最优美的散文-第12部分
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I cannot enjoy the beauty of rhythmic movement except in a sphere restricted to the touch of my although I know something of the delight of rhythmfor often I can sense the beat of music as it vibrates through the ；if this static grace can be so lovelyhow much more acute must be the thrill of seeing grace in motion。
One of my dearest memories is of the time when Joseph Jefferson allowed me to touch his face and hands as he went through some of the gestures and speeches of his beloved Rip Van and I shall never forget the delight of that ohhow much I must missand how much pleasure you seeing ones can derive from watching and hearing the interplay of speech and movement in the unfolding of a dramatic performance！ If I could see only one playI should know how to picture in my mind the action of a hundred plays which I have read or had transferred to me through the medium of the manual alphabet。
Sothrough the evening of my second imaginary day of sightthe great fingers of dramatic literature would crowd sleep from my eyes。
The Third Day
The following morningI should again greet the dawnanxious to discover new delightsfor I am sure thatfor those who have eyes which really seethe dawn of each day must be a perpetually new revelation of beauty。
Thisaccording to the terms of my imagined miracleis to be my third and last day of ；there is too much to animate and amid the haunts of men going about the business of
I start from my home in the quiet little suburb of Forest HillsLong surrounded by green lawnstreesand flowersare neat little houses；happy with the voices and movements of wives and childrenhavens of peaceful rest for men who toil in the and I get a new and startling vision of the power and ingenuity of the mind of stolidsnorting I should spend many of them watching the delightful activity upon the river。
假如给我三天光明（13）
I look aheadand before me rise the fantastic towers of New Yorka city that seems to have stepped from the pages of a fairy inspiring sightthese glittering structures such as the gods might build for themselves！ This animated picture is a part of the lives of millions of people every I wondergive it so much as a seconds glance？ Very fewI
I hurry to the top of one of those gigantic structuresthe Empire State Buildingfor therea short time agoI “saw” the city below through the eyes of my for to me it would be a vision of another world。
Now I begin my rounds of the I stand at a busy cornermerely looking at peopletrying by sight of them to understand something of their and I am and I am proudI see sufferingand I am passionate。
I stroll down Fifth so that I see no particular object but only a seething kaleidoscope of 's dresses moving in a throng must be a gorgeous spectacle of which I should never —too interested in styles and the cut of individual dresses to give much attention to the splendor of color in the toothat I should bee an inveterate window shopperfor it must be a delight to the eye to view the myriad articles of beauty on display。
From Fifth Avenue I make a tour of the city—to Park Avenueto the slums；to factoriesto parks where children athome trip abroad by visiting the foreign ；it strives to touch and hold closely each thing its gaze rests filling the heart with happiness；but some are miserably for theytooare part of
My third day of sight is drawing to an but I am afraid that on the evening of that last day I should again run away to the theaterto a hilariously funny playso that I might appreciate the overtones of edy in the human spirit。
假如给我三天光明（14）
At midnight my temporary respite from blindness would ceaseand permanent night would close in on me
Perhaps this short outline of how I should spend three days of sight does not agree with the program you would set for yourself if you knew that you were about to be stricken howeversure that if you actually faced that fate your eyes would open to things you had never seen beforestoring up memories for the long night at lastyou would really seeand a new world of beauty would open itself before you。
I who am blind can give one hint to those who see—one admonition to those who would make full use of the gift of sight：Use your eyes as if tomorrow you would be stricken the song of a birdthe mighty strains of an orchestraas if you would be stricken deaf taste with relish each morselas if tomorrow you could never smell and taste ：glory in all the facets of pleasure and beauty which the world reveals to you through the several means of contact which Nature I am sure that sight must be the most delightful。
生 命
＇美国＇拉尔夫·沃尔多·爱默生
拉尔夫·沃尔多·爱默生（1803—1882），美国思想家、诗人、散文家、演说家，19世纪超验主义的代表人物。生于波士顿牧师家庭，姑母是一位虔诚的教徒，善于雄辩，爱默生的思想受到她很大的影响。爱默生毕业于波士顿拉丁学校和哈佛大学。21岁时成为神职人员，不久便对基督教产生怀疑，1832年辞职远游，遍访欧洲文化名人。曾经深入研究过荷马、柏拉图、但丁、蒙田和莎士比亚。爱默生的大部分文章是由演讲整理而成，其思想主要包含崇尚精神、强调个人价值、主张世界以及个人的象征意义。代表作有《论自然》、《美国学者》、《神学院致辞》、《散文选》、《诗集》等。
生命可以被想象，但是不能被割裂，也不能被复制。生命的整体一旦被破坏就会引起混乱。灵魂不是孪生儿，而是独生苗。虽然早晚都要像婴儿那样被孕育成熟，长得也像婴儿，却有着一种无敌的力量能决定命运，不会接受同一个生命。生命有着一种惟我独尊的神圣，这种神圣无须掩盖，每一天都显露在人们的举手投足之中。我们对自己深信不疑，同时去怀疑他人。我们可以让自己为所欲为，同样的事，别人做，我们称之为罪孽；我们只要自己来实验。我们充满自信的一个例子就是：人们从来不像他们想象的那样蔑视罪恶。换句话说，人人都为自己想好一个不受约束的自由，而这个自由是不能让别人来享用的。
行为从内在和外表，从性质和后果去看，各为不同。凶手行凶时所抱的意图决不像诗人以及传奇作家所描述的那样伤天害理，日常里人们也觉察不出他心神不宁或诚惶诚恐的蛛丝马迹。行凶一事并不难谋划，但去考虑后果的话，它却能愈演愈烈，发出一系列叮当作响的恐怖声，把一切的关联都破坏。尤其是爱情所激发的罪行，从施罪者的角度看，似乎一切都理所当然，但这罪毕竟贻害社会。然而，还是没有人会最终相信犯罪的人是迷失了自我，还是没有人会认为那罪行如同重罪犯的所为那么恶不可赦。这是因为，就我们自身的情形而言，智力修正着道义判断，在智力的眼中，世上万事并无罪过。智力是反律法主义或超律法主义的，它判断着法律就像判断着事实一样。
我的人生已逝
＇英国＇乔治·吉辛
乔治·吉辛（1857—1903），英国小说家与散文作家。出身贫寒，曾在曼彻斯特读书，毕业后去伦敦谋生。1880年后以教书为生，同时编辑撰写小说，内容多是描写下层贫苦群众，是最善于写阴暗面的一个作家。生前赏识他的人不多，直到20世纪其作品的价值才渐渐为人所发掘。
然而，我的人生已经逝去。
生命是多么渺小！我知道哲学家们曾说过的话。我曾反复吟诵他们关于人生苦短的如歌语句——但，时至今日我才相信他们的话。这就是一切吗？一个人的生命怎可如此简短，如此空虚？我徒然说服自己：真正意义上的生活才刚刚起步。汗水和恐惧相随的日子根本不是生活，是否让生活变得很有价值现在仍然取决于我。也许这是自我安慰，但它不能把这样一个事实变得含糊不清，那就是：机会和前途之门将不会再向我敞开。时至当前，我已“退居二线”，就生命已成往事来说，已实实在在无异于一个退休商人。我可以回顾已走完的人生历程，感叹它的渺小！忍不住想要大笑一番，可我控制住自己，只是微微一笑。
微笑，一方面带着竭力的忍耐而不是轻视，另一方面又不可过分地自怨自怜，这样便是最好的。毕竟，我从未真正地被困在事情最糟的境遇里，我尚且可以轻松地脱身在外。生命完结了——那又怎样？它究竟是苦是乐，我现在都得不出个总结论。是不是事实本身就不需要我这般患得患失呢？有什么关系呢？命运永远不会显露真面目，它召令我的降生，要我扮演那小小角色，然后一切重归沉寂。对此我是顺从，还是叛逆？我心存感激，感激自己没有像别人一样遭遇不可吞忍的冤屈，还有那肉体或心灵上惨重的创伤——唉！唉！我在他们身上所瞥见的这种种冤屈和创伤！人生大部分旅程都安宁地走过，难道还不能让我知足吗？假使我惊诧于生命的短促和空虚，这错误也是我自己亲手酿就的啊！先逝的人们对我敲响警钟：最好现在就看清并接受真理，不然，日后必将陷入惊恐，但却软弱得束手无策，只能愚蠢地呼天抢地，哀怨连连。我宁愿高兴，而不愿悔恨，我也将不再胡思乱想。
论青年与老年
＇英国＇弗朗西斯·培根
弗朗西斯·培根（1561－1626），
