经典英语散文附译文

2017-03-22

经典英语散文：自由飞翔

One windy spring day，I observed young people having fun using the wind to fly their kites. Multicolored creations of varying shapes and sizes filled the skies like beautiful birds darting and dancing. As the strong winds gusted against the kites，a string kept them in check.

Instead of blowing away with the wind，they arose against it to achieve great heights. They shook and pulled，but the restraining string and the cumbersome tail kept them in tow，facing upward and against the wind. As the kites struggled and trembled against the string，they seemed to say，“Let me go!Let me go!I want to be free!”They soared beautifully even as they fought the restriction of the string. Finally，one of the kites succeeded in breaking loose. “Free at last，”it seemed to say. “Free to fly with the wind.”

Yet freedom from restraint simply put it at the mercy of an unsympathetic breeze. It fluttered ungracefully to the ground and landed in a tangled mass of weeds and string against a dead bush. “Free at last” free to lie powerless in the dirt，to be blown helplessly along the ground，and to lodge lifeless against the first obstruction.

How much like kites we sometimes are. The Heaven gives us adversity and restrictions，rules to follow from which we can grow and gain strength. Restraint is a necessary counterpart to the winds of opposition. Some of us tug at the rules so hard that we never soar to reach the heights we might have obtained. We keep part of the commandment and never rise high enough to get our tails off the ground.

Let us each rise to the great heights，recognizing that some of the restraints that we may chafe under are actually the steadying force that helps us ascend and achieve.

散文译文：

在一个有风的春日，我看到一群年轻人正在迎风放风筝玩乐，各种颜色、各种形状和大小的风筝就好像美丽的鸟儿在空中飞舞。当强风把风筝吹起，牵引线就能够控制它们。

风筝迎风飘向更高的地方，而不是随风而去。它们摇摆着、拉扯着，但牵引线以及笨重的尾巴使它们处于控制之中，并且迎风而上。它们挣扎着、抖动着想要挣脱线的束缚，仿佛在说：“放开我!放开我!我想要自由!”即使与牵引线奋争着，它们依然在美丽地飞翔。终于，一只风筝成功挣脱了。“终于自由了，”它好像在说，“终于可以随风自由飞翔了!”

然而，脱离束缚的自由使它完全处于无情微风的摆布下。它毫无风度地震颤着向地面坠落，落在一堆乱草之中，线缠绕在一颗死灌木上。“终于自由”使它自由到无力地躺在尘土中，无助地任风沿着地面将其吹走，碰到第一个障碍物便毫无生命地滞留在那里了。

有时我们真像这风筝啊!上苍赋予我们困境和约束，赋予我们成长和增强实力所要遵从的规则。约束是逆风的必要匹配物。我们中有些人是如此强硬地抵制规则，以至我们从来无法飞到本来能够达到的高度。我们只遵从部分戒律，因此永远不会飞得足够高，使尾巴远离地面。

让我们每个人都飞到高处吧，并且认识到这一点：有些可能会令我们生气的约束，实际上是帮助我们攀升和实现愿望的平衡力。

经典英语散文：翅膀断了心飞翔

He lost his arms in an accident that claimed his father’s life—who was the main source of support for the family. Since then，he has had to depend on the arms of his younger brother. For the sake of taking care of him，his younger brother became his shadow，never leaving him alone for years. Except for writing with his toes，he was completely unable to do anything in his life.

One late night，he suffered from diarrhea1 and had to wake up his younger brother. His younger brother accompanied him into the toilet and then went back the dorm to wait. But being so tired，his younger brother fell asleep，leaving him on the toilet for two hours till the teacher on duty discovered him. As the two brothers grew up together，they had their share of problems and they would often quarrel. Then one day，his younger brother wanted to live separate from him，living his own life，as many normal people do. So he was heart-broken and didn’t know what to do.

Though her elder sister who was studying in another city，showed her willingness to take care of her，she was determined to be completely independent. At school，she always studied hard. Most of all she learned to be self-reliant. Once she wrote the following in her composition：“I am lucky. Though I lost my arms，I still have legs;I am lucky. Though my wings are broken，my heart can still fly.”

One day，the boy and the girl were both invited to appear on a television interview program. The boy told the TV host about his uncertain future at being left on his own，whereas the girl was full of enthusiasm for her life. They both were asked to write something on a piece of paper with their toes. The boy wrote：My younger brother’s arms are my arms;while the girl wrote： Broken wings，flying heart.

They had both endured the same ordeal4，but their different attitudes determined the nature of their lives. It is true that life is unpredictable5. Disasters can strike at any time. How you handle misfortune when confronted with it，is the true test of your character. If you choose only to complain and escape from the ordeal，it will always follow you wherever you go. But if you decide to be strong，the hardship will turn out to be a fortune on which new hopes will arise.

散文译文：

在一次事故中，作为家中顶梁柱的父亲永远地离去了，他也因此失去了双手。从此弟弟的手便成了他的手。为了照顾他，弟弟从小到大总是形影不离地跟在他的身边，他除了学会了用脚趾头写字做作业外，生活上完全不能自理。

有一次，他因肠胃不好，半夜起来要上厕所，于是他叫醒了弟弟。弟弟帮着他进了厕所后，就回宿舍躺下了。由于太劳累，弟弟闭上眼就睡着了。结果他在厕所里等了整整两个小时，才被查夜的老师发现。慢慢长大了的两兄弟也有了烦恼和争执，有一天弟弟终于提出要离开他，因为弟弟要和很多正常人一样需要过自己的生活。为此，他很伤心，不知如何是好。

无独有偶，另一个女孩也有着同样的遭遇。因为妈妈长期患有精神病，在一天晚上无故出走，爸爸去找妈妈了，家中便只留下她一人。她决定做好饭菜等爸爸妈妈回来吃，却不小心将灶台上的煤油灯打翻，结果双手便被大火夺走了。

虽然在外地读书的姐姐愿意照顾她，可倔强的她一定要自己照顾自己。在学校，她不但读书认真，更重要的是她学会了生活自理。她曾在一篇作文里写道：我幸福，虽然断了双手，但我还拥有一双脚;我幸福，虽然翅膀断了，但心也要飞翔……

有一天，他们被一家电视台邀请到了演播室。面对主持人，男孩表现出了对前途的迷茫，而女孩则对生活充满了热情。主持人要求他们分别在一张白纸上写一句话。他们分别用脚趾头夹起了笔，男孩写的是：弟弟的手便是我的手。女孩却写下了：翅膀断了，心也要飞翔。

他们俩都经受了同样的苦难，但不同的人生态度却决定了其生活的本质。是的，人生多变幻，苦难总是在不知不觉中骤然降临。如何应对苦难，是对你的性格的真正考验。面对苦难，如果选择抱怨与逃避，苦难就永远如影随形;但如果选择坚强，苦难便会化作甘泉，滋润美好的希望。