以下是小编精心整理的双语美文-幸福的家庭,本文共9篇,仅供参考,希望能够帮助到大家。
双语美文大全
【双语美文】让你微笑的人
When the door of happiness closes, another opens, but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don’t see the one which has been opened for us.
一道幸福之门关闭时,另一扇就会打开。我们经常太多太多地只看见关闭的门,而对开启的门却熟视无睹。
Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one so that when we finally meet the right person, we will know how to be grateful for that gift.
或许是上帝的安排,在最终找到知音之前,我们总要遇到一些不尽如意的人,只有这样,我们才能对知音这份礼物充满感激之情。
The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you’ve ever had.
也许最好的朋友就是那些你坐在门廊下,看到的来回过往的行人。你与他们一言未语,走开时却感到好像有过最好的交谈。
It’s true that we don’t know what we’ve got until we lose it, but it’s also true that we don’t know what we’ve been missing until it arrives.
无疑,一件东西只有失去时,我们才会懂得其真正的价值。同样,一件东西在得到之前,我们并没有意识到它的缺少。
Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they’ll love you back! Don’t expect love in return; just wait for it to grow in their heart but if it doesn’t, be content it grew in yours. It takes only a minute to get a crush on someone, an hour to like someone, and a day to love someone, but it takes a lifetime to forget someone.
将爱全部付出,并不能确保一定会得到回报。别指望爱有什么回报,耐心地等待它在你所爱的人的心里生根发芽,成长壮大。即使不会那样,也要感到满足,相信爱在自己心里成长。迷恋一个人只需要一分钟,喜欢一个人需要一个小时,爱上一个人需要一天,而忘记一个人则需要一辈子的时间。
Don’t go for looks; they can deceive. Don’t go for wealth; even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the one that makes your heart smile.
不要追求华丽的外表,外表常常具有欺骗性。不要追求万贯家产,财富也会散尽。寻找那个可以使你微笑的人,只有微笑才能使黑暗的日子变得光明。寻找那个能够使你的心灵微笑的人。
双语阅读:让你微笑的人
Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one so that when we finally meet the right person, we will know how to be grateful for that gift.
或许是上帝的安排,在最终找到知音之前,我们总要遇到一些不尽如意的人,只有这样,我们才能对知音这份礼物充满感激之情。
When the door of happiness closes, another opens, but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don’t see the one which has been opened for us.
一道幸福之门关闭时,另一扇就会打开。我们经常太多太多地只看见关闭的门,而对开启的门却熟视无睹。
The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you’ve ever had.
也许最好的朋友就是那些你坐在门廊下,看到的来回过往的行人。你与他们一言未语,走开时却感到好像有过最好的交谈。
It’s true that we don’t know what we’ve got until we lose it, but it’s also true that we don’t know what we’ve been missing until it arrives.
无疑,一件东西只有失去时,我们才会懂得其真正的价值。同样,一件东西在得到之前,我们并没有意识到它的缺少。
Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they’ll love you back! Don’t expect love in return; just wait for it to grow in their heart but if it doesn’t, be content it grew in yours. It takes only a minute to get a crush on someone, an hour to like someone, and a day to love someone, but it takes a lifetime to forget someone.
将爱全部付出,并不能确保一定会得到回报。别指望爱有什么回报,耐心地等待它在你所爱的人的心里生根发芽,成长壮大。即使不会那样,也要感到满足,相信爱在自己心里成长。迷恋一个人只需要一分钟,喜欢一个人需要一个小时,爱上一个人需要一天,而忘记一个人则需要一辈子的时间。
Don’t go for looks; they can deceive. Don’t go for wealth; even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the one that makes your heart smile.
不要追求华丽的外表,外表常常具有欺骗性。不要追求万贯家产,财富也会散尽。寻找那个可以使你微笑的人,只有微笑才能使黑暗的日子变得光明。寻找那个能够使你的心灵微笑的人。
编辑推荐:双语阅读
精美英文欣赏:让我们微笑吧Let Us Smile
[美文欣赏]
The thing that goes the farthest toward making life worthwhile,
That costs the least and does the most, is just a pleasant smile.
The smile that bubbles from the heart that loves its fellow men,
Will drive away the clouds of gloom and coax the Sun again.
It’sfull of worth and goodness, too, with manly kindness blent;
It’s worth a million dollars, and it doesn’t cost a cent.
There is no room for sadness when we see a cheery smile;
It always has the same good look; it’s never out of style;
It nerves us on to try again when failure makes us blue;
The dimples of encouragement are good for me and you.
It pays the highest interest — for it is merely lent;
It’s worth a million dollars, and it doesn’t cost a cent.
A smile comes very easy — you can wrinkle up with cheer,
A hundred times before you can squeeze out a salty tear;
It ripples out, moreover, to the heartstrings that will tug,
And always leaves an echo that is very like a hug.
So, smile away! Folks understand what by a smile is meant;
It’s worth a million dollars, and it doesn’t cost a cent.
[参考译文]
那最能赋予生命价值、代价最廉而回报最多的东西,
不过一个令人心畅的微笑而已。
由衷地热爱同胞的微笑,
会驱走心头阴郁的乌云,心底收获一轮夕阳。
它充满价值和美好,混合着坚毅的仁爱之心;
它价值连城却不花一文。
当我们看到喜悦的微笑,忧伤就会一扫而光;
它始终面容姣好,永不落伍;
失败令我们沮丧之时,它鼓励我们再次尝试;
鼓励的笑靥于你我大有裨益。
它支付的利息高昂无比──只因它是种借贷形式;
它价值连城却不花一文。
来一个微笑很容易──嘴角欢快翘起来,
你能百次微笑,可难得挤出一滴泪;
它的涟漪深深波及心弦,
总会留下反响,宛若拥抱。
继续微笑吧!谁都懂得它意味着什么;
它价值连城却不花一文。
英语美文欣赏:美丽的微笑与爱心
The poor are very wonderful people. One evening we went out and we picked up four people from the street. And one of them was in a most terrible condition,and I told the sisters: You take care of the other three. I take care of this one who looked worse. So I did for her all that my love can do. I put her in bed, and there was such a beautiful smile on her face. She took hold of my hand as she said just the words “thank you” and she died. I could not help but examine my conscience[良心]before her and I asked what would I say if I was in her place. And my answer was very simple. I would have tried to draw a little attention to myself. I would have said I am hungry, that I am dying, I am cold, I am in pain, or something, but she gave me much more-she gave me her grateful love. And she died with a smile on her face. As did that man whom we picked up from the drain[阴沟、下水道], half eaten with worms, and we brought him to the home. “I have lived like an animal in the street, but I am going to die like an angel, loved and cared for.” And it was so wonderful to see the greatness of that man who could speak like that, who could die like that without blaming anybody, without cursing anybody, without comparing anything. Like an angel-this is the greatness of our people. And that is why we believe what Jesus had said: I was hungry, I was naked, I was homeless, I was unwanted, unloved, uncared for, and you did it to me.
穷人是非常了不起的人。一天晚上,我们外出,从街上带回了四个人,其中一个生命岌岌可危。于是我告诉修女们说:“你们照料其他三个,这个濒危的人就由我来照顾了。”就这样,我为她做了我的爱所能做的一切。我将她放在床上,看到她的脸上绽露出如此美丽的微笑。她握着我的手,只说了句“谢谢您”就死了。我情不自禁地在她面前审视起自己的良知来。我问自己,如果我是她的话,会说些什么呢?答案很简单,我会尽量引起旁人对我的关注,我会说我饥饿难忍,冷得发抖,奄奄一息,痛苦不堪,诸如此类的话。但是她给我的却更多更多――她给了我她的感激之情。她死时脸上却带着微笑。我们从排水道带回的那个男子也是如此。当时,他几乎全身都快被虫子吃掉了,我们把他带回了家。“在街上,我一直像个动物一样地活着,但我将像个天使一样地死去,有人爱,有人关心。”真是太好了,我看到了他的伟大之处,他竟能说出那样的话。他那样地死去,不责怪任何人,不诅咒任何人,无欲无求。像天使一样――这便是我们的人民的.伟大之所在。因此我们相信耶稣所说的话――我饥肠辘辘――我衣不蔽体――我无家可归――我不为人所要,不为人所爱,也不为人所关心――然而,你却为我做了这一切。
I believe that we are not real social workers. We may be doing social work in the eyes of the people, but we are really contemplatives[修行者、沉思冥想的人] in the heart of the world. For we are touching the body of Christ twenty-four hours…And I think that in our family we don’t need bombs and guns, to destroy, to bring peace, just get together, love one another, bring that peace, that joy, that strength of presence of each other in the home. And we will be able to overcome all the evil that is in the world.
我想,我们算不上真正的社会工作者。在人们的眼中,或许我们是在做社会工作,但实际上,我们真的只是世界中心的修行者。因为,一天24小时,我们都在触摸基督的圣体。我想,在我们的大家庭时,我们不需要枪支和炮弹来破坏和平,或带来和平――我们只需要团结起来,彼此相爱,将和平、欢乐以及每一个家庭成员灵魂的活力都带回世界。这样,我们就能战胜世界上现存的一切邪恶。
And with this prize that I have received as a Prize of Peace, I am going to try to make the home for many people who have no home. Because I believe that love begins at home, and if we can create a home for the poor I think that more and more love will spread. And we will be able through this understanding love to bring peace be the good news to the poor. The poor in our own family first, in our country and in the world. To be able to do this, our Sisters, our lives have to be wove with prayer. They have to be woven with Christ to be able to understand, to be able to share. Because to be woven with Christ is to be able to understand, to be able to share. Because today there is so much suffering…When I pick up a person from the street, hungry, I give him a plate of rice, a piece of bread, I have satisfied. I have removed that hunger. But a person who is shut out, who feels unwanted, unloved, terrified, the person who has been thrown out from society-that poverty is so full of hurt and so unbearable…And so let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love, and once we begin to love each other naturally we want to do something.
我准备以我所获得的诺贝尔和平奖奖金为那些无家可归的人们建立自己的家园。因为我相信,爱源自家庭,如果我们能为穷人建立家园,我想爱便会传播得更广。而且,我们将通过这种宽容博大的爱而带来和平,成为穷人的福音。首先为我们自己家里的穷人,其次为我们国家,为全世界的穷人。为了做到这一点,姐妹们,我们的生活就必须与祷告紧紧相连,必须同基督结结一体才能互相体谅,共同分享,因为同基督结合一体就意味着互相体谅,共同分享。因为,今天的世界上仍有如此多的苦难存在……当我从街上带回一个饥肠辘辘的人时,给他一盘饭,一片面包,我就能使他心满意足了,我就能躯除他的饥饿。但是,如果一个人露宿街头,感到不为人所要,不为人所爱,惶恐不安,被社会抛弃――这样的贫困让人心痛,如此令人无法忍受。因此,让我们总是微笑想见,因为微笑就是爱的开端,一旦我们开始彼此自然地相爱,我们就会想着为对方做点什么了。
英语美文欣赏:充满微笑的世界
World of Smiles
About ten years ago when I was an undergraduate in college, I was working as an intern at my University’s Museum of Natural History. One day while working at the cash register in the gift shop, I saw an elderly couple come in with a little girl in a wheelchair.
As I looked closer at this girl, I saw that she was kind of perched on her chair. I then realized she had no arms or legs, just a head, neck and torso. She was wearing a little white dress with red polka dots.
As the couple wheeled her up to me I was looking down at the register. I turned my head toward the girl and gave her a wink. As I took the money from her grandparents, I looked back at the girl, who was giving me the cutest, largest smile I have ever seen. All of a sudden her handicap was gone and all I saw was this beautiful girl, whose smile just melted me and almost instantly gave me a completely new sense of what life is all about. She took me from a poor, unhappy college student and brought me into her world; a world of smiles, love and warmth.
That was ten years ago. I’m a successful business person now and whenever I get down and think about the troubles of the world, I think about that little girl and the remarkable lesson about life that she taught me.
十年前我还是一名在校大学生,那时我在学校的自然历史博物馆实习。一天,在礼品店的收银机那儿工作时,我看到一对老年夫妇推着一个坐轮椅的小女孩走了进来。
近看这个小女孩时,我注意到她几乎是完全被放在轮椅里,意识到她没有胳膊和腿,只剩下了头部、脖子以及躯干了。她穿着一件小白裙,上面还有红色的圆点花纹。
当这对夫妇推着她走到我身边时,我低头看了看清单。转头看到小女孩,于是我对她眨了眨眼睛。从她爷爷奶奶手中接钱的时候,我又看了一眼小女孩,她正向我展示我所见过的最可爱、最宽大的笑容。就在那一霎那间,她的身体缺陷消失了,我看到的只是一个美丽的女孩儿,她的笑容使我融化,并几乎立刻使我对人生有了一种新的认识。她把我这个贫穷而不幸的大学生带进了她的世界,一个充满微笑、爱和温暖的世界。
那已经是十年前的事情了。现在我已经成为一名成功的商人。无论何时当我感到沮丧,回想到世界上的烦恼时,我就会想起那个小女孩以及她教给我的那堂不寻常的课。
英语美文欣赏:微笑
The Smile
微笑
Smile at each other, smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other―it doesn’t matter who it is―and that will help you to grow up in greater love for each other.
经常保持笑容,对你的另一半、你的孩子微笑,甚至对陌生人也不要吝惜你的微笑,因为小小的微笑就能大大增进人与人之间的感情。 ――泰瑞莎修女
Many Americans are familiar with The Little Prince, a wonderful book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. This is a whimsical and fabulous book and works as a children’s story as well as a thought-provoking adult fable. Far fewer are aware of Saint-Exupery’s other writings, novels and short stories.
法国作家安东尼·圣艾修伯里所写的《小王子》是本很多美国人都很熟悉的极好的书。这本书表面上看来是童话故事,但世故的成人读来也觉寓意深远。很少人知道,除了《小王子》,圣艾修伯里还创作过其他小说和短篇故事。
Saint-Exupery was a fighter pilot who fought against the Nazis and was killed in action. Before World War II, he fought in the Spanish Civil War against the fascists. He wrote a fascinating story based on that experience entitled The Smile. It is this story which I’d like to share with you now. It isn’t clear whether or not he meant this to be autobiographical or fiction. I choose to believe it to be the former.
圣艾修伯里是名飞行员,二次大战对抗纳粹时被击落身亡,之前他也曾参加西班牙内战打击法西斯分子。他根据这次经验写了一篇精彩的故事――《微笑》,现在要提的就是这篇作品。这是真实故事或是虚构事情,没人能下定论,但我宁可相信这是作者的亲身体验。
He said that he was captured by the enemy and thrown into a jail cell. He was sure that from the contemptuous looks and rough treatment he received from his jailers he would be executed the next day. From here, I’ll tell the story as I remember it in my own words.
故事的前段大意是作者被敌军俘虏,关进监牢。看守监狱的人一脸凶相,态度极为恶劣。他心想,明天绝对会被拖出去枪毙。以下是我记忆中的故事原文。
“I was sure that I was to be killed. I became terribly nervous and distraught. I fumbled in my pockets to see if there were any cigarettes, which had escaped their search. I found one and because of my shaking hands, I could barely get it to my lips. But I had no matches, they had taken those.
”一想到自己明天就没命了,不禁陷入极端的惶恐与不安。我翻遍了口袋,终于找到一支没被他们搜走的香烟,但我的手紧张得不停发抖,连将烟送进嘴里都成问题,而我的火柴也在搜身时被拿走了。
“I looked through the bars at my jailer. He did not make eye contact with me. After all, one does not make eye contact with a thing, a corpse. I called out to him ‘Have you got a light?’ He looked at me, shrugged and came over to light my cigarette.
”我透过铁栏望着外面的警卫,他并没有注意到我在看他,也许对他而言,我只是他看守的一样‘物品’、一具‘尸体’。我叫了他一声:‘能跟你借个火吗?’他转头望着我,耸了耸肩,然后走了过来,点燃我的香烟
“As he came close and lit the match, his eyes inadvertently locked with mine. At that moment, I smiled. I don’t know why I did that. Perhaps it was nervousness, perhaps it was because, when you get very close, one to another, it is very hard not to smile. In any case, I smiled. In that instant, it was as though a spark jumped across the gap between our two hearts, our two human souls. I know he didn’t want to, but my smile leaped through the bars and generated a smile on his lips, too. He lit my cigarette but stayed near, looking at me directly in the eyes and continuing to smile.
”当他帮我点火时,他的眼光无意中与我的相接触,这时我突然冲着他微笑。我不知道自己为何有这般反应,也许是过于紧张,或者是当你如此靠近另一个人,你很难不对他微笑。不管是何理由,我对他笑了。就在这一刹那,这抹微笑如同火花般,打破了我们心灵间的隔阂。受到了我的感染,他的嘴角不自觉地也现出了笑容,虽然我知道他原无此意。他点完火后并没立刻离开,两眼盯着我瞧,脸上仍带着微笑。
“I kept smiling at him, now aware of him as a person and not just a jailer. And his looking at me seemed to have a new dimension, too. ‘Do you have kids?’ he asked.
”我也以笑容回应,仿佛他是个朋友,而不是个守着我的警卫。他看着我的眼神也少了当初的那股凶气,‘你有小孩吗?’他开口问道。
“ Yes, here, here.I took out my wallet and nervously fumbled for the pictures of my family. He, too, took out the pictures of his family and began to talk about his plans and hopes for them. My eyes filled with tears. I said that I feared that I’d never see my family again, never have the chance to see them grow up. Tears came to his eyes, too.
”‘有,你看。’我拿出了皮夹,手忙脚乱地翻出了我的全家福照片。他也掏出了照片,并且开始讲述他对家人的期望与计划。这时我眼中充满了泪水,我说我害怕再也见不到家人。我害怕没机会看着孩子长大。他听了也流下两行眼泪。
Suddenly, without another word, he unlocked my cell and silently led me out. Out of the jail, quietly and by back routes, out of the town. There, at the edge of town, he released me. And without another word, he turned back toward the town.
“突然间,他二话不说地打开了牢门,悄悄地带我从后面的小路逃离了监狱,出了小镇,就在小镇的边上,他放了我,之后便转身往回走,不曾留下一句话。
My life was saved by a smile.
”一个微笑居然能救自己一条命。“
11/ Yes, the smile―the unaffected, unplanned, natural connection between people. I tell this story in my work because I’d like people to consider that underneath all the layers we construct to protect ourselves, our dignity, our titles, our degrees, our status and our need to be seen in certain ways―underneath all that, remains the authentic, essential self. I’m not afraid to call it the soul. I really believe that if that part of you and that part of me could recognize each other, we wouldn’t be enemies. We couldn’t have hate or envy or fear. I sadly conclude that all those other layers, which we so carefully construct through our lives, distance and insulate us from truly contacting others. Saint-Exupery’s story speaks of that magic moment when two souls recognize each other.
是的,微笑是人与人之间最自然真挚的沟通方式,我在我的作品中讲这个故事,因为我希望人们能仔细想想以下的事情:人常常为自己建立层层的保护膜,为了维护尊严、头街、身分、形象等,而必须有所隐藏。我相信在这些掩饰下,每个人都有一个真实、不带虚伪的灵魂。如果我们能用心灵去认识彼此,世间不会有结怨成仇的憾事;恨意、妒嫉、恐惧也会不复存在。可惜的是人小心翼翼为自己所建造的保护膜,却阻隔了自己与他人真诚相对的机会。圣艾修伯里的这则故事,让我们见到了两颗心灵相互交流的神奇时刻。
I’ve had just a few moments like that. Falling in love is one example. And looking at a baby. Why do we smile when we see a baby? Perhaps it’s because we see someone without all the defensive layers, someone whose smile for us we know to be fully genuine and without guile. And that baby-soul inside us smiles wistfully in recognition.
我也曾有过如此神奇的时刻,坠入情网是其中一刻,而看着婴儿的脸是另外一例。为什么我们见到婴孩会微笑?也许是因为我们在他们身上见到不设防的灵魂,还有他们纯真无邪的笑容,更引起了我们内心深处的共鸣。
A Los Angeles man has spent the last 20 years as a foster father to children he knows are going to die, but he takes them in anyway.Mohamed Bzeek, 62, has cared for the sickest of the sick in Los Angeles County’s sprawling foster care system. Some have died in his arms.有一名洛杉矶人,二十年如一日地领养晚期病重儿童,即便知道他们将不久于人世,他还是执意领养。他叫Mohamed Bzeek,现年62岁,在洛杉矶庞大的领养系统中领养病重患儿,有些在他的`臂弯中离世。
Bzeek is the only foster parent in the county known to take in terminally ill children. He wants these children to know they’re not alone in this life.He is currently caring for a girl born with an encephalocele, a rare malformation in which part of her brain protruded through an opening in her skull. She requires around-the-clock care. She has been in his care since she was a month old.城中仅有他一人愿意领养这些孩子,他要让他们感觉到,他们在这世上并不孤单。 现在Bzeek照顾的这名患儿,有先天性脑病,她的脑干在卤门中突起,她需要昼夜护理,Bzeek 接手的时候她仅一个月大。
To avoid choking, the girl sleeps sitting up. Bzeek sleeps on a second couch next to hers. He doesn’t sleep much.”The key is, you have to love them like your own,“ Bzeek said. ”I know they are sick. I know they are going to die. I do my best as a human being and leave the rest to God.“为了防止她噎住,这女孩儿是坐着睡觉的,Bzeek 睡在她旁边的沙发上,他睡得不多。他说,重点是你得待他们如己出,我知道他们病了,而且时间也不多了,但我会竭尽所能,剩下的事情就交给上帝了。
经典双语美文汇编
“Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves。” ~Henry David Thoreau
迷失自我,才能发现自我。——亨利·大卫·梭罗(美国作家及自然主义者)
Everything about my future was ambiguously assumed. I would get into debt by going to college, then I would be forced to get a job to pay off that debt, while still getting into more and more debt by buying a house and a car. It seemed like a never-ending cycle that had no place for the possibility of a dream。
我们未来的一切似乎都模糊地设定好了,利用贷款上大学,然后为了还债被迫去找一份工作,还要为了买房买车背负更多的债务……这仿佛是一个无休止的循环,让我们的梦想没有实现的机会。
I want more—but not necessarily in the material sense of personal wealth and success. I want more out of life. I want a passion, a conceptual dream that wouldn’t let me sleep out of pure excitement. I want to spring out of bed in the morning, rain or shine, and have that zest for life that seemed so intrinsic in early childhood。
我们想要的更多——并不是对于个人财富和成功等物质性需求,我们对于生活,想要更多。我想要热忱、有概念的梦想,让我不会空怀纯粹的兴奋入睡。我希望能在早晨一跃起床,无论是阳光普照还是刮风下雨,也能对生活充满热情,就像我们的童年时固有的.一样。
We all have a dream. It might be explicitly defined or just a vague idea, but most of us are so stuck in the muck of insecurity and self-doubt that we just dismiss it as unrealistic or too difficult to pursue。
我们都有梦想,无论它是明确的目标还是模糊的主意,但我们大多数人都受困于不安全和自我怀疑的泥泞里,我们把梦想看做是不现实的、难以追求的,最后放弃了。
We become so comfortable with the life that has been planned out for us by our parents, teachers, traditions, and societal norms that we feel that it’s stupid and unsafe to risk losing it for the small hope of achieving something that is more fulfilling。我们变得满足于父母、老师、传统及社会规条为我们营造的安逸生活。为了那一点点能够为生活变得更充实的希望去冒险,我们会认为这是愚蠢和危险的。
“The policy of being too cautious is the greatest risk of all。” ~Jawaharlal Nehru
过于谨慎才是最大的危险——贾瓦哈拉尔·尼赫鲁(印度开国总理)
Taking a risk is still a risk. We can, and will, fail. Possibly many, many, many times. But that is what makes it exciting for me. That uncertainty can be viewed negatively, or it can empower us。
冒险始终还是有风险。我们,也有可能失败,还有可能是失败很多很多次。但这会让我们更加兴奋。不确定因素看起来有不利,但同时也能激励我们。
Failing is what makes us grow, it makes us stronger and more resilient to the aspects of life we have no control over. The fear of failure, although, is what makes us stagnant and sad. So even though I couldn’t see the future as clearly as before, I took the plunge in hopes that in the depths of fear and failure, I would come out feeling more alive than ever before。
失败能让我们成长,让我们更强大,让我们更能适应生活中难以控制的各个方面。对于失败的恐惧,让我们停滞不前,悲伤不已。尽管不能清晰地看见未来,在恐惧和失败的深渊里,我们也要保持希望,那么我们将活得更有生命力。
If you feel lost, just take a deep breath and realize that being lost can be turning point of finding out who you truly are, and what you truly want to do。
如果你迷失了自我,请深呼吸,迷失或许能成为你人生的转折点,让你发现真正的自己,并让你知道自己想真正成为怎样的人。
情书精选双语美文
I write to you as the evening shadows draw close, with the 1)tang of fog upon my breath, the very first of this season. I feel your arms about me as you left this morning for the airport as I wrap my 2)shawl a little closer. Joey woke up and you patted him back to sleep, and left me warm and tangled in the sheets, already waiting for you to be back.
夜幕降临之时,我正给你写信,呼吸着这个季节的第一场寒雾。我裹紧围巾,那感觉犹如你今天早上赶赴机场前搂着我一般。乔伊醒来,你轻拍着哄他再次入睡,把我留在温暖的被窝里蜷缩着,那一刻我就已开始等着你回来。
It has always been like this, though I never let you know of the waiting. The first time I talked to you, on those typed pages, 3)under the cloak of names 4)artfully chosen, moments became minutes and minutes gathered to hours. When we could talk no more, I was yearning, restless, and 5)loath to admit it. I gave you my number, gave it to a complete unknown, and was scared of my lack of 6)trepidation because, amazingly, no logic I could 7)muster would dismiss my 8)conviction that you were for real.
一直如此,虽然我从未让你知道我在等你。第一次与你交谈时,是通过网上传书,还用了一些精心挑选的网名做掩护,那时候的分分秒秒最终汇聚成漫长的数个小时。实在不能继续聊了,我会满怀思慕、焦躁不安,不愿承认想你的事实。我把自己的电话号码给了你——一个完完全全的陌生人。连我自己也吓了一跳,我居然没有一丝彷徨不安。奇怪的是,我找不到怀疑你的理由。
As I talked to you for days that 9)spilled into weeks, I was 10)tremulous, unsure, as a spider thread launched into the breeze, and it was as if in you my soul had found an anchor. You would talk to me of this and that, of a 11)pompous colleague or of a cab driver gone 12)amok, of the 13)impending marriage in your neighborhood, of an art exhibition where a watercolor made you think of me. I would laugh: a building, are you serious? I am really not that fat, you know! You would move on to explain, but my mind would wander, I would 14)stroll in front of the mirror and examine myself: have the years of marriage marked time on my face, am I as slim as before Joey came?
我们聊着聊着,日子便悄然地由一天天逐渐变成了一周周。我心生颤抖,将信将疑,仿佛一根蛛丝飘荡在微风中,我的灵魂奔向了你,找到了依靠。你会跟我聊这聊那,聊爱炫耀的同事,聊发疯的出租车司机,聊你家附近即将举行的婚礼,聊艺术展,你说在艺术展上看到一幅水彩画让你想起了我。我会笑着说,(我像水彩画中的)建筑,说真的吗?你知道我其实没有那么胖啦!你会接着解释,但我的思绪却到了别处,我会站到镜子前审视自己脸上是不是有了婚姻带来的岁月痕迹?我是否还像乔伊到来之前那样苗条呢?
In those months of waiting, whether for the axe to fall or for happiness to strike I do not know, it was your voice and the 15)tug of Joey’s fingers that pulled me through. When I see the two of you together, him on your shoulders with a 16)fistful of your hair, your 17)impish grins mirroring each other, I am happy I made the decision to be part of your life and to make you a part of ours.
那些等待的日子是痛苦还是幸福,我无从得知,是你的声音和乔伊的陪伴使我最终度过了那段艰难的岁月。当我看到你们在一起,他坐在你的肩膀上,撩起你的一撮头发,你们顽皮的笑容交相辉映,我很高兴自己做出了这样的决定:让自己成为你生活中的一部分并让你成为我和乔伊的一部分。
You have become my spirit and my essence, my joy and temptation, the answer to 18)fervent prayers whispered with only half a hope of their fulfillment. I 19)revel in the freedom of the 20)enclosure of your arms, the way I am beautiful to you in the mornings without even running a comb through my hair. And through the times before I married you, what won me over was the way you somehow knew when to hold me close and when to let me be.
你已成为我的精神支柱和生命中必不可少的元素,成了我的喜悦、欢乐和动力源泉,你是我热切呢喃的那些祈祷的回应,尽管当初祈祷时并未抱太大希望。我陶醉在你双臂绕缠的自由中,陶醉在早晨醒来,即使我乱发蓬松,在你眼中我依然美丽可人。在嫁给你之前,不知何故,你总知道何时该紧紧地抱着我,何时应该让我一人独处,这就是你最终赢得我芳心的原因。
People wiser than I would care to argue with often say that extreme emotions cannot be sustained for long. They use the body as the flame does a candle, and the flame is never stronger than when the candle is at its shortest. So for a love of two people to survive, it must be 21)immortalized by the death of one or both, or simply get 22)lulled to companionship, or worse still, slowly 23)wilt under the weight of life’s 24)mundane tomorrows.
比我聪明的人也许会争辩说,浓情并不能持久。感情与身体就像火焰与蜡烛,火焰最热烈时,也是蜡烛即将燃尽的时候。所以,要让两个人的爱长存,就必须牺牲其一或两人来使爱永生,或者干脆让爱静变为友伴之情, 或更糟的是,让爱在世俗生活的重压下慢慢枯萎。
But you were first a stranger, then a friend, afterwards a lover and now my husband. You are the man who left spaces in our togetherness as pauses in the 25)cadence of a song. I trust as well that each day I pass with you now, one of your arms about my shoulder and the other around Joey as you introduce me to your friends, will remain with me as I grow older.
但是,你起初是一个陌生人,然 后是一个朋友,后来成了我的恋人,而现在,你是我的丈夫。你是那个在我们团聚的时光之间留下空隙的男人,这种空隙就像一首抑扬顿挫的歌中的停顿。我也相信,即便岁月流逝,我现在与你度过的每一天,连同你一只手搭着我的肩膀,另一只搭着乔伊,把我介绍给你朋友的每一个时刻,都会与我同在。
As I write to you now, I know that when you are back next week I’ll probably tell you how much I love you and this letter may just seem 26)superfluous. Please know that when you read it in the fifth, tenth or thirtieth year of our marriage, I love you then as I love you today when our marriage is a full year old, and we are miles apart on our first wedding anniversary.
此刻,我正在给你写信,我知道,当你下周回来时,我很可能会亲口告诉你我是多么爱你,这封信也许稍显多余。今天,我们的婚姻满一周年,相隔千里的我们过着人生中的第一个结婚纪念日。请记得,当你在我们第五个、第十个、或第三十个结婚纪念日读这封信时,那时,我依然像今天这样爱你。
圣诞节双语美文
It all began about 2,000 years ago. An angel appeared to a Jewish girl named Mary and gave her good news: You will have a son. His name will be Jesus, the Savior. When the baby was almost due, Mary and her fiance Joseph went to their hometown, Bethlehem, for a census. The only place they could find to stay was an animal stable. There the special baby was born.
这一切大约是在两千年前开始的,一位天使向一位叫马利亚的犹太女孩显现,并且告诉她好消息:「你将怀孕生子,给他起名叫耶稣,就是救世主。」当马利亚的产期近了的时候,马利亚和的未婚夫约瑟因户口调查的缘故回到家乡伯利恒城。他们所找到唯一能够落脚的地方是一个动物住的地方。这位特别的婴孩就在那里出生。
Angels announced the joyful news to some shepherds. They left their sheep and hurried to see the baby. Some time later, wise men from the East saw an unusual star. They knew someone great had been born. The star led them to Bethlehem. When they found the child Jesus, they offered him gifts fit for a king.
天使对一些牧羊人报告这个大喜的讯息。他们便丢下自己的羊赶去看这位婴孩。不久之后,东方的博士看见一颗很不寻常的星星,他们知道某位伟人诞生了。这颗星将他们引导到伯利恒,当他们找到了孩童耶稣时,他们献上了适合国王身份的礼物。
The celebration of this special birth came to be called Christmas. Through the ages, people developed many Christmas traditions. The custom of decorating Christmas trees began centuries ago. People in many ancient cultures decorated homes with trees and greenery in winter. In the Middle Ages, Christians in Europe added lights and religious symbols to evergreens to make Christmas trees. Santa Claus has become one of the most famous Christmas figures, particularly in America. His legend started with a kind bishop named St. Nicholas who lived around 300 A.D. and was known for his generosity. The practice of giving Christmas gifts comes from the gifts offered to the child Jesus by the wise men of the East. The star on top of the Christmas tree symbolizes the star that led the wise men to Jesus.
为这个特别诞生所做的庆祝被称为圣诞节。经过这些年,人们发展出了许多圣诞节的传统,装饰圣诞树的习俗在数百年前开始。在许多古老文化中,人们在冬天利用树和绿叶植物装饰自己的家。在中世纪,欧洲的在万年青上面加上灯光和宗教象征物成为圣诞树。圣诞老公公已经成了最有名的圣诞节人物之一,尤其是在美国。他的传说始自纪元前三百年左右,一个叫做圣尼古拉斯的仁慈主教,他以慷慨仁慈而出名。而在圣诞节送礼物的习惯则是始自那些由东方而来的博士将礼物送给耶稣。圣诞树顶上的星星象征着那颗引导博士找到耶稣的星星。
Sometimes Christmas can become just a ritual. Many Americans see Christmas as just a time for shopping for the perfect gift. Advertisers and businesses begin promoting Christmas earlier every year. Stores remind customers of how many shopping days are left until Christmas. It’s almost a modern Christmas custom to spend too much money! Credit card debts often take months to pay off. Even children can become materialistic. They think only of what they will get from Santa Claus.
有时候,圣诞节变得非常形式化。许多美国人把圣诞节当成只是一个购买「最佳礼物」的时刻。广告公司和商人开始一年比一年提早为圣诞节打广告,商店也会提醒顾客在圣诞节之前还有几天可以购物,过量的花费几乎已成了现代的圣诞节习惯!用信用卡代付的金额通常要好几个月才能偿清。即使小孩也变得很物质主义,他们只想到自己会从圣诞老公公那里得到什么礼物。
Despite the hustle and bustle of the Christmas Rush, most Americans feel Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. It’s a time of excitement, a time of joy, a time to show love in special ways. Best of all, Christmas is not just for Americans. Christmas is for everybody in the world. Christmas is the celebration of God’s gift to the world-Jesus.
除了这些因圣诞节而来的忙忙碌碌,大部份的美国人仍然认为圣诞节是一年之中最美好的时间。它是一个兴奋、喜乐并且用特别的方式来表达爱的时候。最好的是,圣诞节不只是为美国人预备的,圣诞节是为了世界上的每一个人预备的,它是为了庆祝上帝给世人的礼物──耶稣。
扩展:足球词汇
劲射:hard [heavy; crashing; cannon] shot; drive; thump
补射:tip-in
转身射门:pivot shot
贴地射门;低射:grazing shot
一次射门:first-time[one-touch]shot
调整后[停球]射门:second-touch shot
小角度射门:sharp-angled shot
狭缝射门(指穿过防守线):slot
倒地射门:sliding shot
凌空射门:volley shot
倒钩射门:scissors shot
头球入门:head [nod] in a goal
高吊球射门:lob [hanging] shot
射空门:free shot
香蕉球:banana shot
乌龙球(踢进本方球门):own [self] goal
射门的强烈愿望:goal hunger
庆祝进球:goal celebration
球门网右上角:top right-hand corner of the net
球门网右下角:bottom right-hand corner of the net
球门网左上角:top left-hand corner of the net
球门网左下角:bottom left-hand corner of the net
守门:goalkeeping;goaltending
救球:save;retrieve;stop
托救球:finger-tip save
鱼跃救球;扑救:diving save
挡开:parry
拳击球:fist [punch] the ball
护球;抱死:smother
封住角度:shut off[cut down; narrow] the angle
跑出来(抢球):come out
视线受阻:unsighted
慢慢来双语美文
Most people are rushing their way through life. xiaogushi8.com They fail to take the time necessary to nurture their relationships, feed their mind, relax their body or get in touch with their soul’s desire for freedom and peace.
大多数人的一生都匆忙度过。他们没能好好地利用时间去培养他们的社会关系、充实他们的思想、放松他们的身体或是了解他们的灵魂对自由与和平的渴望。
Life moves relentlessly forward one day at a time, and there is nothing any of us can do to stop it or slow it down.
生命每天都在一刻不停地向前行进,我们任何人都无法阻止它的前行或让它放慢步伐。
We are all getting older every day, but we don’t have to grow older every day. Taking time to daydream, visit a friend, watch your children grow, or just work in your garden is time well-spent. People are always rushing to tomorrow. We are being prodded4 into the future by faster computers, shorter delivery times, and a general need to have it, do it, and see it all now!
我们每天都在长大,但我们不必每天都变老。花些时间去做白日梦、去拜访朋友、关注孩子的成长或者只是收拾一下花园都是很好的选择。人们总是急不可待地奔向明天。我们被更快的电脑、更迅速的速递和此刻就要拥有、实现和看到的需要催促着奔入未来。
Take time today for yourself. Take time to breathe in life, all of it: its color, splendor5, smells, tastes, and sounds. From the smallest, most insignificant6 event to the things you have taken for granted.
为了你自己,放慢步伐。花些时间去享受所有生命的迹象:它的颜色、华丽、气息、味道和声音,从这些最小的、最微不足道的事情到所有你认为理所当然的一切。
Tomorrow will be here before you know it. Today will be a distant7 memory before you realize it. We create our futures and memories in the present. Go through life today, conscious of your surroundings.
明天总是会在你意识到之前到来。而今天也将在你意识到之前成为遥远的回忆。英语短文我们此刻所创造的是我们的未来和回忆。因此,看清自己所处的环境,认真过好每一个今天。
Why not take a long weekend walking through nature? xiaogushi8.com There are a lot of lessons that nature can teach us, if we will only carefully watch and listen.
周末不妨去大自然里散散步,如果我们认真观察、仔细聆听,大自然将会告诉我们很多东西。
Today is a gift of life. Live it with thankfulness and don’t let the sun set today without seeing it, embracing it, and enjoying it.
今天是生命赋予的礼物。心怀感激地度过,不要让自己在日落后才后悔错过了看到、拥抱和享受今天。
扩展:常见的重要电脑知识及其英语缩写
PC:Personal Computer,个人计算机、个人电脑,又称微型计算机或微机。
NC:Network Computer,网络计算机。
MPC:Multimedia Personal Computer,多媒体个人电脑。
MMX:是MultiMedia eXtensions(多媒体扩展)的缩写,是第六代CPU芯片的重要特点。MMX技术是在CPU中加入了特地为视频信号(Video Signal),音频信号(Audio Signal)以及图像处理(Graphical Manipulation)而设计的57条指令,因此,MMX CPU极大地提高了电脑的多媒体(如立体声、视频、三维动画等)处理功能。
Intel Pentium 166MHz MMXTM:Intel Pentium是英特尔(Intel)公司生产的“奔腾”CPU。意为“Registered”(注册商标)。166MHz指CPU时钟频率,MHz即Mega Hertz的缩写。MMXTM中的TM是“Trade Mark”的简写,意为“注册商标”。
OOP:Object Oriented Programming,面向对象的程序设计。所谓“对象”就是一个或一组数据以及处理这些数据的方法和过程的集合。面向对象的程序设计完全不同于传统的面向过程程序设计,它大大地降低了软件开发的难度,使编程就像搭积木一样简单,是当今电脑编程的一股势不可挡的潮流。
28VGA:28是指彩色显示器上的黄光网点间距(点距),点距越小的显示器,图像就越细腻越好,这是因为彩色屏幕上的每个像点都是由一组红、绿、蓝光汇聚而成的,由于在技术上三束光还不能100%地汇聚在一点上,因此会产生一种黄光网点的间隔,这种间隔越小,屏幕上显示的图像越清晰。VGA是Video Graphics1 Array(视频图形阵列)的缩写。
FAT:Allocation Table,文件分配表,它的作用是记录硬盘中有关文件如何被分散存储在不同扇区的信息。
EPA:Environmental Protection Agency的简称,美国环境保护署。EPA于1992年宣布了“能源之星”(Energy Star)计划,并得到了国际社会的积极响应。只要启动电脑,过不了几秒钟就能见到屏幕上出现“能源之星”的标志。能源之星的目标是当电脑系统的各个部件不活动时自动进入低功耗状态,当部件的能动性恢复(即当键盘、鼠标等被使用)时,电脑系统自动回到完全清醒的状态。对于符合能源之星规范的产品,EPA将发给能源之星标志“EPA POLLUTION PREVENTER”,意为“美国环境保护署认可的防污染的节能产品”。
IC卡:Intelligent Card,智能卡。
ATX:一种新的电脑机箱、主板、电源的结构规范。
IDE:集成电路设备或智能磁盘设备。
DLL:Dynamic Link Library,动态链接库。
KB:Kilo Byte,KB表示千字节。K=Kilo,构词成分,表示“千,千米,公斤,公里”。B=Byte,意为“字节”,是电脑中最小存贮单位(一个字节可以存贮一个英文字母,每两个字节可以存放一个汉字)。
MB:Mega Byte,MB表示兆字节。M=Mega,构词成分,表示“兆;百万”。
GB:Giga Byte,GB表示千兆字节。G=Giga,构词成分,表示千兆;十亿”。
CAI:Computer-Assisted Instruction或Computer-Aided Instruction,计算机辅助教学。它将是二十一世纪最重要、最受欢迎的教学手段。
CAD:Computer-Aided Design,计算机辅助设计。
ISO:International Standard Organization,国际标准化组织。ISO于1987年推出有关质量管理和质量保证的ISO 9000系列国际标准,于1994年又发布了经过修订的标准。其中,构成ISO 9000系列标准的主要标准分别是:1、ISO 9000-1:1994《质量管理和质量保证标准—第一部分:选择和使用指南》。2、ISO 9001:1994《质量体系—设计、开发、生产、安装和服务的质量保证模式》。3、ISO 9002:1994《质量体系—最终检验和试验的质量保证模式》。
3DS或3D Studio:Three Dimension Studio,三维摄影室。是美国Autodesk公司推出的一套多功能三维动画软件,集实体造型、静态着色和动画创作于一体,极大地普及了三维造型技术。它能够与AutoCAD进行图形信息交换,利用扫描仪输入图形,通过VGA与电视转换接口将动画输出至电视或录像带。
VR:Virtual Reality,虚拟现实,又称投入3D,由空军模拟飞行装置演变而来,基本上是利用左、右视觉空间交替变换显示图像的原理产生立体效果,实际上已超出图像处理的范畴,是综合光、声、图像的计算机生成环境,人们能够像在实际生活中那样对虚拟环境中的对象进行交互式操作,虚拟现实应用前景极为广阔。
OCR:Optical Character Recognition(光学字符识别)的缩写,是指将文字材料通过扫描仪输入作为计算机图像文件,通过软件识别为中文或英文内码,然后进行文字处理。由于手写体的随意性太大,目前OCR主要限于印刷文字的识别。目前代表中文OCR识别准确率最高水平的是清华文通公司出品的TH-OCR NT for Windows。
SCSI:Small Computer System Interface,小型计算机系统接口,它是为解决众多的外部设备与计算机之间的连接问题而出现的。
OEM:Original Equipment Manufacturer,原始设备制造商。
Microsoft OEM:微软OEM产品。它是指预安装在微机上的软件操作系统,包括Windows98、Windows NT、WorkStation、Windows3X、MS-DOS。
MIS:Management Information System,管理信息系统。它广泛地应用于各行各业,国内最有名的管理信息系统有“王特MIS”、“雅奇MIS”、“Quick MIS”。
PNP:Plug and Play,即插即用,它是Window98的一个重要技术特性。所谓即插即用是指将符合PNP标准的PC插卡等外围设备安装到电脑时,操作系统自动设定系统结构的技术。这就是说,当用户安装新的硬件时,不必再设置任何跳线器开关,也不必用软件配置中断请求(IRQ)、内存地址或直接存储器存取(DMA)通道,Windows98会向应用程序通知硬件设备的新变化,并会自动协调IRQ、内存地址和DMA通道之间的冲突。
OLE:Object Linking and Embedding,对象连接与嵌入,简称OLE技术。OLE不仅是桌面应用程序集成,而且还定义和实现了一种允许应用程序作为软件“对象”(数据集合和操作数据的函数)彼此进行“连接”的机制,这种连接机制和协议称为部件对象模型(Component Object Model),简称COM。OLE可以用来创建复合文档,复合文档包含了创建于不同源应用程序,有着不同类型的数据,因此它可以把文字、声音、图像、表格等组合在一起。
MIDI:Musical Instrument Digital Interface,乐器数字接口。它是多媒体的基本术语之一,MIDI文件是用电子乐器如:电子琴、吉它、萨克斯等演奏并录制下来的,它能在大多数的多媒体计算机声音卡上播放,即使不去创建自己的MIDI文件,也可以使用现有的MIDI文件,作为多媒体演示的背景音乐。MIDI文件储存的只是对声音的描述,依靠声音卡的合成器(FM或者波形表)来产生人们想听的真实声音。
MPEG:是Motion Picture Experts Group的缩写,意即“运动图像专家组”,它是多媒体计算机中的一种活动图像及其伴音的压缩编码标准,即人们通常所说的MPEG标准。它包括三部分:MPEG音频、MPEG视频、和MPEG系统。
关于双语美文欣赏
One of the most inspiring quotes I ever heard regarding perseverance was by Brian Tracy. He said: “The difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is that successful people fail many more times than unsuccessful people.”我听过的关于“毅力”的最鼓舞人心的一句名言,出自布赖恩-特蕾西之口。他说:“成功者和失败者的区别是,成功者比失败者要经历更多的失败。”
I personally experienced the wisdom of that understanding right after my first book was published. Like many authors, I envisioned hundreds of bookstore customers lining up for me to benevolently sign copies for them.我的第一本书出版之后的亲身经历让我对这句名言的智慧有了深刻的理解。与许多作者一样,我也曾想象有几百个我的书迷朋友在书店里排起长龙,期待着我亲切地为他们签名。
I’m afraid to say, it didn’t quite happen like that.然而,我得说,这一幕并没有发生。
I was living in Atlanta at the time and arranged my first signing at The Phoenix and Dragon, the largest inspirational bookstore in the city. The store was celebrating its 15th anniversary and had authors scheduled to appear throughout the three-day event. I was scheduled Sunday at 5pm, the last day and time slot of the celebration.那时我住在亚特兰大,正在为我的第一次签名售书活动做准备。这次签名售书活动被安排在龙凤书店举行,那是亚特兰大市最大的励志书书店。为了庆祝书店开业15周年,书店邀请了一些作家陆续在为期3天的庆祝活动中亮相。我被安排在星期天下午5点出席活动—那是三天庆祝活动的最后一天,也是活动的一段间隙。
Brimming with anticipation, I was put into a private signing room in the beautiful store, and for the next hour and a half, had little more to do than to read my own book and wonder for what purpose in the world I had felt so driven to spend four years writing it.那天,我满怀期待。我被安排在漂亮的龙凤书店的一个专用签名室里。可是在接下来的一个半小时里,我除了百无聊赖地翻看自己的书之外,没有其他事情可做。我不禁问自己,究竟是什么促使我花了四年的时间来写作这本书。
Despite a nice sign placed outside the room exhibiting images of both me and my book, The 9 Insights of the Wealthy Soul, not a single customer entered the room. As each minute passed, I became increasingly anxious.签名室的外面摆着一块漂亮抢眼的广告牌,上面展示着我的头像,以及我的书——《富足灵魂的九大顿悟》,然而却没有一个客人走进这个房间。随着时间一分一秒地过去,我变得越来越焦虑不安。
Do they not like the title? I wondered. Do they not like the book cover?他们不喜欢我的书名吗?我充满疑问。还是不喜欢书的封面设计?
After 90 minutes of this torture, I was absolutely distraught.这种折磨持续了90分钟以后,我彻底疯掉了。
For the four years writing the book, I had felt a sense of mission and purpose like never before in my life. Working a full 8 to 9 hour day in my clinic, I had lived on a strict regimen during the four years of getting into bed by 9:30pm, so I could quiet my mind and feel a sense of surrender before turning out the lights at 11. I would sleep with that silent potentiality, so I could wake up at 5:30 in the morning and have two pristine hours of writing before heading into my clinic.在著书的4年时间里,我有一种前所未有的使命感和目标感。那时,我每天在诊所工作8到9个小时。那4年里,我的作息时间极为严格,每天晚上9点半准时上床,以便在11点熄灯之前的这段时间里,能使大脑平静下来,体会一种抛开杂念,交出身心的感觉。带着这种沉默的潜在力量入睡,我就可以在早上5点半起床,利用完整的两个小时来写作,然后再前往诊所。
Before I ever began each writing session, I would close my eyes for 10 minutes and end my meditation whispering, “Please grant me the words to touch just one person’s life.”每次提笔写新内容之前,我都会闭目沉思10分钟,然后低声说:“请赐予我一种力量,让我的文字能够感动一位读者。”
I truly was inspired, and despite my ascetic lifestyle, I knew that’s what I had to do to maintain the grace in my words with which I wanted my readers to eventually be touched.写作时,我确实是文思泉涌。虽然我过着苦行僧般的生活,但我深知为保持文字的优美流畅我必须这么做,我希望我的文字最终能够感动读者。
Now, sitting there alone at my first book signing, I wondered if my entire life wasn’t just a big joke. I watched the minutes agonizingly tick by on a clock on the wall. At 6:25pm, just before the store’s closing, defeated, I began to get myself ready to leave.然而现在,我孤单一人坐在这里,举行自己的第一次签名售书活动。我开始怀疑自己的人生是不是一个天大的玩笑。我苦闷地盯着墙上的时钟,指针走了一圈又一圈。到了下午6点25分,书店马上就要关门了。我备受打击,开始准备离开。
At that moment, just when I couldn’t feel any worse, a middle-aged couple walked into the room. Trying to regain my composure, I managed to hide my emotions and introduced myself and my book:这时,就在我情绪低落到极点的时候,一对中年夫妇走了进来。我一边强作镇定,极力掩饰失落的`情绪,一边向他们介绍我自己和我的新书。
“Well,” I started hesitantly, “It’s called The 9 Insights of the Wealthy Soul, and it’s a story of a WWII pilot, my dad, and the lessons he was giving me in wealth accumulation while he was facing a terminal illness. And each lesson in the story becomes a much deeper lesson about life and death, and finding the greatest spiritual meaning anytime we are facing our greatest adversities.”“嗯,”我开始解说,语气有些犹豫,“这本书的名字叫《富足灵魂的九大顿悟》,讲述的是我父亲—一位二战飞行员,在患了晚期重病的时候,教我积累人生财富的故事。从这个故事里得到的每一个教诲,都成为一个对生死有更深刻理解的教诲,这些教诲也讲到当我们面对自己最大的不幸时,该怎样寻求最大的精神慰藉。”
Both the man and the woman’s eyes were now glued on me. There was something different about the way they were looking at me that I couldn’t quite identify. But I didn’t know what else to say. However, additional words were unnecessary.夫妇俩的眼睛都紧紧地盯着我。他们看我的眼神有点异样,至于怎么个异样法,我说不上来。但我又不知要说些什么。反正此刻再说什么,也是多余的。
The couple turned to each other, and the husband nodded solemnly to his wife. She then told me, “I think we’ll get the book.” My heart began to pound. But instinctively, despite the impulse to jump in the air and wring their hands to thank them for being my first readers, I realized the woman was trying to say something else.夫妇俩对望了一下,然后丈夫严肃地朝妻子点了点头。接着那位妻子对我说:“我们想买下这本书。”我的心开始“怦怦”地狂跳起来。尽管出于本能,我有种雀跃腾空的冲动,并想紧紧握住他们的手以感谢他们做我的第一批读者,但我意识到那位女士似乎还有别的话要说。
“The reason we’re buying it,” she said hesitantly, “is because our son committed suicide two years ago.” She took my hand. “Maybe your story will help us get over it.”“我们之所以决定买这本书,”她有些犹豫地说,“是因为我们的儿子两年前自杀了。”她握住我的手。“也许你的书能帮助我们抚平心灵的创伤。”
I felt my eyes glisten. I was speechless.我感到自己的眼里泛着泪光,一时无语。
In that moment, I knew if I never sold another copy of the book, my four years of writing it had served its purpose. My prayer of asking for the words to touch just one person’s life had already been answered.那一刻,我知道,即便我只卖出这一本书,我四年的写作也有了回报。我曾经祈求自己的文字能打动一个人,现在我如愿了。
Although I would have many more challenging years until my book caught on and saw substantial distribution, this couple’s story was all the motivation I needed at that point to keep me moving ahead.尽管经过多年的挑战和考验以后,我的书才终于引起人们的注意,成为畅销书,但在当时,这对夫妇的故事就是支撑我继续前行的全部动力。
Thanks to them, I would come to the realization that the greatest of lives are made all in the same way: One challenge… one hurdle… one step… and one small victory at a time.感谢他们,我后来意识到,那些最伟大的人都有着相同的经历:一次挑战……一次困难……一次突破……每次都是一小步的成功。
有关珍惜双语美文
Freedom珍惜自由
Of all the wonderful gifts that we’ve been given, one of the greatest is freedom.在众多的我们天生被赋予的美妙礼物中,自由是最伟大的礼物之一。
Welcome to Faith Radio Online-Simply to Relax, I’m Faith.欢迎收听Faith轻松之声,我是Faith。
As much as we may deny it we are free in this life. We are free in what we think, free in what we feel, free in what we say, and free in what we do. Yes, life may give us some very difficult circumstances at times, but we are still free in how we choose to react to them.就如我们常常会否认这一点,我们有自由掌握自己的生活确实是不争的事实。我们可以自由地思考,自由地感受,发表自由言论,做自己想做的事。是的,有时生活会让我们处境艰难,但我们仍然可以自由选择如何应对困境。
Many people in this life deny their freedom. They sit back in their misery and blame it on their parents, or their childhood, their health, or their financial problems. They never once stand up and take responsibility for their own lives and their own happiness.有许多人否认他们的自由。他们只是颓废地坐在那里,抱怨他们的父母,或他们的童年,或他们的身体状况,或他们的经济危机。他们从未勇敢地站起来去为自己的’生活及自己的快乐真正地负起责任来。
The truth is that we’ve been given the power to choose love and joy in our lives no matter what happens to us. No one has ever been or will ever be strong enough to take our freedom away from us.而事实是我们天生就被赋予了选择爱与欢乐的力量,不管我们的生活中发生任何事。没有任何人(以前没有,将来也不会)有足够强大的力量可以将我们的自由掠走。
You’re listening to Faith Radio Online-Simply to Relax, I’m Faith. Don’t deny your freedom, rejoice in it, cherish it, and use it every day of your life! Remember, you are free to create the type of life you have always wanted, the choice is up to you…您正在收听的是Faith轻松之声,我是Faith。请不要拒绝你的自由,和自由一起欢悦吧,珍惜自由,每天都去充分地利用你的自由! 记住:你有自由创造你一直憧憬着的生活,选择权就在你手里……
Of all the wonderful gifts that we’ve been given, one of the greatest is freedom.
在众多的我们天生被赋予的美妙礼物中,自由是最伟大的礼物之一。
As much as we may deny it we are free in this life. We are free in what we think, free in what we feel, free in what we say, and free in what we do. Yes, life may give us some very difficult circumstances at times, but we are still free in how we choose to react to them.
就如我们常常会否认这一点,我们有自由掌握自己的生活确实是不争的事实。我们可以自由地思考,自由地感受,发表自由言论,做自己想做的事。是的,有时生活会让我们处境艰难,但我们仍然可以自由选择如何应对困境。
Many people in this life deny their freedom. They sit back in their misery and blame it on their parents, or their childhood, their health, or their financial problems. They never once stand up and take responsibility for their own lives and their own happiness.
有许多人否认他们的自由。他们只是颓废地坐在那里,抱怨他们的父母,或他们的孩子,或他们的身体状况,或他们的经济危机。他们从未勇敢地站起来去为自己的生活及自己的快乐真正地负起责任来。
The truth is that we’ve been given the power to choose love and joy in our lives no matter what happens to us. No one has ever been or will ever be strong enough to take our freedom away from us.
而事实是我们天生就被赋予了选择爱与欢乐的力量,不管我们的生活中发生任何事。没有任何人(以前没有,将来也不会)有足够强大的力量可以将我们的自由掠走。
You’re listening to Faith Radio Online-Simply to Relax, I’m Faith. Don’t deny your freedom, rejoice in it, cherish it, and use it every day of your life! Remember, you are free to create the type of life you have always wanted, the choice is up to you…
您正在收听的是Faith轻松电台,我是Faith。请不要拒绝你的自由,和自由一起欢悦吧,珍惜自由,每天都去充分地利用你的自由! 记住:你有自由创造你一直憧憬着的生活,选择权就在你手里……
美文欣赏:你可以选择自己想过的生活
Occasionally, life can be undeniably, impossibly difficult. We are faced with challenges and events that can seem overwhelming, life-destroying to the point where it may be hard to decide whether to keep going. But you always have a choice. Jessica Heslop shares her powerful, inspiring journey from the worst times in her life to the new life she has created for herself:
生活有时候困难得难以置信,但又不容置疑。我们面临的挑战与困境似乎无法抵御,试图毁灭我们生活,甚至使你犹疑是否继续走下去。但是你总有选择的余地。从人生低谷走向新生活的杰西卡·赫斯乐普,在这里与我们分享她启迪心灵、充满震撼力的生活之旅。
In 2012 I had the worst year of my life.
2012年是我生活中最艰难的一年。
I worked in a finance job that I hated and I lived in a concrete jungle city with little greenery. I occupied my time with meaningless relationships and spent copious quantities of money on superficialities. I was searching for happiness and had no idea where to find it.
我做着讨厌的财务工作,住在难寻绿色的高楼林立的城市。我忙于无意义的交往,在一些肤浅表面的东西上大笔开销。我寻找快乐,却又不知道它在哪里。
Then I fell ill with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and became virtually bed bound. I had to quit my job and subsequently was left with no income. I lived with my boyfriend of then only 3 months who financially supported me and our relationship was put under great pressure. I eventually regained my physical health, but not long after that I got a call from my family at home to say that my father’s cancer had fiercely progressed and that he had been admitted to a hospice.
然后我患上了慢性疲劳综合症,几乎到了卧床不起的地步。我不得不辞掉工作,同时也就断了财源。我和那时仅相处了3个月的男友住在一起,经济上完全依赖于他,我们的关系承受着巨大压力。终于我恢复健康,但不久,我接到家里的电话,父亲的癌症急剧恶化,已经住进了临终关怀中心。
I left the city and I went home to be with him.
我离开了城市,回家陪父亲。
He died 6 months later.
6个月之后,他去世了。
My father was a complete inspiration to me. He was always so strong that, for a minute after he drew his last breath, I honestly thought he would come back to life. I couldn’t believe I would never again cuddle into his big warm chest and feel safe no matter what.
父亲的事让我彻底清醒。他一直很强壮,在他咽气之后一分钟里,我真的认为,他会活过来。我不能相信,我再也不能依偎在他温暖的怀抱里,享受他宽大的胸怀带给我的安全感。
The grief that followed was intense for all of us 5 children and our mother, but we had each other.
母亲和我们5个兄弟姐妹极为难过,但至少我们还拥有彼此。
But my oldest sister at that time complained of a bad back. It got so bad after 2 months that she too was admitted to hospital.
但是,那时我大姐开始抱怨着背痛,2个月后,因疼痛加剧也住进了医院。
They discovered that she had highly advanced cancer in her bones and that there was nothing that they could do.
医生们检查发现,她已是骨癌晚期,对此他们已无能为力。
She died 1 month later.
1个月之后,她也走了。
I could never put into words the loss of my sister in my life.
大姐的逝去让我陷入难以形容的痛苦之中。
She was a walking, talking angel and my favourite person in the whole world. If someone could have asked me the worst thing that could ever happen, it would have been losing her.
在这个世界上,她是一个能走路、会说话的天使,我最喜欢的人。如果有人问我,世界上发生的最坏的事情是什么,那就是失去她。
She was my soul-mate and I never thought I would journey this lifetime without her.
她是我的灵魂伴侣,我从来没有想过,我会走过没有她陪伴的生命旅程。
The Moment Of Deliberate Choice
抉择时刻
The shock and extreme heart break brought me to my knees. The pain was so great and my world just looked desolate. I had no real home, no money, no job, and no friends that cared. Not one person had even sent me a sympathy card for my loss.
我被打击和极度的心痛击挎了。强烈的痛苦使世界在我眼中变得如此凄凉。我没有真正意义上的家,没有钱,没有工作,也没有关心我的朋友。没有一个人因我失去亲人而寄给我慰问卡。
I made an attempt of my own life and I ended up in hospital.
我尝试着活下去,结果住进了医院。
I remember lying in the hospital bed, looking up at the ceiling and seeing my sister’s beautiful face. She stayed with me all night long.
我记得,躺在病床上,看着天花板,看到姐姐美丽的面庞。她整夜守候着我。
I realised during that night that I had a choice. I could choose to end my life or I could choose to live it.
那天晚上,我意识到我可以选择。要么结束生命,要么活下去。
I looked in my sister’s eyes and I made a decision not to go with her just yet. That I would stay and complete my journey here.
望着姐姐的眼睛,我决定不跟她走。我要留下来,走完我的生命旅程。
I also made the decision that, I wouldn’t just live any life. I would live the life that I absolutely LOVE and nothing less.
同时,我还决定,不只为生活而生活,我要完全以自己想要的方式生活。
In that moment, the clarity that descended around me was like a light shining in a dark room for the first time. As if the earth’s plates had shifted under my feet and everything suddenly looked real for the first time.
在那一刻,这一想法第一次清晰得如同一盏在黑暗闪烁的明灯。好像脚下的地球版块变换了,每一样东西在我眼前都真实得前所未有。
美文赏析:打开心门拥抱生活
We often close ourselves off when traumatic events happen in our lives; instead of letting the world soften us, we let it drive us deeper into ourselves. We try to deflect the hurt and pain by pretending it doesn’t exist, but although we can try this all we want, in the end, we can’t hide from ourselves. We need to learn to open our hearts to the potentials of life and let the world soften us.
生活发生不幸时,我们常常会关上心门;世界不仅没能慰藉我们,反倒使我们更加消沉。我们假装一切仿佛都不曾发生,以此试图忘却伤痛,可就算隐藏得再好,最终也还是骗不了自己。既然如此,何不尝试打开心门,拥抱生活中的各种可能,让世界感化我们呢?
Whenever we start to let our fears and seriousness get the best of us, we should take a step back and re-evaluate our behavior. The items listed below are six ways you can open your heart more fully and completely.
当恐惧与焦虑来袭时,我们应该退后一步,重新反思自己的言行。下面六个方法有助于你更完满透彻地敞开心扉。
1. Breathe into pain
直面痛苦
Whenever a painful situation arises in your life, try to embrace it instead of running away or trying to mask the hurt. When the sadness strikes, take a deep breath and lean into it. When we run away from sadness that’s unfolding in our lives, it gets stronger and more real. We take an emotion that’s fleeting and make it a solid event, instead of something that passes through us.
当生活中出现痛苦的事情时,别再逃跑或隐藏痛苦,试着拥抱它吧;当悲伤来袭时,试着深呼吸,然后直面它。如果我们一味逃避生活中的悲伤,悲伤只会变得更强烈更真实——悲伤原本只是稍纵即逝的情绪,我们却固执地耿耿于怀。
By utilizing our breath we soften our experiences. If we dam them up, our lives will stagnate, but when we keep them flowing, we allow more newness and greater experiences to blossom.
深呼吸能减缓我们的感受。屏住呼吸,生活停滞;呼出呼吸,更多新奇与经历又将拉开序幕。
2. Embrace the uncomfortable
拥抱不安
We all know what that twinge of anxiety feels like. We know how fear feels in our bodies: the tension in our necks, the tightness in our stomachs, etc. We can practice leaning into these feelings of discomfort and let them show us where we need to go.
我们都经历过焦灼的煎熬感,也都感受过恐惧造成的生理反应:脖子僵硬、胃酸翻腾。其实,我们有能力面对这些痛苦的感受,从中领悟到出路。
The initial impulse is to run away — to try and suppress these feelings by not acknowledging them. When we do this, we close ourselves off to the parts of our lives that we need to experience most. The next time you have this feeling of being truly uncomfortable, do yourself a favor and lean into the feeling. Act in spite of the fear.
我们的第一反应总是逃避——以为否认不安情绪的存在就能万事大吉,可这也恰好妨碍了我们经历最需要的生活体验。下次感到不安时,不管有多害怕,也请试着勇敢面对吧。
3. Ask your heart what it wants
倾听内心
We’re often confused at the next step to take, making pros and cons lists until our eyes bleed and our brains are sore. Instead of always taking this approach, what if we engaged a new part of ourselves that isn’t usually involved in the decision making process?
我们常对未来犹疑不定,反复考虑利弊直到身心俱疲。与其一味顾虑重重,不如从局外人的角度看待决策之事。
I know we’ve all felt decisions or actions that we had to take simply due to our “gut” impulses: when asked, we can’t explain the reasons behind doing so — just a deep knowing that it had to get done. This instinct is the part of ourselves we’re approaching for answers.
其实很多决定或行动都是我们一念之间的结果:要是追问原因的话,恐怕我们自己也道不清说不明,只是感到直觉如此罢了。而这种直觉恰好是我们探索结果的潜在自我。
To start this process, take few deep breaths then ask, “Heart, what decision should I make here? What action feels the most right?”
开始前先做几次深呼吸,问自己:“内心认为该做什么样的决定呢?觉得采取哪个方案最恰当?”
See what comes up, then engage and evaluate the outcome.
看看自己的内心反应如何,然后全力以赴、静待结果吧。
美文赏析:生活中你错过了什么?
In this life, what did you miss?
在生活中,你错过了什么?
The wife asked the husband when she was 25. Despondently, the husband replied: ‘I missed a new job opportunity.’
妻子25岁的时候这样问丈夫。丈夫沮丧地回答:“我错过了一个新的工作机会。”
When she was 35, the husband angrily told her that he had just missed the bus.
35岁时,丈夫生气地说他错过了公交车。
At 45, the husband sadly said: ‘I missed the oppotunity seeing my closed relative before his last breath.’
45岁时,丈夫悲伤地说:“我错过了见至亲最后一面的机会。”
At 55, the husband said disappointingly: ‘I missed a good chance to retire.’
55岁时,丈夫失望地说:“我错过了一个退休的好机会。”
At 65, the husband hurriedly replied: ‘I missed a dental appointment.’
65岁时,丈夫匆匆地回答:“我错过了和牙医的预约。”
At 75, the wife did not ask the husband anymore, the husband was kneeling in front of the very sick wife. Remembering the question the wife used to ask him, this time he asked the wife the same question. The wife, with a smile and peaceful look, replied: ‘In this life, I did not miss having you!’
75岁,妻子不再问丈夫同样的问题,丈夫跪在病重的妻子面前,想起以前妻子常常问起的那个问题,这次他也问了妻子同样的问题,妻子笑了笑,一脸平静地说:“我这一生,没有错过你!”
The husband was full of tears. He always thought that they could be together forever. He was always busy with work and trifles. So much so he had never been thoughtful to his wife. The husband hugged the wife tightly and said: ‘Over 50 years, how I had allowed myself to miss your deep love for me.’
丈夫满眼泪水,他总是认为可以和妻子白头到老,于是总是忙于工作和琐事,从没在意过妻子。他紧紧地抱住妻子说:“这50多年来,我怎么能允许自己错过了你对我的爱呢。”
In the busy city life, there are many people who are always busy with work. These people revolve their lives around their jobs, these people sacrifice all their times and health to meet the social expectations. They are unwilling to spend times on health care. They miss the opportunity to be with their children in their growing up. They neglect the loved ones who care for them, and also their health.
在繁忙的城市生活中,有人总是忙于工作。他们整天围着工作转,甚至为了达到社会的标准,牺牲了自己的健康。他们不愿花时间来关注自己的健康,在孩子成长的过程中错失了与之共享天伦之乐的机会。他们忽视了那些关心他们的人,以及他们的健康。
Nobody knows what is going to happen one year from now.
没有人知道一年后会发生什么事情。
Life is not permanent, so always live in the now. Express your gratitude to your loved ones in words. Show your care with actions. Treat everyday as the last episode of life. In this way, when you are gone, you loved ones would have nothing to feel sorry about.
生命不是永恒的,所以活在当下吧。把你对爱人的感谢说出来,用行动证明你关心他们。把每一天当作人生的最后一个篇章,只有这样,当你离开时,你爱的人们才会没有遗憾。
美文赏析:去经历去体验 做最好最真实的自己
Truly happy and successful people get that way by becoming the best, most genuine version of themselves they can be. Not on the outside–on the inside. It’s not about a brand, a reputation, a persona. It’s about reality. Who you really are.
真正快乐成功的人会长成最好最真实的自己——从内心而非外表上。重要的不是品牌、名誉或者外表形象,而是真实的自我。
Sounds simple, I know. It is a simple concept. The problem is, it’s very hard to do, it takes a lot of work, and it can take a lifetime to figure it out.
道理很简单,讲出来也很容易。但问题是,做起来就不简单了:这需要付诸很多努力,甚或一辈子才能实现。
Nothing worth doing in life is ever easy. If you want to do great work, it’s going to take a lot of hard work to do it. And you’re going to have to break out of your comfort zone and take some chances that will scare the crap out of you.
需要穷尽毕生精力的事情必定不容易。成大事者必先苦其心志。因此,你必须走出舒适区,去经历、去体验那些会让你害怕的机会。
But you know, I can’t think of a better way to spend your life. I mean, what’s life for if not finding yourself and trying to become the best, most genuine version of you that you can be?
况且,人这一辈子,若到头来都认不清自己、未能长成最好最真实的自己,还有什么意义呢?
That’s what Steve Jobs meant when he said this at a Stanford University commencement speech:
正如史蒂夫-乔布斯在斯坦福大学的毕业典礼上所言:
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.
时间宝贵,不要虚掷光阴过着他人的生活。不要让周遭的聒噪言论蒙蔽你内心的声音。
You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something–your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.
你要相信,生活中的偶然冥冥中也能指引未来。你要心怀信念——相信你的直觉、命运、生活抑或因缘。这个方法一直给我力量,促使我过得卓然不同。
The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.
成大事的唯一途径就是做自己喜欢的事情。若你还没找到,那就继续追寻吧,不要停下来。
Now, let’s for a moment be realistic about this. Insightful as that advice may be, it sounds a little too amorphous and challenging to resonate with today’s quick-fix culture. These days, if you can’t tell people exactly what to do and how to do it, it falls on deaf ears.
现在我们来实际一点:建议或许很深刻,但听完却让人无从着手,难以运用到当今的快节奏文化中。现如今,如果一个建议讲不清具体做什么、该怎么做的话,那么说了也等于白说。
Not only that, but what Jobs was talking about, what I’m talking about, requires focus and discipline, two things that are very hard to come by these days. Why? Because, focus and discipline are hard. It’s so much easier to give in to distraction and instant gratification. Easy and addictive.
不仅如此,乔布斯的讲话和我要说的话都需要集中和自制——这两个品质在当今社会非常难能可贵。何以见得?因为集中和自制都不容易做到。人们很容易分散注意力、寻求即时快感——舒服且容易上瘾。
To give you a little incentive to take on the challenge, to embark on the road to self-discovery, here are three huge benefits from working to become the best, most genuine version of yourself.
为激励你迎接挑战、踏上寻求自我的旅途,我列出了成为最好最真实自己后的三大益处:
It will make you happy. Getting to know yourself will make you feel more comfortable in your own skin. It will reduce your stress and anxiety. It will make you a better spouse, a better parent, a better friend. It will make you a better person. Those are all pretty good reasons, if you ask me.
你会感到快乐。了解自己后会让你更愉悦地接受自己,减轻你的压力和焦虑,使你成为更好的’伴侣、父母、朋友,让你成为一个更美好的人。这些益处难道不够说服你为之努力吗?
Besides, you really won’t achieve anything significant in life until you know the real you. Not your brand, your LinkedIn profile, how you come across, or what anyone thinks of you. The genuine you. There’s one simple reason why you shouldn’t try to be something you’re not, and it’s that you can’t. The real you will come out anyway. So forget your personal brand and start spending time on figuring out who you really are and trying to become the best version of that you can be.
而且,只有了解真实的自己方能成就大事。你需要了解那个真实的你,而不是你的品牌、名誉、LinkedlIn资料、你的过去抑或他人对你的看法。为什么你不应该过他人的生活?很简单,因为首先你不是“其他人”,你的本性总有一天会现形。所以,请放开你的品牌形象,努力发掘真实自我、努力把自己经营成最好的自己吧。
美文赏析:爱情不是商品
Love Is Not Like Merchandise
爱情不是商品
A reader in Florida, apparently bruised by some personal experience, writes in to complain, ”If I steal a nickel’s worth of merchandise, I am a thief and punished; but if I steal the love of another’s wife, I am free.“
佛罗里达州的一位读者显然是在个人经历上受过创伤, 他写信来抱怨道: “如果我偷走了五分钱的商品, 我就是个贼, 要受到惩罚, 但是如果我偷走了他人妻子的爱情, 我没事儿。”
This is a prevalent misconception in many people’s minds—that love, like merchandise, can be ”stolen“. Numerous states, in fact, have enacted laws allowing damages for ”alienation of affections“.
这是许多人心目中普遍存在的一种错误观念——爱情, 像商品一样, 可以 “偷走”。实际上,许多州都颁布法令,允许索取“情感转让”赔偿金。
But love is not a commodity; the real thing cannot be bought, sold, traded or stolen. It is an act of the will, a turning of the emotions, a change in the climate of the personality.
但是爱情并不是商品;真情实意不可能买到,卖掉,交换,或者偷走。爱情是志愿的行动,是感情的转向,是个性发挥上的变化。
When a husband or wife is ”stolen“ by another person, that husband or wife was already ripe for the stealing, was already predisposed toward a new partner. The ”love bandit“ was only taking what was waiting to be taken, what wanted to be taken.
当丈夫或妻子被另一个人“偷走”时,那个丈夫或妻子就已经具备了被偷走的条件,事先已经准备接受新的伴侣了。这位“爱匪”不过是取走等人取走、盼人取走的东西。
We tend to treat persons like goods. We even speak of the children ”belonging“ to their parents. But nobody ”belongs“ to anyone else. Each person belongs to himself, and to God. Children are entrusted to their parents, and if their parents do not treat them properly, the state has a right to remove them from their parents’ trusteeship.
我们往往待人如物。我们甚至说孩子“属于”父母。但是谁也不“属于”谁。人都属于自己和上帝。孩子是托付给父母的,如果父母不善待他们,州政府就有权取消父母对他们的托管身份。
Most of us, when young, had the experience of a sweetheart being taken from us by somebody more attractive and more appealing. At the time, we may have resented this intruder—but as we grew older, we recognized that the sweetheart had never been ours to begin with. It was not the intruder that ”caused“ the break, but the lack of a real relationship.
我们多数人年轻时都有过恋人被某个更有诱惑力、更有吸引力的人夺去的经历。在当时,我们兴许怨恨这位不速之客—但是后来长大了,也就认识到了心上人本来就不属于我们。并不是不速之客“导致了”决裂,而是缺乏真实的关系。
On the surface, many marriages seem to break up because of a ”third party“. This is, however, a psychological illusion. The other woman or the other man merely serves as a pretext for dissolving a marriage that had already lost its essential integrity.
从表面上看,许多婚姻似乎是因为有了“第三者”才破裂的。然而这是一种心理上的幻觉。另外那个女人,或者另外那个男人,无非是作为借口,用来解除早就不是完好无损的婚姻罢了。
Nothing is more futile and more self-defeating than the bitterness of spurned love, the vengeful feeling that someone else has ”come between“ oneself and a beloved. This is always a distortion of reality, for people are not the captives or victims of others—they are free agents, working out their own destinies for good or for ill.
因失恋而痛苦,因别人“插足”于自己与心上人之间而图报复,是最没有出息、最自作自受的乐。这种事总是歪曲了事实真相,因为谁都不是给别人当俘虏或牺牲品——人都是自由行事的,不论命运是好是坏,都由自己来作主。
But the rejected lover or mate cannot afford to believe that his beloved has freely turned away from him— and so he ascribes sinister or magical properties to the interloper. He calls him a hypnotist or a thief or a home-breaker. In the vast majority of cases, however, when a home is broken, the breaking has begun long before any ”third party” has appeared on the scene.
但是,遭离弃的情人或配偶无法相信她的心上人是自由地背离他的——因而他归咎于插足者心术不正或迷人有招。他把他叫做催眠师、窃贼或破坏家庭的人。然而,从大多数事例看,一个家的破裂,是早在什么“第三者”出现之前就开始了的。
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