英语名篇诵读 人生感悟

Reflections on Life

人生感悟

George Gissing(乔治·吉辛)

I had stepped into a new life. Between the man I had been and that which I now became there was a very notable difference. In a single day I had matured astonishingly; which means, no doubt, that I suddenly entered into conscious enjoyment¹ of powers and sensibilities which had been developing unknown to me. To instance only one point: till then I had cared very little about plants and flowers, but now I found myself eagerly interested in every blossom, in every growth of the wayside. As I walked I gathered a quantity of plants, promising² myself to buy a book on the morrow and identify them all. Nor was it a passing humour ; never since have I lost my pleasure in the flowers of the field and my desire to know them all. My ignorance at the time of which I speak seems to me now very shameful³; but I was merely in the case of ordinary people, whether living in town or country. How many could give the familiar name of half a dozen plants plucked at random⁴ from beneath the hedge in spring-time? To me the flowers became symbolical⁵ of a great release, of a wonderful awakening⁶. My eyes had all at once been opened; till then I had walked in darkness, yet knew it not...

But there is the rustle⁷ of branches in the morning breeze; there is the music of a sunny shower against the window; there is the mating song of birds. Several times lately I have lain wakeful when there sounded the first note of the earliest lark⁸; it makes me almost glad of my restless nights. The only trouble that touches me in these moments is the thought of my long life wasted amid the senseless noises of man's world. Year after year this sport has known the same tranquility ; with ever so little of good fortune, with ever so little wisdom, beyond what was granted me, I might have blessed my manhood with calm, might have made for myself in later life a long retrospect⁹ of bowered¹⁰ peace. As it is, I enjoy with something of sadness remembering that this melodious¹¹ silence is but the prelude¹² of that deeper stillness which waits to enfold us all.

我迈入了新生活。从前的我和现在的我有了非常显著的区别。仅仅在一天中，我惊人地成熟了；这无疑意味着我突然间开始有意识地玩味起自然万物的力量和敏感了，它们一直生生不息，而我却一无所知。仅以一点为例：在此之前，我对花草植物毫不在意，但我现在发现自己对每一朵花，对路边的每一棵植物，都兴趣盎然。我一边走着，一边采集一些植物，心想着明天买一本书，把它们都加以鉴别。这不是一时心血来潮。自那以后，田野里的花给我带来了快乐，我渴望能都叫响它们的名字。我提到的从前那段时间，我十分无知，今天似乎还觉得非常羞愧，但是我当时只是普通人的普遍状态，不论是城里人还是乡下人。春天树篱下随手摘下的数株植物，有几人能够叫出它们的俗名？对于我，花儿象征着舒心释然，象征着奇妙的觉醒。我的眼界骤然开阔；在那之前，我行走在黑暗中，而自己却浑然不知……

晨风中，树的枝叶飒飒有声；阳光中的阵雨打在窗户上，犹如仙乐；鸟儿求偶，歌声婉转清越。最近几次，我醒来躺在床上，听到早起云雀的第一声啼鸣，使我即使夜不安眠也分外欣喜。此时此刻，使我唯一苦恼的，是想到我漫长的人生浪费在了人世间毫无意义的喧嚣中。年复一年，这份消遣享受总给我带来心灵的安宁。除了天命所赐，我向来没有更多的好运，也没有更多的智慧，但也许我仍然会安然地祝福身为成人的自己，会在以后的生活中为自己创造一个得到荫庇的安宁，值得长久地回忆。实际上，这悦耳的寂静只不过是等待展现在我们所有人面前的更为深沉之寂静的前奏，想到这里，忧伤之感便会涌上心头，但我依然享受着这美好的人生。

1 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。

2 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

3 shameful   

adj.可耻的，不道德的

参考例句：

• It is very shameful of him to show off.他向人炫耀自己，真不害臊。
• We must expose this shameful activity to the newspapers.我们一定要向报社揭露这一无耻行径。

4 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

5 symbolical   

a.象征性的

参考例句：

• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real. 今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。
• The Lord introduces the first symbolical language in Revelation. 主说明了启示录中第一个象徵的语言。

6 awakening   

n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的

参考例句：

• the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣
• People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。

7 rustle   

v.沙沙作响；偷盗(牛、马等)；n.沙沙声声

参考例句：

• She heard a rustle in the bushes.她听到灌木丛中一阵沙沙声。
• He heard a rustle of leaves in the breeze.他听到树叶在微风中发出的沙沙声。

8 lark   

n.云雀，百灵鸟；n.嬉戏，玩笑；vi.嬉戏

参考例句：

• He thinks it cruel to confine a lark in a cage.他认为把云雀关在笼子里太残忍了。
• She lived in the village with her grandparents as cheerful as a lark.她同祖父母一起住在乡间非常快活。

9 retrospect   

n.回顾，追溯；v.回顾，回想，追溯

参考例句：

• One's school life seems happier in retrospect than in reality.学校生活回忆起来显得比实际上要快乐。
• In retrospect,it's easy to see why we were wrong.回顾过去就很容易明白我们的错处了。

10 bowered   

adj.凉亭的，有树荫的

参考例句：

11 melodious   

adj.旋律美妙的，调子优美的，音乐性的

参考例句：

• She spoke in a quietly melodious voice.她说话轻声细语，嗓音甜美。
• Everybody was attracted by her melodious voice.大家都被她悦耳的声音吸引住了。

12 prelude   

n.序言，前兆，序曲

参考例句：

• The prelude to the musical composition is very long.这首乐曲的序曲很长。
• The German invasion of Poland was a prelude to World War II.德国入侵波兰是第二次世界大战的序幕。