·Evan·
How wonderful are islands!Islands in space, like this one I come to, ringed about by miles of water, linked by no bridges, no cables, no telephones. An island from the world and the world's life.Islands in time, like this short vacation of mine.The past and the future are cut off:only the present remains.One lives like a child or a saint in the immediacy of here and now.Every day, every act, is an island, washed by time and space, and has an island's completion.People, too, become like islands in such an atmosphere, self-contained, whole and serene;respecting other people's solitude, not intruding on their shores, standing back in reverence before the miracIe of another individual.“No man is an island,”said John Donne.I feel we are all islands-in a common sea.
We are all, in the last anaIysis, alone. And this basic state of soIitude is not something we have any choice about.It is, as the poet Rilke says,“not something that one can take or leave”.We are solitary.We may deIude ourselves and act as though this were not so, yes, even to begin by assuming it.“Naturally,”he goes on to say,“we will turn giddy.”
We seem so frightened today of being alone that we never let it happen. Even if family, friends and movies should fail, there is still the radio or television to fill up the void.Women, who used to complain of loneliness, need never be alone any more.We can do our housework with soap-opera heroes at our side.Even day-dreaming was more creative than this;it demanded something of oneself and it fed the inner life.Now instead of planting our solitude with our dream blossoms, we choke the space with continuous music, chatter and companionship to which we do not even listen.It is simply there to fill the vacuum.When the noise stops there is no inner music to take its place.We must relearn to be alone.
埃 文
島嶼是多么奇妙??!它處在一望無(wú)際之中,四周海水圍繞,沒(méi)有橋梁相通,沒(méi)有電纜相連,更無(wú)電話可打。我來(lái)的小島就是這樣一個(gè)地方,它遠(yuǎn)離塵世,不見(jiàn)喧囂。小島是時(shí)間的孤島,就像我的這次短期假期。在這里,過(guò)去和未來(lái)都被隔斷,只有現(xiàn)在依然存在。一個(gè)人,或是像個(gè)孩子,或是像個(gè)圣人,現(xiàn)在便實(shí)實(shí)在在地在這里活著。每一天、每一個(gè)動(dòng)作其實(shí)都是一個(gè)小島,經(jīng)受著時(shí)間和空間的沖刷,像小島一樣完美。人在這種環(huán)境下也變成了小島,獨(dú)立自主,完整安詳,尊重他人的孤獨(dú),不踐踏他人的海岸半步,畢恭畢敬地在他人的奇跡面前靠后站?!皼](méi)有人是一座孤島?!奔s翰·多恩說(shuō)過(guò)。我卻認(rèn)為每個(gè)人都是公共海域里的孤島。
歸根結(jié)底,我們都是孤獨(dú)的。這種孤獨(dú)的基本狀態(tài)由不得我們選擇。奧地利詩(shī)人里爾克曾經(jīng)說(shuō)道:“由不得我們帶走或是放棄?!彪m然身心孤獨(dú),但是我們都欺騙自己,假裝事實(shí)并非如此。里爾克還說(shuō):“我們很自然就會(huì)被弄得頭暈?zāi)垦??!?/p>
今天的人們都非常害怕孤獨(dú),所以極力避開(kāi)它。當(dāng)與家人和朋友相處或是看電影都無(wú)法消除孤獨(dú)感的時(shí)候,我們就用聽(tīng)廣播和看電視來(lái)填補(bǔ)空白。女人們?cè)?jīng)埋怨孤獨(dú),可成家后想孤獨(dú)都辦不到,她們一邊做家務(wù)一邊看肥皂劇,連做白日夢(mèng)都顯得比這更有創(chuàng)造力,它需要人們具有一些自己的東西,而且它能夠豐富內(nèi)心生活。我們本該用白日夢(mèng)的繁花似錦來(lái)種下一片孤獨(dú),但卻用連續(xù)不斷的音樂(lè)、喋喋不休、吵嚷的同伴來(lái)把孤獨(dú)的空間堵死。這其實(shí)僅僅是一個(gè)填補(bǔ)空缺的問(wèn)題,一旦喧鬧消失,便不再有內(nèi)心的音樂(lè)來(lái)填補(bǔ)空缺。我們要重新學(xué)會(huì)孤獨(dú)。
核心單詞
saint[seint]n.圣徒;虔誠(chéng)的人
reverence['rev?r?ns]n.敬愛(ài),崇敬
miracIe['mir?kl]n.奇跡;奇跡般的人
anaIysis[?'n?lisis]n.分析;分解
soIitude['s?litju:d]n.孤獨(dú);寂寞
deIude[di'lu:d]v.欺騙;哄騙
creative[kri(:)'eitiv]adj.創(chuàng)造的;有創(chuàng)造力
continuous[k?n'tinju?s]adj.連續(xù)的,不斷的
實(shí)用句型
Even if famiIy, friends and movies shouId faiI, there is sitII the radio or teIevision to fiII up the void.
當(dāng)與家人和朋友相處或是看電影都無(wú)法消除孤獨(dú)感的時(shí)候,我們就用聽(tīng)廣播和看電視來(lái)填補(bǔ)空白。
①even if 即使,在這里引導(dǎo)讓步狀語(yǔ)從句。
②fill up 裝滿(mǎn),被填滿(mǎn),類(lèi)似的表達(dá)還有fill in填寫(xiě),代替;fill with充滿(mǎn);fill out變豐滿(mǎn),填寫(xiě)等固定搭配。
翻譯練習(xí)
1.我在打長(zhǎng)途電話時(shí),電話線突然被切斷了。(cut off)
2.他在這個(gè)談判中做中間人。(act as)
3.對(duì)她而言,Tom永遠(yuǎn)無(wú)法代替John。(take the place)