給我三天光明
原著︰Helen Keller (海倫·凱勒) 編譯︰時習之
All of us have read thrilling stories in which the hero had only a limited and specified time to live. Sometimes it was as long as a year; sometimes as short as twenty-four hours, but always we were interested in discovering just how the doomed man chose to spend his last days or his last hours. I speak, of course, of free men who have a choice, not condemned criminals whose sphere of activities is strictly delimited.
我們都讀過這樣的一些動人故事，故事主角將不久于人世，長則一年，短則一日。我們總是很想知道這個即將離世的人是如何選擇度過他的最後時日。當然我所指的是有權作出選擇的自由人，而不是那些活動範圍受到嚴格限制的死囚。
Such stories set us thinking, wondering what we should do under similar circumstances. What associations should we crowd into those last hours as mortal beings? What happiness should we find in reviewing the past, what regrets?
這一類故事會使我們思考在類似的處境下，我們自己會做些什麼 ？ 在那臨終前的幾個小時裏，我們會產生哪些聯想? 回望過去，我們會想起多少樂事和憾事呢？
Sometimes I have thought it would be an excellent rule to live each day as if we should die tomorrow. Such an attitude would emphasize sharply the values of life. We should live each day with a gentleness, a vigor, and a keenness of appreciation which are often lost when time stretches before us in the constant panorama of more days and months and years to come. There are those, of course, who would adopt the epicurean motto of “ Eat, drink, and be merry, ” but most people would be chastened by the certainty of impending death.
有時我想，把每天都當作是生命的最後一天來度過，也不失為一個極好的生活法則，這種態度會使人格外重視人生的價值。每一天我們都應該以和善的態度、充沛的精力和熱情的欣賞來度過，而這些正是在來日方長時往往被我們所忽視的東西。當然有這樣的一些人，奉行享樂主義者的格言 — 吃喝玩樂；不過大多數人，還是擺脫不了死亡日漸靠近的恐懼和擔憂的。
Most of us take life for granted. We know that one day we must die, but usually we picture that day as far in the future, when we are in buoyant health, death is all but unimaginable. We seldom think of it. The days stretch out in an endless vista. So we go about our petty task, hardly aware of our listless attitude towards life.
我們大多數人都覺得生命是理所當然的事。我們明白總有一天會死去，但通常把這一天看得非常遙遠。當我們年輕力壯時，死亡是難以想像的事情。我們很少會考慮它，日子一天天過去，好像沒有盡頭。所以我們為瑣事奔波，並沒有察覺自己對待生活的態度是如此冷漠的。
The same lethargy, I am afraid, characterizes the use of all our faculties and senses. Only the deaf appreciate hearing, only the blind realize the manifold blessings that lie in sight. Particularly does this observation apply to those who have lost sight and hearing in adult life. But those who have never suffered impairment of sight or hearing seldom make the fullest use of these blessed faculties. Their eyes and ears take in all sights and sound hazily, without concentration, and with little appreciation. It is the same old story of not being grateful for what we conscious of health until we are ill.
我想在運用我們所有感官時恐怕也是同樣冷漠的。只有聾人能體會到聽力之珍貴，亦只有盲人才會意識到種種幸福都有賴於視覺帶來的光明。對於那些在成年後失去視力和聽力的人來說尤其如此。但是那些聽力或視力從未受損的人，卻很少會充分利用好這些天賜的能力，他們對所見所聞並不關注也不欣賞。這與常說的 — 誰會珍惜當你還擁有 — 不生病就意識不到身體健康其實是一種恩典是同一道理。
I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.
我常想如果每一個人在他成年的早期，遭受失明或失聰之苦幾天，也不失為一件幸事。黑暗將使他更珍惜光明，寂靜將令他懂得聲音的樂趣。
Now and then I have tested my seeing friends to discover what they see. Recently I was visited by a very good friend who had just returned from a long walk in the woods, and I asked her what she had observed. “Nothing in particular,” she replied. I might have been incredulous had I not been accustomed to such responses, for long ago I became convinced that the seeing see little.
有時我會試探我的非失明朋友們，想知道他們看見了什麼。我的一位非常要好的朋友最近來探望我，她剛剛從樹林裏散步了一段時間回來。我問她觀察到甚麼，“沒有甚麼特別的，”她回答說。要不是我早已習慣了這樣的回答，我也許不會輕易相信，因為很久以前我就深信開眼人其實是看得很少的。
How was it possible, I asked myself, to walk for an hour through the woods and see nothing worthy of note? I who cannot see find hundreds of things to interest me through mere touch.
我問自己，在樹林中走了一個小時，怎麼可能甚麼值得注意的東西都沒有看到呢？而我一個盲人僅僅通過觸摸，就發現了數以百計有趣的東西。
I feel the delicate symmetry of a leaf. I pass my hands lovingly about the smooth skin of a silver birch, or the rough shaggy bark of a pine. In spring I touch the branches of trees hopefully in search of a bud, the first sign of awakening Nature after her winter’s sleep. I feel the delightful, velvety texture of a flower, and discover its remarkable convolutions ; and something of the miracle of Nature is revealed to me.
我觸摸到一片樹葉上的精緻對稱。我用手親切地摸著白樺樹光滑的樹皮，或是松樹那粗糙蓬亂的樹皮。春天裏我滿懷希望地觸摸著樹枝尋找新芽，那是大自然冬眠後醒來的第一個跡象。我感受到一朵花可愛的天鵝絨般的質感，並發現它奇特的迴旋捲曲。大自然的神奇展現在我的面前。Occasionally, if I am very fortunate, I place my hand gently in a small tree and feel the happy quiver of a bird in full song. I am delighted to have the cool waters of a brook rush through my open fingers. To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug. To me the pageant of seasons is a thrilling and unending drama, the action of which streams through my finger tips.
當我把手輕輕地放在一棵小樹上，如果幸運的話，偶爾會感覺到歌唱小鳥歡快的顫動。我會愉快地讓清涼的溪水從手指之間流過。對我來說，滿地厚厚的松針和鬆軟的草坪比奢華的波斯地毯更是惹人喜愛，四季變換的景色如同一場動人心魄不會完結的戲劇，劇中的人物動作從我的指尖間流過。
At times my heart cries out with longing to see all these things. If I can get so much pleasure from mere touch, how much more beauty must be revealed by sight. Yet, those who have eyes apparently see little. The panorama of color and action fills the world is taken for granted. It is human, perhaps, to appreciate little that which we have and to long for which we have not, but it is a great pity that in the world of light and the gift of sight is used only as a mere convenience rather than as a means of adding fullness to life.
我的心不時在吶喊，渴望著能親眼看到所有這些東西。既然僅僅通過觸摸就能使我獲得如此多的喜悅，那麼光明定會展現出更多美好的事物啊。可惜的是，那些有健全眼睛的人分明看得很少。整個世界繽紛的色彩和萬物的活動都被認為是理所當然的。也許這正是人性的特點 — 不懂得珍惜已經擁有的，渴望擁有還沒有得到的。但是在光明的世界裏，只把視覺作為一種方便的工具，而不是豐富生命的工具，這是多麼令人遺憾的事情啊。
Oh, the things I should see if I had the power of sight for three days!
噢，假如擁有三天光明，我將會看到多少事物啊！
Page 1 :
thrilling 引人入勝/令人激動/毛骨悚然/顫動的
specified 特定/明確規定/詳細指明的
doomed 注定的
condemned 被判刑的
sphere 範圍,球體
delimited 限定的
crowd into 同時擠進
mortal beings 臨死的人,凡人
review 回顧,檢討,評論,閱兵
gentleness 溫和,和善,彬彬有禮
vigor 活力,精力
keenness 熱心,強烈,敏銳
panorama 全景,全貌,概觀
epicurean 享樂主義(吃喝)
motto 格言,座右銘
chasten 懲戒,責罸,磨鍊
impending 逼近的 (壞事)
Page 2 :
take for granted 認為是理所當然的
picture 想像
buoyant 上升/浮起/愉快的
vista 遠景,展望
listless 倦怠,無精打采的
lethargy 無精打采
faculty 官能,機能
characterize 以 X 為特徵,描繪為
manifold 多方面的,種種的
lie in 在于
impairment 損傷
blessed 可喜/神聖/受惠/受祝福的
hazily 模糊地
grateful 感激的,令人愉快的,慶幸
conscious 意識,察覺到,清醒
blessing 福氣
stricken 受苦
appreciative 感激/有欣賞力的
Page 3 :
incredulous 懷疑/不輕信的
convinced 確/深信
delicate 嬌嫩,精美
symmetry 對稱
birch 白樺樹
shaggy 粗糙/起毛/蓬亂的
pine 松樹
bark n樹皮 / v狗吠
bud 花蕾,葉芽
awakening 正在醒過來的
delightful 令人愉快的
velvety 天鵝絨般/柔軟光滑的
texture 織物,結構,質感,神韻
remarkable 引人注目/值得注意/出色/卓越的
convolutions 迴旋,卷曲,盤繞
reveal 展現出
Page 4 :
quiver 顫動
delighted 高興的
lush 茂盛
spongy 鬆軟,海棉似的
luxurious 豪華,奢華
Persian rug 波斯(小)地毯 / 毛毯
pageant 盛典,選美會
stream 流過
longing 渴望
reveal 展現出
panorama 全景,全貌,概觀
take for granted 認為是理所當然的
long for 渴望
gift 禮品,天賦,才能
means 工具,手段,方法
