温馨夜读 PART3 09 A Mother’s Love Outlasts Everything 永恒母爱

 

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[00:00.55]A Mother’s Love Outlasts¹ Everything 永恒母爱

[00:07.98]One calm, bright, sunshiny day, an angel slipped out of heaven

[00:13.89]and came down to this world and roamed field and forest, city and hamlet.

[00:19.36]Just as the sun was setting, he spread his wings and said,

[00:24.18]“Now my visit is over and I must go back to the world of light.

[00:29.32]But before I go, I would like to take along some mementos² of my visit here.”

[00:35.23]He noticed a beautiful flower garden and said,

[00:39.66]“How lovely and fragrant³ these flowers are.”

[00:42.99]He plucked the rarest and most beautiful roses and made a bouquet⁴ and said,

[00:49.51]“I see nothing more beautiful and fragrant than these; 

[00:53.96]I will take them back to heaven with me.”

[00:56.62]Looking on a little further, he saw a bright-eyed baby, 

[01:01.29]smiling into its mother’s face.

[01:03.62]And he said,“Oh, that baby’s smile is even prettier than this bouquet of roses; 

[01:10.85]I will take that, too!”

[01:12.70]Then he looked just beyond the cradle and there was a mother’s love pouring out

[01:19.49]like the gush⁵ of a river toward the cradle and the baby.

[01:23.21]And he said to himself,“Oh, 

[01:26.54]that mother’s love is the prettiest thing I have seen on earth; 

[01:31.79]I will carry that, too.”

[01:34.04]With the three treasures he winged his way back to heaven.

[01:38.74]When he got outside the pearly gates, he decided⁶ to examine his mementos.

[01:44.87]He looked at the flowers and they had wilted⁷.

[01:48.70]He looked at the baby’s smile and it had faded.

[01:53.08]He looked at the mother’s love and it was still there in all its warmth 

[01:58.32]and in all its pristine⁸ beauty.

[02:00.85]He threw aside the wilted flowers and the faded smile, 

[02:05.42]and winged his way through the gates.

[02:07.84]He led all the hosts of heaven together and said,

[02:12.11]“Here is the only thing I found on earth 

[02:15.96]that would keep its beauty all the way to heaven ...

[02:18.68]It is a Mother’s Love.”

1 outlasts   

v.比…长久，比…活得长( outlast的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

2 mementos   

纪念品，令人回忆的东西( memento的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The museum houses a collection of mementos, materials and documents. 博物馆保存着很多回忆录以及文献资料。
• This meant, however, that no one was able to retrieve irreplaceable family mementos. 然而，这也意味着谁也没能把无可替代的家庭纪念品从火中救出来。

3 fragrant   

adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的

参考例句：

• The Fragrant Hills are exceptionally beautiful in late autumn.深秋的香山格外美丽。
• The air was fragrant with lavender.空气中弥漫薰衣草香。

4 bouquet   

n.花束，酒香

参考例句：

• This wine has a rich bouquet.这种葡萄酒有浓郁的香气。
• Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。

5 gush   

v.喷，涌；滔滔不绝(说话)；n.喷，涌流；迸发

参考例句：

• There was a gush of blood from the wound.血从伤口流出。
• There was a gush of blood as the arrow was pulled out from the arm.当从手臂上拔出箭来时，一股鲜血涌了出来。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 wilted   

（使）凋谢，枯萎( wilt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The flowers wilted in the hot sun. 花在烈日下枯萎了。
• The romance blossomed for six or seven months, and then wilted. 那罗曼史持续六七个月之后就告吹了。

8 pristine   

adj.原来的，古时的，原始的，纯净的，无垢的

参考例句：

• He wiped his fingers on his pristine handkerchief.他用他那块洁净的手帕擦手指。
• He wasn't about to blemish that pristine record.他本不想去玷污那清白的过去。