精美英文欣赏:一封给我儿子的信(上)

A letter to my son

一封给我儿子的信

Dear Seth,

亲爱的塞斯，

You're only three years old, and at this point in your life you can't read, much less understand what I'm going to try to tell you in this letter.

你现在仅仅3岁，此刻你还不识字，更不用说让你去理解我接下来想在这封信里对你所说的话了。

But I've been thinking a lot about the life that you have ahead of you, about my life so far as I reflect on what I've learned, and about my role as a dad in trying to prepare you for the trials that you will face in the coming years。

但是我已经苦思冥想了好久，关于你即将面临的人生以及我的生活，我反思我所学会的；思考一个父亲的职责，力图让你为未来岁月中即将面临的困难做好充分准备。

You won't be able to understand this letter today, but someday, when you're ready, I hope you will find some wisdom and value in what I share with you。

你今天并不能理解这封信的含义，但是某一天，当时机成熟，我希望你能在我与你分享的内容当中找寻到些许的智慧和价值。

You are young, and life has yet to take its toll¹ on you, to throw disappointments and heartaches and loneliness and struggles and pain into your path. You have not been worn down yet by long hours of thankless work, by the slings² and arrows of everyday life。

你还很年轻，生命还尚未开始摧残你，没有在你的人生道路上布置失望，伤心，孤独，挣扎和苦痛。你还没有被漫长的乏味工作，被日常生活的打击搞得筋疲力尽。

For this, be thankful. You are at a wonderful stage of life. You have many wonderful stages of life still to come, but they are not without their costs and perils³。

因此，谢天谢地吧。你正处在人生一个美妙的阶段。还有很多美妙的阶段会来到你面前，但是都不是唾手可得的，你都得付出代价，经历风险。

I hope to help you along your path by sharing some of the best of what I've learned. As with any advice, take it with a grain of salt. What works for me might not work for you。

我希望通过分享一些我所学到的最好的道理能帮助你走好人生路。至于任何建议，且把它当作佐料，因为适合我的并不一定适用于你。

Life Can Be Cruel

生活会很残酷

There will be people in your life who won't be very nice. They'll tease⁴ you because you're different, or for no good reason. They might try to bully⁵ you or hurt you。

你的生活中一定会有并不友好的人。他们耻笑你因为你不同，而在没有更好的理由。他们可能会欺负你或者伤害你。

There's not much you can do about these people except to learn to deal with them, and learn to choose friends who are kind to you, who actually care about you, who make you feel good about yourself.

对这种人你除了学会和其接触无计可施，同时你也要学会择友，选择那些对你友善的，那些真正关心你的，那些令你对自己感到很好的人做朋友。

1 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

2 slings   

抛( sling的第三人称单数 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往

参考例句：

• "Don't you fear the threat of slings, Perched on top of Branches so high?" 矫矫珍木巅，得无金丸惧？ 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学
• Used for a variety of things including slings and emergency tie-offs. 用于绳套，设置保护点，或者紧急情况下打结。

3 perils   

极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境）

参考例句：

• The commander bade his men be undaunted in the face of perils. 指挥员命令他的战士要临危不惧。
• With how many more perils and disasters would he load himself? 他还要再冒多少风险和遭受多少灾难？

4 tease   

vt.戏弄，取笑，挑逗，撩拨；n.戏弄人者

参考例句：

• The other boys tease him because he is fat.因为他很胖，所以其他男生都取笑他。
• His friends used to tease him about his tatty clothes.他的朋友过去常常笑话他破旧的衣服。

5 bully   

n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮

参考例句：

• A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。
• The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。