羊皮卷之三（1）

The Scroll¹ Marked 3

羊皮卷之三

I will persist until I succeed.

坚持不懈，直到成功。

In the Orient

在古老的东方，

young bulls are tested for the fight arena² in a certain manner.

挑选小公牛列竞技场格斗有一定的程序、

Each is brought to the ring

它们被带进场地，

and allowed to attack a picador who pricks³ them with a lance.

向手持长矛的斗牛士攻击，

The bravery of each bull is then rated with care

裁判以它受激后

according to the number of times he demonstrates his willingness

再向斗牛士进攻的次数多寡

to charge in spite of the sting of the blade.

来评定这只公牛的勇敢程度。

Henceforth will I recognize that each day

从今往后，我须承认，

I am tested by life in like manner.

我的生命每天都在接受类似的考验。

If I persist,

如果我坚韧不拔，

if I continue to try,

勇往直前，

if I continue to charge forward,

迎接挑战。

I will succeed.

那么我一定会成功。

I will persist until I succeed.

坚持不懈，直到成功。

I was not delivered unto this world in defeat,

我不是为了失败才来到这个世界上的，

nor does failure course in my veins⁴.

我的血管里也没有失败的血液在流动。

I am not a sheep waiting to be prodded⁵ by my shepherd.

我不是任人鞭打的羔羊，

I am a lion

我是猛狮，

and I refuse to talk, to walk, to sleep with the sheep.

不与羊群为伍。

I will hear not those who weep and complain,

我不想听失意者的哭泣，抱怨者的牢骚，

for their disease is contagious⁶.

这是羊群中的瘟疫，

Let them join the sheep.

我不能被它传染。

The slaughterhouse of failure is not my destiny.

失败者的屠宰场不是我命运的归宿。

I will persist until I succeed.

坚持不懈，直到成功。

The prizes of life are at the end of each journey,

生命的奖赏远在旅途终点，

not near the beginning;

而非起点附近。

and it is not given to me to know how many steps are necessary

我不知道要走多少步

in order to reach my goal.

才能达到目标。

Failure I may still encounter at the thousandth step,

踏上第一千步的时候，仍然可能遭到失败。

yet success hides behind the next bend in the road.

但成功就藏在拐角后面，

Never will I know how close it lies

除非拐了弯，

unless I turn the corner.

我永远不知道还有多远。

Always will I take another step.

再前进一步，

If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet another.

如果没有用，就再向前一步。

In truth, one step at a time is not too difficult.

事实上，每次进步一点点并不太难。

I will persist until I succeed.

坚持不懈，直到成功。

Henceforth, I will consider each day's effort as but one blow of my blade

从今往后，我承认每天的奋斗就像

against a mighty⁷ oak.

对参天大树的一次砍击,

The first blow may cause not a tremor⁸ in the wood, nor the second, nor the third.

头几刀可能了无痕迹。

Each blow, of itself, may be trifling⁹, and seem of no consequence.

每一击看似微不足道，

Yet from childish swipes the oak will eventually tumble.

然而，累积起来，巨树终会倒下。

So it will be with my efforts of today.

这恰如我今天的努力。

I will be liken to the rain drop which washes away the mountain;

就像冲洗高山的雨滴，

the ant who devours¹⁰ a tiger;

吞噬猛虎的蚂蚁，

the star which brightens the earth;

照亮大地的星辰，

the slave who builds a pyramid.

建起金字塔的奴隶，

I will build my castle one brick at a time

我也要一砖一瓦地建造起自己的城堡，

for I know that small attempts,

因为我深知水滴石穿的道理，

repeated, will complete any undertaking¹¹.

只要持之以恒，什么都可以做到．

I will persist until I succeed.

坚持不懈，直到成功。

I will never consider defeat

我绝不考虑失败，

and I will remove from my vocabulary such words and phrases as quit,

我的字典里不再有放弃、

cannot, unable, impossible, out of the question,

不可能、办不到、没法子、成问题、

improbable, failure, unworkable, hopeless, and retreat;

失败、行不通、没希望、退缩……

for they are the words of fools.

这类愚蠢的字眼。

I will avoid despair

我要尽量避免绝望，

but if this disease of the mind should infect me

一旦受到它的威胁，

then I will work on in despair.

立即想方设法向它挑战。

1 scroll   

n.卷轴，纸卷；(石刻上的)漩涡

参考例句：

• As I opened the scroll,a panorama of the Yellow River unfolded.我打开卷轴时，黄河的景象展现在眼前。
• He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements.他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。

2 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

3 pricks   

刺痛( prick的名词复数 )； 刺孔； 刺痕； 植物的刺

参考例句：

• My skin pricks sometimes. 我的皮肤有时感到刺痛。
• You must obey the rule. It is useless for you to kick against the pricks. 你必须遵守规定，对抗对你是无益的。

4 veins   

n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理

参考例句：

• The blood flows from the capillaries back into the veins. 血从毛细血管流回静脉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I felt a pleasant glow in all my veins from the wine. 喝过酒后我浑身的血都热烘烘的，感到很舒服。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 prodded   

v.刺，戳( prod的过去式和过去分词 )；刺激；促使；（用手指或尖物）戳

参考例句：

• She prodded him in the ribs to wake him up. 她用手指杵他的肋部把他叫醒。
• He prodded at the plate of fish with his fork. 他拿叉子戳弄着那盘鱼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 contagious   

adj.传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• It's a highly contagious infection.这种病极易传染。
• He's got a contagious laugh.他的笑富有感染力。

7 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

8 tremor   

n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震

参考例句：

• There was a slight tremor in his voice.他的声音有点颤抖。
• A slight earth tremor was felt in California.加利福尼亚发生了轻微的地震。

9 trifling   

adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的

参考例句：

• They quarreled over a trifling matter.他们为这种微不足道的事情争吵。
• So far Europe has no doubt, gained a real conveniency,though surely a very trifling one.直到现在为止,欧洲无疑地已经获得了实在的便利，不过那确是一种微不足道的便利。

10 devours   

吞没( devour的第三人称单数 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光

参考例句：

• If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. 若有人想要害他们，就有火从他们口中出来，烧灭仇敌。
• It eats away parts of his skin; death's firstborn devours his limbs. 他本身的肢体要被吞吃，死亡的长子要吞吃他的肢体。

11 undertaking   

n.保证，许诺，事业

参考例句：

• He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。
• He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小，不敢从事任何事业。