Flora-

I have learned silence from the talkativetoleration from the intolerantand kindness from the unkindyet strangeI am ungrateful to these teachers我从话多的人那里学会沉默从偏执的人那里学会宽容从刻薄的人那里学会仁慈但也奇怪我对这些老师并不感激If you can see only what light revealsand hear only what sound announcesThen in truthyou do not see nor do you hear如果你只能于光明之处看见影像只能于有声处听见声音那么你其实既看不到也听不见If it were not for our conception of weights and measureswe would stand in awe of the fireflyas we do before the sun若不是因为我们崇尚重量和尺度我们站在萤火虫前就会像在太阳前一样心怀敬畏If you reveal your secrets to the windyou should not blame the windfor revealing them to the trees倘若你把自己的秘密透露给风那就别怪风把你的秘密散播给树The envious praises me unknowingly.妒嫉我的人在无意中赞扬了我。Generosity is not in giving me thatwhich I need more than you dobut it is in giving me thatwhich you need more than I do慷慨不在于把我比你更需要的东西给我而在于把你比我更需要的东西给我Generosity is giving more than you canand pride is taking less than you need慷慨是给予你所能给予的更多自尊是接受比你所需要的更少How mean am Iwhen life gives me goldand I give you silverand yet I deem myself generous我是何等卑鄙当生活给了我金我却

A long time before I was born, my Grandma and Grandpa moved into the house on Beechwood Avenue. They had a young family of 4 little girls. The little girls slept in the attic in a big feather bed. It was cold there on winter night. Grandma put hot bricks under the covers at the foot of the bed to keep the little girls warm.早在我出生以前，外祖父母就搬到比奇乌大道的房子里。他们膝下养有四个小女儿。女孩们睡在阁楼的一张大羽毛床上。那里冬夜寒冷，外祖母得在床脚下垫热砖给女儿们取暖。During the Great Depression, work was hard to find, so Grandpa did whatever jobs he could. He dug ditches during the week and on weekend he and Grandma dug a garden to grow some of their own food.大萧条时期工作很难找，外祖父什么苦工都做。他平时挖沟渠，周末和外祖母在花园里挖挖锄锄，种点粮食自己吃。The house on Beechwood Avenue had a big front yard with shade trees and fruit trees. In the middle of the yard was a water pump where the four little girls pumped water for cooking, cleaning and watering the garden. On one side of the yard, Grandma and Grandpa planted tomatoes, beans, squash, cucumbers, peppers and strawberries to feed their growing family. They planted r

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 we

He met her at a party. She was outstanding, many guys were after her, but nobody paid any attention to him. After the party, he invited her to coffee. She was surprised. So as not to appear rude, she went along.他在一次聚会上遇见了她。她很迷人，有很多男孩子追求，但是却没有任何人注意到他。聚会结束后，他请她出去喝咖啡，这让她很吃惊。出于礼貌，她去了。As they sat in a nice coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything and she felt uncomfortable. Suddenly, he asked the waiter, “Could you please give me some salt? I’d like to put it in my coffee.”他们坐在一家漂亮的咖啡店里。他紧张得说不出话来，而她也感到很拘束。突然，他叫来服务生，说道：“给我在咖啡里加点盐，好吗?”They stared at him. He turned red, but when the salt came, he put it in his coffee and drank. Curious, she asked, “Why salt with coffee?” He explained, “When I was a little boy, I lived near the sea. I liked playing on the sea … I could feel its taste salty, like salty coffee. Now every time I drink it, I think of my childhood and my hometown. I miss it and my parents, who are still there.”她和服务生都看着他。他脸红了，盐端上来了，他往咖啡里放了一些，喝了起来。她好奇地问：“为什么在咖啡里放盐呢?”他解释说：“小时候，我住在海边，喜欢在那里玩耍……海水是咸的，就像这杯

I grew up in a small town where the elementary school was a ten-minute walk from my house and in an age not so long ago, when children could go home for lunch and find their mothers waiting.我是在一个小镇上长大的，从镇上的小学到我家只需步行10分钟。离当前不算太久远的那个时代 ，小学生可以回家吃午饭，而他们的母亲，则会老早在家等候着。 At the time, I did not consider this a luxury, although today it certainly would be. I took it for granted that mothers were the sandwich-makers, the finger-painting appreciators and the homework monitors.这一切对如今的孩子来说无疑是一种奢望，可是那时的我却不以为然。我觉得做母亲的给她的孩子制作三明治，鉴赏指画，检查他们的家庭作业，都是理所当然的事。 I never questioned that this ambitious, intelligent woman, who had had a career before I was born and would eventually return to a career, would spend almost every lunch hour throughout my elementary school years just with me.我从来没有想过：像母亲这样一个颇有抱负又聪明的女人，在我降生之前，她有一份工作，而且后来她又谋了份差事，可是，在我上小学那几年，她却几乎天天陪着我吃午饭，一同打发午餐时的每一分钟。 I only knew that when the noon bell rang, I would race breathlessly home. My mother would be standing at the top of the stairs, smiling down at me with a look that

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find them at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.记住，如果你在任何时候需要一只手来帮助你，你可以在自己每条手臂的末端找到它。随着你的成长，你会发现你有两只手，一只用来帮助自己，另一只用来帮助别人。For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.若要可爱的眼睛，要看到别人的好处；若要优美的嘴唇，要讲亲切的话；若要优雅的姿态，走路时要记住行人不只你一个。I believe in manicures. I believe in overdressing. I believe in primping at leisure and wearing lipstick. I believe in pink. I believe happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and… I believe in miracles.我喜欢修指甲，我喜欢打扮，我喜欢哪怕在闲暇时也涂唇膏穿盛装，我喜欢粉色。我相信快乐的女孩最漂亮。我相信每一天都是新的一天……我相信奇迹。I decided, very early on, just to accept life unconditionally; I never expected it to do anything special for me, yet I seemed to accomplish far more than I had ever hoped. Most of the time it just happened to me wit

Regretless Youth无怨的青春 If you fall in lovewhen you are young在年轻的时候如果你爱上了一个人Please – be kind to him请你，请你一定要温柔地对待他No matter how long or short you share your hearts不管你们相爱的时间有多长或多短If your feelings may continuethen若你们能始终温柔地相待那么Every moment will bepeerless perfection所有的时刻都将是一种无暇的美丽If you must leave若不得不分离still bid him fond farewell也要好好地说声再见And be thankful in your heart也要在心里存着感谢For the memories he left you感谢他给了你一份记忆When you are older长大了以后you will realize你才会知道At the instantwhen you suddenly recall those moments在蓦然回首的刹那That youth without resentment没有怨恨的青春is without any regret才会了无遗憾Just like the aged moongracing the hillswith quiet clarity如山岗上那静静的满月

They're both convincedthat a sudden passion joined themSuch certainty is beautifulbut uncertainty is more beautiful still他们彼此都深信是瞬间迸发的激情使他们相遇这种确定是美丽的然而变幻无常却更为美丽Since they'd never met beforethey're sure that there'd been nothing between themBut what's the word from the street staircase hallwaysperhaps they've passed by each other a million times因为他们先前素未谋面,他们确信他们之间毫无关联然而从那街上、楼梯间过道上传来的细语来判断或许他们曾无数次擦肩而过I want to ask themif they don't remembera moment face to facein some revolving doorperhaps a "sorry" muttered in a crowda curt "wrong number" caught in the receiverbut I know the answerNo, they don't remember我想问他们难道不记得两人曾在某扇旋转门中面对面相视的那一瞬间也许曾在人群中和对方咕哝了一句“对不起曾拿起话筒和对方短促地说了句“打错了”但我知道答案是的,他们不记得They'd be amazed to hearthat Chance has been toying with themnow for years他们定会感到诧异得知缘分原来已戏弄他们多年Not quite ready yetto become their Destinyit pushed them close, drove them apartit barred their pathstifling a laughand then leaped aside时机尚未成熟宿命尚未来临命运一会儿把他们拉近,一会儿把他们分开阻挡他们的去路按捺着笑声然后跳到一旁There were signs and signaleven if they couldn't re

I think you are the April of this worldSure you are the April of this worldYour laughter has lit up all the windSo gently mingling with the springYou are the clouds in early springThe dusk wind blows up and downAnd the stars blink now and thenFine rain drops down amid the flowers                       So gentle and gracefulYou are crowned with garlandsSo sublime and innocent You are a full moon over each evening                    The snow meltswith that light yellowYou look like the first budding greenYou are the soft joy of white lotus Rising up in your fancy dreamland                    You're the blooming flowers over the treesYou're a swallow twittering between the beams Full of loveFull of warm hopeYou are the Spring of this world（Translated by Huang Xinqu）我说你是人间的四月天笑响点亮了四面风轻灵在春的光艳中交舞着变你是四月早天里的云烟黄昏吹着风的软星子在无意中闪细雨点洒在花前那轻那娉婷你是鲜妍 百花的冠冕你戴着你是天真庄严你是夜夜的月圆雪化后那片鹅黄你像新鲜初放芽的绿你是柔嫩喜悦水光浮动着你梦期待中白莲你是一树一树的花开是燕在梁间呢喃你是爱是暖是希望你是人间的四月天《你是人间的四月天》      民国时期诗人林徽因的经典诗作，发表于1934年4月的《学文》。关于这首诗有两种说法：一是为悼念徐志摩而作，一是为儿子的出生而作，以表达心中对儿子的希望和儿

我曾七次鄙视自己的灵魂The first time when I saw her being meek that she might attain height.当能进取时选择了顺从现状，此为其一The second time when I saw her limping before the crippled.在瘸子面前跛行，此为其二The third time when she was given to choose between the hard and the easy and she chose the easy.当面临着困难和容易的选择选择了后者，此为其三The fourth time when she committed a wrong and comforted herself that others also commit wrong.犯错后以其他人皆会犯错为借口，此为其四The fifth time when she forbore for weakness and attributed her patience to strength.因软弱而忍耐并把这种忍耐归于坚强而聊以慰藉，此为其五The sixth time when she despised the ugliness of a face and knew not that it was one of her own masks.鄙视丑恶的面孔却不知自己早已是那副面孔，此为其六And the seventh time when she sang a song of praise and deemed it a virtue.唱起颂歌还以美德自诩，此为其七《我曾七次鄙视自己的灵魂》是纪伯伦以“自己的灵魂”为名，看穿人性所共有弱点的一首诗。诗句简单有力发人深省，督促人们拥有更高的精神境界，呼吁人们涤荡自己的灵魂，唾弃丑恶，追求高尚。

I am forever walking upon these shores我永远走在这些岸上betwixt the sand and the foam在沙与沫之间The high tide will erase my foot-prints涨潮会抹掉我的足迹and the wind will blow away the foam海风会吹去这泡沫But the sea and the shore可是海和岸will remain forever却永远存在It was but yesterday仅仅就在昨天I thought myself a fragment我觉得自己只是一块碎片quivering without rhythm in the sphere of life在生命的苍穹中毫无节奏地颤动着Now I know that I am the sphere如今我知道自己就是那苍穹and all life in rhythmic fragments一切生命都是节奏分明的碎片moves within me在我内心律动Remembrance is a form of meeting追忆是一种会面Forgetfulness is a form of freedom遗忘是一种自由My house says to me我的房子对我说Do not leave me不要离开我for here dwells your past这儿住着你的过去And the road says to me路对我说Come and follow me跟我来吧for I am your future我是你的未来And I say to both my house and the road我对房子和路说I have no past我没有过去nor have I a future也没有未来If I stay here如果我留在这儿there is a going in my staying我的留中有去and if I go如果我去那儿there is a staying in my going我的去中有留Only love and death will change all things唯有爱和死亡才能改变一切Strange真怪the desire for certain pleasures渴望某些欢乐is a part of my pain正是我痛苦的

「 论美 On beauty 」And a poet said, " Speak to us of Beauty. "一位诗人接着说:"请给我们谈淡美。"Where shall you seek beauty, and how shall you find her unless she herself be your way and your guide?他答道：你们将去哪里寻找美呢?如果她不出现在你们的旅途中，指引着你们，你们如何能够找到她?And how shall you speak of her except she be the weaver of your speech ?倘若她不是你们话语的编织者，你们如何能够谈论她呢?The aggrieved and the injured say, " Beauty is kind and gentle.被虐者和受伤者说:"美仁慈而温柔。Like a young mother half-shy of her own glory she walks among us. "就像一位年轻的妈妈，因自己的荣光半遮着面孔，走在我们的中间。"And the passionate say, " Nay, beauty is a thing of might and dread.激情澎湃者说:"不，美强烈而可畏。Like the tempest she shakes the earth beneath us and the sky above us. "就像风暴雨一般，震撼着我们脚下的大地和头上的天空。"The tired and the weary say, " beauty is of soft whisperings. She speaks in our spirit.疲乏者说:"美是柔声细语，她在我们的心灵中讲话。Her voice yields to our silences like a faint light that quivers in fear of the shadow. "她的声音沉浸在我们的寂静中，正如一抹微光在阴影的恐惧中颤抖。"But the restless say, " We have heard her shouting among the mountains,但好动者说:"我们曾听过她在山峦中呼喊，And with her cries c

The Shoes of Marriage婚 姻 鞋Marriage is a pair of shoes.婚姻是一双鞋。We have feet before we have shoes. The warmth of the sand, the delicious coolness of the grass on our little feet in our childhood, and the free and uninhibited joy of those days would awaken us from our dreams throughout our lives.先有了脚，然后才有了鞋。幼小的时候光着脚在地上走，感受沙的温热，草的润凉，那种无拘无束的洒脱与快乐，一生中会将我们从梦中反复唤醒。As our journeys take us farther and farther, we begin to experience the pains that come with them and hop frantically like ostriches on scorching deserts or get stung by leeches in deep swamps.走的路远了，便有了跋涉的痛苦。在炎热的沙漠被炙得像驼鸟一般奔跑，在深陷的沼泽被水蛭蜇出肿痛……Life is an endless journey. That's why shoes were invented.人生是一条无涯的路，于是人们创造了鞋。The purpose of putting on shoes is to walk and to get where we want to go. Sometimes, however, a grit in the shoe can bring more indescribable suffering than all other perils of the journey.穿鞋是为了赶路，但路上的千难万险，有时尚不如鞋中的一粒砂石令人感到难言的苦痛。Shoes have thus become a topic of conversation from generation to generation within the civilized world.鞋，就成了文明人类祖祖辈辈流传

总是要到人生陷入低谷或生命即将幻灭时，我们才去思考应该如何度过这一生。作者Ralph Richmond曾经离死亡很近，当获得重生时，对生命有了新的认识。Ralph以自己的亲身经历告诉我们应该以怎样的态度对待我们的人生余额。A New Look from Borrowed TimeBy Ralph RichmondJust ten years ago, I sat across the desk from a doctor with a stethoscope. ' Yes,' he said, ' there is a lesion in the left, upper lobe. You have a moderately advanced case…' I listened, stunned, as he continued, 'You'll have to give up work at once and go to bed. Later on, we'll see.' He gave no assurances.十年前的一天，我坐在一名手持听诊器的医生对面。'你的左肺叶上部确实有一处坏损，而且病情正在恶化'——听到这里，我整个人一下懵了。'你必须停止工作卧床休息，有待观察。'医生对我的病情也是不置可否。Feeling like a man who in mid-career has suddenly been placed under sentence of death with an indefinite reprieve, I left the doctor's office, walked over to the park and sat down on a bench, perhaps, as I then told myself for the last time. I needed to think.就这样，事业方面方兴未艾的我仿佛突然被人判了死刑，却说不准何时执刑。我离开医生的办公室，来到公园的长椅上坐下。这也许是最后一次来这儿了，我对自己说。我真得好好整理一下思绪。In the next three days, I cleared up my affairs; then I went home, got into bed, and set my watch to tick off not

They're both convincedthat a sudden passion joined themSuch certainty is beautifulbut uncertainty is more beautiful still他们彼此都深信是瞬间迸发的激情使他们相遇这种确定是美丽的然而变幻无常却更为美丽Since they'd never met beforethey're sure that there'd been nothing between themBut what's the word from the street staircase hallwaysperhaps they've passed by each other a million times因为他们先前素未谋面,他们确信他们之间毫无关联然而从那街上、楼梯间过道上传来的细语来判断或许他们曾无数次擦肩而过I want to ask themif they don't remembera moment face to facein some revolving doorperhaps a "sorry" muttered in a crowda curt "wrong number" caught in the receiverbut I know the answerNo, they don't remember我想问他们难道不记得两人曾在某扇旋转门中面对面相视的那一瞬间也许曾在人群中和对方咕哝了一句“对不起曾拿起话筒和对方短促地说了句“打错了”但我知道答案是的,他们不记得They'd be amazed to hearthat Chance has been toying with themnow for years他们定会感到诧异得知缘分原来已戏弄他们多年Not quite ready yetto become their Destinyit pushed them close, drove them apartit barred their pathstifling a laughand then leaped aside时机尚未成熟宿命尚未来临命运一会儿把他们拉近,一会儿把他们分开阻挡他们的去路按捺着笑声然后跳到一旁There were signs and signaleven if they couldn't re

你曾真正拥有一位良师吗？ 一位认为你虽然未加雕琢却弥足珍贵的老师，一位视你为珠宝、认为你充满智慧并能打磨出骄傲光芒的老师？如果你足够幸运能找到这样的老师，你将总会找到回来的路。我的老教授的死亡判决是在1994年的夏天下达的。医生估计他还有两年的时间，而莫里知道他的时日还要更短。但我的老教授作出了一个重大决定，这个决定是在他头顶悬着利剑、走出诊所的那天就开始酝酿的。我就这样枯竭下去直到消亡吗？还是充分利用剩余的时间？他问自己。他不甘心枯竭而死。他绝不会因为死 亡而羞愧，相反，他要把死亡当做他最后的课题，作为他余生的主要功课。既然每个人都有一死，他为何不能死有所值呢？他可以让别人去研究。他可以成为一本关于人类的教科书。研究我缓慢而耐心的死亡过程，观察在我身上发生的一切，从我这 儿学到点什么。莫里将走过最后那座连接生与死的桥梁，并讲述这段旅程。我的老教授一生中的最后一门课只有一个学生。就是我。最后一门课程每星期在他家里上一次，就在书房的窗前，他在那儿可以看到淡红色的树叶从一棵小木槿上掉落下来。上课的时间是每个星期二，吃完早餐便开始。课的主题是生活的意义，这是用他的亲身经历来教授的。不打分数，但每星期都有口试。你得准备回答问题，还得准备提出自己的问题。你还要不时干一些体力活，比如把教授的头在枕头上挪动一下，或者把眼镜架到他的鼻梁上。分别时亲吻他能得到额外的学分。课堂上不需要教材，但涉及的题目很多，包括爱情、工作、社会、家庭、衰老、谅解，以及最后的话题--死亡。有时，我会回想在我再次找到老教授之前的那个自己。我想和过去的自己谈一谈。我想告诉他应该追寻什么，应该避免哪些错误。我想告诉他要更加宽容，要忽 视商业价值的诱惑，要注意倾听所爱之人的言语，就仿佛这是你最后一次听他们说话一样。而我最想告诉他的是：乘飞机去看望住在马萨诸塞州西纽顿的那个温柔的 老人吧，宜早不宜迟，在那个老人生病之前，在他失去跳舞能力之前就去拜访他吧！我知道我不能这样做了。没有人能让我们回到从前，把过去重新来过，把已经逝去的生命重新唤醒。但是，如果莫里.斯瓦兹教授教给我了什么，那就是：生活中永远没有"太迟"。直到他与世长辞的最后一刻他都没有停止改变。hang over 悬在His blubbery body filled and seemed to hang over the edges of the chair.他那胖乎乎的身子填满了椅子，似乎悬在椅子的扶

On marriage 论婚姻You were born together你们一块儿出世And together you shall be forevermore也将永远相依You shall be together when white wings of death scatter your days当死神的白色羽翼驱散你们的日子，你们也应在一起Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God的确，你们始终相守，即使在上帝的记忆中But let there be spaces in your togetherness但在聚守中你们要保留空间And let the winds of the heavens dance between you让空中的风在你们之间飞舞Love one another but make not a bond of love彼此相爱，但不要让爱成为束缚Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls让爱成为奔流于你们灵魂海岸间的大海Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup盛满彼此的杯盏，但不要只从一只杯盏中取饮Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf彼此互赠面包，但不要只向一块面包取食Sing and dance together and be joyous一起欢歌曼舞But let each one of you be alone但要保持各自的独立Even as the strings of a lute are alone 鲁特琴的琴弦也彼此分开though they quiver with the same music即使它们为同一首乐曲震颤Give your hearts奉献你们的心But not into each other's keeping但不要让对方保管For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts因为只有生命之手才能接纳你们的心And stand together, yet not too near together站立在一起，但不要靠得

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. When 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. 这是新年的夜晚。一位老人站在窗边，忧伤的眼睛眺望着深蓝的天空。空中的繁星犹如漂浮在清澈如镜的湖面上的朵朵百合。他慢慢将目光投向地面，此刻，没有什么人比他还绝望，迈向他最终的归宿--坟墓。他已走过通向坟墓的六十级台阶，除了错误和悔恨，他一无所获。现在，他体弱多病，精神空虚，心哀神伤，人到晚年无慰藉。 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--one 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 po

Be the Best Whatever You AreIf you can't be a pine on the top of the hill 如果不能成为山顶的青松Be a scrub in the valley就做谷中的一棵矮树but be the best little scrub by the side of the rill但一定是最好的一棵矮树生长在小溪边Be a bush if you can't be a tree如果不能做一棵树就做一株灌木If you can't be a bush be a bit of the grass如果不能做一株灌木就做一片青草and some highway some happier make在高速公路上带给人们快乐If you can't be a muskie如果不能做一条非洲狗鱼then just be a bass就做一条鲈鱼but the liveliest bass in the lake做湖塘里最快活的一条鲈鱼We can't all be captains不可能每个人都能当船长we've got to be crew但总有人要当船员There's something for all of us here每个人都有机会各尽其用There's big work to do轰轰烈烈的大事需要人做and there's lesser to do微不足道的小事也需要人去完成 and the task we must do is the near我们要做的就是做好眼前该做的If you can't be a highway then just be a trail如果你不是高速公路就做一条悠然小径If you can't be the sun be a star如果你成为不了太阳就做一颗星星It isn't by size that you win or you fail成败不取决于大小Be the best of whatever you are 无论你是谁，做最好的自己就行