【双语有声阅读】乞丐 The mendicant

The mendicant¹

 

乞丐

When I think how long I have lived

每当我想起自己年高寿长

I am struck by life’s injustice²:

命运的不公让我愕然；

Others have lived much less

他人的生命何其短暂

Some have been given less than an hour of life.

一些人在出生短短时间后便告别尘寰。

I recall my childhood

我想起了我的童年

And the various stages of my growth.

和生命成长的各个阶段。

I have been blessed, indeed, beyond anything

我，事实上，受到了绝无仅有的

I expected or deserved!

我所期望的，和我值得的眷顾！

I think of the experiences that life has given me—happy ones that filled my heart,

我想起生命赋予我的种种经历—幸福的事儿充满我的心房，

Painful ones that helped me grow—

痛苦的事儿帮助我成长—

Of the discoveries I have made...

我思考，那些我的发现…

Of the persons I was privileged to meet...

那些我有幸遇到的人…

And of my talents and abilities,

我的才华与能力，

Of sight

视力，

And hearing,

听力，

Smell and taste and touch

嗅觉，味觉和触觉

And mind and will and memory

思想，意愿和记忆

And the limbs and organs of my body.

四肢及器官。

If I were to die today

如果我今天就要离去

I should certainly have had more than my fair share of life’s blessings³.

当然，我已经受到自己不应该有的那份人生眷顾。

Whatever else life has in store for me is an added gift

不管未来的人数还有什么在等待着我，

Quite undeserved.

那都是一件额外的礼物。

Having accepted this, I make myself aware of the fact

我诚惶诚恐甚感不配拥有。

That I have another day of life to live and relish⁴.

知道这个，我清楚了我要认真生活，体味生命中的另一天

I see myself go through the morning,

我要看着自己穿过清晨，

The afternoon,

走过下午，

And evening,

度过夜晚，

And accept my good luck gratefully.

感激地接收我的好运气。

I think of the person who to me is the dearest

我想到了哪个我生命中最重要的人

Of all who are alive today,

所以至今还健在的人们，

Of how he or she has enriched my life.

他或她让我的生命更加富丽斑斓。

Tomorrow I may lose her...

明天也许我就会失去她….

Such is life’s fragility.

生命就是如此脆弱。

And if I did, I should have no cause for complaint.

如果我真的失去了她，我也不应该有理由抱怨。

I have had her for so long,

我已经拥有她太长时间了，

God knows I have no right to her for a single hour.

上天知道，我无权再据她为己有，哪怕只有一小时。

Life has been unjust:

人生是不公正的；

I think of those who never had

我想起那些从未拥有过

The riches she has brought me.

如她给我带来的财富的人们。

I tell her this in fantasy

我似在幻梦中告诉她此事

And see what happens.

等待会发生什么。

I now become aware

我现在明白了

That she is here for yet another day

她还会在这儿度过另一天

And I am grateful.

我感激不尽。

1 mendicant   

n.乞丐；adj.行乞的

参考例句：

• He seemed not an ordinary mendicant.他好象不是寻常的乞丐。
• The one-legged mendicant begins to beg from door to door.独腿乞丐开始挨门乞讨。

2 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

3 blessings   

n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福

参考例句：

• Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马，焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 relish   

n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味

参考例句：

• I have no relish for pop music.我对流行音乐不感兴趣。
• I relish the challenge of doing jobs that others turn down.我喜欢挑战别人拒绝做的工作。