魯濱遜的故事發生在1659年，彼時中國正是滿清入關，清朝順治統治時期。

這個水手被大海拋到了一個荒島上，船上的人都死光了，只剩下他自己。

剛到荒島上時，為了吃住，他不停地忙活著，先找到暫時棲身的地方，把船上的物資分批想辦法搬到島上。

然後就是出於安全考慮，改善自己的住宅。安排好自己每日的食物。

吃住問題暫時解決後，暫時在荒島上定居下來了，鬆了一口氣，至少目前生命是可以保障了。此時，就開始了胡思亂想，想到自己未來可能終老一生在這荒島上，遠離人群，覺得愁苦無比，覺得上帝既然造了自己來這世上走一遭，為什麼還要讓自己遭這樣的罪。

全是負面的情緒，造成水手淚流滿面。

不過他思維很活躍，想到同船的那些夥伴全都葬身海底，自己還活著，覺得老天對自己還是仁慈的，至少給了自己活下去的機會。

所以互相亂想之後，情緒開始穩定下來。

住所建好了，我就想到必須要有一個生火的地方，還得準備些柴來燒。至於我怎樣做這件事，怎麼擴大石洞，又怎樣創造其他一些生活條件，我想以後在適當的時候再詳談。

現在想先略談談自己，談談自己對生活的看法。在這些方面，你們可以想象，確實有不少感觸可以談的。

我感到自己前景黯淡。由於我被兇猛的風暴刮到這荒島上，遠離原定的航線，遠離人類正常的貿易航線有數百海里之遙。我想，這完全是出於天意，讓我孤苦伶仃，在淒涼中了卻餘生了。想到這些，我眼淚不禁奪眶而出。有時我不禁犯疑，蒼天為什麼要這樣作踐自己所創造的生靈，害得他如此不幸，如此孤立無援，又如此沮喪寂寞呢！在這樣的環境中，有什麼理由要我們認為生活於我們是一種恩賜呢？

可是，每天我這樣想的時候，立刻又有另一種思想出現在我的腦海裡，並責怪我不應有上述這些念頭。特別有一天，當我正帶槍在海邊漫步時，我思考著自己目前的處境。這時，理智從另一方面勸慰我：“的確，你目前形單影隻，孑然一身，這是事實。可是，你不想想，你的那些同伴呢？他們到哪裡去了？你們一同上船時，不是有十一個人嗎？那麼，其他十個人到哪兒去了呢？為什麼他們死了，唯獨留下你一個人還活著呢？是在這孤島上強呢，還是到他們那兒去好呢？”

說道去他們那兒時，我用手指了指大海，“他們都已葬身大海了！真是，我怎麼不想想禍福相倚和禍不單行的道理呢？”這時，我又想到，我目前所擁有的一切，殷實充裕，足以維持溫飽。要是那隻大船不從觸礁的地方浮起來飄近海岸，並讓我有時間從船上把一切有用的東西取下來，那我現在的處境又會怎樣呢？要知道，像我現在仍像我初上岸時那樣一無所有；既沒有任何生活必需品，也沒有任何可以製造生活必需品的工具，那我現在的情況又會怎樣呢？“尤其是，”我大聲對自己說，“如果我沒有槍，沒有彈藥，沒有製造東西的工具，沒有衣服穿，沒有床睡覺，沒有帳篷住，甚至沒有任何東西可以遮身，我又該怎麼辦呢？”可是現在，這些東西我都有，而且相當充足，即使以後彈藥用盡了，不槍槍我也能活下去。我相信，我這一生決不會受凍捱餓，由於我早就考慮到各種意外，考慮到將來的日子；不但考慮到彈藥用盡之後的情況，甚至想到我將來體衰力竭之後的日子。

我得承認，在考慮這些問題時，並未想到火藥會被雷電一下子炸燬的危險；因此雷電交加之際，忽然想到這個危險，著實使我驚恐萬狀。這件事我前面已經敘述過了。

現在，我要開始過一種寂寞而又憂鬱的生活了；這種生活也許在這世界上是前所未聞的。因此，我決定把我生活的情況從頭到尾，按時間順序一一記錄下來。我估計，我是九月三十日踏上這可怕的海島的；當時剛入秋分，太陽差不多正在我頭頂上。因此，據我觀察，我在北緯九度二十二分的地方。

上島後約十一二天，我忽然想到，我沒有書、筆和墨水，一定會忘記計算日期，甚至連安息日和工作日都會忘記。為了防止發生這種情況，我便用刀子在一根大柱子上用大寫字母刻上以下一句句子：“我於一六五九年九月三十日在此上岸。”我把柱子做成一個大十字架，立在我第一次上岸的地方。

另外，我還應該提一下，我從船上搬下來的東西很多，有些東西價值不大，但用處不小可是前面我忘記交代了。我這裡特別要提一下那些紙、筆、墨水；船長、大副、炮手和木匠的一些東西，三四個羅盤拉，一些觀察和計算儀器拉，日規儀器啦，望遠鏡啦，地圖啦，以及航海書籍之類的東西。當時我不管有沒有用，通通收拾起來帶上岸。同時，我又找到了三本很好的《聖經》，是隨我的英國貨物一起運來的。我上船時，把這幾本葡萄牙文的書籍，其中有兩三本天主教祈禱書和幾本別的書籍。因此這些書本我都小心地儲存起來。我也不應忘記告訴讀者，船上還有一條狗和兩隻貓。關於它們奇異的經歷，我以後在適當的時候還要談到。我把兩隻貓都帶上岸；至於那條狗，我第一次上船搬東西時，它就泅水跟我上岸了，後來許多年中，它一直是我忠實的僕人。我什麼東西也不缺，不必讓它幫我獵取什麼動物，也不能做我的同伴幫我幹什麼事，但求能與它說說話，可就連這一點它都辦不到。我前面已經提到，我找到了筆、墨水和紙，但我用得非常節約。你們將會看到，只要我有墨水，我可以把一切都如實記載下來，但一旦墨水用完，我就記不成了，由於我想不出有什麼方法可以製造墨水。

狗狗

Having now fixed my habitation， I found it absolutely necessary to provide a place to make a fire in， and fuel to burn： and what I did for that， and also how I enlarged my cave， and what conveniences I made， I shall give a full account of in its place； but I must now give some little account of myself， and of my thoughts about living， which， it may well be supposed， were not a few。

I had a

dismal

prospect of my condition； for as I was not cast away upon that island without being driven， as is said， by a violent storm， quite out of the course of our intended voyage， and a great way， namely， some hundreds of leagues， out of the ordinary course of the trade of mankind， I had great reason to consider it as a determination of Heaven， that in this desolate place， and in this desolate manner， I should end my life。 The tears would run plentifully down my face when I made these reflections； and sometimes I would

expostulate

勸告，告誡with myself why

Providence

上帝should shus completely ruin His creatures， and

render

致使 them so absolutely miserable； so without help， abandoned， so entirely depressed， that it could hardly be rational to be thankful for such a life。

But something always returned swift upon me to check these thoughts， and to reprove me； and particularly one day， walking with my gun in my hand by the seaside， I was very

pensive

沉思的，哀愁的 upon the subject of my present condition， when reason， as it were， expostulated with me the other way， thus： “Well， you are in a desolate condition， it is true； but， pray remember， where are

the rest of you

這種表達方式值得學習，其餘的人呢？ Did not you come， eleven of you in the boat？ Where are the ten？ Why were they not saved， and you lost？ Why were you singled out？ Is it better to be here or there？’ And then I pointed to the sea。 All evils are to be considered with the good that is in them， and with what worse attends them。

Then it occurred to me again， how well I was furnished for my subsistence， and what would have been my case if it had not happened （which was a hundred thousand to one ） that the ship floated from the place where she first struck， and was driven so near to the shore that I had tiem to get all these things out of her； what would have been my case， if I had been forced to have lived in the condition in which I at first came on shore， whitout necessaries of life， or necessaries to supply and

procure

獲取 them？ ‘Particularly，’ said I， aloud （though to myself）， ‘what should I have done without a gun， without ammunition， without any tools to make anything， or to work with， without clothes， bedding， a tent， or any manner of covering？’ And that now I had all these to sufficient quantity， and was in a fair way to provide myself in such a manner as to live without my gun， when my ammunition was spent： so that I had a tolerable view of

subsisting

， without any want， as long as I lived； for I considered from the beginning how I would provide for the accident that might happen， and for the time that was to come， even not only after my ammunition should be spent， but even after my health and strength should

decay

。

I confess I had not entertained any notion of my ammunition being destroyed at one blast – I mean my powder being blown up by lighting； and this made the thoughts of it so surprising to me， when it lightened and thundered， as I observed just now。

And now being about to enter into a

melancholy

憂鬱，多思 relation of a scene of silent life， such， perhaps， as was never heard of in the world before， I shall take it from its beginning， and continue it in its order。 It was by my account the 30th of September， when， in the manner as above said， I first set foot upon this

horrid

island； when the sun， being to us in its autumnal

equinox

， was almost over my hear； for I reckoned myself， by observation， to be in the latitude of nine degrees twenty-two minutes north of the line。

After I had been there about ten or twelve days， it came into my thoughts that I should lose my reckoning of time for want of books， and pen and ink， and should even forget the Sabbath days； but to prevent this， I cut with my knife upon a large post， in capital letters – and making it into a great cross， I set it up on the shore where I first landed – ‘I came on shore here on the 30th September 1659。’ Upon the sides of this square post 1 cut every day a

notch

with my knife， and every seventh notch was as long again as the rest， and every first day of the month as long again as that long one； and thus I kept my calendar， or weekly， monthly， and yearly reckoning of time。

In the next place， we are to observe that among the many things which I brought out of the ship， in the several voyages which， as above mentioned， I made to it， I got several things of less value， but not at all less useful to me， which I omitted setting down before； as， in particular， pens， ink， and paper， several parcels in the captain’s， mate’s， gunner’s and carpenter’s keeping； three or four compasses， some mathematical instruments， dials， perspectives， charts， and books of navigation， all which I

huddled

together， whether I might want them or no； also， I found three very good Bibbles， which came to me in my cargo from England， and which I had packed up among my things； some Portuguese books also； and among them two or three Popish prayer-books， and several other books， all which I carefully secured。 And I must not forget that we had in the ship a dog and two cats， of whose eminent history I may have occasion to say something in its place； for I carried both the cats with me； and as for the dog， he jumped out of the ship of himself， and swam on shore to me the day after I went on shore with my first cargo， and was a trusty servant to me many years； I wanted nothing that he could fetch me， nor any company that he could make up to me； I only wanted to have him talk to me， but that would not do。 As I observed before， I found pens， ink， and paper， and I

husbanded

節約使用them to the utmost； and I shall show that while my ink lasted， I kept things very exact， but after that was gone， I could not， for I could not make any ink by any means that I could

devise

。

And this put me in mind that I wanted many things notwithstanding all that I had amassed together， and of these， ink was one； as also a spade， pickaxe， and shovel， to dig or remove the earth， needles， pins， and thread； as for linen， I soon learned to want that without much difficulty。