We walked down the path to the well-house， attracted by the fragrance of the honeysuckle with which it was covered. Some one was drawing water and my teacher placed my hand under the spout. As the cool stream gushed over one hand she spelled into the other the word water， first slowly， then rapidly. I stood still， my whole attention fixed upon the motions of her fingers. Suddenly I felt a misty consciousness as of something forgotten — a thrill of returning thought： and somehow the mystery of language was revealed to me. I knew then that “w-a-t-e-r” meant the wonderful cool something that was flowing over my hand. That living word awakened my soul， gave it light， hope， joy， set it free！ There were barriers still， it is true， but barriers that could in time be swept away.

兩條道路

The Two Roads

約翰·羅斯金 / John Ruskin

新年之夜，一位上了年紀的人佇立在窗前。他抬起充滿哀傷的眼睛，仰望著深藍色的天空，星星在那里游移著，如同朵朵百合散落在清澈而平靜的湖面上。接著，他把目光投向地面，看到幾個比他更加絕望的人正走向他們的終點——墳墓。在通往人生終點的道路上，他已經走過了六十個驛站，除了過失和悔恨之外，他一無所獲。現在，他健康欠佳，精神空虛，心情憂郁，缺少晚年應有的舒適和安逸。

年輕的時光如夢幻般浮現在他眼前，他回想起父親將他放在人生道路的入口處時那個關鍵的時刻。當時，擺在他面前的有兩條道路：一條通向和平寧靜、陽光燦爛的地方，那里充滿花果，回蕩著柔和甜美的歌聲；另一條則通向黑暗無底的深淵，那里流淌著毒汁而非清水，惡魔肆虐，毒蛇橫行。

他仰望著天空，痛苦地叫喊：“啊，青春，請回來吧！啊，父親，請把我重新放到人生道路的起點上吧，我將會作出更好的選擇。”然而，父親和他的青春都已離他遠去。

他看著燈光被黑暗吞沒，那就是他虛度的時光；他看見一顆星星從空中隕落、消逝，那正是他自身的寫照，悔恨如同利箭深深刺進他的心臟。然后，他回想起兒時的朋友，他們曾與他一同踏上人生的旅程，現在已走在成功的道路上，受到人們的尊敬，此時正沉浸在歡度新年的幸福中。

教堂高塔上的鐘聲敲響了，這讓他回憶起父母早年對他的愛，他們曾給予他諄諄教誨，曾為他的幸福向上帝祈禱。但他偏偏選擇了人生的歧途。羞愧和憂傷使他再也不敢正視他父親所在的天堂。他雙眼無神，飽含著淚水，在絕望中，他奮力高喊：“回來吧，我那逝去的歲月！回來吧！”

他的青春真的回來了，因為上面所發生的一切只不過是他在新年所做的一場夢。他依然年輕，當然他也曾真的犯過錯誤，但還不至于墮入黑暗深淵，他仍然可以自由地走在通向寧靜和光明的道路上。

正在人生路口徘徊，正在猶豫是否要選擇光明大道的年輕人啊，你們一定要記住：當你青春已逝，在黑暗的群山中舉步維艱、跌跌撞撞的時候，你才會痛心疾首、徒勞無功地呼喊：“啊，回來吧，青春！啊，把我美好的年華還給我吧！”

It was New Year’s Night. An aged man was standing at a window. He raised his mournful eyes towards the deep blue sky， where the stars were floating like white lilies on the surface of a clear calm lake. Then he cast them on the earth， where few more hopeless people than himself now moved towards their certain goal—the tomb. He had already passed sixty of the stages leading to it， and he had brought from his journey nothing but errors and remorse. Now his health was poor， his mind vacant， his heart sorrowful， and his old age short of comforts.

The days of his youth appeared like dreams before him， and he recalled the serious moment when his father placed him at the entrance of the two roads—he leading to a peaceful， sunny place， covered with flowers， fruits and resounding with soft， sweet songs； the other leading to a deep， dark cave， which was endless， where poison flowed instead of water and where devils and poisonous snakes hissed and crawled.

He looked towards the sky and cried painfully， “O， youth， return！ O， my father， place me once more at the entrance to life， and I’ll choose the better way！” But both his father and the days of his youth had passed away.

He saw the lights flowing away in the darkness. These were the days of his wasted life； he saw a star fall from the sky and disappeared， and this was the symbol of himself. His remorse， which was like a sharp arrow， struck deeply into his heart. Then he remembered his friends in his childhood， who entered on life together with him. But they had made their way to success and were now honoured and happy on this New Year’ s Night.

The clock in the high church tower struck and the sound made him remember his parents’ early love for him. They had taught him and prayed to God for his good. But he chose the wrong way. With shame and grief he dared no longer look towards that heaven where his father lived. His darkened eyes were full of tears， and with a despairing effort， he burst out a cry， “Come back， my early days！ Come back！”

And his youth did return， for all this was only a dream， which he had on New Year’s Night. He was still young though his faults were real； he had not yet entered the deep， dark cave， and he was still free to walk on the road which leads to the peaceful and sunny land.

Those who still linger on the entrance of life， hesitating to choose the bright road， remember that when years are passed and your feet stumble on the dark mountains， you will cry bitterly， but in vain： “O youth， return！ O give me back my early days！”

快樂吧！

Be Happy！

勞埃德·莫里斯 / Lloyd Morris

第一次讀到英國桂冠詩人梅斯菲爾德這行詩的時候，我非常驚訝，它真正的寓意是什么呢？不仔細考慮的話，我一直認為這句詩倒過來才對。不過他的冷靜與自信卻俘獲了我，所以我一直無法忘記這句詩。

終于，我好像領會了他的意思，意識到其中蘊涵著深刻的觀察思考。快樂帶來的智慧存在于清晰的心靈感覺中，不因憂慮、擔心而困惑，不因絕望、厭煩而遲鈍，不因惶恐而出現盲點。

跳動的快樂——不僅是滿足或愜意——會突然到來，就像四月的春雨或是花蕾的綻放，然后你發覺智慧已隨快樂而來。草兒更綠，鳥兒的歌聲更加美妙，朋友的缺點也變得更加可以理解、原諒。快樂就像一副眼鏡，可以修正你精神的視力。

快樂的視野并不受你周圍事物的局限。只不過當你不快樂的時候，思想便轉向你感情上的苦惱，眼界也就被心靈之墻隔斷了。而當你快樂的時候，這道墻便崩塌了。

你的眼界更寬了。腳下的大地，身旁的世界——人們、思想、情感、壓力——現在都溶進了一個更加宏偉的情境中，每件事都恰如其分。這就是智慧的開端。

When I first read this line by England’s Poet Laureate， it startled me. What did Masefield mean？ Without thinking about it much， I had always assumed that the opposite was true. But his sober assurance was arresting. I could not forget it.

Finally， I seemed to grasp his meaning and realized that here was a profound observation. The wisdom that happiness makes possible lies in clear perception， not fogged by anxiety nor dimmed by despair and boredom， and without the blind spots caused by fear.

Active happiness—not mere satisfaction or contentment—often comes suddenly， like an April shower or the unfolding of a bud. Then you discover what kind of wisdom has accompanied it. The grass is greener， bird songs are sweeter， the shortcomings of your friends are more understandable and more forgivable. Happiness is like a pair of eyeglasses correcting your spiritual vision.

Nor are the insights of happiness limited to what is near around you. Unhappy， with your thoughts turned in upon your emotional woes， your vision is cut short as though by a wall. Happy， the wall crumbles.

The long vista is there for the seeing. The ground at your feet， the world about you—people， thoughts， emotions， pressures—are now fitted into the larger scene. Everything assumes a fairer proportion. And here is the beginning of wisdom.

愛是艱難的

Love Is Difficult

勒內·馬利亞·里爾克 / Rainer Maria Rilke