海倫·凱勒自傳《我的生活》第41期

　　But although these disappointments caused me great depression at times, I pursued my other studies with unflagging interest, especially physical geography. It was a joy to learn the secrets of nature: how—in the picturesque language of the Old Testament—the winds are made to blow from the four corners of the heavens, how the vapours ascend from the ends of the earth, how rivers are cut out among the rocks, and mountains overturned by the roots, and in what ways man mayovercome many forces mightier than himself. The two years in New York were happy ones, and I look back to them with genuine pleasure.

　　雖然種種失望令我一度消沉沮喪，但是我對(duì)其他科目的學(xué)習(xí)興趣依舊未減，尤其是自然地理學(xué)。了解自然界的奧秘是一種樂趣：比如風(fēng)如何——就像《圣經(jīng)·舊約》中所描繪的那樣——自天堂的四個(gè)角落遍吹四方，水蒸氣如何從大地的盡頭飄升至天空，河流如何在巉巖峭壁間劈風(fēng)斬浪，群山如何被大地所傾覆，人類又是以何種方式戰(zhàn)勝比自己強(qiáng)大得多的自然之力的。在紐約的這兩年是一段令人愉快的時(shí)光，每每想起，我都會(huì)感到由衷地開心。

　　I remember especially the walks we all took together every day in Central Park, the only part of the city that was congenial to me. I never lost a jot of my delight in this great park. I loved to have it described every time I entered it; for it was beautiful in all its aspects, and these aspects were so many that it was beautiful in a different way each day of the nine months I spent in New York.

　　我尤其記得我們每天在中央公園的集體散步，對(duì)我而言，這是這個(gè)城市唯一令我感到稱心如意的所在。我從未在這個(gè)大公園里遺漏掉半點(diǎn)快樂。我喜歡對(duì)每一次的公園漫步進(jìn)行描述，因?yàn)檫@里的美無處不在，我在紐約的九個(gè)月中，每天都可以感受到多姿多彩的盛景佳境。

　　In the spring we made excursions to various places of interest. We sailed on the Hudson River and wandered about on its green banks, of which Bryant loved to sing. I liked the simple, wildgrandeur of the palisades. Among the places I visited were West Point, Tarrytown, the home of Washington Irving, where I walked through "Sleepy Hollow."

　　春天，我們會(huì)到各種有趣的地方旅行。我們駕船航行在哈德遜河上，徜徉在布萊恩特所吟唱的芳草依依的岸邊。我喜歡河邊斷崖樸素雄渾的野性之美。沿河而行，我們參觀了西點(diǎn)軍校，游覽了華盛頓·歐文的家鄉(xiāng)泰瑞鎮(zhèn)，我還在“睡谷”中走了一遭。

　　The teachers at the Wright-Humason School were always planning how they might give the pupils every advantage that those who hear enjoy—how they might make much of few tendencies andpassive memories in the cases of the little ones—and lead them out of the cramping circumstances in which their lives were set.

　　賴特休梅森學(xué)校的老師們始終為學(xué)生的利益著想，他們會(huì)以學(xué)生的興趣作為教學(xué)出發(fā)點(diǎn)，他們很少對(duì)年幼的學(xué)生做強(qiáng)行灌輸，而且，他們會(huì)引領(lǐng)這些身患?xì)埣驳暮⒆幼叱鲥繚纳姝h(huán)境。

　　Before I left New York, these bright days were darkened by the greatest sorrow that I have ever borne, except the death of my father. Mr. John P. Spaulding, of Boston, died in February, 1896. Only those who knew and loved him best can understand what his friendship meant to me. He, who made every one happy in a beautiful, unobtrusive way, was most kind and tender to Miss Sullivan and me. So long as we felt his loving presence and knew that he took a watchful interest in our work, fraught with so many difficulties, we could not be discouraged. His going away left a vacancy in our lives that has never been filled.

　　在我即將離開紐約的時(shí)候，快樂的時(shí)光已經(jīng)被傷感的陰云所籠罩;除了父親的去世，我從未承受過如此巨大的悲傷。1896年2月，波士頓的約翰·P.斯鮑爾丁先生去世了。只有那些認(rèn)識(shí)他并對(duì)他最為敬重的人，才會(huì)理解我們之間的友誼是多么深厚。他以其謙遜而優(yōu)雅的態(tài)度把愉悅帶給身邊的每一個(gè)人，他給予了我和蘇立文小姐最慷慨無私的關(guān)懷。每當(dāng)想到他的慈愛，我們眼前就會(huì)立刻浮現(xiàn)出他那關(guān)注的神情，所以，無論我們?cè)谏顚W(xué)習(xí)中遇到了多么大的困難，我們都不會(huì)感到氣餒無助。斯鮑爾丁先生的去世給我們的生命留下了無法彌補(bǔ)的巨大空白。