精美英文欣赏:学会放手

Must all good things really come to an end?

天下真的没有不散的宴席？

This weekend we must steel ourselves to say farewell to "London 2012",

本周末，我们必须坚定地对“伦敦2012”告别。

and I think it'd be fair to say that for a lot of us sceptics,

虽然我们常对事情抱有怀疑态度，

the Olympics and Paralympics crept up on and then quite simply overtook us with their uniquely captivating story lines.

但我相信大数多人都被奥运会和残奥会上发生的故事所深深地震撼。

And while the athletes have undoubtedly¹ been the heroes,

在这场盛事中，不仅仅是我们的运动员英雄，

everyone has played a role, it seems, from coaches to volunteers to spectators,

每个人都参与其中，从教练到志愿者，从志愿者到观众，

in creating something far more magical than the sum of its parts.

他们创造的令人惊叹的效果，比参与人数更令人惊异。

In fact, any one of us who cheered or clapped or cried,

实际上，每一位在体育场或屏幕前鼓掌欢呼的人，

whether in a stadium or in front of a screen, now has a stake in something unforgettable.

都在此次运动会中拥有一份难以忘怀的回忆。

Instant nostalgia², however, can make us want to grab on for dear life when good things are drawing to a close,

当美好的事物即将离我们而去时，一时间的怀旧之情可能让我们紧紧抓住它们，不愿放手。

and you can end up with all the souvenirs and DVD box sets you can muster³, but still miss the point entirely⁴,

到最后，我们只能任凭时间流逝，只留下一些纪念品和DVD影碟。

which is, that we can't trap the wonder of such wonderful times and pin it like a butterfly to a wall.

然而，我们无法留住美好时光，无法像钉蝴蝶标本一样把它钉在墙上。

In fact, the spiritual approach is not to hold tight but to hold lightly.

事实上，在生活中，我们不应恋恋不舍，而应豁达洒脱。

"Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it," said Jesus, enigmatically.

非常不可思议的是，耶稣曾说：“凡想要保全生命的，必丧掉生命。”

If we can't learn to let go, how can we make room for what's to come, after all.

毕竟，如果我们不会放手，又怎么能迎来新的际遇呢。

In the film American Beauty, Lester, a grumpy middle-aged⁵ man,

在电影《美国丽人》中，年近中年的莱斯特脾气暴躁，

has an epiphany following his mid-life crisis, and begins, at last, to appreciate the nature of beauty, and beautiful times.

但他终于在中年危机之后大彻大悟，懂得如何去欣赏生命中的美好。

"Sometimes I feel like it's too much," he reflects.

“有时候我觉得无法承受，”他想到，

"My heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst.

“我的心像涨满的气球随时会爆，

And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it,

后来我记得要放轻松，别一直想要紧抓着不放，

and then it flows through me like rain, and I can't feel anything but gratitude⁶ for every moment of my stupid little life."

所有的美就像雨水一样洗涤着我，让我对我这卑微愚蠢的生命，在每一刻都充满感激。”

And surely with similar gratitude, we can let go of the Games, to let what's been so good about them keep coursing through us.

我们也可以怀着同样的感激，豁达地和运动会告别，让美好的回忆陪伴我们。

Perhaps, instead of watching endless re-runs to keep the flame alight,

也许，我们要做的，不是一直让圣火燃烧，

our challenge as spectators is to become participants to leave the sofa

而是从观众变成参与者，从沙发上站起身，

and be inspired by the likes of David Weir⁷, Hannah Cockcroft or Jonnie Peacock, to start where their race ends.

在大卫·威尔、汉娜·克罗夫特和乔尼·彼考克精神的鼓舞下，继续他们的赛程。

Whether it's by volunteering, or exercising, or inspiring others by pursuing our own personal best, in sport or in life,

不论是参加志愿者工作，还是刻苦锻炼，或是通过奋发向上来鼓舞他人，不论是在体育比赛还是在生活中，

every one of us who clapped, or cheered, or cried, now has a baton⁸ to receive ourselves,

如果我们每一个鼓掌欢呼的人都愿意放下手中的遥控器，去书写各自的精彩，

if we are willing to drop the remote, and open our hands, and get on our marks.

那么我们前方将有人握着接力棒迎接我们，和我们共同奋斗。

1 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

2 nostalgia   

n.怀乡病，留恋过去，怀旧

参考例句：

• He might be influenced by nostalgia for his happy youth.也许是对年轻时幸福时光的怀恋影响了他。
• I was filled with nostalgia by hearing my favourite old song.我听到这首喜爱的旧歌，心中充满了怀旧之情。

3 muster   

v.集合，收集，鼓起，激起；n.集合，检阅，集合人员，点名册

参考例句：

• Go and muster all the men you can find.去集合所有你能找到的人。
• I had to muster my courage up to ask him that question.我必须鼓起勇气向他问那个问题。

4 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

5 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

6 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

7 weir   

n.堰堤，拦河坝

参考例句：

• The discharge from the weir opening should be free.从堰开口处的泻水应畅通。
• Big Weir River,restraining tears,has departed!大堰河，含泪地去了！

8 baton   

n.乐队用指挥杖

参考例句：

• With the baton the conductor was beating time.乐队指挥用指挥棒打拍子。
• The conductor waved his baton,and the band started up.指挥挥动指挥棒，乐队开始演奏起来。