英语美文：人生礼颂

 A Psalm¹ of Life/人生礼颂 

Herry Wadsworth Longfellow/享利.沃兹渥斯.朗费罗

Tell me not in mournful numbers, 

Life is but an empty dream!

For the soul is dead that slumbers²

And things are not what they seem.

请别用哀伤的诗句对我讲；

人生呵，无非虚梦一场！

因为沉睡的灵魂如死一般，

事物的表里并不一样。

Life is real! Life is earnest!

And the grave is not its goal;

Dust thou art, to dust returnest,

Was not spoken of the soul.

人生是实在的！人生是热烈的！

人生的目标决不是坟墓；

你是尘土，应归于尘土，

此话指的并不是我们的精神。

Not enjoyment³, and not sorrow,

Is our destined⁴ and our way;

But to act,

That much tomorrow

Find us farther than today.

我们的归宿并不是欢乐，

也不是悲伤。

实干，

才是我们的道路，

每天不断前进，蒸蒸日上。

Art is long, and time is fleeting⁵,

And our hearts, though stout⁶ and brave.

Still, like muffled⁷ drums, are beating

Funeral marches to the grave.

光阴易逝，而艺海无涯，

我们的心哪－－虽然勇敢坚强，

却像被布蒙住的铜鼓，

常把殡葬的哀乐擂响。

In the world's broad field of battle,

In the bivouac of Life,

Be not like dumb, driven cattle!

Be a hero in the strife⁸!

在这人生的宿营地，

在这辽阔的世界战场，

别做无言的牲畜任人驱赶，

做一名英雄汉立马横枪！

Trust no future, howe'er pleasant!

Let the dead Past bury its dead!

Act, act in the living Present!

Heart within, and God o'erhead!

别相信未来，哪怕未来多么欢乐！

让死去的往昔将死亡的一切埋葬！

上帝在上，我们胸怀勇气，

行动吧－－趁现在活着的好时光！

Lives of great men all remind us 

We can make our lives sublime⁹,

And departing leave behind us

Footprints on the sands of time.

伟大的生平使我们想起，

我们能使自己的一生变得高尚！

当我们辞别人间，

能把足迹留在时间的流沙上。

Footprints that perhaps another,

Sailing o'er life solemn main,

A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,

Seeing, shall take heart again.

也许有个遭了船灾的苦难弟兄，

他曾在庄严的人生大海中飘航，

见到我们的脚印，

又会满怀信心。

Let us, then, be up and doing,

With a heart for any fate;

Still achieving, still pursuing

Learn to labour and to wait.

让我们起来干吧，

下定决心，不管遭遇怎样；

不断胜利，不断追求，

要学会苦干和耐心等待。

1 psalm   

n.赞美诗，圣诗

参考例句：

• The clergyman began droning the psalm.牧师开始以单调而低沈的语调吟诵赞美诗。
• The minister droned out the psalm.牧师喃喃地念赞美诗。

2 slumbers   

睡眠，安眠( slumber的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His image traversed constantly her restless slumbers. 他的形象一再闯进她的脑海，弄得她不能安睡。
• My Titan brother slumbers deep inside his mountain prison. Go. 我的泰坦兄弟就被囚禁在山脉的深处。

3 enjoyment   

n.乐趣；享有；享用

参考例句：

• Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
• After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。

4 destined   

adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的

参考例句：

• It was destined that they would marry.他们结婚是缘分。
• The shipment is destined for America.这批货物将运往美国。

5 fleeting   

adj.短暂的，飞逝的

参考例句：

• The girls caught only a fleeting glimpse of the driver.女孩们只匆匆瞥了一眼司机。
• Knowing the life fleeting,she set herself to enjoy if as best as she could.她知道这种日子转瞬即逝，于是让自已尽情地享受。

6 stout   

adj.强壮的，粗大的，结实的，勇猛的，矮胖的

参考例句：

• He cut a stout stick to help him walk.他砍了一根结实的枝条用来拄着走路。
• The stout old man waddled across the road.那肥胖的老人一跩一跩地穿过马路。

7 muffled   

adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己）

参考例句：

• muffled voices from the next room 从隔壁房间里传来的沉闷声音
• There was a muffled explosion somewhere on their right. 在他们的右面什么地方有一声沉闷的爆炸声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 strife   

n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争

参考例句：

• We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife.我们不想卷入内乱之中。
• Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages.金钱是造成很多婚姻不和的一个主要原因。

9 sublime   

adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的

参考例句：

• We should take some time to enjoy the sublime beauty of nature.我们应该花些时间去欣赏大自然的壮丽景象。
• Olympic games play as an important arena to exhibit the sublime idea.奥运会，就是展示此崇高理念的重要舞台。