英语名篇诵读 智慧的开端

The Beginning of Wisdom

智慧的开端

Lloyd Morris(劳埃德·莫里斯)

The days that make us happy make us wise.

The wisdom that happiness makes possible lies in clear perception , not fogged by

anxiety nor dimmed by despair and boredom¹, and without the blind spots caused by fear.

Active happiness — not mere² satisfaction or contentment — often comes suddenly, like an

April shower or the unfolding of a bud. Then you discover what kind of wisdom has accompanied

it. The grass is greener, bird songs are sweeter, the shortcomings of your friends are more

understandable and more forgivable. Happiness is like a pair of eyeglasses correcting your

spiritual vision .

Nor are the insights of happiness limited to what is near around you. Unhappy, with your

thoughts turned in upon your emotional woes³ , your vision is cut short as though by a wall.

Happy, the wall crumbles⁴.

The long vista⁵ is there for the seeing. The ground at your feet, the world about you —

people, thoughts, emotions, pressures — are now fitted into the larger scene. Everything assumes a

fairer proportion. And here is the beginning of wisdom.

快乐的日子使我们聪明。

快乐带来的智慧在于清晰的洞察中，不因忧虑而困惑，不因绝望、厌烦而迟钝，不因

惶恐而出现盲点。

积极的快乐——不仅仅是满足或惬意——会突然到来，就像四月的春雨或是花蕾的绽

放。接着你会发现，草儿更绿了，鸟儿的歌声更美了，友人的缺点更能理解宽容了。快乐

就像一副眼镜，可以矫正你精神的视力。

快乐带来的洞察力并不局限于你的周边事物。闷闷不乐时，你的思维听凭你悲伤情绪

的左右，你的视野也被无形的墙挡住看不远。高兴起来了，那堵墙便自行坍塌了。

远景展开了供你观望。大地在你脚下，世界在你周围——人们、思想、情感、压力

——此时都置于一个更大的场景之中。一切都呈现出更合适的比例。此时，你的大智开启

了。

1 boredom   

n.厌烦，厌倦，乏味，无聊

参考例句：

• Unemployment can drive you mad with boredom.失业会让你无聊得发疯。
• A walkman can relieve the boredom of running.跑步时带着随身听就不那么乏味了。

2 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。

3 woes   

困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉

参考例句：

• Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。
• She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。

4 crumbles   

酥皮水果甜点( crumble的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This cake crumbles too easily. 这种蛋糕太容易碎了。
• This bread crumbles ever so easily. 这种面包非常容易碎。

5 vista   

n.远景，深景，展望，回想

参考例句：

• From my bedroom window I looked out on a crowded vista of hills and rooftops.我从卧室窗口望去，远处尽是连绵的山峦和屋顶。
• These uprisings come from desperation and a vista of a future without hope.发生这些暴动是因为人们被逼上了绝路，未来看不到一点儿希望。