双语有声阅读：谈怕死

Perhaps the best cure for the fear of death is to reflect that life has a beginning as well as an end.There was a time when we were not: this gives me no concern-why then should it trouble us that a time will come when we shall cease to be? I have no wish to have been alive a hundred years ago, or in the reign¹ of Queen Anne. Why should I regret and lay it so much to heart that I shall not be alive a hundred years hence, in the reign of I cannot tell whom?

 

To die is only to be as we were born; yet no one feels any remorse², or regret, or repugnance³, in contemplating⁴ this last idea. It is rather a relief and disburdening of the mind; it seems to have been a holiday time with us then; we were not called to appear upon the stage of life, to wear robes or tatters, to laugh or cry, be hooted⁵ or applauded; we had lain perdu all this while, snug⁶ out of harm’s way; and had slept out our thousands of centuries without wanting to be waked up; at peace and free from care, in a long nonage, in a sleep deeper and calmer than that of infancy⁷, wrapped in the softest and finest dust. And the worst that we dread⁸ is, after a short fretful, feverish⁹ being, after vain hopes, and idle fears, to sink to final repose¹⁰ again, and forget the troubled dream of life!

 

也许克服对死亡恐惧的最好方法是想一想，人生有始也就必有终。在过去一段时期我们并不存在：这一事实并未让我们担心过——那为什么我们还要为了有一天将不存在而感到困扰呢？我既然不期望活在一百年之前，或是生活在安妮女王统治的时代，我何以要因为不能活在一百年以后说不出谁统治的时代，深感遗憾而耿耿于怀呢？

 

死亡只不过是恢复到生前状况而已。当我们在思忖这个新观念时，没有人会感到_丝丝的懊悔、遗憾或是厌烦，反而感到心灵的舒缓慰藉和如释重负。我们在生前仿佛在度假一般：我们没有被召唤而出现在人生舞台上，穿着华贵的礼袍或褴褛的衣衫、大笑或是哭嚎、被人呵斥或是接受喝彩；相反地，我们埋伏了很久很久，安详自在而且远离伤害，熟睡千百个世纪也不愿意被唤醒，平和惬意而无忧无虑，长期处于胚胎阶段，远比婴儿时期睡得更为深沉和静谧，并被最轻柔和最细致的尘埃所包裹着。而最糟糕的是,我们担心在短暂的烦躁和狂热的生存之后，在空虚的期盼以及无谓的恐惧之后，再度沉入最终的长眠，而忘却了 人生烦恼痛苦的梦境！

1 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

2 remorse   

n.痛恨，悔恨，自责

参考例句：

• She had no remorse about what she had said.她对所说的话不后悔。
• He has shown no remorse for his actions.他对自己的行为没有任何悔恨之意。

3 repugnance   

n.嫌恶

参考例句：

• He fought down a feelings of repugnance.他抑制住了厌恶感。
• She had a repugnance to the person with whom she spoke.她看不惯这个和她谈话的人。

4 contemplating   

深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想

参考例句：

• You're too young to be contemplating retirement. 你考虑退休还太年轻。
• She stood contemplating the painting. 她站在那儿凝视那幅图画。

5 hooted   

（使）作汽笛声响，作汽车喇叭声( hoot的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• An owl hooted nearby. 一只猫头鹰在附近啼叫。
• The crowd hooted and jeered at the speaker. 群众向那演讲人发出轻蔑的叫嚣和嘲笑。

6 snug   

adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房

参考例句：

• He showed us into a snug little sitting room.他领我们走进了一间温暖而舒适的小客厅。
• She had a small but snug home.她有个小小的但很舒适的家。

7 infancy   

n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期

参考例句：

• He came to England in his infancy.他幼年时期来到英国。
• Their research is only in its infancy.他们的研究处于初级阶段。

8 dread   

vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧

参考例句：

• We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
• Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。

9 feverish   

adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的

参考例句：

• He is too feverish to rest.他兴奋得安静不下来。
• They worked with feverish haste to finish the job.为了完成此事他们以狂热的速度工作着。

10 repose   

v.(使)休息；n.安息

参考例句：

• Don't disturb her repose.不要打扰她休息。
• Her mouth seemed always to be smiling,even in repose.她的嘴角似乎总是挂着微笑，即使在睡眠时也是这样。