精品翻译欣赏

精品翻译欣赏

THREE DAYS TO SEE

Helen Keller

All of us have read thrilling stories in which the hero had only a limited and specified time to live. 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 man who have a choice, not condemned criminals whose sphere of activities is strictly delimited. Such stories set us thinking, wondering what we should do under similar circumstances. What events, what experiences, what associations should we crowd into those last hours as mortal beings? What happiness should we find in reviewing the past, what regrets?

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.

Most of us, however, 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 tasks, hardly aware of our listless attitude toward life.

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 sounds hazily, without concentration, and with little appreciation. It is the same old story of not being grateful for what we have until we lose it, of not being conscious of health until we are ill.

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.

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 which fills the world is taken for granted. It is human, perhaps, to appreciate little that which we have and to long for that which we have not, but it is a great pity that in the would of light the gift of sight is used only as a mere convenience rather than as a means of adding fullness to life.

Oh, the things that I should see if I had the power of sight for just three days.

给我三天光明

海伦·凯勒

我们大家都读过一些激动人心的故事，故事中的主人公将不久于人世，余下的日子屈指可数，长不过一年，短则只有一天。我们总想知道临头的人作出什么样的抉择来度过最后的命数。我当然不是那些活动范围受到严格限制的死囚，而是可以自由选择的人。

这类故事引起我们思索和遐想：在类似情况下，我们会做些什么呢？哪些事件、哪些经历、哪些联想会在临死前的最后时刻一股脑儿涌向心头呢？当我们回首往事时，又有哪些欣慰或悔恨之感呢？

有时我想，把每一天都当作生命的最后一天来过，也许是一种极好的生活准则。这种态度会使生命的价值印章有突出，使我们以优雅的风度、旺盛的精力和高度珍异的心情度过每一天；而当我们觉得岁月延绵不断，来日方长时，往往失掉这种态度。当然，有人会因而奉行亨乐主义的信条，一味吃喝玩乐，但更多的人却因为行将就木而变得严肃纯洁。

我们大多数人把生命视若等闲。只有聋子才珍惜听觉，只有盲人才领悟光明所赐给人们的难以计数地幸福。成年时未受到损伤的人却很少运用他们的天赋。他们视而不见，充耳不闻，对其所闻漫不经心，毫无鉴赏珍惜之意。事情往往是这样，失却之物，方知珍惜；生了病才知道健康之可贵。

我时常在想，倘若让每一个人在刚刚成年的某个时期尝一点苦头，瞎几天，聋几天，恐怕颇有裨益。黑暗会使人更加珍惜光明，寂静会告诉人们听到声音时的欢乐。

我的心时时在呐喊，渴望看见所有这一切。既然仅凭触觉我就能得到这许多欢乐，那么视觉向我展示的美景不更多得不可胜数了吗？可是，明眼人显然徙有两只眼睛，充满着大千世界的丰富多采、千姿百态的画景，在他们看来竟是平淡无奇。有了的东西不加珍惜，没有的东西却一味追求，这也许是人之常情。

然而，在这个光明的世界上，天赋的视觉地仅仅被当作一种方便的条件，而不是用来充实生活，这毕竟是极大的憾事。

哦，倘若给我光明，哪怕仅仅三天，我将能看到多少东西啊！

On Visiting Bookshops

Time spent in a bookshop can be most enjoyable. whether you are a book-lover or merely there to buy a book as a present. You may even have entered the shop just to find shelter from a sudden shower. Whatever the reason, you can soon become totally unaware of your surroundings. The desire to pick up a book with an attractive dust-jacket is irresistible, although this method of selection ought not to be followed, as you might end up with a rather dull book. You soon become absorbed in some book or other, and usually it is only much later that you realize you have spent far too much time there and must dash off to keep some forgotten appointment—without buying a book, of course.

This opportunity to escape the realities of everyday life is, perhaps, the main attraction of a bookshop. There are not many places where it is possible to do this. A music shop is very much like a bookshop. You can wander round such places to your heart's content. If it is a good shop, no assistant will approach you with the inevitable greeting:”Can I help you, sir?” You needn't buy anything you don't want. In a bookshop an assistant should remain in the background until you have finished browsing. Then, and only then, are his services necessary. Of course, you may want to find out where a particular section is ,but when he has led you there, the assistant should go

away politely and look as if he is not interested in selling a single book.

You have to be careful not to be attracted by the variety of books in a bookshop. It is very easy to enter the shop looking for a book on, say, ancient coins and to come out carrying a book about modern weapons—something which has only vaguely interested you up till then. This volume on the subject, however, happened to be so well illustrated and the part of the text you read proved so interesting, that you just had to buy it. This sort of thing can be very dangerous. Apart from running up a huge account, you can waste a great deal of time wandering room section to section. Booksellers must be both long-suffering and indulgent.

There is a story which can illustrate this. A medical student had to read a text-book which was far too expensive for him to buy. He couldn t obtain it from the library and the only copy he could find was in his bookshop. Every afternoon, therefore, he would go along to the shop and read a little of the book at a time. One day, however, he was dismayed to find the book missing from its usual place and was about to leave when he noticed the owner of the shop beckoning to him. Expecting to be told off, he went towards him. To his surprise, the owner pointed to the book, which was tucked away in a corner. “I put it there in case anyone was tempted to buy it.” he said, and left the delighted student to continue his reading.

Bookshops are worth visiting indeed, if you spend your time and money wisely there.

论逛书店

无论你是一个书迷，还是单纯为了买本书作为礼物，甚至你只是为了躲避突如其来的阵雨而进入书店，在书店里度过的时间是十分富有情趣的。）不管什么理由，一旦进了书店，你很快就会全神贯渡江，超然物外。尽管凭护封是否精美来择书的方法不可取，因为这办法很可能使你买到一本枯燥乏味的书，但是想顺便买一本或那一本图书的欲望难以抑制。进店后你会很快被这一本或那一本书吸引住，当你发现自己在书店里消耗的时间太多而不得不匆匆离店，赶赴你早已忘却的约会时，往往为时已晚；当然一本书也没有买成。

书店之所以吸引人，也许主要就是它能为人们提供躲避现实生活的机会。能提供这样机会的地方不可多得。音乐书店颇为相似，你可在那里到处漫游，尽情端佯。如果是个高级书店，就不会有店员向你走来用惯常的语言向你打招呼：“先生，您要买什么？”你不必购买你不想买的东西。书店店员应该待在不引人注目之处，直到你浏览完了才走过来。那时，也只有那时，才需要他出来服务；当然，有时你需要找某一个部门的书籍，需要他指引，但他指引完之后，应该彬彬有礼地离一，仿佛对你是否真想买书一点也不感兴趣。

你应当小心，不要被书店中琳琅满目的图书吸引住。很容易发生这样的事：进书店时，你想买一本，例如，有关古币的书籍，出书店时却拿着一本有关现代武器的书——该书此时你才隐陷感到有点兴趣，不过，碰巧该书插图精美，你看的那一部分也有趣，因而就情不自禁地买下来。这样的事很危险，除了会造成你开支增加外，会使你浪费大量时间在书店里到处乱逛。你得小心，书商们都是非常有耐心而且会宽纵人的。

有一个故事很能说明这一问题：一个医学院的穷学生需要买一本教科书，但书价太贵，买不起，而向图书馆里借又借不到，唯有他常去的书店里还有一本。于是，他每天下午去该书店一次读它一部分。一日，他失望地发现该书从书架上原处消失了。他正要离店，发现老板向他招手示意要他过去。他满心以为要挨骂，向店主走去，使他吃惊的是店主指着藏在角落里的那本书说：“我怕别人见它好，把它买走，所以藏在那角落里了。”说完就走了，让那穷学生得以继续读他的书。

只要能明智地使用时间和金钱，书店是确实值得逛逛的。

Are the Confucian teachings still relevant?

In this age when information technology is developing at breakneck speed, the economy is going global and research in life sciences has also taken off, do the thoughts of Confucius and Mencius still have a place in society?

The answer is yes. In terms of value, the core teachings of the two great minds are neither bounded by time nor space.

It is impossible to go into all the key thoughts of Confucius and Mencius here.

I shall just touch on Confucius' simplest expla nation of his concept of“仁” or "ren"－(this has been translated as benevolence, love, kindness and humanity, etc) and Mencius' notion that "Man's nature is good at birth".

It was said that Fan Chi, a student of Confucius, once asked the master what "ren" meant. Confucius' reply: "It means to love other people."

Mencius, on the other hand, argued that "Man's nature is good at birth" because compassion is common to mankind. Everyone is capable of conduct in line with "ren", those who are not would cease to be members of humankind.

Now, let us ask ourselves a simple question: "Could the benefit of such thoughts possibly be limited by time and space?"

Confucius advocated the importance to love other people. Is it not apparent that this idea is valuable and useful in helping people to live a life filled with happiness and warmth?

Could this idea be relevant and useful only in ancient times and have lost its relevance and value in the 21st century?

Could it be applicable only to people in the East and not people in the West?

The answer to both questions is of course "No". And we can draw some useful conclusions from here.

Since it is true that love is necessary for happiness and warmth in life, this makes the need for people to love and care for one another an idea that is valuable and practical.

Since it is true that love is necessary for happiness and warmth in life, not only in ancient times, but also in today's society, this makes the need for people to love and care for one another an idea that transcends time.

Since it is true that love is necessary for happiness and warmth in life, not only for people in the East, but also in the West, this makes the need for people to love and care for one another an idea that has no boundaries.

Mencius encouraged the expression of compassion, humanity and human dignity to make for a truly "human" society.

Again, we need only to ask ourselves a simple question: "Are values such as compassion, humanity and human dignity not valuable and beneficial?"

And by the same token, these values are as much relevant in the past as they are today. They also apply to both people in the East and in the West. In short, they are timeless and beyond the constraint of space.

By and large, core teachings of the two venerable sages have stood the test of time, and they will probably always have a role in human society.

We have indeed progressed into a new era, but so long as we are still keen in our pursuit to lead a truly "human" life and live in a truly "human" society, the thoughts of Confucius and Mencius will always be relevant and useful.

孔孟思想还有用吗？

孔子和孟子都是世界级的思想家，他们的思想进入现今资讯科技高速发展，经济走向全球化，生命工程也已起步的新世纪时代，究竟还有没有用？

我想答案仍然可以说是“有用”的。因为他们的思想，从价值的角度看，很多要点都是不受时间和空间限制的。

这里不能把孔子和孟子思想的所有要点，都加以叙述。就姑且只以孔子对他的所谓“仁”的一个最简单的解释，和孟子认为人性是善的一个最为人所知的指证，作例子来说说罢。

有一次孔子的学生樊迟问孔子什么是“仁”，孔子回答说“仁”就是“能够爱人”。孟子指证人性是善的时候说人都有“恻隐之心”，因而都有“仁”的行为。否则，就不是人。

我们试想想看，孔、孟这种思想的用处，有时间和空间的限制吗？孔子大力鼓励人要好好的去爱人。这种思想，对营造人类生活的幸福、温馨等等，难道还不是有价值的、有用的吗？

难道这只是在古代才有价值、才有用，在进入21世纪的现代就没有价值、没有用了吗？难道只是对东方地域的人，才有价值、才有用，对西方地域的人就没有价值、没有用了吗？

这些问题的答案都不应是“没用”，而相反是“有用”的。这样，则：一、既然肯定人类生活的幸福、温馨，是需要的，是须要有爱来营造，要人能爱人才行的，那么，人要好好的去爱人，便成为是营造幸福、温馨的人类生活的有价值的、有用的思想了。

二、既然肯定不只是古代人，纵令是现代人要有幸福、温馨的生活，也是要有爱来营造，要人能爱人才行的，那么，人要好好的去爱人，便成为不受时间限制，时代不同而还是一样有用的思想了。

三、既然肯定不只是东方地域的人，纵令是西方地域的人要有幸福、温馨的生活，也是要有爱来营造，要人能爱人才行的，那么，人要好好的去爱人，便也成为不受空间限制，地域不同而还是一样有用的思想了。

孟子极力激励人要大发恻隐之心，做仁爱的行为，表现成有人格的人，以便能构成一个真正是“人”的社会。

我们又试想想看，孟子的这种思想——人要有人格，能恻隐、能仁爱，构成真是“人”的社会——不也是有价值的、有用的吗？不也是不只在古代，纵令在现代，要人有人格，要构成真是“人”的社会，也须要有而一样是有价值的，有用的吗？

不也是不只对东方地域的人，纵令是对西方地域的人，要人有人格，要构成真是“人”的社会，也须要有而一样是有价值的、有用的吗？

所以，这些问题的答案，也都是在肯定孟子的这种思想是“有用”的。它是不受时、空的限制，是不论古今、不分东西的有用于任何时、空的。

孔子和孟子的很多思想要点，大抵就都是这样的极具不朽的价值而永恒有用的。

如今，人类的新世纪虽然来临了，然而，人如果还要追求真正是“人”的生活、是“人”的社会的确实获致与享有，则孔、孟的思想恐怕仍无例外，还是继续有用的罢！