, in a word, if I insist on finding my own way, no one will come to help me. She made me believe that neither my mother nor my father would agree to my voyage abroad, so if I kill myself, it has nothing to do with her, lest I later say that my father didn't agree at that time and my mother did.

Although my mother refused my request to my face and said that she didn't want to convey my words to my father, I heard afterwards that she told my father exactly what we talked about. Father is very worried. He sighed to his mother and said that if the child could stay at home, he might be very happy; But if he wants to go overseas, he will become the most unfortunate person in the world, so he can't agree to my going out.

After a year, I finally ran away from home. During this year, although my family advised me to do something serious many times, I was stubborn and didn't listen. Instead, I have been pestering my parents not to oppose their children's wishes like that. One day, I came to Hull by accident. At that time, I didn't want to run away without permission. But there, I met a friend. He said that he would go to London by his father's boat and urged me to go with them. He told me that I didn't have to pay the fare in the usual attractive way for sailors. At this time, I neither discussed with my parents nor sent them messages. I think they will hear the news sooner or later after I leave. At the same time, I boarded a ship bound for London, without praying to God, asking my father for blessing, or even considering the situation at that time and the future consequences. The time is 165 1 year September 1 day. Who knows now is not the time! I believe that no young man who goes out to take risks is unlucky as soon as he goes out, and it is hard to get rid of it for so long. As soon as our ship sailed out of the Humbil River, there was a strong wind, which contributed to the waves. It was really scary. Because the first time I went to sea, I felt very sad and scared to death. At this time, I began to regret what I had done. I am an unfilial son. I turned my back on my parents and didn't do my duty. God punished me so quickly. What a godsend.

At this time, my parents' advice, my father's tears and my mother's prayers flooded into my mind. After all, my conscience is still alive, and I can't help blaming myself: I shouldn't disobey others' advice and betray my vocation to God and my father.

At this time, the storm is blowing harder and harder, the sea is surging and the waves are sky-high. I have never seen such a scene. But compared with the roaring sea I saw many times later, it was really a drop in the ocean; Even if it is compared with what I saw a few days later, it can't be compared. However, at that time, for a young man who was sailing for the first time, it was enough to scare me, because I knew nothing about sailing. I feel that the Haihengbier River, also known as Humber River, originates in the middle of England and flows into the North Sea.

The waves will swallow us up at any moment. Every time our ship gets caught in waves and eddies, I feel that we will capsize at any time and sink to the bottom of the sea, and we will never get up again. In this fearful mood, I swore again and again and made countless resolutions, saying that if God spared my life in this voyage, as long as I set foot on land, I would immediately return to my father and never go to sea by boat again in my life. I will listen to my father's advice and never bother myself again. At the same time, I also realized that my father's view of middle-class life is indeed reasonable. Take my father for example. He lived a quiet and comfortable life, and never met the stormy waves at sea or the hardships on land. I made up my mind that I would return to my home and my father like a real prodigal son.

These wise and sober thoughts have been hovering in my mind during the storm, even for a short time after the storm stopped. The next day, the storm passed and the sea was much calmer. I began to get used to life at sea. But I'm still sad all day; Coupled with some seasickness, it is even more frustrating. In the evening, the weather cleared completely and the wind stopped completely, followed by a beautiful and lovely golden faint. It was sunny that night and the next morning, and the sunset and sunrise were beautiful. At this time, the sun shines on the calm sea, which is refreshing. That is the beauty I have never seen before.

I slept soundly that night, so I didn't get seasick the next day, and I was refreshed. Looking at the roaring sea the day before yesterday, it was incredible that it suddenly became so calm and soft. The friend who lured me aboard came to see me, lest I really make up my mind not to sail again. "Hello, Bob," he said, patting me on the shoulder. "How do you feel now? I said, "There was a breeze that night. Must have scared you?" "You said it was a small wind?" I said, "It was a terrible storm!" "The storm? You fool, "he replied," you call that a storm? That's nothing! As long as the ship is stable and the sea is wide, we don't care about a little wind like this. Of course, it's no wonder that it's your first time at sea, Bob. Come on, let's drink a bowl of liqueur and forget all these things! Look, what a beautiful day! "I don't want to elaborate on this sad story.

In a word, we followed the way of life of ordinary sailors and made sweet wine. I was so drunk. That night, I drank so much that I forgot all my regrets and reflections on my past behavior and my determination for the future. In short, after the storm, the sea was as calm as a mirror, my confused thoughts were swept away, my fear of being swallowed up by the sea disappeared, and my desire to sail and sail came back. I forgot all my resolutions and vows when I was in danger. Sometimes, I also find that those confessions and resolutions will be recalled from time to time. But I tried my best to get rid of them and cheer myself up, as if to cheer up from some bad mood. Therefore, I will drink and fool around with the sailors as usual. Soon, I controlled my impulse to prevent those serious ideas from resurging. In less than five or six days, I, like those young people who want to get rid of conscience condemnation, completely defeated my conscience. To this end, I am doomed to suffer new disasters. God saw that I didn't want to repent, so he decided to punish me without forgiveness, and it was entirely my own fault, without any excuse. Since I didn't regard the first disaster as God's salvation, the next disaster will be even worse. At that time, even the most ferocious, insidious and daring sailors on board were afraid and asked for forgiveness.

On the sixth day at sea, we arrived at Yarmouth anchorage. After the big storm, our ship didn't go much, because although it was sunny, it kept blowing against the wind. Therefore, we have to anchor in this sea area. The headwind blew for seven or eight days, and the wind came from the southwest. During this period, many ships from Newcastle also docked at this open anchorage, because it is the only port for maritime traffic, and all ships are waiting for the wind to sail into the Yale River.

We shouldn't stay here too long. We should sail into the estuary by the tide. But the wind was too strong, and it was even stronger after four or five days. But this anchorage has always been regarded as a good port, and our anchor is very strong, and all the equipment on board, such as anchor cable, pulley and cable canopy, are very strong, so the sailors are indifferent to the strong wind and are not afraid at all, and still rest and play according to their lifestyle. On the eighth morning, the wind suddenly increased. So all the crew mobilized and began to lower the sail together, and settled everything on board, so that the ship could withstand the strong wind and anchor safely. At noon, the sea rolled up. Our bow dived into the water several times and got a lot of water. Once or twice, we thought we had lost the anchor, so the captain ordered to put down the spare anchor. In this way, we put two anchors at the bow and put the anchor cable to the longest limit.

At this time, the storm was terrible, and I saw that even the sailors' faces were frightened. Although the captain was very cautious and tried to fix his boat, I heard him mutter to himself several times when he went in and out of his cabin and passed mine: "God, have pity on us!" We can't live! We are all going to die! " He said a lot of such things. In the initial confusion, I was at a loss, just lying motionless in my cabin-my cabin was at the bow, and I can't describe the feeling at that time. At first, I didn't repent like the first time, but became insensitive. I thought the pain of death was over, and this storm would pass like last time. But as I said before, when the captain passed my cabin and said that we would all die, I was frightened. I walked out of my hut and looked out, only to see desolation everywhere; I have never seen such a tragic scene: the waves on the sea are huge and come at us every three or four minutes. Looking around again, the situation is even worse. We found that two ships moored near us had cut off their masts because the cargo was too heavy. Suddenly, the people on our boat exclaimed. A ship that stopped in front of us about a nautical mile ago has sunk. The other two ships were blown off the anchor by the strong wind, so they had to venture out of the anchorage and sail for the sea, leaving not even a mast on board. This ship is in the best condition because it is easy to sail at sea. But there are also two or three boats that are blown by the wind, leaving only horn sails on board and drifting to the sea.

In the evening, the first mate and the boatswain begged the captain to cut off the foremast; Of course, the captain is absolutely unwilling to do so. But the boatswain protested that if the captain did not agree to cut off the foremast, the ship would sink. In this way, the captain had to agree. But as soon as the foremast of the ship was cut off, the mainmast shook out of control with the wind, and the ship shook violently, so they had to cut off the mainmast. This only leaves an empty deck.

Anyone can imagine my mood at that time. Because I was just a young man sailing for the first time, I was scared to death by that small storm not long ago, what's more, I really met a big storm this time. At this moment, when I wrote down my feelings at that time, I felt that I was scared to death. What scares me even more is that I violated the idea of repentance I made not long ago. I have made up my mind again like the previous crisis. This fear is worse than my fear of death. In that case, plus the horror of that storm, I can't even describe that mental state now. But the scene was not the worst! To make matters worse, the storm is getting worse and worse. Even the sailors themselves admit that they have never encountered such a violent storm in their lives. Although our ship is strong, it has been swaying violently in the water because of the heavy cargo and the deep water. Only the sailors shouted from time to time that the ship was going to sink. At that time, I didn't know what "heavy" meant, which was good for me. I won't understand until I ask someone else At this time, the wind and waves became more violent, and I saw something that I rarely saw at ordinary times: the captain, the boatswain and other people with brains kept praying, and they all felt that the ship was in danger of sinking at any time. In the middle of the night, the disaster is even greater. Among the people who went to check under the cabin, suddenly a man ran up and shouted: the bottom of the ship is leaking; Then another sailor ran up and said that the water was four feet deep. So the whole ship was called to pump water. When I heard that the bottom of the boat was leaking, I felt my heart suddenly stop beating; I was sitting on the bed in my cabin, and suddenly I felt that I couldn't support myself any longer and fell into the cabin. Then someone woke me up and said that I could do nothing before, but now I can at least help pump water. Hearing this, I immediately cheered up, went to the pump and worked very hard. Just as everyone was pumping water, the captain found that several small coal boats had to drift to the sea with the wind because they could not stand the wind and waves. When they passed us, the captain gave the order to shoot as a distress signal. I didn't know why I was shooting. I was shocked when I heard the gunshot. I thought the boat was broken or something terrible had happened. In a word, I was so scared that I fainted by the pump.

At this time, everyone only cares about their own lives. Someone will take care of mine, and no one will see what's wrong with me. Another person immediately came up to pump water instead of me; When he came up, he kicked me aside and left me lying there. He must think I'm dead. It took me a long time to wake up.

We kept pumping water, but there was more and more water in the bilge. Obviously, our ship will sink soon. At this time, although the wind is slightly weak, it is definitely impossible for the ship to sail into the harbor. The captain had to keep shooting for help. There was a lightweight boat drifting in front of us, so he risked putting down a boat to save us.

The people on board took great risks to get close to our big ship, but we couldn't get on their ship and they couldn't get close to our big ship. Finally, the people on board paddled desperately and risked their lives to save each other; We dropped a rope with a buoy from the stern and pulled it as long as possible. After several efforts, the people on board finally caught the rope. We slowly towed the boat near the stern before the crew got off. At this moment, we can't go back to their boat. Everyone agreed to let the boat go with the flow and try to row to the shore. Our captain promised that if the ship ran into rocks on the shore, he would pay compensation to their captain at the price.

In this way, the boat rowed and drifted, gradually drifting to the north shore, and finally approached the Winterton headland.

Less than a quarter of an hour after leaving the ship, we saw it sink. At this time, for the first time in my life, I understood what it was like to sink into the sea. To tell the truth, when the sailors told me that the ship was sinking, I hardly dared to look up. At that time, it was not so much that I climbed out of the boat as that the sailors threw me in. From the moment I got off the boat, my heart died; On the one hand, this is because of the shock of the storm, and on the other hand, I am extremely scared at the thought that the murder is undecided.

Although we were in danger, the sailors struggled to paddle to the shore. When the ship was washed up on the waves, we could already see the coast and saw many people running around on the shore, trying to help us when our ship docked. But the speed of the boat is so slow that it can't reach the shore at all. Finally, we passed the Winterton Lighthouse. From here, the coast sags westward and extends to cromer. In this way, the land blocked the wind slightly, and we finally managed to reach the shore. After all the people landed safely, they walked to Yarmouth. We suffering people were warmly treated by local officials, wealthy businessmen and ship owners; They arranged our accommodation properly and raised enough travel expenses for us. We can go to London or go back to Hull at will.

At that time, if I had any brains, I should go back to Hull and go home.

I will be very happy. My father will kill the fat cow to meet my prodigal son like the visualized father mentioned in Jesus' sermon. Because, my family heard that my boat was wrecked and sank at Yarmouth anchorage, and it took a long time to know that I was not buried in the belly of a fish.

But my bad luck is not over yet. It forces me to repent with an irresistible force. Several times, when I was calm, reason called me home, but I didn't have the courage to listen. I don't know, and I don't want to know what to call this force that drives me to be stubborn, but it is a mysterious and inescapable fate; It often drives us to find our own way out, knowing that disaster is coming, or to trap ourselves. Obviously, it is this fate that makes me doomed to be unable to get rid of bad luck. It is this fate that drives me to disobey the call of reason, and I don't even want to learn from the two disasters I encountered on my first voyage.

My friend, the captain's son, was the one who persuaded me to board his father's boat, but now he doesn't have my courage. At that time, we were arranged in several places in Yarmouth, so it took two or three days to meet me. As I said just now, this is the first time we have met since we parted ashore. As soon as we talked, I found his tone changed. He looks depressed and shakes his head from time to time. He asked me about my recent situation and introduced me to his father. He said to his father, this is my first voyage, just trying, and I want to travel abroad in the future.

Hearing this, his father said to me in a very serious and concerned tone: "young man, you should stop sailing." This disaster is a bad omen that you can't be a sailor. " "What's the matter, sir," I asked, "don't you sail any more?" "That's two different things," he said. "Sailing is my profession, so it is also my duty.

Although your voyage is just an attempt, God has already let you taste the sweetness. If you go your own way again, there will be no good result. Maybe we are in big trouble this time, because you got on our boat, just like Jonah got on the boat bound for Tarshish. Excuse me, "the captain continued," who are you? Why did you go out to sea on our boat? "So, I briefly talked to him about his life experience. After listening to my words, he suddenly became indescribable angry. He said, "What did I do to get a disaster like you on board? I'll never be in the same boat with you again. I won't do it for 1000! "I think this is because the loss of the shipwreck made him very upset and wanted to vent his anger on me. In fact, he has no right to lose his temper with me at all. But then he had a serious talk with me and advised me to go back to my father and stop taking it out on God and destroying myself. He said, "I should see that God won't let me go. "Young man," he said, "believe me, if you don't go home, no matter where you go, you will only be miserable and disappointed. At that time, your father's words will be realized for you. " I was noncommittal about what he said and broke up with him soon. I haven't seen him since, and I don't know his whereabouts. As for myself, with some money in my pocket, I went to London by land. On the way to London, and after I arrived in London, I have been fighting fiercely, and I don't know what kind of life path to choose: going home or sailing?

I feel ashamed at the thought of going home. I immediately thought of how my neighbors would laugh at me; I am ashamed not only to meet my parents, but also to meet others. This incident often reminds me how ridiculous and inexplicable the mood of ordinary people is; Young people, in particular, should listen to rational guidance as usual at this time. However, they are not ashamed of committing crimes, but are ashamed of repentance; They are not ashamed to do stupid things, but to change. In fact, if they can realize this, others will regard them as smart people.

After several days like this, my heart is very contradictory. I don't know where to go or what to do. But at the thought of going home, a sense of disgust arises spontaneously, which is hard to suppress. After a few days, the memory of the disaster faded away, and the wavering idea of returning home faded away, and finally it was even forgotten. In this way, I yearned for sailing life again.

Not long ago, that evil force drove me to run away from home. I am young and ignorant, dreaming of getting rich. This concept is so ingrained that I turned a deaf ear to all advice, and turned a deaf ear to my father's entreaties and strict orders. I mean, now, it is the same evil force-whatever it is-that has led me to embark on the most unfortunate adventure. I set foot on a ship bound for the coast of Africa; As the sailor said, go to Guinea!