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我的生活海伦·凯勒自传
The Story of My Life by Helen Keller

英文中文双语对照双语交替

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Chapter X

第十章

Just before the Perkins Institution closed for the summer, it was arranged that my teacher and I should spend our vacation at Brewster, on Cape Cod, with our dear friend, Mrs. Hopkins. I was delighted, for my mind was full of the prospective joys and of the wonderful stories I had heard about the sea.

临近帕金斯学院放暑假时，我和老师打算去科德角的布鲁斯特度假，一起同行的还有我们亲密的朋友霍普金斯夫人。我很兴奋，因为我满脑子里想的都是快乐的旅程和关于大海的神奇故事。

My most vivid recollection of that summer is the ocean. I had always lived far inland and had never had so much as a whiff of salt air; but I had read in a big book called "Our World" a description of the ocean which filled me with wonder and an intense longing to touch the mighty sea and feel it roar. So my little heart leaped high with eager excitement when I knew that my wish was at last to be realized.

我对那个夏天的最生动的记忆就是海洋。我一直生活在内陆，从来没有如此近距离地呼吸过带咸味的空气。但是我曾读到过一本厚厚的，叫做《我们的世界》的书，书中对于海洋的描述令我产生了十分迫切的冲动，我渴望能触摸到雄浑的大海，领略到巨浪的咆哮。我知道我的愿望终于要实现了，我那颗小小的心脏激动得怦怦直跳。

No sooner had I been helped into my bathing-suit than I sprang out upon the warm sand and without thought of fear plunged into the cool water. I felt the great billows rock and sink. The buoyant motion of the water filled me with an exquisite, quivering joy. Suddenly my ecstasy gave place to terror; for my foot struck against a rock and the next instant there was a rush of water over my head. I thrust out my hands to grasp some support, I clutched at the water and at the seaweed which the waves tossed in my face. But all my frantic efforts were in vain. The waves seemed to be playing a game with me, and tossed me from one to another in their wild frolic. It was fearful! The good, firm earth had slipped from my feet, and everything seemed shut out from this strange, all-enveloping element--life, air, warmth and love. At last, however, the sea, as if weary of its new toy, threw me back on the shore, and in another instant I was clasped in my teacher's arms. Oh, the comfort of the long, tender embrace! As soon as I had recovered from my panic sufficiently to say anything, I demanded: "Who put salt in the water?"

刚换好游泳衣，我就冲向了温暖的沙滩，根本顾不得考虑海浪是大是小了。我触摸到了巨大的如浪涛般起伏的岩石，还有石头上的水洼。在起伏的海水中漂流，我高兴得浑身颤抖。但是紧接着，我的喜悦就变成了恐惧。我的脚撞到了一块岩石，随后，一股水流又涌上了我的头顶。我伸出手想抓住某个能支撑的东西，可我只是抓到了随波逐流的海草。疯狂的努力是徒劳的，海浪似乎在同我玩一出游戏。在*的戏耍当中，它把我随意地抛来抛去。这真是太可怕了！舒适、坚实的陆地从我脚下溜走了，所有的一切——生命、空气、关怀和友爱——似乎都被这种异样的自然环境挡在了外面。终于，大海似乎对它的新玩具感到了厌倦，于是又把我抛回到岸上。接着，我就被老师紧紧地搂住了。哦！这个持久、温柔的拥抱是多么舒服啊！一从恐慌中恢复过来，我就提出了请求：“谁能从海水里捞出盐来？”

After I had recovered from my first experience in the water, I thought it great fun to sit on a big rock in my bathing-suit and feel wave after wave dash against the rock, sending up a shower of spray which quite covered me. I felt the pebbles rattling as the waves threw their ponderous weight against the shore; the whole beach seemed racked by their terrific onset, and the air throbbed with their pulsations. The breakers would swoop back to gather themselves for a mightier leap, and I clung to the rock, tense, fascinated, as I felt the dash and roar of the rushing sea!

经过了初次水中历险后，我想，如果穿着泳衣坐在一块大礁石上该是多么有趣的事啊，那样我就能感受到海浪撞击岩石的气势，四溅的浪花会把我彻底浇湿。当滚滚波涛涌向岸边的时候，我还能感觉到卵石咔嗒咔嗒的撞击声。整个海滩似乎都在遭受着波浪可怕的攻击，空气也变得躁动不安起来。翻滚的大浪先是向后退却汇集，然后再奋力一跃猛扑下来。我紧紧地靠在礁石上，既紧张又兴奋，大海的波涛和怒吼令我心醉神迷。

I could never stay long enough on the shore. The tang of the untainted, fresh and free sea air was like a cool, quieting thought, and the shells and pebbles and the seaweed with tiny living creatures attached to it never lost their fascination for me. One day Miss Sullivan attracted my attention to a strange object which she had captured basking in the shallow water. It was a great horseshoe crab--the first one I had ever seen. I felt of him and thought it very strange that he should carry his house on his back. It suddenly occurred to me that he might make a delightful pet; so I seized him by the tail with both hands and carried him home. This feat pleased me highly, as his body was very heavy, and it took all my strength to drag him half a mile. I would not leave Miss Sullivan in peace until she had put the crab in a trough near the well where I was confident he would be secure. But next morning I went to the trough, and lo, he had disappeared! Nobody knew where he had gone, or how he had escaped. My disappointment was bitter at the time; but little by little I came to realize that it was not kind or wise to force this poor dumb creature out of his element, and after awhile I felt happy in the thought that perhaps he had returned to the sea.

在海岸边，我从来没有待够的感觉。洁净、清新而奔放的大海气息宛若一种冷静从容的思想。对我而言，贝壳、卵石、海草连同依附其间的微小生物从未失去它们的魅力。一天，苏立文小姐从浅滩捕获了一条姥鲛似的东西，这种奇异的物种引起了我的注意。事实上，这是一种巨大的鲎——我以前从来没见过这种海洋生物。我一边摸一边想，这种奇怪的生物一定是把它的房子背在了身上。突然，我觉得它也许能成为一个讨人喜欢的宠物。于是，我用双手抓住它的尾巴把它拎回了家。我兴致高昂，由于它很沉，所以提着它走半英里几乎用尽了我所有的力气。后来，苏立文小姐把它放在了靠近井边的过道上，我想它在那里一定很安全。可是第二天一早我去过道查看时，发现它消失不见了！没有人知道它去了哪里，也不知道它是如何逃走的。当时，我极度失望，但是随着时间的推移，我逐渐意识到，强迫这个不能说话的可怜生物离开自然环境既不仁慈，也不明智。所以，一想到它可能返回了大海，我就感到很高兴。