双语有声阅读：独身生活的回报

For me the most interesting thing about a solitary¹ life,and mine has been that for the last twenty years,is that it becomes increasingly rewarding.When I can wake up and watch the sun rise over the ocean, as I domost days, and know that I have an entire day ahead,uninterrupted, in which to write a few pages, take a walk with my dog,lie down in the afternoon for a think (Why does one think better in a horizontal position?), read and listen to music, I am flooded with happiness.

 

I am lonely only when I am overtired, when I have worked too long without a break, when for the time beingI feel empty and need filling up.And I am lonely sometimes when I come back home after a lecture trip, when I have seen a lot of people and talked a lot,and am full to the brim² with experience that needs to be sorted out.

 

Then for a little while the house feels huge and empty, and I wonder where myself is hiding.It has been recaptured slowly by watering the plants, perhaps, and looking again at each one as though it were a person,by feeding the two cats, by cooking a meal.

 

It takes a while, as I watch the surf blowing up in fountains at the end of the field,but the moment when the world falls away,and the self emerges³ again from the deep unconsciousness,bringing back all I have recently experienced to be explored and slowly understood,when I can converse⁴ again with my hidden powers,andso grow, and so be rewarded, till death do us part.

 

对我而言,独身生活中最有趣的——也是我最近20年以来深有体会的——就是它使生活变得越来越有情调了。当我早展醒来看到太阳从大海上冉冉升起的时候——尽管我几乎每天都是如此——我就知道面前将有没人打搅的整整一天时间了。在这一天里，我可以悠闲地写几页文章，可以带着狗散散步,午后还可以躺下来思考思考问题（为什么平躺的时候更加有利于思考呢？），看看书，听听音乐，心中洋溢着快乐之情。

 

只有在我过度疲劳的时候，或是在我工作太久而没有休息的时候,或是在我当时觉得空虚因而需要充实的时候，我才会感到孤独。而有时，当我在外地演讲后赶回家的时候，当我和许多人见面并且交谈甚多的时候，当许多经历多得要溢出来，因而需要整理的时候，我才会感到孤独。

 

那个时候，房子一度让人觉得太大、太空，而我却不知道自我藏身于何处。也许通过给花草浇水，并对其逐一端详，好像端详人一样;也许通过喂那两只猫和做一餐饭，我才能又慢慢捕捉到自我了。

 

过了 一会儿，我看到地平线的尽头海浪如泉水般喷涌，那一刻，世界消逝殆尽了，而自我从深层的无意识中再一次浮现，这才使我想起最近所经历的一切，让我去探究、去愎慢了解。此时，我又能与隐藏的力量交流了，于是我又在成长，并在成长中得到回报，直到死亡将我们分开。

1 solitary   

adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士

参考例句：

• I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
• The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

2 brim   

n.帽檐，（容器的）边，边缘；vi.注满，充溢

参考例句：

• The glass was full to the brim.玻璃杯中的液体已满到要溢出来了。
• She was filled to the brim with happiness.她充满了幸福。

3 emerges   

v.出现( emerge的第三人称单数 )；露头；形成；事实

参考例句：

• Language emerges and develops with the emergence and development of society. 语言是随着社会的产生而产生，随着社会的发展而发展的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The man emerges from water. 那个人露出水面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 converse   

vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反

参考例句：

• He can converse in three languages.他可以用3种语言谈话。
• I wanted to appear friendly and approachable but I think I gave the converse impression.我想显得友好、平易近人些,却发觉给人的印象恰恰相反。