我宁愿牵着你的手,走过最后一分钟,也不愿在没有你的世界虚度此生。
■幸福之道 The Road to Happiness
◎Bertrand Russell
It is a commonplace among moralists that you cannot get happiness by pursuing it.This is only true if you pursue it unwisely.Gamblers at Monte Carlo are pursuing money,and most of them lose it instead,but there are other ways of pursuing money,which often succeed.So it is with happiness.If you pursue it by means of drink,you are forgetting the hang-over.Epicurus pursued it by living only in congenial society and eating only dry bread,supplemented by a little cheese on feast days.His method proved successful in his case,but he was a valetudinarian[95],and most people would need something more vigorous.For most people,the pursuit of happiness,unless supplemented in various ways,is too abstract and theoretical to be adequate as a personal rule of life.But I think that whatever personal rule of life you may choose it should not,except in rare and heroic cases,be incompatible with happiness.
There are a great many people who have all the material conditions of happiness,i.e.health and a sufficient income,and who,nevertheless,are profoundly unhappy.In such cases it would seem as if the fault must lie with a wrong theory as to how to live.In one sense,we may say that any theory as to how to live is wrong.We imagine ourselves more different from the animals than we are.Animals live on impulse,and are happy as long as external conditions are favorable.If you have a cat it will enjoy life if it has food and warmth and opportunities for an occasional night on the tiles.Your needs are more complex than those of your cat,but they still have their basis in instinct.In civilized societies,especially in English-speaking societies,this is too apt to be forgotten.People propose to themselves some one paramount objective,and restrain all impulses that do not minister to it.A businessman may be so anxious to grow rich that to this end he sacrifices health and private affections.When at last he has become rich,no pleasure remains to him except harrying other people by exhortations[96]to imitate his noble example.Many rich ladies,although nature has not endowed them with any spontaneous pleasure in literature or art,decide to be thought cultured,and spend boring hours learning the right thing to say about fashionable new books that are written to give delight,not to afford opportunities for dusty snobbism.
美丽语录
Remember that happiness is a way of travel,not a destination.
记住幸福是行进中的旅程,而不是目的地。
道德家们常说:幸福是不可追求的。其实,只有用不明智的方式追求才会如此。蒙特卡洛城的赌徒们追求的是金钱,但多数人却把钱输光了;而另外一些追求金钱的方法却常常能够成功。追求幸福也是如此。如果你通过豪饮来追求幸福,那你便忘记了醉酒之后的不适。埃毕丘鲁斯追求幸福的方法就是和意气相投的人住在一起,只吃不涂黄油的面包,只在节日时才涂上一点奶酪。对他来说,他的方法是成功的。可不幸的是,他体弱多病,而大多数人需要的是精力充沛。对多数人来说,除非你有别的补充方法,否则这种追求幸福的方式太过抽象和脱离实际,不太适合作为个人的生活准则。不过,在我看来,无论你选择何种生活准则,除了一些少数的英雄人物的例子,都必须和幸福相容。
很多人拥有获得幸福的所有条件,如健康的体魄和充足的收入,可他们却非常不快乐。这种情况下,似乎是生活的理论出错了。从某种意义上来讲,我们可以说,所有关于生活的理论都是错误的。我们总以为我们和动物之间的区别很大。动物仰仗冲动而活,只要客观条件有利,它们就会快乐。如果你养了一只猫,它只要有东西可吃、感觉到温暖,偶尔还能在晚上的时候去寻欢,它就会很快乐。你的需求比猫的要来得复杂些,但它们仍然是以本能为基础的。在文明社会中,特别是在讲英语的国家,这一点很容易被遗忘。人们为自己制订了一个最高目标,尽力克制不利于实现这个目标的所有冲动。商人可能因为想要发财而最终失去健康和爱情。当他最终成为富翁时,除了苦心劝导别人效仿自己而让别人感到心烦,他并没有得到快乐。那些有钱的贵妇,即便她们天生没有欣赏文学和艺术的细胞,她们也执意要让别人觉得自己很有教养,花费大量的时间学习如何谈论流行的新书。这些书是为了给人以快乐而写的,而不是为人们提供一个附庸风雅的机会。
If you look around at the men and women whom you can call happy,you will see that they all have certain things in common.The most important of these things is an activity which at most gradually builds up something that you are glad to see coming into existence.Women who take an instinctive pleasure in their children can get this kind of satisfaction out of bringing up a family.Artists and authors and men of science get happiness in this way if their own work seems good to them.But there are many humbler forms of the same kind of pleasure.Many men who spend their working life in the city devote their weekends to voluntary and unremunerated toil in their gardens,and when the spring comes,they experience all the joys of having created beauty.
如果你仔细观察身边那些你认为幸福的男男女女,你会发现他们身上有着某些共同点,其中最重要的一点就是:追求幸福本身。在大多数情况下,它本身就是一个很有趣的活动,并能逐渐地让你的愿望得以实现。生性喜欢孩子的妇女可以从养育孩子的过程中得到满足。艺术家、作家和科学家如果对自己的工作感到满意,他们也可以用同样的方式获得幸福。不过,也有一些较低层次的快乐。许多在大城市工作的人们,周末时也愿意在自家花园里进行一些无偿的劳作,等到春天时,他们就可以尽情享受亲自创造的美景所带来的快乐。
The whole subject of happiness has,in my opinion,been treated too solemnly.It had been thought that man cannot be happy without a theory of life or a religion.Perhaps those who have been rendered unhappy by a bad theory may need a better theory to help them to recovery,just as you may need a tonic when you have been ill.But when things are normal a man should be healthy without a tonic and happy without a theory.It is the simple things that really matter.If a man delights in his wife and children,has success in work,and finds pleasure in the alternation of day and night,spring and autumn,he will be happy whatever his philosophy may be.If,on the other hand,he finds his wife fateful,his children's noise unendurable,and the office a nightmare;if in the daytime he longs for night,and at night sighs for the light of day,then what he needs is not a new philosophy but a new regimen—a different diet,or more exercise,or what not.
Man is an animal,and his happiness depends on his physiology more than he likes to think.This is a humble conclusion,but I cannot make myself disbelieve it.Unhappy businessmen,I am convinced,would increase their happiness more by walking six miles every day than by any conceivable change of philosophy.
在我看来,关于幸福的整个话题都被过于严肃地对待了。过去,人们一直觉得,没有生活理论和宗教信仰的人是不会幸福的。也许那些因为生活理论不好而导致不快乐的人,需要一种较好的理论让他们重新快乐起来,就像你生病之后需要补药来帮助恢复一样。但是,正常情况下,一个人不吃补药也应当是健康的,没有理论也应当是幸福的。真正起作用的是一些简单的事情。如果一个男人喜爱他的妻儿,事业有成,而且不论白天黑夜、春去秋来,总是很快活;那么,不管他的生活理论是什么,他都是幸福的。相反,如果他讨厌自己的妻子,忍受不了孩子的吵闹,并且讨厌上班;如果他白天时盼望夜晚,而到了晚上又渴望天明,那么他需要的就不是理论,而是一种新的生活——改变饮食习惯,多锻炼自己等。
人类也是动物,人的幸福更多时候取决于其生理状况而非思想状况。虽然这是一个庸俗的结论,但我对此深信不疑。我相信,不幸福的商人与其寻找其他理论让自己幸福,倒不如每天步行6公里,也许后者更有效。
■蝶吻 Butterfly Kisses
◎Ronit Baras
My newlywed husband said the same thing every morning,"You're beautiful today."
One glance in the mirror revealed[97]that it was far from the truth.
A skinny girl with mashed hair on one side of her head and no makeup smiled back at me.I could feel my sticky morning breath.
"Liar,"I shot back with a grin.
It was my usual response.My mother's first husband was not a kind man and his verbal[98]and physical abuse forced her and her two children to find a safe place.He showed up on her doorstep one day with roses.She let him in and he beat her with those roses and took advantage of her.Nine months later she gave birth to a 9 lb.13 oz.baby girl—me.
The harsh words we heard growing up took root.I had trouble seeing myself as someone of value.I had been married two years when I surprised myself.My husband wrapped his arms around me and told me I was beautiful.
美丽语录
When I wake up every morning,the greatest joy is gazing upon you and sunshine,that is the future I desire.
每天早上醒来,最大的愉悦就是看到你和阳光都在,这就是我想要的未来。
我的新婚丈夫每天早晨都会对我说同样的话:“你今天真美!”
我只要往镜子里一瞥,就知道他说的根本不是事实。
镜子里有一个瘦瘦的、没化妆的女孩,她那乱乱的头发倒向一边,正微笑地望着我。我还能感觉到早晨起来时嘴里那股难闻的气味。
“撒谎。”我咧嘴笑着答道。
我总是这样回敬我的丈夫。我母亲的第一个丈夫不是一个善良的男人,他粗暴的言语攻击和身体虐待迫使我母亲带着两个孩子去寻找一个安全的地方。有一天,他出现在我母亲的门前,手捧着一束玫瑰花。她让他进了门,他却用那些玫瑰花打了她,还强行占了她的便宜。于是,9个月后,她生下了一个9磅13盎司重的女孩——就是我。
成长过程中,我所听到的那些刺耳的话语深深地埋藏在我心中。我无法将自己看成一个有价值的人。可结婚两年后,我简直惊呆了,因为我的丈夫双手拥着我,告诉我我是美丽的。
"Thank you,"I said.
The same thin girl with the mousy brown hair still stared back at me in the mirror,but somehow the words had finally blossomed in my heart.
A lot of years have passed.My husband has grey in his hair.I'm no longer skinny.Last week I woke up and my husband's face was inches from mine.
"What are you doing?"I asked.
I covered my mouth,trying to hide my morning breath.He reached down and kissed my face.
"What I do every morning,"he said.
He leaves in the early hours of the morning while I sleep.I miss our morning conversations,but I had not realized that he continued to tell me that he loved me even while I slept.When he left,I rolled over and hugged my pillow.I envisioned the picture of me lightly snoring with my mouth open and giggled.
What a man!My husband understands my past.He's been beside me as I've grown from an unsure young girl to a confident woman,mother,speaker and author.
But I'm not sure that he understands the part he played in that transition[99].The words I heard growing up pierced my soul,yet his words pierced even deeper.
This Anniversary Day I plan to wake early.I want to tell Richard how much I love him.He may look in the mirror and see an extra pound or two,or wish for the day when his hair was dark and curly,but all I'll see is the man who saw something in me when I couldn't see it myself,and who leaves butterfly kisses,even after twenty-three years of marriage.
“谢谢。”我说。
镜子里,同样瘦弱、一头灰褐色头发的女人正盯着我,可那温柔的话语终于让我心花怒放。
许多年过去了。我的丈夫已经长出了灰白色的头发,我也不再骨瘦如柴。上周的一天早晨,我醒来时,发现丈夫的脸离我只有几英寸的距离。
“你在干什么?”我问。
我掩住了自己的嘴,免得让他闻到嘴里的味道。他俯身过来,亲吻了我的脸。
“做我每天早晨做的事啊!”他说。
他总是在清晨时就得出门,那时我还在睡觉。我很想念我们之间久违的晨间对话,可我还未意识到他一直在告诉我他爱我,即使在我熟睡的时候。他离开后,我便会转个身,抱着一个枕头。我想象着自己睡觉时打鼾、嘴巴微张的样子,不禁笑出了声。
他就是这样一个男人!我的丈夫知道我的过去。在我从一个不自信的年轻女子变成一个成熟自信的女人、母亲、演讲者和作家的过程中,他一直在我身边。
可我不确定他是否明白在这个转变过程中他所扮演的角色。伴我长大的话语曾那样刺痛我的灵魂,然而,他的话语更是深深地感动了我的灵魂。
今天是结婚周年纪念日,我决定早点起来。我想告诉理查德我有多爱他。照镜子时,他也许会发现自己又发福了,或者期盼着有一天他的头发又变得乌黑鬈曲。可是,在我眼中他是这样一个男人:是他发现了我身上的那些东西,而我未能发现;即便是在结婚23年后,他还是天天给我留下蝶吻。
■罗素论爱 Russell on Affection
◎Russell
The best type of affection is reciprocally[100]life-giving;each receives affection with joy and gives it without effort,and each finds the whole world more interesting in consequence of the existence of this reciprocal happiness.There is,however,another kind,by no means uncommon,in which one person sucks the vitality of the other,one receives what the other gives,but gives almost nothing in return.
Some very vital people belong to this bloodsucking type.They extract the vitality from one victim after another,but while they prosper and grow interesting,those upon whom they live grow pale and dim[101]and dull.Such people use others as means to their own ends,and never consider them as ends in themselves.Fundamentally[102]they are not interested in those whom for the moment they think they love;they are interested only in the stimulus to their own activities,perhaps of a quite impersonal sort.
Evidently this springs from some defect in their nature,but it is one not altogether easy either to diagnose or to cure.It is a characteristic frequently associated with great ambition,and is rooted,I should say,in an unduly one-sided view of what makes human happiness.Affection in the sense of a genuine reciprocal interest of two persons in each other,not solely as means to each other's good,but rather as a combination having a common good,is one of the most important elements of real happiness,and the man whose ego is so enclosed within steel walls that this enlargement of it is impossible misses the best that life has to offer,however successful he may be in his career.A too powerful ego is a prison from which a man must escape if he is to enjoy the world to the full.A capacity for genuine affection is one of the marks of the man who has escaped from this prison of self.To receive affection is by no means enough;affection which is received should liberate the affection which is to be given,and only where both exist in equal measure does affection achieve its best possibilities.
美丽语录
Don't promise me forever,just love me day by day.
不必承诺永远,只要爱我一天又一天。
最好的那种爱是能让彼此愉快的爱;彼此很愉快地接受,很自然地给予,并且因为有了这种互利互惠的快乐,彼此都觉得这个世界变得更加有趣。然而,还有一种并不罕见的爱,那就是一方吸收着另一方的活力,接受着另一方的给予,而对另一方却毫无回报。
那些生命力极其旺盛的人就属于这吸血的一类。他们把一个又一个受害者的活力吸尽,然而,当他们越发生机勃勃、兴致盎然的时候,那些受害者却变得越来越苍白、黯淡和迟钝。这些人将他人当成自己实现最终目标的工具,却从不考虑他人也有自己的目标。他们一时以为自己很爱那些人,但其实他们根本就对那些人不感兴趣;他们感兴趣的是给自己的活动添加的刺激,而他们的活动可能也是属于毫无人情味可言的。
显然,这种情况源于他们本性上的某种缺陷,但这种缺陷不容易诊断或治愈。它往往和野心有关,我必须说,同时也是由于总是不恰当地从单方面考虑世间幸福的缘故。两个人相互关心意义上的爱,不仅是促进彼此幸福的手段,还是促进共同幸福的手段,是影响真正幸福的最重要因素之一。凡是把自己禁锢起来的人,无论他在事业上取得了多大的成功,他都必将错失人生中最好的东西。太强的自我就如一座监狱,如果你想充分地享受人生,那就必须先从那座监狱中逃脱。仅仅接受爱是远远不够的;接受的爱应该是能激发你也献出自己的爱,只有接受的爱和释放的爱等量存在时,爱才能达到它的最佳状态。
From Russell's Views on Life
选自《罗素论人生》
■追忆似水年华 Hanover Square
◎Marcel Proust
Can it really be sixty-two years ago that I first saw you?
It is truly a lifetime,I know.But as I gaze into your eyes now,it seems like only yesterday that I first saw you,in that smallcaféin Hanover Square.
From the moment I saw you smile,as you opened the door for that young mother and her newborn baby.I knew.I knew that I wanted to share the rest of my life with you.
I still think of how foolish I must have looked,as I gazed at you,that first time.I remember watching you intently,as you took off your hat and loosely shook your short dark hair with your fingers.I felt myself becoming immersed[103]in your every detail,as you placed your hat on the table and cupped your hands around the hot cup of tea,gently blowing the steam away with your pouted lips.
From that moment,everything seemed to make perfect sense to me.The people in thecaféand the busy street outside all disappeared into a hazy blur.All I could see was you.
美丽语录
I enjoy every second of my life because you're in it.
我珍惜生命中的每一秒,因为你在里面。
难道我们的初次相遇,真的发生在62年前吗?
我知道,年华似水,转眼间已是一生。如今,我望着你的眼睛时,当年的初次相遇——就在汉诺广场的那间小咖啡屋里——仿若昨日。
从我见到你迷人微笑的那一刻起——那一刻你正在为一位年轻母亲和她的小宝宝开门。那一刻我就知道,我想与你共度余生。
现在我还会想起来,第一次我那样盯着你时,样子看起来一定很傻。我就那样目不转睛地看着你;我的目光追随你脱下小黑帽,用手指轻轻拨弄你的黑色短发;追随你把帽子放在桌前,双手举起热气腾腾的茶杯,用你那樱桃小嘴轻轻吹走飘腾的热气。我发觉自己早已被你温柔的举止融化了。
从那一刻起,一切的意义都鲜明起来。小咖啡屋里的人和屋外繁忙的街道都变得模糊了,我能看到的,只有你。
光阴似箭,可那天的情景不断地在我的记忆里重演,历历在目。多少次我重新坐下,不断追忆着那天的一切,不断回味着那些稍纵即逝的瞬间,重新体味一见钟情的美丽。消逝的岁月没有把我的爱恋感觉带走,这些感觉会永远陪伴着我,安抚我那短暂的余生。
All through my life I have relived that very first day.Many,many times I have sat and thought about that the first day,and how for a few fleeting moments I am there,feeling again what is like to know true love for the very first time.It pleases me that I can still have those feelings now after all those years,and I know I will always have them to comfort me.
Not even as I shook and trembled uncontrollably in the trenches,did I forget your face.I would sit huddled into the wet mud,terrified,as the hails of bullets and mortars crashed down around me.I would clutch my rifle[104]tightly to my heart,and think again of that very first day we met.I would cry out in fear,as the noise of war beat down around me.But,as I thought of you and saw you smiling back at me,everything around me would be become silent,and I would be with you again for a few precious moments,far from the death and destruction.It would not be until I opened my eyes once again,that I would see and hear the carnage of the war around me.
I cannot tell you how strong my love for you was back then,when I returned to you on leave in the September,feeling battered,bruised and fragile.We held each other so tight I thought we would burst.I asked you to marry me the very same day and I whooped with joy when you looked deep into my eyes and said"yes"to being my bride.
I'm looking at our wedding photo now,the one on our dressing table,next to your jeweler box.I think of how young and innocent we were back then.I remember being on the church steps grinning like a Cheshire cat,when you said how dashing and handsome I looked in my uniform.The photo is old and faded now,but when I look at it,I only see the bright vibrant[105]colors of our youth.I can still remember every detail of the pretty wedding dress your mother made for you,with its fine delicate lace and pretty pearls.If I concentrate hard enough,I can smell the sweetness of your wedding bouquet as you held it so proudly for everyone to see.
即使当我在战壕中控制不住地颤抖时,我也不曾忘却你的容颜。我蜷缩在烂泥中,身边是枪林弹雨,硝烟弥漫,我把步枪紧紧地揣在胸前,尽管一颗心惶恐不安,我还是想起了我们初次相遇的那一天。身旁战火呼啸,恐惧让我想要大声呼叫。然而,我想起了你,仿佛看见你在朝我微笑着。这时,周围忽然安静了下来,在这珍贵的瞬间,我觉得自己就在你的身边,远离那些死亡和恐惧。我拼命想要留住这份美好。然而,当我睁开眼时,身旁却依旧是那个血与火的生死战场。
9月休假回到你身边时,疲惫、脆弱的我没能告诉你在战火纷飞时我对你的爱有多深。我们紧紧地拥抱在一起,仿佛要把对方挤碎。也就在那天,我向你求婚了。当你深深地凝望着我的眼睛,说着“我愿意”时,我欣喜地大喊大叫着。
现在我正看着我们的结婚照,就是放在梳妆台上的那张,就在你的首饰盒旁。那时的我们是那样的年轻、天真。我还记得,当你说我穿西装很帅气的时候,我站在教堂的台阶上,开心得就像一只露出牙齿嬉笑的猫。如今,照片已经旧得泛黄了,可当我看见它时,我看到的只是色彩斑斓的青春。至今我还清晰地记得你母亲亲手为你缝制的那件婚纱,那些精致的蕾丝花边和漂亮的珍珠配饰。如果我能专心致志地回想,我还能闻到婚礼捧花的甜香。你是那么自豪地捧着那束花,让每个人都能亲眼见证你的幸福。
I remember being so over enjoyed,when a year later,you gently held my hand to your waist and whispered in my ear that we were going to be a family.
I know both our children love you dearly;they are outside the door now,waiting.
Do you remember how I panicked like a mad man when Jonathon was born?I can still picture you laughing and smiling at me now,as I clumsily held him for the very first time in my arms.I watched as your laughter faded into tears,as I stared at him and cried my own tears of joy.
Sarah and Tom arrived this morning with little Tessie.Can you remember how we both hugged each other tightly when we saw our tiny granddaughter for the first time?I can't believe she will be eight next month.I am trying not to cry,my love,as I tell you how beautiful she looks today in her pretty dress and red shiny shoes,she reminds me so much of you that first day we met.She had her hair cut short now,just like yours was all those years ago.When I met her at the door her smile wrapped around me like a warm glove,just like yours used to do,my darling.
I know you are tired,my dear,and I must let you go.But I love you so much and it hurts to do so.
As we grew old together,I would tease you that you had not changed since we first met.But it is true,my darling.I do not see the wrinkles and grey hair that other people see.When I look at you now,I only see your sweet tender lips and youthful sparkling eyes as we sat and had out first picnic next to that small stream,and chased each other around that big old oak tree.I remember wishing those first few days together would last forever.Do you remember how exciting and wonderful those days were?
一年后,你轻轻地把我的手放到你的腹前,并在我的耳边悄悄告诉我那个让我欣喜若狂的好消息:我们就快有宝宝啦!
我知道我们的孩子都深深地爱着你,他们现在就等候在门外。
你还记得乔纳森出生那天,我手足无措的慌张样子吗?当我第一次笨拙地把他抱在怀里时,你冲着我微笑,至今我还记得你笑话我的样子。我看着他,我们都不由自主地流下了喜悦的泪水。
今天早晨,撒拉和汤姆带着小缇西也赶到了。你还记得吗?当我们第一次见到这个可爱的小孙女时,我们紧紧地拥抱在一起。简直不敢相信,她下个月就8岁了。亲爱的,我正强忍着眼泪告诉你,小家伙今天穿着漂亮的裙子、闪亮的红鞋,她让我立刻想起当年初次相遇时的你。现在,小家伙还剪了短发,像极了多年前的你。亲爱的,当我在门口看到她的时候,她的笑容就像一幅温暖的手套将我裹住,这竟然也和年轻时的你一样。
亲爱的,我知道你累了,我必须放手让你离开。然而,我有多爱你,就有多心痛。
这些年,我们携手一起变老,我总是逗你,说你一点都没变,还和当初第一次见面时一模一样。可这些都是真的,亲爱的。我真的看不到他人眼里的皱纹和灰发。现在,当我看着你,我也只能看到红嫩温柔的双唇和年轻有神的眼神,就和我们第一次在小溪边野餐、在巨大的老橡树旁追逐嬉戏时一样。我记得,我们曾期盼,那些刚开始时一起度过的时光能够永不消逝。你还记得那些日子是多么美好、多么令人激动吗?
I must go now,my darling.Our children are waiting outside.They want to say goodbye to you.
I wipe the tears away from my eyes and bend my frail old legs down to the floor,so that I can kneel beside you.I lean close to you and take hold of your hand and kiss your tender lips for the very last time.
Sleep peacefully,my dear.
I am sad that you had to leave me,but please don't worry.I am content,knowing I will be with you soon.I am too old and too empty now to live much longer without you.
I know it won't be long before we meet again in the smallcaféin Hanover Square.
Goodbye,my darling wife.
亲爱的,我该走了。我们的孩子就在外面等着。他们想和你说声再见。
我拭去眼角的泪,跪在你的身边,轻轻地靠近你,握住你的双手,最后一次吻你。
亲爱的,安心地睡吧!
分离让我心碎。但是,不要担心,不久之后我们就能重逢,这让我心满意足。如今,我已然老去,世间已没有那个与我生活一生的你,变得如此空洞、毫无意义。
我知道,很快,我们就能在汉诺威广场的那间小咖啡屋里重逢。
再见了,我的爱妻。
■迟到的情书 The Love Letter
◎Any Joystiq
I was always a little in awe of Great-aunt Stephina Roos.Indeed,as children we were all frankly terrified of her.The fact that she did not live with the family,preferring her tiny cottage and solitude[106]to the comfortable but rather noisy household where we were brought up—added to the respectful fear in which she was held.
We used to take it in turn to carry small delicacies[107]which my mother had made down from the big house to the little cottage where Aunt Stephia and an old colored maid spent their days.Old Tnate Sanna would open the door to the rather frightened little messenger and would usher him—or her—into the dark voor-kamer,where the shutters were always closed to keep out the heat and the flies.There we would wait,in trembling but not altogether unpleasant.
She was a tiny little woman to inspire so much veneration.She was always dressed in black,and her dark clothes melted into the shadows of the voor-kamer and made her look smaller than ever.But you felt the moment she entered that something vital and strong and somehow indestructible had come in with her,although she moved slowly,and her voice was sweet and soft.
美丽语录
Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction.
生活告诉我们,爱不在于朝夕相伴,而应能风雨同舟。
我对斯蒂菲娜老姑总是怀着些许敬畏之情。说实话,我们几个孩子都很怕她。她不和家人住在一起,她宁愿住在她的小屋里,也不愿住在舒适、热闹的家里——我们都是在家里长大的——这更加重了我们对她的敬畏之情。
我们经常轮流从我们住的大房子里带些母亲亲手为她做的可口食物到那间小屋去,她和一名黑人女仆就住在那儿。桑娜老姨会为每一个上门的胆小的小使者开门,将他——或她——领进昏暗的客厅。那里的百叶窗总是关着的,以防热气和苍蝇跑进来。我们总是在那里颤抖着、但又不是完全不高兴地等待着斯蒂菲娜老姑。
虽然她身材纤细,但赢得了我们如此的尊敬。她总是穿着黑衣服,暗色的衣服和客厅里的暗影融为一体,把她的身材衬得更加娇小。但她进门的那一刻,我们立即就能感到一种莫名的、充满活力和刚毅的气息,尽管她的步调缓慢,声音甜美轻柔。
She never embraced us.She would greet us and take out hot little hands in her own beautiful cool one,with blue veins standing out on the back of it,as though the white skin were almost too delicate to contain them.
Tante Sanna would bring in dishes of sweet,sweet,sticky candy,or a great bowl of grapes or peaches,and Great-aunt Stephina would converse gravely about happenings on the farm,and,more rarely,of the outer world.
When we had finished our sweetmeats or fruit she would accompany us to the stoep,bidding us thank our mother for her gift and sending quaint[108],old-fashioned messages to her and the Father.Then she would turn and enter the house,closing the door behind,so that it became once more a place of mystery.
As I grew older I found,rather to my surprise,that I had become genuinely fond of my aloof old great-aunt.But to this day I do not know what strange impulse made me take George to see her and to tell her,before I had confided in another living soul,of our engagement.To my astonishment,she was delighted.
"An Englishman,"she exclaimed."But that is splendid,splendid.And you,"she turned to George,"you are making your home in this country?You do not intend to return to England just yet?"
She seemed relieved when she heard that George had bought a farm near our own farm and intended to settle in South Africa.She became quite animated,and chattered away to him.
After that I would often slip away to the little cottage by the mealie lands.Once she was somewhat disappointed on hearing that we had decided to wait for two years before getting married,but when she learned that my father and mother were both pleased with the match she seemed reassured.
她从来不拥抱我们,但她会和我们寒暄,用她那双漂亮却冷冰冰的手握住我们热乎乎的小手。她的手背上有一些青筋,好像手上白嫩的皮肤细薄得遮不住它们似的。
桑娜老姨每次都会端出几碟黏乎乎的糖果,或者一碗葡萄或桃子给我们吃。斯蒂菲娜老姑则一本正经地说着那些发生在农场里的事,偶尔也谈些外面世界发生的事。
等我们吃完糖果或水果后,她会送我们到屋前的门廊,并且叮嘱我们要代她感谢母亲给她送食物,还要我们给父母带去一些奇怪的老式祝愿。接着她就转身回屋,随手关上门,让那里再次成为神秘世界。
等我慢慢长大后,我惊奇地发现,我打心眼里开始喜欢我那位孤伶伶的老姑了。至今我仍不知道,是什么样的奇异动力,让我在还没告诉别人之前就把乔治领去看望老姑,并告诉她我们已经订婚的消息。让我感到意外的是,她听到这个消息后,竟非常高兴。
“是英国人!”她大声喊道,“太好了,真的太好了。你,”她转向乔治,“你要在这儿定居吗?你还不打算回国吧?”
当她听说乔治已经买下我们农场附近的一片农场,并打算在南非定居下来时,她好像松了一口气,接着开始兴致勃勃地和乔治攀谈起来。
从此以后,我便成了玉米地边那间小屋的常客。有一次,当她听说我们决定再过两年结婚时,脸上露出了失望的表情,但一听说我的父母都很满意这门亲事时,她就放心了。
Still,she often appeared anxious about my love affair,and would ask questions that seemed to me strange,almost as though she feared that something would happen to destroy my romance.But I was quite unprepared for her outburst when I mentioned that George thought of paying a lightning visit to England before we were married."He must not do it,"she cried."Ina,you must not let him go.Promise me you will prevent him."she was trembling all over.I did what I could to console her,but she looked so tired and pale that I persuaded her to go to her room and rest,promising to return the next day.
When I arrived I found her sitting on the stoep.She looked lonely and pathetic,and for the first time I wondered why no man had ever taken her and looked after her and loved her.Mother had told me that Great-aunt Stephina had been lovely as a young girl,and although no trace of that beauty remained,except perhaps in her brown eyes,yet she looked so small and appealing that any man,one felt,would have wanted to protect her.
She paused,as though she did not quite know how to begin.
Then she seemed to give herself,mentally,a little shake."You must have wondered,"she said,"Why I was so upset at the thought of young George's going to England without you.I am an old woman,and perhaps I have the silly fancies of the old,but I should like to tell you my own love story,and then you can decide whether it is wise for your man to leave you before you are married."
"I was quite a young girl when I first met Richard Weston.He was an Englishman who boarded with the Van Rensburgs on the next farm,four or five miles from us.Richard was not strong.He had a weak chest,and the doctors had sent him to South Africa so that the dry air could cure him.He taught the Van Rensburg children,who were younger than I was,though we often played together,but he did this for pleasure and not because he needed money.
但她还是经常把我的婚姻大事挂在嘴边,还常常问一些对我而言很奇怪的问题,就好像深怕我的婚事会告吹一样。当我提到乔治打算在结婚之前回国一趟时,她竟激动起来,这完全出乎我的意料。只见她大声嚷道:“他不能回去!爱娜!你不能放他走,你得答应我不放他走!”她整个人都在颤抖。我尽力安慰她,但她还是显得疲乏苍白。我只好劝她回屋休息,并答应第二天再来看她。
当我第二天去看她的时候,她正坐在屋前的门廊上。她看上去很孤单、很可怜。我第一次感到纳闷:以前怎么没人娶她、照顾她、疼爱她呢?记得母亲曾经说过,斯蒂菲娜老姑曾是一个楚楚动人的年轻姑娘,尽管她的美貌早已消逝不见,除了那双褐色眼睛还残留着些许昔日的风韵。不过,她看上去还是那样娇小玲珑、惹人爱怜,让男人们忍不住想要保护她。
她欲言又止,好像不知该从何说起。
接着,她仿佛振作了起来,颤抖着说道:“听你说乔治要回国,却不带着你,我心里非常不安。你肯定很想知道原因吧!我是一个老太婆了,但我大概还怀着老人的那颗痴心。不过,我想把我的爱情故事讲给你听,这样,你就能明白该不该在结婚之前让你的未婚夫离开你。”
“我第一次遇见理查德·威斯顿时,还是一个很年轻的姑娘。他是英国人,寄宿在范·伦斯堡家里,离我家四五英里远的一个农场上。他身体不好,胸闷气短。医生让他去南非,利用干燥的气候来治病。他给伦斯堡的孩子们上课,那些孩子的年纪都比我小。尽管我们经常玩在一起,但理查德是以教书为乐,而不是为了赚钱。”
"We loved one another from the first moment we met,though we did not speak of our love until the evening of my eighteenth birthday.All our friends and relatives had come to my party,and in the evening we danced on the big old carpet which we had laid down in the barn.Richard had come with the Van Rensburgs,and we danced together as often as we dared,which was not very often,for my father hated the Uitlanders.Indeed,for a time he had quarreled with Mynheer Van Rensburg for allowing Richard to board with him,but afterwards he got used to the idea,and was always polite to the Englishman,though he never liked him.
"That was the happiest birthday of my life,for while we were resting between dances Richard took me outside into the cool,moonlit night,and there,under the stars,he told me he loved me and asked me to marry him.Of course I promised I would,for I was too happy to think of what my parents would say,or indeed of anything except Richard was not at our meeting place as he had arranged.I was disappointed but not alarmed,for so many things could happen to either of us to prevent out keeping our tryst.I thought that next time we visited the Van Ransburgs,I should hear what had kept him and we could plan further meetings...
"So when my father asked if I would drive with him to Driefontein I was delighted.But when we reached the homestead and were sitting on the stoep drinking our coffee,we heard that Richard had left quite suddenly and had gone back to England.His father had died,and now he was the heir and must go back to look after his estates.
“我和理查德是一见钟情,尽管直到我18岁生日那晚,我们才表示对彼此的爱慕之情。那天,我们的所有亲友都来参加我的生日舞会。那晚,理查德也同伦斯堡先生来了,我们就在仓房里铺上一条宽大的旧毛毯,翩翩起舞。我和他鼓起勇气一起跳了好多次,可其实也没多少次,因为我父亲很讨厌外国人。有一次,他还抱怨说伦斯堡先生不应该让理查德住在他家里,为此还吵了一架,不过他后来也习惯了。虽说一直不喜欢,但他对这个英国人还是以礼相待。”
“那是我一生中最快乐的一个生日,因为在跳舞间歇时,理查德把我带到室外;沐浴着清凉的月光,在点点繁星之下,他对我倾诉爱慕之情,并向我求婚。我二话没说就答应了他的请求,因为我早已心花怒放,甚至来不及考虑父母会说些什么。有一次约会,理查德没有出现在约定地点。我很失落,但没有觉得奇怪,因为我们的约会经常会被许多事情耽搁。我想下一次我们拜访伦斯堡家时,我就能知道他失约的原因,这样我们就能安排接下来的约会了……”
“所以,当我的父亲叫我开车送他去德里方丹时,我高兴极了。可当我们到达伦斯堡家的农场,坐在他们屋前的门廊上喝咖啡时,却听说理查德已经不辞而别,回英国去了。他的父亲去世了,他是继承人,所以必须回国处理那些遗产。”
“我已经记不清那天的情形了,只记得那天的阳光显得暗淡,田野也不再美丽、不再充满海誓山盟,萧瑟凄凉得如同冬日或大旱时期。那天下午晚些时候,霍但托特族的小牧童詹杰交给我一封信,他说是那位英国先生留给我的。这是我收到的唯一一封情书,可它把我的忧伤一扫而光,让我的心平静下来,可以说是一种类似幸福的平静。我知道理查德还爱着我,不知道为什么,自从我收到他的信之后,我觉得我们不会真正分手,即使他身在英国,而我却只能待在这里。这封信我保留至今,虽然我已是一个年老体衰的老太婆,但它仍旧能给我带来勇气和希望。”
"I do not remember very much more about that day,except that the sun seemed to have stopped shining and the country no longer looked beautiful and full of promise,but bleak and desolate as it sometimes does in winter or in times of drought.Late that afternoon,Jantje,the little Hottentot herd boy,came up to me and handed me a letter,which he said the English baas had left for me.It was the only love letter I ever received,but it turned all my bitterness and grief into a peacefulness which was the nearest I could get,then,to happiness.I knew Richard still loved me,and somehow,as long as I had his letter,I felt that we could never be really parted,even if he were in England and I had to remain on the farm.I have it yet,and though I am an old,tired woman,it still gives me hope and courage."
"I must have been a wonderful letter,Aunt Stephia,"I said.
The old lady came back from her dreams of that far-off romance."Perhaps,"she said,hesitating a little,"perhaps,my dear,you would care to read it?"
"I should love to,Aunt Stephia,"I said gently.
She rose at once and tripped into the house as eagerly as a young girl.When she came back she handed me a letter,faded and yellow with age,the edges of the envelope worn and frayed as though it had been much handled.But when I came to open it I found that the seal was unbroken.
"Open it,open it,"said Great-aunt Stephia,and her voice was shaking.
I broke the seal and read.
It was not a love letter in the true sense of the word,but pages of the minutest directions of how"my sweetest Phina"was to elude her father's vigilance,creep down to the drift at night and there meet Jantje with a horse which would take her to Smitsdorp.There she was to go to"my true friend,Henry Wilson",who would give her money and make arrangements for her to follow her lover to Cape Town and from there to England,"where,my love,we can be married at once.But if,my dearest,you are not sure that you can face lift with me in a land strange to you,then do not take this important step,for I love you too much to wish you the smallest unhappiness.If you do not come,and if I do not hear from you,then I shall know that you could never be happy so far from the people and the country which you love.If,however,you feel you can keep your promise to me,but are of too timid and modest a journey to England unaccompanied,then write to me,and I will,by some means,return to fetch my bride."
“斯蒂菲娜老姑,那封信一定很美吧!”我说。
老太太从她那久远的爱之梦中醒过神来。“也许,”她带着忧郁说道,"也许,亲爱的,你想看看那封信吧?"
“我很想看,斯蒂菲娜老姑。”我轻声说道。
她猛地一下站起来,奔进屋里,急切得像个年轻姑娘。她从屋里出来后,递给我一封信。岁月已让那封信褪色发黄,信封边也已经磨损,看上去好像被摩挲过无数次。但在启信时,我发现封口还没有拆开。
“打开它,打开它。”斯蒂菲娜老姑说道,她的声音在颤抖。
我撕开封口,开始念信。
严格说来,它算不上一封情书,只是几页内容详尽的行动指南。信中交代了“我最亲爱的菲娜”该如何摆脱她父亲的监视,在夜间时分逃出家门,詹杰会在浅滩上牵马等着她,然后将她驮到史密斯多普,到了那里再去找理查德的“知心朋友亨利·威尔逊”,他会给她钱为她做好安排,让她能跟随她的情人到开普敦,随后转道英国。“亲爱的,这样我们就可以在英国结婚了。但是我的至爱,如果你不能保证你能在一个陌生的地方和我一起生活,你就不必采取这个重大行动,因为我太爱你了,不能让你感到丝毫不快。如果你不来,如果我听不到你的回音,我就会知道,如果你离开你挚爱的亲人和乡土,你是不会幸福的。但如果你能实践你对我的承诺,而由于你生性持重胆怯,不愿单身前往英国,就来信告诉我,那我就会想方设法回南非来迎接我的新娘。”
I read no further.
"But Aunt Phina!"I gasped."Why...why...?"
The old lady was watching me with trembling eagerness,her face flushed and her eyes bright with expectation."Read it aloud,my dear,"she said."I want to hear every word of it.There was never anyone I could trust...Uitlanders were hated in my young days...I could not ask anyone."
"But,Auntie,don't you even know what he wrote?"
The old lady looked down,troubled and shy like a child who has unwittingly done wrong.
"No,dear,"she said,speaking very low."You see,I never learned to read."
我没有继续念下去。
“可是,菲娜老姑!”我气喘吁吁地问道:“为什么……为什么……?”
老太太的身体颤抖着,她渴望知道信的内容,她的双眼炯炯有神地凝视着我,急切的期待让她脸颊泛红。“亲爱的,大声念吧!”她说,“信里的每句话,我都要听!当时我找不到可靠的人给我念……在我年轻时,外国人是遭人深恶痛绝的……我找不到人给我念啊!”
“可是老姑,难道你一直不知道信的内容吗?”
老太太低下了头,像一个无心犯了错的孩子那样怯生生的,不知道该说些什么。
“我不知道,亲爱的,”她低声说道,“你也知道,我从来没念过书啊!”
■爱情比忘却厚 Love Is More Thicker Than Forget
◎E.E.Cummings
Love is more thicker than forget
More thinner than recall
More seldom than a wave is wet
More frequent than to fail
It is most mad and moonly
And less it shall unbe
Than all the sea which only
Is deeper than the sea
Love is less always than to win
Less never than alive
Less bigger than the least begin
Less littler than forgive
爱情比忘却厚
比回忆薄
比潮湿的波浪多
比失败少
它最痴最癫最疯狂
但和所有
海洋深处的海洋相比
却更加长久
爱情总是比胜利少见
比活着多见
不比无法理解大
不比原谅小
It is most sane and sunly
And more it cannot die
Than all the sky which only
Is higher than the sky.
它最明朗最清晰
但和所有
比天空更高的天空相比
却更加不朽
■我爱你胜过爱自己 I Love You More Than Myself
◎Christie A.Hansen
It all began as we were standing in front of the bathroom mirror,me fixing Amanda's blonde hair.I said,"I love you,Amanda.""And,I love you,"she replied."Oh,yeah,"I taunted."Well,I love you more."Her eyes lit up as she recognized the cue for the start of another"I love you more"match.
"Nuh-uh,"she laughed,"I love you the most.""I love you bigger than a volcano!"I countered—a favorite family phrase in these battles of love."But,Mom,I love you from here to China."A country she's learning about from our new neighbors up the street.We volleyed back and forth a few favorite lines."I love you more than peanut butter.""Well,I love you more than television.""I even love you more than bubble gum."It was my turn again,and I made the move that usually brings victory."I love you bigger than the universe!"On this day,however,Amanda was not going to give up.I could see she was thinking."Mom,"she said in a quiet voice,"I love you more than myself."I stopped.Dumbfounded,overwhelmed by her sincerity.Here I thought I knew more than she did.I thought I knew at least everything that she knew.However,my four-year-old daughter knows more about love than her 28-year-old mom.
美丽语录
Never give up on the people you love.Love is so incredibly powerful.
绝不要放弃你所爱的人。爱的力量其大无比。
事情发生时,我们俩正站在浴室的镜子前,我替阿曼达梳理她的一头金发。我说:“我爱你,阿曼达。”“我也爱你。”她回答。“噢,是的。”我嘲弄她。“好吧,我爱你更多。”当她意识到另一场关于“我爱你”的口舌之争拉开帷幕时,她的眼睛闪闪发亮。
“呐,”她大笑着说,“我最爱你。”我回敬道:“我对你的爱比一座火山还要大!”这句话是我们爱的争夺战中最受欢迎的家庭用语。“可,妈妈,我对你的爱从这里一直延伸到中国。”这是她从我们街那头新来的邻居那儿学到的国家名称。我们用这些美言你来我往地斗了几个回合。“我爱你胜过爱花生酱。”“噢,我爱你胜过爱电视机。”“我爱你甚至超过爱泡泡糖。”又轮到我了,我决定使出杀手锏:“我对你的爱超越整个宇宙!”每次用这招都会胜出的。可今天,阿曼达不打算“善罢甘休”。我看得出她正绞尽脑汁。“妈妈,”她平静地说,“我爱你胜过爱我自己。”我顿时无言以对,目瞪口呆。女儿的真诚让我折服。我原以为,我比她懂得更多。我以为,至少她知道的事情我都知道。可是,我那4岁的宝贝女儿,比她28岁的妈妈更懂得爱。
■和生命中
另一个女人约会
The Other Woman in My Life
◎David Farrell
After 21 years of marriage,I discovered a new way of keeping alive the spark of love.I started to go out with another woman.It was really my wife's idea.
"I know that you love her."she said one day,taking me by surprise."But I love you."I protested."I know,but you also love her."
The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my mother,who has been a widow for 19 years,but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally.That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie."What's wrong,are you well?"she asked.My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news."I thought that it would be pleasant to pass some time with you,"I responded,"just the two of us."She thought about it for a moment,then said,"I would like that very much."
That Friday after work,as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit nervous.When I arrived at her house,I noticed that she,too,seemed to be nervous about our date.She waited in the door with her coat on.She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary.She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel's."I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son,and they were impressed,"she said,as she got into the car,"they can't wait to hear about our meeting."
美丽语录
Don't go for looks;they can deceive.Don't go for wealth;even that fades away.Go for someone who makes your heart smile.
不要追求华丽的外表,外表常具有欺骗性;不要追求万贯家产,财富也会散尽;寻找那个可以让你的心灵微笑的人。
结婚20年后,我发现了保持爱之火花的一种新方法。我开始与另一个女人出去约会。其实,这还是我妻子的主意呢。
“我知道你爱她。”有一天妻子对我说,这令我感到十分惊讶。“但我也爱你。”我抗议道。“我知道,不过,你也爱她。”
我妻子想让我去拜访的另一个女人,就是我的妈妈,她守寡,19年了,但由于工作需要以及有三个孩子要抚养,我很少有机会看望她。那天晚上,我打电话约她吃饭看电影。“出什么事了?你还好吧?”她问。我妈妈是那种认为深夜电话或出其不意的邀请代表坏消息征兆的女人。“我觉得,与您共度一段时间将是一件愉快的事,”我这样回答,“就我们两个人。”她想了一想,然后说:“其实我很喜欢这样。”
周五下班后,我开车去接她。我有点儿紧张。到了她的住所,我注意到,她对我们的约会好像也有些紧张。她穿着外套在门口等我。她将头发盘了起来,并且穿着最后一次结婚纪念日那天穿的套装,天使般容光焕发的脸上带着笑容。“我告诉朋友们我要跟儿子出去约会,他们都很感动,”上车时她对我说,“他们迫不及待地想了解我们约会的情况。”
We went to a restaurant that,although not elegant,was very nice and cozy[109].My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady.After we sat down,I had to read the menu.Her eyes could only read large print.Half way through the entries,I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at me.A nostalgic[110]smile was on her lips."It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small."she said."Then it's time that you relax and let me return the favor."I responded.
During the dinner we had an agreeable conversation—nothing extraordinary—but catching up on recent events of each other's life.We talked so much that we missed the movie.As we arrived at her house later,she said,"I'll go out with you again,but only if you let me invite you."I agreed.
"How was your dinner date?"asked my wife when I got home."Very nice.Much more so than I could have imagined."I answered.
A few days later my mother died of a massive heart attack.It happened so suddenly that I didn't have a chance to do anything for her.At that moment I understood the importance of saying in time:"I love you",and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve.Nothing in life is more important than your family.Give them the time they deserve,because these things cannot be put off till"some other time".
我们去了一家饭店,虽不是一流的,却很优雅舒适。妈妈挽着我的手臂,宛如第一夫人。我们坐下后,我开始看菜单。她的眼睛现在只能看清一些大字。透过条目的缝隙,我抬眼看到妈妈正坐在那儿盯着我,嘴上带着怀旧的笑容。“你小的时候,都是我看菜单。”她说。“现在轮到您休息了,该我回报您了。”我答道。
吃饭的时候,我们谈得很愉快——也没什么特别的事——只是简单描述一下彼此生活中最近发生的事。我们谈得太尽兴,以至于错过了看电影。当我送她回到家时,她说:“我会再跟你出去约会,但前提是我邀请你。”我同意了。
“饭吃得怎么样啊?”回到家时我妻子问。“非常好。比我想象中要好得多。”我回答。
几天后,妈妈由于严重的心脏病发作去世了。发生的如此突然,以至于我没机会为她做任何事。那一刻,我明白了及时说出“我爱你”,以及给予我们所爱的人他们应该得到的时间的重要性。生命中没什么比你的家庭更重要。多花些时间陪陪你的家人,因为这些事情不能被推迟到“改天”。
I've learned...that love,not time,heals all wounds.
我懂了……治愈一切创伤的并非是时间,而是爱啊。
紫云文心·魁文馆
美丽英文文库已出版书目
每一篇美文,都是一次成长的机会;每一句名言,都是一场美丽的遇见。我们很高兴能将这些至纯至美的英文佳作、至真至善的心灵经典呈现给你,带你走进一座美丽的英文殿堂……
在本套《美丽英文》(升级版·典藏)丛书中,我们将诸多经典名著、潮流英文、权威读物、心灵美文凝萃成15大主题,加入【名人课堂】【美丽语录】【课外阅读】【经典谚语】等元素,辅以重点词汇释义和文化背景知识等更丰富的拓展阅读,意在以最好的姿态,将这一句句掩卷难忘的妙语佳言、一篇篇震撼心灵的永恒经典呈现给你。365天享受阅读,从美丽英文开始……这就是我们为你精心送上的礼物。如果你的心在此刻被触动,请带着久违的心情,坐下来细细品读一番,让灵魂沉浸在此刻的静谧,让生命感受这永不消逝的美丽!
美丽英文升级版·典藏
1.《美丽英文:成功是一种选择》(激励卷)冯铃之,陈微微编译
2.《美丽英文:再不旅行就老了》(旅行卷)刘育红,陈微微编译
3.《美丽英文:一个人,也能有好时光》(勇气卷)詹少晶,冯铃之编译
4.《美丽英文:假如我又回到了童年》(童年卷)詹少晶,胡燕娟编译
5.《美丽英文:世界很大,风景很美》(自然卷)刘育红,魏丹娜编译
6.《美丽英文:那些美得令人窒息的书信》(书信卷)余莉,詹翠琴编译
7.《美丽英文:爱,是最美丽的语言》(情感卷)冯铃之,詹少晶编译
8.《美丽英文:快乐是自己给的》(解压卷)胡潇俊,彭芳编译
9.《美丽英文:让全世界都为我鼓掌》(名人卷)张露,陈浩编译
10.《美丽英文:成长是一辈子的事》(成长卷)徐玲燕,牛小蹊编译
11.《美丽英文:那些心驰神往的文化风情》(文化卷)余莉,王婉俊编译
12.《美丽英文:那些无法超越的经典名篇》(名著卷)叶敏,张露编译
13.《美丽英文:未来的路,我会走得更精彩》(追梦卷)何之遥,胡燕娟编译
14.《美丽英文:总有一瞬间,让我们怦然心动》(故事卷)李影,冯铃之编译
15.《美丽英文:那些给我智慧和快乐的故事》(幽默卷)涂家瑜,蒋云南编译
假如你能不断给我们建议,指出我们的不足,或推荐曾让自己拍案的书籍给我们,我们将不胜感激。
策划热线:010-81570393
联络邮箱:[email protected]
直通QQ:2439007
注释:
[1]wannabe['wɔnəˌbi]n.想达到目标的人
[2]jolt[dʒəult]v.震惊;摇动,颠簸
[3]swat[swɔt]v.拍打,用劲打
[4]offspring['ɔ:fspriŋ]n.儿女,后代
[5]neutral['nju:trəl]a.中立的,客观的;模糊的
[6]vulnerable['vʌlnərəbl]a.易受伤的;脆弱的
[7]derail[di'reil]v.出轨;脱轨
[8]dilemma[di'lemə]n.困境,进退两难
[9]rejection[ri'dʒekʃən]n.拒绝,退回;摒弃,厌弃
[10]fatigue[fə'ti:g]n.疲劳,劳累;杂役
[11]unfaltering[ʌn'fɔ:ltəriŋ]a.不晃晃摇摇的;坚定的
[12]extraordinary[iks'trɔ:dnri]a.特别的,非凡的
[13]toddler['tɔdlə]n.学步的小孩
[14]utter['ʌtə]v.说出,讲,表达
[15]portion of一部分,一份
[16]dim[dim]a.暗淡的,微暗的
[17]crack[kræk]v.(使)开裂,破裂
[18]poise[pɔiz]v.(使)平稳,平衡
[19]consolation[ˌkɔnsə'leiʃən]n.安慰,慰藉
[20]flawlessly['flɔ:lisli]ad.完美无瑕地
[21]stiffly['stifli]ad.僵硬地;生硬地;拘谨地
[22]bozo['bəuzəu]n.家伙,笨蛋
[23]rinse[rins]v.冲洗;涮,漱
[24]corral[kɔ:'rɑ:l]v.把……关进围栏;捕捉,包围
[25]skewer[skjuə]v.用(针)串起
[26]cosmetic[kɔz'metik]n.化妆品;美容品
[27]escort['eskɔ:t]v.护送;陪同
[28]evaporate[i'væpəreit]v.消散;消失
[29]chaos['keiɔs]n.混乱,杂乱一团
[30]clutch[klʌtʃ]v.抓住,攫住
[31]collapse[kə'læps]v.倒塌,瓦解;崩溃
[32]defeat[di'fi:t]v.失败,挫败
[33]pursue[pəˈsu:]v.追赶;追求,求爱
[34]capricious[kə'priʃəs]a.善变的;任性的
[35]righteous['raitʃəs]a.公正的,正直的
[36]intravenous[ˌintrə'vi:nəs]a.静脉内的
[37]grievance['gri:vəns]n.不满,不平,抱怨,牢骚
[38]siren['saiərin]n.汽笛;警报声
[39]neonatal[ˌni:əu'neitəl]a.新生儿的,初生的
[40]nag[næɡ]v.不断唠叨;纠缠
[41]conquer[ˌkɔŋkə]v.攻克,占领,征服
[42]tight[tait]a.紧的;牢固的;难得到的
[43]flare[flɛə]v.突然发怒;激动;闪耀
[44]sterile['sterail]a.枯燥乏味的,无生气的
[45]sheer[ʃiə]a.全然的,纯粹的
[46]rotten['rɔtn]a.腐化的,堕落的;腐烂的
[47]luxurious[lʌg'ʒu:riəs]a.奢华的;舒适的
[48]quilt[kwilt]n.被子,被褥
[49]glisten['glisn]v.闪耀,发光
[50]anniversary[ˌæni'və:səri]n.周年纪念;结婚纪念日
[51]adoring[ə'dɔ:riŋ]a.崇拜的;爱慕的
[52]geometric[dʒiə'metrik]a.几何图案的;成几何级数增加的
[53]memento[mi'mentəu]n.纪念物;引起回忆的东西
[54]reunion[ri:'ju:njən]n.再会合;团聚,重聚
[55]misleading[mis'li:diŋ]a.使人误解的;骗人的,迷惑人的
[56]burly['bə:li]a.魁梧的,强壮的;粗鲁的;率直的
[57]unbiased[ʌn'baiəst]a.无偏见的;不偏不倚的;公正的
[58]mundane['mʌndein]a.世俗的;世界的;平凡的
[59]flurry['flʌri]n.阵风,小阵雪;慌张,混乱
[60]hysterical[his'terikəl]a.歇斯底里的;情绪异常激动的
[61]approximate[ə'prɔksimit]a.近似的,接近的;大约的
[62]vain[vein]a.爱虚荣的,自负的;徒然的,无益的
[63]nonchalantly['nɔnʃələntli]ad.漠不关心地;冷淡地
[64]neatly['ni:tli]ad.整洁地;灵巧地,利索地;恰好地越的
[65]hospice['hɔspis]n.旅客住宿处;收容所
[66]balcony['bælkəni]n.阳台,露台;包厢
[67]avoid[ə'vɔid]v.避开;避免
[68]bend down深深地弯下腰,深鞠一躬
[69]rehabilitation[ˌri:hə,bili'teiʃən]n.修复;恢复名誉;(病残人的)康复
[70]ventilator[ˈventileitə]n.通风机,通风口;通风管
[71]satin[ˈsætin]n.缎;缎子衣服
[72]representative[repri'zentətiv]a.典型的,代表的;代理的
[73]quiz[kwiz]n.考查,测验;挖苦,戏弄者
[74]nostalgia[nɔs'tældʒiə]n.乡愁;怀旧之情
[75]lieutenant[lefˈtenənt]n.(美国)陆军中尉,少尉;副职官员
[76]tenderly[ˈtendəli]ad.温和地,柔和地;可怜地
[77]plump[plʌmp]a.丰满的;多肉的;凸起的
[78]turn off关掉
[79]alert[ə'lə:t]a.警觉的;留神的;机敏的
[80]revive[ri'vaiv]v.苏醒,复苏;恢复精力
[81]entrust[in'trʌst]v.委托;托管
[82]merge[mə:dʒ]v.使合并;使融合
[83]inducement[in'dju:smənt]n.引诱,劝诱;诱因,动机
[84]giggle['gigl]v.咯咯地笑;傻笑
[85]ecstatic[ek'stætik]a.狂喜的;着迷的;入神的
[86]curious['kjuəriəs]a.好奇的,渴望知道的;稀奇古怪的
[87]homesick['həumsik]a.怀乡病的,思家的
[88]construct[kən'strʌkt]v.建造,构成;创立
[89]vanity['væniti]n.自负;虚荣;无价值
[90]vessel['vesl]n.船,舰
[91]assistance[ə'sistəns]n.援助,帮助
[92]awkward['ɔ:kwəd]a.笨拙的;不灵巧的;难操纵的,难对付的
[93]plea for恳求,请求
[94]freight[freit]n.(船运)货物;运费
[95]valetudinarian[ˌvæli,tu:dn'ɛəriən]n.体弱多病的人;过分担心自己健康的人
[96]exhortation[ˌegzɔ:'teiʃən]n.规劝;告诫
[97]reveal[ri'vi:l]v.展现,揭露;暴露,泄露
[98]verbal['və:bəl]a.言语的;口头上的;逐字的,照字面的
[99]transition[træn'ziʃən]n.过渡,过渡期;转变;变革
[100]reciprocally[ri'siprəkli]ad.相互地;互惠地;相反地
[101]dim[dim]a.暗淡的;模糊的;看不清楚的
[102]fundamentally[ˌfʌndə'mentli]ad.基础地;根本地;重要地
[103]immersed[i'mə:st]a.浸入的;受浸礼的;专注的
[104]rifle['raifl]n.步枪,来福枪;步枪队
[105]vibrant['vaibrənt]a.振动的,颤动的;响亮的;活跃的
[106]solitude['sɔlitju:d]n.孤独;隐居;荒凉(之地)
[107]delicacy['delikəsi]n.精美,娇嫩,优雅;敏感;微妙;棘手
[108]quaint[kweint]a.古雅的;奇特而有趣的;古怪的
[109]cozy['kəuzi]a.舒适的,惬意的
[110]nostalgic[nɔs'tældʒik]a.怀旧的;乡愁的
我们总以为生命中有些东西永远不会消失,可它总是在我们意识到之前便转瞬即逝了……这就是青春。而我们要记住的是,幸福只是行进中的旅程,不是目的地。
Something that we used to think would last forever in our lives,had actually vanished in a second before we realized it...This is youth,and we should remember that happiness is a way of travel,not a destination.
聚合中文网 阅读好时光 www.juhezwn.com
小提示:漏章、缺章、错字过多试试导航栏右上角的源