英语沙龙：Three Days to See

Most of us take life for granted.

We know that one day we must die, but usually we picture that day as far in the future.

The days stretch out in an endless vista¹,

so we go about our petty tasks, hardly aware of our listless attitude toward life.

The same lethargy characterizes the use of all our faculties² and senses.

Only the deaf appreciate hearing, only the blind realize the manifold blessings⁴ that lie in sight.

I have often thought it would be a blessing³ if each human being were stricken blind and deaf

for a few days at some time during his early adult life.

Darkness would make him more appreciative⁵ of sight;

silence would teach him the joys of sound.

When walking the woods, I, who cannot see,

find hundreds of things to interest me through mere⁶ touch.

I feel the delicate symmetry of a leaf.

I pass my hands lovingly about the smooth skin of a silver birch,

or the rough, shaggy bark of a pine.

In the spring I touch the branches of trees hopefully in search of a bud

—the first sign of awakening⁷ Nature after her winter’s sleep.

I feel the delightful⁸, velvety⁹ texture¹⁰ of a flower,

and discover its remarkable¹¹ convolutions;

and something of the miracle of Nature is revealed to me.

Occasionally, if I am very fortunate,

I place my hand gently on a small tree and feel the happy quiver of a bird in full song.

I am delighted to have the cool waters of a brook¹² rush thought my open finger.

To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is

more welcome than the most luxurious¹³ Persian rug.

To me the pageant¹⁴ of seasons is a thrilling and unending drama,

the action of which streams through my finger tips.

If I can get so much pleasure from mere touch,

how much more beauty must be revealed by sight.

Suppose you set your mind to work on the problem of how you would use your own eyes

if you had only three more days to see.

If with the oncoming darkness of the third night you knew that the sun would never rise for you again,

how would you spend those three precious intervening days?

What would you most want to let your gaze rest upon?

I, naturally, should want most to see the things

which have become dear to me through my years of darkness.

You, too, would want to let your eyes rest on the things that have become dear to you

so that you could take the memory of them with you into the night that loomed¹⁵ before you.

1 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。

2 faculties   

n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院

参考例句：

• Although he's ninety, his mental faculties remain unimpaired. 他虽年届九旬，但头脑仍然清晰。
• All your faculties have come into play in your work. 在你的工作中，你的全部才能已起到了作用。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

4 blessings   

n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福

参考例句：

• Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马，焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 appreciative   

adj.有鉴赏力的，有眼力的；感激的

参考例句：

• She was deeply appreciative of your help.她对你的帮助深表感激。
• We are very appreciative of their support in this respect.我们十分感谢他们在这方面的支持。

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 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。

8 delightful   

adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的

参考例句：

• We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。
• Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。

9 velvety   

adj. 像天鹅绒的, 轻软光滑的, 柔软的

参考例句：

• a velvety red wine 醇厚的红葡萄酒
• Her skin was admired for its velvety softness. 她的皮肤如天鹅绒般柔软，令人赞叹。

10 texture   

n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理

参考例句：

• We could feel the smooth texture of silk.我们能感觉出丝绸的光滑质地。
• Her skin has a fine texture.她的皮肤细腻。

11 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

12 brook   

n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让

参考例句：

• In our room we could hear the murmur of a distant brook.在我们房间能听到远处小溪汩汩的流水声。
• The brook trickled through the valley.小溪涓涓流过峡谷。

13 luxurious   

adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的

参考例句：

• This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
• The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。

14 pageant   

n.壮观的游行；露天历史剧

参考例句：

• Our pageant represented scenes from history.我们的露天历史剧上演一幕幕的历史事件。
• The inauguration ceremony of the new President was a splendid pageant.新主席的就职典礼的开始是极其壮观的。

15 loomed   

v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• A dark shape loomed up ahead of us. 一个黑糊糊的影子隐隐出现在我们的前面。
• The prospect of war loomed large in everyone's mind. 战事将起的庞大阴影占据每个人的心。 来自《简明英汉词典》