英语美文：我要笑遍世界

The Scroll¹ Marked Seven 羊皮卷之七 I will laugh at the world. 我要笑遍世界。

No living creature can laugh except man. Trees may bleed when they are wounded, and beasts in the field will cry in pain and hunger, yet only I have the gift of laughter and it is mine to use whenever I choose. Henceforth I will cultivate the habit of laughter.

只有人类才会笑。树木受伤时也会流“血”，禽兽也会因痛苦和饥饿而哭嚎哀鸣，然而，只有我们才具备笑的天赋，可以随时开怀大笑。从今往后，我要培养笑的习惯。

I will smile and my digestion³ will improve; I will chuckle⁴ and my burdens will be lightened; I will laugh and my life will be lengthened⁵ for this is the great secret of long life and now it is mine.

笑有助于消化，笑能减轻压力，笑，是长寿的秘方。现在我终于掌握了它。

I will laugh at the world.

我要笑遍世界。

And most of all, I will laugh at myself for man is most comical when he takes himself too seriously. Never will I fall into this trap of the mind. For though I be nature's greatest miracle am I not still a mere⁶ grain tossed about by the winds of time? Do I truly know whence I came or whither I am bound? Will my concern for this day not seem foolish ten years hence? Why should I permit the petty happenings of today to disturb me? What can take place before this sun sets which will not seem insignificant⁷ in the river of centuries?

我笑自己，因为自视甚高的人往往显得滑稽。千万不能跌进这个精神陷阱，虽说我们是造物主最伟大的奇迹，我不也是沧海一栗吗？我真的知道自己从那里来，到那里去吗？我现在所关心的事情，十年后看来，不会显得愚蠢吗？为什么我要现在发生的微不足道的琐事烦扰我？这漫漫的历史长河中，能留下多少日落的记忆？

I will laugh at the world.

我要笑遍世界。

And how can I laugh when confronted with man or deed which offends me so as to bring forth² my tears or my curses? Four words I will train myself to say until they become a habit so strong that immediately they will appear in my mind whenever good humor threatens to depart from me. These words, passed down from the ancients, will carry me through every adversity and maintain my life in balance. These four words are: This too shall pass.

当我受别人的冒犯时，当我遇到不如意的事情时，我只会流泪诅咒，却怎么笑得出来？有一句至理名言，我要反复练习，直到它深入我的骨髓，出口成言，让我永远保持良好的心境。这句话，传自远古时代，它们将陪我度过难关，使我的生活保持平衡。这句至理名言就是：这一切都会过去。

I will laugh at the world.

我要笑遍世界。

For all worldly things shall indeed pass. When I am heavy with heartache I shall console myself that this too shall pass; when I am puffed⁸ with success I shall warn myself that this too shall pass. When I am strangled in poverty I shall tell myself that this too shall pass; when I am burdened with wealth I shall tell myself that this too shall pass. Yea, verily, where is he who built the pyramid? Is he not buried within its stone? And will the pyramid, one day, not also be buried under sand? If all things shall pass why should I be of concern for today?

世上种种到头来都会成为过去。心力衰竭时，我安慰自己，这一切都会过去：当我因成功洋洋得意时，我提醒自己，这一切都会过去。穷困潦倒时，我告诉自己，这一切都会过去。腰缠万贯时，我也告诉自己，这一切都会过去。是的，昔日修建金字塔的人早已作古，埋在冰冷的石头下面，而金字塔有朝一日，也会埋在沙土下面。如果世上种种终必成空，我又为何对今天的得失斤斤计较？

I will laugh at the world.

我要笑遍世界。

I will paint this day with laughter; I will frame this night in song. Never will I labor⁹ to be happy; rather will I remain too busy to be sad. I will enjoy today's happiness today. It is not grain to be stored in a box. It is not wine to be saved in a jar. It cannot be saved for the morrow. It must be sown and reaped on the same day and this I will do, henceforth.

我要用笑声点缀今天，我要用歌声照亮黑夜。我不再苦苦寻觅快乐，我要在繁忙的工作中忘记悲伤。我要享受今天的快乐，它不像粮食可以贮藏，更不似美酒越陈越香。我不是为将来而活。今天播种今天收获。

I will laugh at the world.

我要笑遍世界。

And with my laughter all things will be reduced to their proper size. I will laugh at my failures and they will vanish in clouds of new dreams; I will laugh at my successes and they will shrink to their true value. I will laugh at evil and it will die untasted; I will laugh at goodness and it will thrive and abound¹⁰. Each day will be triumphant¹¹ only when my smiles bring forth smiles from others and this l do in selfishness, for those on whom l flown are those who purchase not my goods.

笑声中，一切都显露本色。我笑自己的失败，它们将化为梦的云彩；我笑自己的成功，它们回复本来面目；我笑邪恶，它们远我而去；我笑善良，它们发扬光大。我要用我的笑容感染别人，虽然我的目的自私，但这确实是成功之道，因为皱起的眉头会让顾客弃我而去。

I will laugh at the world.

我要笑遍世界。

Henceforth will l shed only tears of sweat, for those of sadness or remorse¹² or frustration¹³ are of no value in the market place whilst each smile can be exchanged for gold and each kind word, spoken from my heart, can build a castle.

从今往后，我只因幸福而落泪，因为悲伤、悔恨、挫折的泪水在商场上毫无家值，只有微笑可以换来财富，善言可以建起一座城堡。

Never will l allow myself to become so important, so wise, so dignified¹⁴, so powerful, that I forget how to laugh at myself and my world. In this matter I will always remain as a child, for only as a child am I given the ability to look up to others; and so long as I 1ook up to another I will never grow too long for my cot.

我不再允许自己因为变得重要、聪明、体面、强大，而忘记如何嘲笑自己和周围的一切。在这一点上，我要永远像小孩一样，因为只有做回小孩，我才能尊敬别人，尊敬别人，我才不会自以为是。

I will laugh at the world.

我要笑遍世界。

And so long as I can laugh never will I be poor. This, then, is one of nature's greatest gifts, and l will waste it no more. Only with laughter and happiness can l truly become a success. Only with laughter and happiness can I enjoy the fruits of my labor. Were it not so, far better would it be to fail, for happiness is the wine that sharpens the taste of the meal. To enjoy success I must have happiness, and laughter will be the maiden¹⁵ who serves me.

只要我能笑，就永远不会贫穷。这也是天赋，我不再浪费它。只有在笑声和快乐中，我才能享受到劳动的果实。如果不这样，我会失败，因为快乐是提味的美酒佳酿。要想享受成功，必须先有快乐，而笑声便是那伴娘。

I will be happy.

我要快乐。

I will be successful.

我要成功。

I will be the greatest salesman the world has ever known.

我要成为世界上最伟大的推销员。

1 scroll   

n.卷轴，纸卷；(石刻上的)漩涡

参考例句：

• As I opened the scroll,a panorama of the Yellow River unfolded.我打开卷轴时，黄河的景象展现在眼前。
• He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements.他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。

2 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

3 digestion   

n.消化，吸收

参考例句：

• This kind of tea acts as an aid to digestion.这种茶可助消化。
• This food is easy of digestion.这食物容易消化。

4 chuckle   

vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑

参考例句：

• He shook his head with a soft chuckle.他轻轻地笑着摇了摇头。
• I couldn't suppress a soft chuckle at the thought of it.想到这个，我忍不住轻轻地笑起来。

5 lengthened   

（时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The afternoon shadows lengthened. 下午影子渐渐变长了。
• He wanted to have his coat lengthened a bit. 他要把上衣放长一些。

6 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

7 insignificant   

adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的

参考例句：

• In winter the effect was found to be insignificant.在冬季，这种作用是不明显的。
• This problem was insignificant compared to others she faced.这一问题与她面临的其他问题比较起来算不得什么。

8 puffed   

adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧

参考例句：

• He lit a cigarette and puffed at it furiously. 他点燃了一支香烟，狂吸了几口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He felt grown-up, puffed up with self-importance. 他觉得长大了，便自以为了不起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

10 abound   

vi.大量存在；(in，with)充满，富于

参考例句：

• Oranges abound here all the year round.这里一年到头都有很多橙子。
• But problems abound in the management of State-owned companies.但是在国有企业的管理中仍然存在不少问题。

11 triumphant   

adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的

参考例句：

• The army made a triumphant entry into the enemy's capital.部队胜利地进入了敌方首都。
• There was a positively triumphant note in her voice.她的声音里带有一种极为得意的语气。

12 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。

13 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

14 dignified   

a.可敬的，高贵的

参考例句：

• Throughout his trial he maintained a dignified silence. 在整个审讯过程中，他始终沉默以保持尊严。
• He always strikes such a dignified pose before his girlfriend. 他总是在女友面前摆出这种庄严的姿态。

15 maiden   

n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的

参考例句：

• The prince fell in love with a fair young maiden.王子爱上了一位年轻美丽的少女。
• The aircraft makes its maiden flight tomorrow.这架飞机明天首航。