早读英语精华本基础篇lesson24

Touch Me

　　Touch Me is a soliloquy（独白）composed by Hank Miller¹, about the Vietnam （越南）Veterans（退伍军人） Memorial in Washington, D.C. also known as “The Wall”. This monument is one of the most visited sites in the city of Washington.

　　-----By Hank Miller

　　(California professional photographer, freelance writer, former Naval² Aviator（海军飞行员）, and a Vietnam veteran)

　　Touch me. Don’t be afraid. I can’t hurt you. Go ahead and touch my smooth surface. Feel the cold, glass-like smoothness and the crevices(裂缝） and lines that make me what I am. Use both hands if you wish. We are more similar than you dare to believe.

　　Touch my face. Yes, I have a face like yours. It has weathered（饱经风霜的） the centuries as yours has the years. My face portrays³ my evolution. Yours, the birth and death of a generation. My face has aged⁴ like yours as we have endured together the testimony（证据） of earth elements.

　　I have eyes like yours. My inscriptions（碑铭） stare out at you as I search for the meaning of why we are here. I look into your eyes and see who you are. Who am I? I was formed millions of years past and now you see the results of my evolution.

　　I can feel your hands and the sweat from your palms flow into the countless⁵ combination of the letters that make me. I know you. I have known you since I was able to breathe in the air as my smoothness began to take shape and my color matured along with natural flaws. You have known me since the days when you came to take me from my mother.

　　You cannot hear me. I am static（静态的） and unmoving. But, I can hear your murmurs（低语） and your cries of pain and sadness. Your sons and daughters ask why? There are no answers. I am very old. I have seen everything and I am none the wiser for the pain and suffering and I have witnessed since I rose from the bowels⁶ of the earth. I have witnessed the conflict, the death, the civilizations, and the societies that have come before you. Yet I remain mystified about this day.

　　I feel sad yet alive with a purpose. I have come to know those who are now an integral part of the reason for my being here at this place and time. That purpose has become apparent as I stand before you on this day while your brethren （同胞）gather to witness my reflections and the changes of light that mirror your soul.

　　I am a reflection of you…

　　I am all of you…

　　I am your spirit..

　　I am The Wall.

1 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

2 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

3 portrays   

v.画像( portray的第三人称单数 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The museum collection vividly portrays the heritage of 200 years of canals. 博物馆的藏品让运河200 年的历史再现眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The film portrays Gandhi as a kind of superman. 这部电影把甘地描绘成一个超人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

5 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

6 bowels   

n.肠，内脏，内部；肠( bowel的名词复数 )；内部，最深处

参考例句：

• Salts is a medicine that causes movements of the bowels. 泻盐是一种促使肠子运动的药物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cabins are in the bowels of the ship. 舱房设在船腹内。 来自《简明英汉词典》