Love is an activity, not a passive affect; it is a “standing in”， not a “falling for”。

愛是一種積極的活動(dòng)，并不是一種被動(dòng)的情感;它是主動(dòng)地“站進(jìn)去”的活動(dòng)，而不是盲目地“沉迷上”的情感。

In the most general way, the active character of love can be described by stating that love is primarily giving, not receiving.

如果用最通常的方式來描述愛的主動(dòng)特征，那么，它主要是給予而不是獲取。

The most important sphere of giving, however,

然而，給予最重要的意義，

is not that of material things, but lies in the specifically human realm.

并不在于物質(zhì)方面，而尤其在于人性方面。

What does one person give to another?

一個(gè)人給予另一個(gè)人什么東西呢?

He gives of himself, of the most precious thing he has, he gives of his life.

他把他自己給予別人，把自己擁有的最珍貴的東西給予別人，把自己的生命給予別人。

This does not necessarily mean that he sacrifices his life for the other—but that he gives him of that which is alive in him.

這不一定意味著他要為別人而犧牲自己的生命，而是指他把自己身上存在的東西給予別人。

He gives him of his joy, of his understanding, of his knowledge, of his humor, of his sadness — of all expressions and manifestations of that which is alive in him.

把自己的快樂、理解、知識(shí)、幽默、哀愁，把他身上存在的所有東西表露和顯現(xiàn)給別人。

In thus giving of his life, he will like the other person, he enhances the other's sense of aliveness by enhancing his own sense of aliveness.

通過提高自己的生存感，他會(huì)提高別人的生存感。

He does not give in order to receive; giving is in itself exquisite joy.

他不是為了獲取才給予;給予本身就是一種強(qiáng)烈的快樂。