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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 V

第五章

I recall many incidents of the summer of 1887 that followed my soul's sudden awakening. I did nothing but explore with my hands and learn the name of every object that I touched; and the more I handled things and learned their names and uses, the more joyous and confident grew my sense of kinship with the rest of the world.

我想起了许多1887年夏天发生的事，正是这些事激发了我灵魂的觉醒。那时我做不了什么，可是我会用自己的双手去探索，去认知我触摸到的每一件物体。我摸到的东西越多，了解这些东西的名称和用途越广，我对自己同世界血脉相连的感受就越强烈，我的喜悦之情和信心也随之增长。

When the time of daisies and buttercups came Miss Sullivan took me by the hand across the fields, where men were preparing the earth for the seed, to the banks of the Tennessee River, and there, sitting on the warm grass, I had my first lessons in the beneficence of nature. I learned how the sun and the rain make to grow out of the ground every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, how birds build their nests and live and thrive from land to land, how the squirrel, the deer, the lion and every other creature finds food and shelter. As my knowledge of things grew I felt more and more the delight of the world I was in. Long before I learned to do a sum in arithmetic or describe the shape of the earth, Miss Sullivan had taught me to find beauty in the fragrant woods, in every blade of grass, and in the curves and dimples of my baby sister's hand. She linked my earliest thoughts with nature, and made me feel that "birds and flowers and I were happy peers."

当雏菊和毛茛争芳吐艳的时候，苏立文小姐牵着我的手穿过田野。沿着田纳西河的两岸，农人们正在做着播种的准备。坐在温暖的草地上，我首次感受到了大自然对人类的馈赠。我了解到了阳光和雨水如何滋润土地上的每一棵树木，令它们长势繁茂，开花结果。我还知道了鸟儿们如何搭建巢穴，如何迁徙生存；松鼠、鹿、狮子和各种动物如何觅食逃生。随着知识的增长，我对我所生存的这个世界越来越感兴趣。很早以前我就学会了做算术题，或者描述大地的轮廓。苏立文小姐教我学会了发现之美——在芬芳林木的拥抱中，在每一片草叶上，在我小妹妹蜷曲柔弱、像长了酒窝的小手上，我的确找到了美。她将我人生最初的思想同大自然连接在一起，她让我感受到了“鸟儿、花朵和我都是快乐的同伴”。

But about this time I had an experience which taught me that nature is not always kind. One day my teacher and I were returning from a long ramble. The morning had been fine, but it was growing warm and sultry when at last we turned our faces homeward. Two or three times we stopped to rest under a tree by the wayside. Our last halt was under a wild cherry tree a short distance from the house. The shade was grateful, and the tree was so easy to climb that with my teacher's assistance I was able to scramble to a seat in the branches. It was so cool up in the tree that Miss Sullivan proposed that we have our luncheon there. I promised to keep still while she went to the house to fetch it.

正是在那个时候，我也有了一种个人体验，那就是大自然并不总是温情脉脉的。一天，我和老师正从一次长距离散步中返回。那天一早的天气还是好好的，但是当我们往家走的时候就变得燠热难耐起来。有那么两三次，我们停在路边的大树下歇息。最后，我们来到了离家不远的一棵野生樱桃树下。树荫下凉爽宜人，那棵树也很容易攀爬，在老师的帮助下，我还能爬到树上骑在枝桠间。坐在树枝间的感觉妙不可言，苏立文小姐打算在这里进行我们的午餐。我答应她坐在树杈上不动，于是老师去家里拿午饭。

Suddenly a change passed over the tree. All the sun's warmth left the air. I knew the sky was black, because all the heat, which meant light to me, had died out of the atmosphere. A strange odour came up from the earth. I knew it, it was the odour that always precedes a thunderstorm, and a nameless fear clutched at my heart. I felt absolutely alone, cut off from my friends and the firm earth. The immense, the unknown, enfolded me. I remained still and expectant; a chilling terror crept over me. I longed for my teacher's return; but above all things I wanted to get down from that tree.

突然，有一种变化从树丛之间扫过。周围所有的光和热都散去了，我知道天色变黑了，因为所有的热度，对我而言也意味着光，已经消失在了空气之中。接着，地上也泛起一股奇怪的味道，在一场雷雨到来之前，我总会闻到这种味道。一种难以名状的恐惧攫住了我的心，我感到了彻底的孤立无助，某种力量切断了我同朋友和坚实大地的联系。浩瀚、未知的气氛将我紧紧围裹，我伫立不动，翘首企盼，一阵惊骇感袭遍了我的全身。我急切地盼着老师快些返回，一心想从树上爬下来。

There was a moment of sinister silence, then a multitudinous stirring of the leaves. A shiver ran through the tree, and the wind sent forth a blast that would have knocked me off had I not clung to the branch with might and main. The tree swayed and strained. The small twigs snapped and fell about me in showers. A wild impulse to jump seized me, but terror held me fast. I crouched down in the fork of the tree. The branches lashed about me. I felt the intermittent jarring that came now and then, as if something heavy had fallen and the shock had traveled up till it reached the limb I sat on. It worked my suspense up to the highest point, and just as I was thinking the tree and I should fall together, my teacher seized my hand and helped me down. I clung to her, trembling with joy to feel the earth under my feet once more. I had learned a new lesson--that nature "wages open war against her children, and under softest touch hides treacherous claws."

接着，是片刻的宁静，令人产生不祥的预感。随后，周围的树叶大肆抖动起来，我身下的樱桃树发出一阵震颤，如果不是我用尽力气紧紧抱住树干，迎面而来的一股狂风就会把我掀到地上。树摇晃得很厉害，在风雨的裹挟下，我身边的小树枝噼啪作响，似乎在嘲笑我的渺小。一阵狂暴的悸动攫住了我，恐惧感令我难以自抑。我蜷缩在树杈之间，任凭枝叶的鞭打。我断断续续地感到了身边强烈的震动，仿佛有某种重物坠落。震颤在头顶上划过，一直传到了我身下的树杈上。我的不安已经达到了极限，因为我觉得我和大树会一起倒下。幸好我的老师及时抓住了我的手，把我从树上弄下来。我紧紧地依附在老师身边，高兴得浑身颤抖，我又一次感受到了脚下坚实的土地。我想我已经学会了新的一课——大自然时常会“向她的子民公然发起战争，在其最温柔的触摸之下，隐藏着一双险恶的利爪”。

After this experience it was a long time before I climbed another tree. The mere thought filled me with terror. It was the sweet allurement of the mimosa tree in full bloom that finally overcame my fears. One beautiful spring morning when I was alone in the summer-house, reading, I became aware of a wonderful subtle fragrance in the air. I started up and instinctively stretched out my hands. It seemed as if the spirit of spring had passed through the summer-house. "What is it?" I asked, and the next minute I recognized the odour of the mimosa blossoms. I felt my way to the end of the garden, knowing that the mimosa tree was near the fence, at the turn of the path. Yes, there it was, all quivering in the warm sunshine, its blossom-laden branches almost touching the long grass. Was there ever anything so exquisitely beautiful in the world before! Its delicate blossoms shrank from the slightest earthly touch; it seemed as if a tree of paradise had been transplanted to earth. I made my way through a shower of petals to the great trunk and for one minute stood irresolute; then, putting my foot in the broad space between the forked branches, I pulled myself up into the tree. I had some difficulty in holding on, for the branches were very large and the bark hurt my hands. But I had a delicious sense that I was doing something unusual and wonderful, so I kept on climbing higher and higher, until I reached a little seat which somebody had built there so long ago that it had grown part of the tree itself. I sat there for a long, long time, feeling like a fairy on a rosy cloud. After that I spent many happy hours in my tree of paradise, thinking fair thoughts and dreaming bright dreams.

在经历了这件事之后，有很长一段时间，我都没有再爬树。我留下来的唯一记忆就是恐惧。但是，金合欢树盛开的花朵和迷人的芬芳终于使我战胜了恐惧。那是一个春天的早晨，我正独自在凉亭里阅读。渐渐地，我觉察到空气中弥漫着一股淡淡的香气。于是，我一下子站起来，本能地伸出双手，仿佛在探寻着穿过凉亭的春天的气息。“这是什么东西？”我在心里发出疑问。紧接着，我就认出了这是金合欢花的气味。我摸索着来到花园尽头，我知道那棵金合欢树就在篱笆附近小路的拐角处。不错，它就在那里，在和煦的阳光下，金合欢树轻轻摇曳，它那缀满花朵的枝桠几乎垂到了长长的草丛上。世上怎么会有如此精巧美丽的花朵！即使是最轻微的触动，它那精致的花瓣也会立刻回缩并拢，就像是一棵天堂之树被移植到了人间。拨开繁茂的花枝，我走到了巨大的树干下面。我先是犹豫地站了一小会，然后，我把双脚放在了树杈之间的宽阔地带，并且开始向上攀。保持攀登姿态相当吃力，因为树干非常粗大，树皮还磨破了我的双手。可是我依然斗志昂扬，沉浸在征服困难的喜悦之中。我继续往高处爬，一直爬到了一个凳子上。这个小凳子是很早以前的什么人绑在这里的，如今，它已经长成了大树的一部分。在高高的树杈之间，我坐了很长时间，我觉得自己就像一个坐在玫瑰祥云上的仙女。一连好几个小时，我在这棵天堂之树上展开神思遐想，做了一个又一个有关光明的梦。