中秋之夜,我们一家人坐在客厅里电视,忽然边传来一阵悠扬的歌声:“月亮在白莲花般的云朵里穿行,晚风吹来一阵阵快乐的歌声,我们坐在高高的谷堆旁边,听妈妈讲过去的事情……”我问妈妈:“妈妈,您能给我讲讲你小时候的故事吗?”妈妈微笑地点点头,给我讲起了她小时候的.故事。
那时候妈妈住在农村,当时条件很差,没有电,也没有高楼大厦。记得也是一个中秋夜,天很闷热,妈妈在昏暗的煤油灯下做完作业,连忙搬条躺椅来到庭院中,和忙碌了一天的外公外婆一起乘凉,我们一边剥着自家种的花生,一边听外公海阔天空地大扯一通,庭院中不时传来哈哈地笑声。夜深了,妈妈也在外婆用蒲葵扇“啪啪”赶蚊子的声中睡着了。
记得还是一个中秋之夜,天阴沉沉的,妈妈听同学说邻村要放电影,缠着外婆要去看,因为有五六里路,天气又不好,外婆起先不同意,但禁不住妈妈的皮硬磨,终于答应了。妈妈和几个同学一路上有说有笑,甭提多开心了!刚进村,就听到了马达隆隆的声音,来到操场,只见竹杆支撑的幕上放映的是《孙悟空大闹天空》。妈妈和同学连忙搬了几个石块,坐在了操场的最前面,可爱勇猛的孙悟空深深地吸引住了妈妈。看着看着,忽然妈妈感到脸上一阵凉意。啊,天下雨了!回头一看,操场上的人已所剩无几,妈妈和几个同学连忙往家里跑。到家后,已是落汤鸡一只,免不了外婆的一通唠叨。
妈妈的童年虽然很苦,但也是很有趣。如今,我觉得我实在是很幸福,每天想看电视电影用不着跑那么远,家里有电视,电脑,热了有电风扇,空调。一切都变了,一切都变好了。
Oh, little prince! Bit by bit I came to understand the secrets of your only entertainment in the quiet pleasure of looking at the sunset. I learned that new detail on the morning of the fourth day, when you said to me:
"I am very fond of sunsets. Come, let us go look at a sunset now."
"But we must wait," I said.
"Wait? For what?"
"For the sunset. We must wait until it is time."
At first you seemed to be very much surprised. And then you laughed to yourself. You said to me:
"I am always thinking that I am at home!"
Just so. Everybody knows that when it is noon in the United States the sun is setting over France.
If you could fly to France in one minute, you could go straight into the sunset, right from noon. Unfortunately, France is too far away for that. But on your tiny planet, my little price, all you need do is move your chair a few steps. You can see the day end and the twilight falling whenever you like…
"One day," you said to me, "I saw the sunset forty-four times!"
And a little later you added:
"You knowone loves the sunset, when one is so sad…"
"Were you so sad, then?" I asked, "on the day of the forty-four sunset?"
But the little prince made no reply.
On the fifth dayagain, as always, it was thanks to the sheepthe secret of the little princes life was revealed to me. Abruptly, without anything to lead up to it, and as if the question had been born of long and silent meditation on his problem, he demanded:
"A sheepif it eats little bushes, does it eat flowers, too?"
"A sheep," I answered, "eats anything it finds in its reach."
"Even flowers that have thorns?"
"Yes, even flowers that have thorns."
"Then the thornswhat use are they?"
I did not know. At that moment I was very busy trying to unscrew a bolt that had got stuck in my engine. I was very much worried, for it was becoming clear to me that the breakdown of my plane was extremely serious. And I had so little drinking-water left that I had to fear for the worst.
"The thornswhat use are they?"
The little prince never let go of a question, once he had asked it. As for me, I was upset over that bolt. And I answered with the first thing that came into my head:
"The thorns are of no use at all. Flowers have thorns just for spite."
"Oh!"
There was a moment of complete silence. Then the little prince flashed back at me, with a kind of resentfulness:
"I dont believe you! Flowers are weak creature. They are native. They reassure themselves at best they can. They believe that their thorns are terrible weapons…"
I did not answer. At that instant I was saying to myself: "If this bolt still wont turn, I am going to knock it out with the hammer." Again the little price disturbed my thoughts.
"And you actually believe that the flowers"
"Oh, no!" I cried. "No, no, no! I dont believe anything. I answered you the first thing that came into my head. Dont you seeI am very busy with matters of consequence!"
He stared at me, thunderstruck.
"Matters of consequence!"
He looked at me there, with my hammer in my hand, my fingers black with engine-grease, bending over an object which seemed to him extremely ugly…
"You talk just like the grown-ups!"
That made me a little ashamed. But he went on, relentlessly:
"You mix everything up together…You confuse everything…"
He was really very angry. He tossed his golden curls in the breeze.
The little prince was now white with rage.
"The flowers have been growing thorns for millions of years. For millions of years the sheep have been eating them just the same. And is it not a matter of consequence to try to understand why the flowers go to so much trouble to grow thorns which are never of any use to them? Is the warfare between the sheep and the flowers not important? And if I knowI, myselfone flower which is unique in the world, which grows nowhere but on my planet, but which one little sheep can destroy in a single bite some morning, without even noticing what he is doingOh! You think that is not important!"
His face turned from white to red as he continued:
"If some one loves a flower, of which just one single blossom grows in all the millions and millions of stars. He can say to himself, Somewhere, my flower is there… But if the sheep eats the flower, in one moment all his stars will be darkened…And you think that is not important!"
He could not say anything more. His words were choked by sobbing.
The night had fallen. I had let my tools drop from my hands. Of what moment now was my hammer, my bolt, or thirst, or death? On one star, one planet, my planet, the Earth, there was a little prince to be comforted, I took him in my arms and rocked him. I said to him:
"The flower that you love is not in danger. I will draw you a muzzle for your sheep. I will draw you a railing to put around your flower. I will"
I did not know what to say to him. I felt awkward and blundering. I did not know how I could reach him, where I could overtake him and go on hand in hand with him once more.
It is such a secret place, the land of tears.
经典:The Little Prince 小王子
啊!我的小王子……就这样,一点一滴地,我逐渐懂得了你那忧郁的小生命。长久以来,你惟一的乐趣只是欣赏落日。这是我在第四天早晨知道的,当你说出:
“我喜欢看夕阳。我们一起去看太阳下山吧……”
“可以,我们必须要等……”
“等什么?”
“等太阳落山哪!”
起初,你看起来好象很惊讶,然后,又自我解嘲地说:
“我总以为自己还在家里。”
确实,大家都知道,美国的正午时分,正是法国夕阳落下的时候。如果能在一分钟内赶到法国,你就可以看到落日了,可惜法国太远了。但是,在你的小行星上,只要把椅子向后挪几步,就可以随时随地地看到落日的余辉了。
“有一天,我看了43次落日!”
过了一会儿,你又说:
“你知道当你感到悲伤的时候,就会喜欢看落日……”
“你那时很悲伤吗?就是你看了43次落日的那天?”
小王子没有回答。
第五天,我发现小王子身世的另一个秘密再次感谢那只羊。好象默默地思索了很长时间以后,得出了什么结果一样,他突然没头没脑地问我:
“羊会吃花吗?就像吃灌木丛一样?”
“它碰到什么吃什么。”
“连有刺的花都吃吗?”
“有刺的花也吃。”
“那刺还有什么用呢?”
我不知道该怎么回答。那时候,我正忙着将一个卡在引擎上的螺丝拆下来。我发现,飞机损坏的情形很严重,而且,更让我担心的是饮用水已经所剩不多了。
“那刺还有什么作用呢?”
小王子一旦提出了问题,就绝不放弃,而我正为了螺丝生气,于是不假思索地回答他
“那些刺儿毫无用处,花儿长刺只能害人!”
“噢!”
沉默了一会儿,他悻悻地说:“我不信你说的话!花儿弱不禁风,花儿天真无邪,她们自顾不暇呢。她们身上长了刺,是为了给自己壮胆,为了保护自己……”
我没有答话,当时我在想:“如果螺丝还不松动的话,我就一锤子敲碎它。”
小王子的话再次打断了我的思路:
“你真的认为花儿……”
“算了吧,算了吧!我什么也不认为!我是随便说说。你没看到我正在忙着要紧的事吗?”
他瞪着我,愣住了。
“要紧的事!?”
他看着我,蹲在那个在他眼中看来丑得要命的东西前面,手握着锤子,手指上沾满了油圬……
“你跟那些大人没什么两样!”
听了这话,我觉得有点惭愧。然而,他又毫不留情地说:
“你什么都分不清,你把什么都混在一起!”
他生气地摇晃着脑袋,金黄色的头发随风飘动着。
小王子气得脸色发白。
“几百万年来,花儿生来就有刺,就像几百万年来羊都在吃花一样。难道了解花的身上为什么会有这些没用的刺不重要的吗?难道羊和花之间的战争不重要?如果我知道一朵花人世间惟一的花,只长在我的小行星上,别的地方都不存在,在一天早晨,被一只小羊糊里糊涂地毁掉了,难道这样的事也不重要吗?”
他脸色渐渐转红,然后又接着说:
“如果有人钟爱着一朵独一无二,盛开在浩瀚星海里的花,那么,当他抬头仰望繁星时,便会心满意足。他会告诉自己:‘我心爱的花在那里,在那遥远的星星上。’可以,如果羊把花吃掉了,那么,对他来说,所有的星光便会在刹那间暗淡无光!而你却认为这不重要!”
他突然泣不成声,无法再说下去了。
夜幕降临,黑暗翩然而至。我把手中的工具,锤子、螺丝以及饥饿和亡全抛在脑后,一切对我都已不再重要。在地球上,在我的行星上,有一位需要安慰的小王子。我将他抱在怀里,轻轻地摇着他,对他说:“你心爱的那朵花不会有危险的,我给你的小羊画一个口罩;我给你的花画个护栏……我……”
我不知道该对他说些什么,只觉得自己很笨拙,不懂得怎样抚慰打动他,不知道该如何才能再次回到与他心灵相通的地方。眼泪就是这么奇妙的东西。
Fox is with the grape
Hungry of the fox see the grape to up hang the radiant and extremely keen grape of a string, saliva direct current, and want to pick to eat, but again
Can not take off.See in a short while, helplessly walked, and his side walk the side oneself to comfort to by oneself say:" this grape have noes familiar, affirmative
Is sour."
This is to say, and the some person's ability is small, and do to not accomplish anything, borrow to say the opportune moment immaturity.
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Wolf and egret
The wolf mistake swallowed a piece of bone, very suffered, running about, look for to visit the doctor everywhere.He met the egret, and talk to settle the service fees to invite him to take out the bone, egret to stretch in the wolf's throat the own head, and the 叼 outs bone, then toward to settle the good service fees wolfThe wolf answer says:" hello, friend, you can since the wolf 嘴 take back the head in the peace ground, and the difficult way return the dissatisfied foot, and how and still speak the guerdon?"
This story elucidation, guerdon badly person act charitably, and is a bad person of cognition and does not speak the reputation's innate character.
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Little boy and scorpion son
There is a child in front of city wall to catch the grasshopper, and in a short while caught the lots of.Suddenly see a scorpion son, he to think is also grasshopper,
Then two go to catch him.The scorpion son raises his poison to stab, say:" come, if you really dare to do like this, connect your grasshopper that catch to also would entirely lose."
This story warns people, and want to distinguish the pure good man with the bad person, and distinct to treat them.
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Drop at the fox in the well with the 公 goat
An only the fox take a wrong stepped the well, in spite of how he struggle can not still climb up, and have to be foolish there.The 公 goat feels
Thirsty pole, arrive at this well the side, and see the fox under the well, and then ask him the well water the how about it to drink?The fox feels the opportunity to come, heart inside
The 暗 pleaseds, right away the town quiet down, make every effort the laudation well water good drink, say this water is a world the first spring, pure and sweet and good to eat, and advise the goat to hurry up
Come down, and drink to heart's content with him.A the heart think only of to drink the water letter to think the true goat, then the without stopping to think ground jump downed to go to, and be his 咕咚咕 the 咚 painful
After finishing drinking, have to with the fox together totally the company ascend the well's way.Fox early contain preparation, he to archly say:" I pour to have a
Method.You pick with forepaw on the well wall, again Cape 竖直 , I behind carry on the back to jump up the well to go to from you, and pull you again to come up, we all
Save." the 公 goat agreed his proposal, fox to trample the feet of his empress, and jump he carry top on his back, and then make an effort from the Cape a
Jump, jump outed the mouth of a well.The fox go ups the hereafter, and the preparation alone escape.The 公 goat blames the fox and does not keep the 诺 speech.The fox returns overdo
Say to 公 goat:" hello, friend, beard that you of brains if resemble you are so perfect, you not to the extent of at did not see the pure exit it
Front blindly jump down to go to."
This story elucidation, cleverness of the person should to in advance think it over the affair's result, then just go to do.
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译文:
狐狸和葡萄
饥饿的狐狸看见葡萄架上挂着一串串晶莹剔透的葡萄,口水直流,想要摘下来吃,但又
摘不到。看了一会儿,无可奈何地走了,他边走边自己安慰自己说:“这葡萄没有熟,肯定
是酸的。”
这就是说,有些人能力小,做不成事,就借口说时机未成熟。
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狼与鹭鸶
狼误吞下了一块骨头,十分难受,四处奔走,寻访医生。他遇见了鹭鸶,谈定酬金请他取出骨头,鹭鸶把自己的头伸进狼的喉咙里,叼出了骨头,便向狼要定好的酬金。狼回答说:“喂,朋友,你能从狼嘴里平安无事地收回头来,难道还不满足,怎么还要讲报酬?”
这故事说明,对坏人行善的报酬,就是认识坏人不讲信用的.本质。
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小男孩与蝎子
有个小孩在城墙前捉蚱蜢,一会儿就捉了许多。忽然看见一只蝎子,他以为也是蚱蜢,
便着两手去捕捉他。蝎子举起他的毒刺,说道:“来吧,如果你真敢这样做,就连你捉的蚱蜢也会统统失掉。”
这故事告诫人们,要分辨清好人和坏人,区别对待他们。
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掉在井里的狐狸和公山羊
一只狐狸失足掉到了井里,不论他如何挣扎仍没法爬上去,只好呆在那里。公山羊觉得
口渴极了,来到这井边,看见狐狸在井下,便问他井水好不好喝?狐狸觉得机会来了,心中
暗喜,马上镇静下来,极力赞美井水好喝,说这水是天下第一泉,清甜爽口,并劝山羊赶快
下来,与他痛饮。一心只想喝水信以为真的山羊,便不假思索地跳了下去,当他咕咚咕咚痛
饮完后,就不得不与狐狸一起共商上井的办法。狐狸早有准备,他狡猾地说:“我倒有一个
方法。你用前脚扒在井墙上,再把角竖直了,我从你后背跳上井去,再拉你上来,我们就都
得救了。”公山羊同意了他的提议,狐狸踩着他的后脚,跳到他背上,然后再从角上用力一
跳,跳出了井口。狐狸上去以后,准备独自逃离。公山羊指责狐狸不信守诺言。狐狸回过头
对公山羊说:“喂,朋友,你的头脑如果像你的胡须那样完美,你就不至于在没看清出口之
前就盲目地跳下去。”
这故事说明,聪明的人应当事先考虑清楚事情的结果,然后才去做。
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●风和太阳两方为谁的能量大相互争论不休。
●突然,他们看到一个行人走在路上,太阳说:“谁能使行人脱下衣服,谁就更强大。”
●太阳藏在乌云后面,风开始拼命地吹,风刮得越猛烈,行人越是裹紧自己的衣服。
●太阳出来了,暖暖地晒着行人,行人感到很热,很快就把外套脱了下来。
寓意: 劝说往往比强迫更为有效。
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 to the comfortable but rather noisy household where we were brought up-added to the respectful fear in which she was held.
我对斯蒂菲娜老姑总是怀着敬畏之情。说实在话,我们几个孩子对她都怕得要。她不和家人一块生活,宁愿住在她的小屋子里,而不愿住在舒舒服服、热热闹闹的家里--我们六个孩子都是在家里带大的--这更加重了我们对她的敬畏之情。
We used to take it in turn to carry small delicacies 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.
我们经常轮替着从我们住的大房子里带些母亲为她做的可口的食品到她和一名黑人女仆一块过活的那间小屋里去。桑娜老姨总是为每一个上门来的怯生生的小使者打开房门,将他或她领进昏暗的客厅。那里的百叶窗长年关闭着,以防热气和苍蝇进去。我们总是在那里哆哆嗦嗦、但又不是完全不高兴地等着斯蒂菲娜老姑出来。
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.
一个像她那样身材纤细的女人居然能赢得我们如此尊敬。她总是身穿黑色衣服,与客厅里的阴暗背景融成一体,将她的身材衬托得更加娇小。但她一进门,我们就感到有一种说不清道不明、充满活力和刚强的气氛,尽管她的步子慢悠、声调甜柔。
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.
她从不拥抱我们,但总是和我们寒暄,将我们热乎乎的小手握在她那双秀美清爽的手里,她的手背上露出一些青筋,就像手上白嫩的皮肤细薄得遮不住它们似的。
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.
桑娜阿姨每次都要端出几碟粘乎乎的南非糖果和一钵葡萄或桃子给我们吃。斯蒂菲娜老姑总是一本正经他说些农场里的事,偶尔也谈些外边世界发生的事。
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, 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.
待我们吃完糖果或水果,她总要将我们送到屋前的门廊,叮嘱我们要多谢母亲给她送食品,要我们对父母亲转达一些稀奇古怪的老式祝愿,然后就转身回到屋里,随手关上门,使那里再次成为神秘世界。
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.
让我感到吃惊的是,随着我逐渐长大,我发现打心眼里喜欢起我那位孤伶伶的老姑姑来。至今我仍不知道那是一种什么样的奇异动力,使我在还没有透露给别人之前就把乔治领去看望姑姑,告诉她我们已经订婚的消息。不成想,听到这个消息以后,她竟非常高兴。 "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?"
"是英国人!"她惊讶地大声说道,"好极了。你,"她转向乔治,"你要在南非安家吗?你现在不打算回国吧?"
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.
当她听说乔治已经在我们农场附近购置了一片农场并打算定居下来时,好像松了一口气。她兴致勃勃地和乔治攀谈起来。
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.
从那以后,我常常到那所位于玉米地边的小屋。有一次,当斯蒂菲娜老姑听说我们决定再过两年结婚时,露出了失望的神色,但一听说我的父母亲都对这门亲事满意时,她又放宽了心。
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.
但她对我的婚姻大事还是经常挂在嘴边。她常常问一些怪怪的问题,几乎像担心我的婚事会告吹一样。当我提到乔治打算在婚前匆匆回一趟国时,她竟激动了起来。只见她浑身哆嗦着大声嚷道:"他不能回去!爱娜!你不能放他走,你得答应我不放他走!"我尽力安慰她,但她还是显得萎靡不振。我只得劝她回屋休息,并答应第二天再去看她。
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.
我第二天去看她时,她正坐在屋前的门廊上,流露出抑郁孤寂的神情。我第一次感到纳闷:以前怎么没有人娶她、照料和爱抚她呢?记得母亲曾经说过,斯蒂菲娜老姑以前曾是一个楚楚可爱的小姑娘。尽管除了她那褐色的眼睛尚能保留一点昔日的风韵之外,她的美貌早已荡然无存。但她看上去还是那样小巧玲珑、惹人爱怜,引起男人们的惜香怜玉之情。
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 Georges 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."
我走到她的跟前。她拍着身边的椅子,淡淡一笑。"坐下吧,亲爱的,"她说,"我有话要告诉你。"她欲言又止,好像不知道话从何说起似的。接着,她仿佛振作了起来。她说:"我听你说乔治要回国,又不带你走,心里非常不安。我这份心事你是不明白的。我是一个老婆子了,大概还怀着老人们的那颗痴心吧。不过,我想把自己的爱情故事讲给你听。这样你就能明白在你们结婚之前让你的未婚夫离开你,是不是一个明智之举。"
"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.
"我第一次遇见理查德威斯顿时还是一个年轻姑娘。他是一个英国人,寄宿在我家附近四、五英里一个农场上的范伦斯堡家里。他身体不好,胸闷气短。医生让他去南非让干燥的气候治好他的病。他教伦斯堡的孩子们念书,他们都比我小,尽管我们经常在一块玩。理查德是以教书为乐,并不是为了赚钱。
"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.
"我和理查德是一见钟情,尽管直到我18岁生日那天我们才表示彼此的爱慕之情。那天晚上的舞会上,我们的亲友都来了。我们在仓房里铺上一条宽大的旧毛毯,翩翩起舞。我和他壮起胆子频频起舞。但事实上,没有多少次,因为我的父亲很讨厌洋人。有一次,他曾抱怨说伦斯堡先生不应该让理查德寄住在他的家里,为此还跟他吵过一场,他后来就习以为常了。虽谈不上喜欢,但对这个英国人以礼相待。"那是我一生中最快乐的一个生日,因为理查德在跳舞间歇将我领到外面清凉的月光中,在点点繁星之下对我倾诉爱慕之情,并向我求婚。我二话没说答应了他的要求,因为我早已心醉神迷,想不到父母亲会说什么。我的心中除了理查德和他的爱情,什么也顾不上了。 "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…
"从那以后,我们就尽可能多地见面,但往往是秘密进行。我们就这样度过了将近1年时间。后来有一天,在他安排的约会处,理查德爽约没有来。失望之际,我没有大惊小怪,因为我们俩谁碰到形形色色的事都可能使我们无法幽会。我想我们以后去范伦斯堡家看望之时,我就会明白理查德未能赴约的原因,再安排以后的约会……
"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.
"所以,当父亲问我是否愿意和他一块开车去德里方丹时,我就高兴地答应了。但待我们赶到范伦斯堡家,坐在他们家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。他的父亲了,他是继承人,不得不回去料理遗产。
"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."
"那天的.事我记不大清楚了,只记得当时阳光惨淡,田野也失去了美丽的丰采和欣欣向荣的景象,萧瑟凄凉得跟冬天或大旱时一样。那天傍晚,在我和父亲动身回家之前,霍但托特族的小牧童詹杰交给我一封信,他说是那位英国老爷留给我的。这可是我有生以来收到的唯一的情书!它将我的忧伤一扫而光,使我的心情变得平静--当时对我来说几乎类似幸福的平静。我知道理查德仍在爱着我。不知怎么回事,有了这封信,我便觉得我们不可能真正分开,哪怕他到了英国、我还留在南非的农场。这封信我至今仍保留着,尽管我已经年迈体衰,但它仍能带给我希望和勇气。"
"I must have been a wonderful letter, Aunt Stephia,"I said.
"斯蒂菲娜老姑,那封信一定美极了吧,"我说。
英语故事9:坚强的海伦凯勒(Helen Keller)
In 1882 a baby girl caught a fever that was so fierce she nearly died. She survived but the fever left its mark she could no longer see or hear. Because she could not hear she also found it very difficult to speak.
1882年,一名女婴因高发烧差点丧命。她虽幸免于难,但发烧给她留下了后遗症 她再也看不见、听不见。因为听不见,她想讲话也变得很困难。
So how did this child, blinded and deafened at 19 months old, grow up to become a world-famous author and public speaker?
那么这样一个在19个月时就既盲又聋的孩子,是如何成长为享誉世界的作家和演说家的呢?
The fever cut her off from the outside world, depriving her of sight and sound. It was as if she had been thrown into a dark prison cell from which there could be no release.
高烧将她与外界隔开,使她失去了视力和声音。她仿佛置身在黑暗的牢笼中无法摆脱。
Luckily Helen was not someone who gave up easily. Soon she began to explore the world by using her other senses. She followed her mother wherever she went, hanging onto her skirts, She touched and smelled everything she came across. She copied their actions and was soon able to do certain jobs herself, like milking the cows or kneading dough, She even learnt to recognize people by feeling their faces or their clothes. She could also tell where she was in the garden by the smell of the different plants and the feel of the ground under her feet.
万幸的是海伦并不是个轻易认输的人。不久她就开始利用其它的感官来探查这个世界了。她跟着母亲,拉着母亲的衣角,形影不离。她去触摸,去嗅各种她碰到的物品。她模仿别人的动作且很快就能自己做一些事情,例如挤牛奶或揉面。她甚至学会*摸别人的脸或衣服来识别对方。她还能*闻不同的植物和触摸地面来辨别自己在花园的位置。
By the age of seven she had invented over 60 different signs by which she could talk to her family, If she wanted bread for example, she would pretend to cut a loaf and butter the slices. If she wanted ice cream she wrapped her arms around herself and pretended to shiver.
七岁的时候她发明了60多种不同的手势,*此得以和家里人交流。比如她若想要面包,就会做出切面包和涂黄油的动作。想要冰淇淋时她会用手裹住自己装出发抖的样子。
Helen was unusual in that she was extremely intelligent and also remarkably sensitive. By her own efforts she had managed to make some sense of an alien and confusing world. But even so she had limitations.
海伦在这方面非比一般,她绝顶的聪明又相当敏感。通过努力她对这个陌生且迷惑的世界有了一些知识。但她仍有一些有足。
At the age of five Helen began to realize she was different from other people. She noticed that her family did not use signs like she did but talked with their mouths. Sometimes she stood between two people and touched their lips. She could not understand what they said and she could not make any meaningful sounds herself. She wanted to talk but no matter how she tried she could not make herself understood. This make her so angry that she used to hurl herself around the room, kicking and screaming in frustration. 海伦五岁时开始意识到她与别人不同。她发现家里的其他人不用象她那样做手势而是用嘴交谈。有时她站在两人中间触摸他们的嘴唇。她不知道他们在说什么,而她自己不能发出带有含义的声音。她想讲话,可无论费多大的劲儿也无法使别人明白自己。这使她异常懊恼以至于常常在屋子里乱跑乱撞,灰心地又踢又喊。
As she got older her frustration grew and her rages became worse and worse. She became wild and unruly . If she didnt get what she wanted she would throw tantrums until her family gave in. Her favourite tricks included grabbing other peoples food from their plates and hurling fragile objects to the floor. Once she even managed to lock her mother into the pantry. Eventually it became clear that something had to be done. So, just before her seventh birthday, the family hired a private tutor Anne Sullivan.
随着年龄的增长她的怒气越为越大。她变得狂野不驯。倘若她得不到想要的东西就会大发脾气直到家人顺从。她惯用的手段包括抓别人盘里的食物以及将易碎的东西猛扔在地。有一次她甚至将母亲锁在厨房里。这样一来就得想个办法了。于是,在她快到七岁生日时,家里便雇了一名家庭教师 安尼沙利文。
Anne was careful to teach Helen especially those subjects in which she was interested. As a result Helen became gentler and she soon learnt to read and write in Braille. She also learnt to read peoples lips by pressing her finger-tips against them and feeling the movement and vibrations. This method is called Tadoma and it is a skill that very, very few people manage to acquire. She also learnt to speak, a major achievement for someone who could not hear at all. 安尼悉心地教授海伦,特别是她感兴趣的东西。这样海伦变得温和了而且很快学会了用布莱叶盲文朗读和写作。*用手指接触说话人的嘴唇去感受运动和震动,她又学会了触唇意识。这种方法被称作泰德马,是一种很少有人掌握的技能。她也学会了讲话,这对失聪的人来说是个巨大的成就。
Helen proved to be a remarkable scholar, graduating with honours from Radcliffe College in 1904. She had phenomenal powers of concentration and memory, as well as a dogged determination to succeed. While she was still at college she wrote ‘The Story of My Life. This was an immediate success and earned her enough money to buy her own house.
海伦证明了自己是个出色的学者,1904年她以优异的成绩从拉德克利夫学院毕业。她有惊人的注意力和记忆力,同时她还具有不达目的誓不罢休的毅力。上大学时她就写了《我的生命》。这使她取得了巨大的成功从而有能力为自己购买一套住房。
She toured the country, giving lecture after lecture. Many books were written about her and several plays and films were made about her life. Eventually she became so famous that she was invited abroad and received many honours from foreign universities and monarchs. In 1932 she became a vice-president of the Royal National Institute for the Blind in the United Kingdom. 她周游全国,不断地举行讲座。她的事迹为许多人著书立说而且还上演了关于她的生平的戏剧和电影。最终她声名显赫,应邀出国并受到外国大学和国王授予的荣誉。1932年,她成为英国皇家国立盲人学院的副校长。
After her death in 1968 an organization was set up in her name to combat blindness in the developing world. Today that agency, Helen Keller International, is one of the biggest organizations working with blind people overseas. 1968年她去世后,一个以她的名字命名的组织建立起来,该组织旨在与发展中国家存在的失明缺陷做斗争。如今这所机构,“国际海伦凯勒”,是海外向盲人提供帮助的最大组织之一。
伊索寓言:风和太阳(The wind and the sun)
The wind and the sun were disputing who was the stronger.
Suddenly they saw a traveler coming down the road. The sun said, "Whoever can make the traveler take off his coat will be the stronger."
So the sun hid behind a cloud, and the wind began to blow as hard as it could. As the wind blew harder, the traveler wrapped his coat more closely around himself.
Then the sun came out. He shone on the traveler. The traveler soon felt quite hot, and took off his coat.
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