两条道路The Two Roads（1/2）
约翰·罗斯金/ John Rk
约翰·罗斯金（1819—1900），英国作家和美术评论家。他对社会的评论使他被视为道德领路人或预言家。其著作《留给这个后来者》（Unto This Last）曾对甘地产生过影响。他先后于1870—1879年和1883—1884年两次担任牛津大学的美术教授。
Practicg for Better Learng
Thk about the questions before you read this article.
1. Have you ever ade a serio decision that yret?
2. Write down so words to your future self.
It was New Year’s Night. An aged an was standg at a dow. He raised his ournful eyes towards the deep be sky, where the stars were floatg like white lilies on the surface of a clear cal ke. Then he cast the on the earth, where few ore hopeless people than hiself now oved towards their certa goal—the tob. He had already passed sixty of the stages leadg to it, and he had brought fro his journey nothg but errors and reorse. Now his health oor, his d vat, his heart sorrowful, and his old age short of forts.
The days of his youth appeared like dreas before hi, and he recalled the serio ont when his father pced hi at the entrance of the o roads—he leadg to a peaceful, sunny pce, vered with flowers, fruits and resoundg with soft, sweet songs; the other leadg to a deep, dark cave, which was endless, where poison flowed stead of water and where devils and poisono snakes hissed and crawled.
He looked towards the sky and cried pafully,“O, youth, return! O, y father, pceonce ore at the entrao 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 flog awaythe darkness. These were the days of his wasted life; he saw a star fall fro the sky and disappeared, and this was the sybol of hiself. His reorse, which was like a sharp arrow, struck deeply to his heart. Then he rebered his friendshis childhood, who entered on life together with hi. But they had ade their way to suess and were now honoured and happy on this New Year’s Night.
The clockthe high church tower strud the sound ade hi reber his parents’early love for hi. They had taught hi and prayed to God for his good. But he chose the wrong way. With sha and grief he dared no longer look towards that heaven where his father lived. His darkened eyes were full of tears, and with a despairg effort, he burst out a cry,“Co back, y early days! Co back!”
And his youth did return, for all this was only a drea, which he had on New Year’s Night. He was still young though his faults were real; he had not yet ehe deep, dark cave, and he was still free to walk on the road which leads to the peaceful and sunny nd.
Those who still lger orance of life, hesitatg to choose the bright road, reber that when years are passed and your feet stuble on the dark ountas, you will cry bitterly, butva:“O youth, return! O giveback y early days!”
参考译文
新年之夜，一位上了年纪的人伫立在窗前。他抬起充满哀伤的眼睛，仰望着深蓝色的天空，星星在那里游移着，如同朵朵百合散落在清澈而平静的湖面上。接着，他把目光投向地面，看到几个比他更加绝望的人正走向他们的终点——坟墓。在通往人生终点的道路上，他已经走过了六十个驿站，除了过失和悔恨之外，他一无所获。现在，他健康欠佳，精神空虚，心情忧郁，缺少晚年应有的舒适和安逸。
年轻的时光如梦幻般浮现在他眼前，他回想起父亲将他放在人生道路的入口处时那个关键的时刻。当时，摆在他面前的有两条道路：一条通向和平宁静、阳光灿烂的地方，那里充满花果，回**着柔和甜美的歌声；另一条则通向黑暗无底的深渊，那里流淌着毒汁而非清水，恶魔肆虐，毒蛇横行。
他仰望着天空，痛苦地叫喊：“啊，青春，请回来吧！啊，父亲，请把我重新放到人生道路的起点上吧，我将会作出更好的选择。”然而，父亲和他的青春都已离他远去。
他看着灯光被黑暗吞没，那就是他虚度的时光；他看见一颗星星从空中陨落、消逝，那正是他自身的写照，悔恨如同利箭深深刺进他的心脏。然后，他回想起儿时的朋友，他们曾与他一同踏上人生的旅程，现在已走在成功的道路上，受到人们的尊敬，此时正沉浸在欢度新年的幸福中。
教堂高塔上的钟声敲响了，这让他回忆起父母早年对他的爱，他们曾给予他谆谆教诲，曾为他的幸福向上帝祈祷。但他偏偏选择了人生的歧途。羞愧和忧伤使他再也不敢正视他父亲所在的天堂。他双眼无神，饱含着泪水，在绝望中，他奋力高喊：“回来吧，我那逝去的岁月！回来吧！”
他的青春真的回来了，因为上面所发生的一切只不过是他在新年所做的一场梦。他依然年轻，当然他也曾真的犯过错误，但还不至于堕入黑暗深渊，他仍然可以自由地走在通向宁静和光明的道路上。
正在人生路口徘徊，正在犹豫是否要选择光明大道的年轻人啊，你们一定要记住：当你青春已逝，在黑暗的群山中举步维艰、跌跌撞撞的时候，你才会痛心疾首、徒劳无功地呼喊：“啊，回来吧，青春！啊，把我美好的年华还给我吧！”
心灵小语
人生没有彩排，每天都是现场直播。当我们站在人生路口时，更应该仔细斟酌，走一条无悔的道路。
Acethe Hole
Keywords and expressions
burst[b:st]
作动词，译为“(使)爆炸；突然发作；破裂”
作名词，译为“爆炸”
短语：burst to (= rh to)突然爆发
burst out突然激动地喊叫；突然开始做
burst forth突然出现
burst with充满
a burst of ughter突发的笑声
a sudden burst of anger怒火的迸发
例：1. His appearafor was greeted with a burst of appe.
他一登上台就博得了一阵热烈的掌声。
2. The stor burst and we all got wet.
暴风雨突然袭来，我们都淋湿了。
ksPractice
Graar analysis
He raised his ournful eyes towards the deep be sky, where the stars were floatg like white lilies on the surface of a clear cal ke.
他抬起充满哀伤的眼睛，仰望着深蓝色的天空，星星在那里游移着，如同朵朵百合散落在清澈而平静的湖面上。
注：句中用比喻的手法描述景色，十分有画面感，这也是散文的一大特点。
Sho
Write a se iitates the sentehe above activity.
_______________________________________________________________
快乐吧！
Be Happy!
劳埃德·莫里斯/ Lloyd Morris
劳埃德·莫里斯（1613—1680），英国作家，作品富于机智幽默，著有《格言集》等。本文以演绎的手法论述快乐对人的影响。作者先借梅斯菲尔德的诗引出“快乐”与“智慧”的关系，接着以人在快乐时的种种心理反应，点出快乐无处不在。最后再给予肯定的结论：快乐是智慧的开端。
Acethe Hole
Uand these new words before you read this article.
1. startle [stɑ:tl] v. 使吓一跳；使惊奇
2. arrest [?rest] v. 吸引
3. bud [b?d] n. 芽，萌芽
The days that akehappy akewise.
——John Masefield
When I first read this le by Engnd’s Poet Laureate, it startled . What did Masefield an? Without thkg about it uch, I had always assud that the opposite was true. But his sober assurance was arrestg. I uld not fet it.
Fally, I seed to grasp his ang and realized that here rofound observation. The wisdo that happess akes possible liesclear perception, not fogged by ay nor did by despair and boredo, and without the bld spots caed by fear.
本章未完，点击下一页继续阅读。