Flora之声-英语美文晨读

这是真的。

There was once a daughter of a tolerably well-off family in the country who was very lovely and sought out by many matchmakers, although nothing had come of their efforts.

有个村庄的小康之家的女孩子，生得美，有许多人来做媒，但都没有说成。

That year, she was only fifteen or sixteen years old. One spring evening, she stood by the back door, hands resting on a peach tree, she remembered that she was wearing a moon-white tunic.

那年她不过十五六岁罢，是春天的晚上，她立在后门口，手扶着桃树。她记得她穿的是一件月白的衫子。

She had seen the young man who lived across the way, but they had never spoken. He walked toward her, came to a halt close by, and said softly: “So you’re here, too?” 

对门住的年轻人同她见过面，可是从来没有打过招呼的，他走了过来，离得不远，站定了，轻轻的说了一声：“噢，你也在这里吗？”

She did not say anything, and he did not say more.  They stood for a moment and then went their separate ways.

她没有说什么，他也没有再说什么，站了一会，各自走开了。

That was all.

就这样就完了。

Later, the girl was abducted by a swindler in the family and sold as concubine in some far-off town, then sold several times more, passing through any number of trials and or’deals. When she was old, she still remembered that incident and often spoke of that evening in spring, the peach tree by the back door, that young man.

后来这女子被亲眷拐子卖到他乡外县去作妾，又几次三番地被转卖，经过无数的惊险的风波，老了的时候她还记得从前那一回事，常常说起，在那春天的晚上，在后门口的桃树下，那年轻人。

When you meet the one among the millions, when amid millions of years, across the borderless wastes of time, you happen to catch him or her, neither a step too early nor a step too late, what else is there to do/ except to ask softly: “So you’re here, too?”

于千万人之中遇见你所遇见的人，于千万年之中，时间的无涯的荒野里，没有早一步，也没有晚一步，刚巧赶上了，那也没有别的话可说，惟有轻轻的问一声：“噢，你也在这里吗？”

Everything about my future was ambiguously assumed. I would get into debt by going to college, then I would be forced to get a job to pay off that debt, while still getting into more and more debt by buying a house and a car.

我们未来的一切似乎都模糊地设定好了，利用贷款上大学，然后为了还债被迫去找一份工作，还要为了买房买车背负更多的债务……

It seemed like a never-ending cycle that had no place for the possibility of a dream.

这仿佛是一个无休止的循环，让我们的梦想没有实现的机会。

I want more—but not necessarily in the material sense of personal wealth and success. I want more out of life. I want a passion, a conceptual dream that wouldn’t let me sleep out of pure excitement.

我们想要的更多——并不是对于个人财富和成功等物质性需求，我们对于生活，想要更多。我想要热忱、有概念的梦想，让我不会空怀纯粹的兴奋入睡。

I want to spring out of bed in the morning, rain or shine, and have that zest for life that seemed so intrinsic in early childhood.

我希望能在早晨一跃起床，无论是阳光普照还是刮风下雨，也能对生活充满热情，就像我们的童年时固有的一样。

We all have a dream. It might be explicitly defined or just a vague idea, but most of us are so stuck in the muck of insecurity and self-doubt that we just dismiss it as unrealistic or too difficult to pursue.

我们都有梦想，无论它是明确的目标还是模糊的主意，但我们大多数人都受困于不安全和自我怀疑的泥泞里，我们把梦想看做是不现实的、难以追求的，最后放弃了。

We become so comfortable with the life that has been planned out for us by our parents, teachers, traditions, and societal norms that we feel that it’s stupid and unsafe to risk losing it for the small hope of achieving something that is more fulfilling.

我们变得满足于父母、老师、传统及社会规条为我们营造的安逸生活。为了那一点点能够为生活变得更充实的希望去冒险，我们会认为这是愚蠢和危险的。

“The policy of being too cautious is the greatest risk of all.” ~Jawaharlal Nehru

过于谨慎才是最大的危险——贾瓦哈拉尔·尼赫鲁（印度开国总理）

Taking a risk is still a risk. We can, and will, fail. Possibly many, many, many times. But that is what makes it exciting for me.

冒险始终还是有风险。我们，也有可能失败，还有可能是失败很多很多次。但这会让我们更加兴奋。

That uncertainty can be viewed negatively, or it can empower us.

不确定因素看起来有不利，但同时也能激励我们。

Failing is what makes us grow, it makes us stronger and more resilient to the aspects of life we have no control over. The fear of failure, although, is what makes us stagnant and sad.

失败能让我们成长，让我们更强大，让我们更能适应生活中难以控制的各个方面。对于失败的恐惧，让我们停滞不前，悲伤不已。

So even though I couldn’t see the future as clearly as before, I took the plunge in hopes that in the depths of fear and failure, I would come out feeling more alive than ever before.

尽管不能清晰地看见未来，在恐惧和失败的深渊里，我们也要保持希望，那么我们将活得更有生命力。

If you feel lost, just take a deep breath and realize that being lost can be turning point of finding out who you truly are, and what you truly want to do.

如果你迷失了自我，请深呼吸，迷失或许能成为你人生的转折点，让你发现真正的自己，并让你知道自己想真正成为怎样的人。

Everyday was a struggle physically. The heat was oppressive in the Summer and the cold was constant in the Winter.

每天的工作都很繁重。夏天异常炎热，冬天持续寒冷。

My back would burn with pain from the constant bending, lifting, and carrying. My feet would ache from standing the entire day.

由于不停地弯腰，抬货、搬货，背部有灼烧般的疼痛。一整天下来我的脚也酸痛不已。

The skin around my fingernails would split and bleed from the continuous work my hands were doing.

手指甲旁边的皮肤因双手持续工作而开裂出血。

I tried to keep my spirits up while I worked there, but day by day I felt myself wearing down.

每天工作的时候我都强打精神，但是随着日子一天一天过去，我也感到厌烦。

Every morning I would place Band-Aides around my fingers and pull on my worn out work boots. And every night I would drag myself home smelling of sweat and sawdust and collapse on the couch.

每天在早晨我用OK绷缠在手上，穿上破旧的工作靴。每天晚上，我拖着疲惫不堪、满身臭汗、沾满木屑的身体回到家中，瘫坐在沙发上。

One evening I felt like I could take it no more. 

一天晚上，我觉得再也不能忍受这样的工作了。

Why am I working myself to death here just to survive? 

为什么为了生存我要这样至死不渝的工作？

Why couldn't I find a better job than this? 

为什么找不到比这个像样一点的工作？

Why am I having to go through this right now?

为什么我非要忍受这些？

I wasn't really expecting an answer, but God loves to surprise us. 

我也不期望得到回答，但上帝总喜欢给我们惊喜。

As I struggled up the steps to my front door, I found all three of my young children waiting for me with smiling faces.

当我无力地走上家门口，我的三个年幼的孩子在微笑着等我。

"Daddy, Daddy!", my daughter yelled.

“爸爸！爸爸！”我的女儿大喊道。

I smiled and picked her up in my arms. After hugging them all, I laughed for the first time in days and sat down peacefully. It was just the answer I needed.

我笑着把她搂入臂弯，在把他们一一拥抱过后，我由衷的笑起来，是工作这些天以来的第一次，然后安静的坐下来。这就是我想要的答案。

Eventually I moved on to a better job, but I never forgot that answer to my questions. We may have to work to live, but we live to love.

最后，我换了更好的工作，但是我永远也忘不了这个问题的答案。也许我们工作是为了生活，但我们生活是为了爱，为爱而生。

“Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.” 

~Henry David Thoreau

迷失自我，才能发现自我。

——亨利·大卫·梭罗（美国作家及自然主义者）

Everything about my future was ambiguously assumed. I would get into debt by going to college, then I would be forced to get a job to pay off that debt, while still getting into more and more debt by buying a house and a car.

我们未来的一切似乎都模糊地设定好了，利用贷款上大学，然后为了还债被迫去找一份工作，还要为了买房买车背负更多的债务……

It seemed like a never-ending cycle that had no place for the possibility of a dream.

这仿佛是一个无休止的循环，让我们的梦想没有实现的机会。

I want more—but not necessarily in the material sense of personal wealth and success. I want more out of life. I want a passion, a conceptual dream that wouldn’t let me sleep out of pure excitement.

我们想要的更多——并不是对于个人财富和成功等物质性需求，我们对于生活，想要更多。我想要热忱、有概念的梦想，让我不会空怀纯粹的兴奋入睡。

I want to spring out of bed in the morning, rain or shine, and have that zest for life that seemed so intrinsic in early childhood.

我希望能在早晨一跃起床，无论是阳光普照还是刮风下雨，也能对生活充满热情，就像我们的童年时固有的一样。

We all have a dream. It might be explicitly defined or just a vague idea, but most of us are so stuck in the muck of insecurity and self-doubt that we just dismiss it as unrealistic or too difficult to pursue.

我们都有梦想，无论它是明确的目标还是模糊的主意，但我们大多数人都受困于不安全和自我怀疑的泥泞里，我们把梦想看做是不现实的、难以追求的，最后放弃了。

We become so comfortable with the life that has been planned out for us by our parents, teachers, traditions, and societal norms that we feel that it’s stupid and unsafe to risk losing it for the small hope of achieving something that is more fulfilling.

我们变得满足于父母、老师、传统及社会规条为我们营造的安逸生活。为了那一点点能够为生活变得更充实的希望去冒险，我们会认为这是愚蠢和危险的。

“The policy of being too cautious is the greatest risk of all.” ~Jawaharlal Nehru

过于谨慎才是最大的危险——贾瓦哈拉尔·尼赫鲁（印度开国总理）

Taking a risk is still a risk. We can, and will, fail. Possibly many, many, many times. But that is what makes it exciting for me.

冒险始终还是有风险。我们，也有可能失败，还有可能是失败很多很多次。但这会让我们更加兴奋。

That uncertainty can be viewed negatively, or it can empower us.

不确定因素看起来有不利，但同时也能激励我们。

Failing is what makes us grow, it makes us stronger and more resilient to the aspects of life we have no control over. The fear of failure, although, is what makes us stagnant and sad.

失败能让我们成长，让我们更强大，让我们更能适应生活中难以控制的各个方面。对于失败的恐惧，让我们停滞不前，悲伤不已。

So even though I couldn’t see the future as clearly as before, I took the plunge in hopes that in the depths of fear and failure, I would come out feeling more alive than ever before.

尽管不能清晰地看见未来，在恐惧和失败的深渊里，我们也要保持希望，那么我们将活得更有生命力。

If you feel lost, just take a deep breath and realize that being lost can be turning point of finding out who you truly are, and what you truly want to do.

如果你迷失了自我，请深呼吸，迷失或许能成为你人生的转折点，让你发现真正的自己，并让你知道自己想真正成为怎样的人。

What are the most valuable things everyone should know

有哪些最重要的事情是每个人都必须知道的

作者 ｜@Jordan B Peterson

Tell the truth.

说实话。

Do not do things that you hate.

不要做自己讨厌的事。

Pursue what is meaningful, not what is expedient.

追寻那些有意义的事，而不是有利益的事。

If you have to choose, be the one who does things, instead of the one who is seen to do things.

如果一定要做的话，就做个做实事的人，而不是被监督时才能做事的人。

Imagine who you could be, and then aim single-mindedly at that.

想象一下你想要成为的那种人，然后一心一意地往那个方向努力。

Do not allow yourself to become arrogant or resentful.

不要让自己变得自大傲慢或满心怨恨。

Work as hard as you possibly can on at least one thing and see what happens.

在至少一件事情上尽可能的去努力，然后看看会发生什么。

Dress like the person you want to be.

像你想要成为的那个人一样打扮。

Be precise in your speech.

谨言慎思。

Do not transform your beloved one into a maid.

不要把你爱的人变成仆人。

Be graceful in spite of your suffering.

即使人生潦倒，也要保持优雅。

朗读 | Flora Fang

BGM |《グリーン・ウィロ》

You never really know how much the people around you are hurting. 

你永远也不知道身边的人正在遭受怎样的痛苦。

You could be standing next to someone who is completely broken inside and you wouldn’t even know it.

你可能正站在他们身边，可是你甚至不知道他们的内心已经支离破碎。

So never deprive someone of hope; it might be all they have.

所以永远不要剥夺别人的希望，那可能是他们仅剩的东西。

And remember that there are two ways to spread light in this world:

还要记住，有两种方法能够在这个世界传播光明：

You can either be a flame of hope, or a mirror that reflects it. 

你可以是希望之光，或者是反射希望之光的镜子。

Be one of the two every chance you get.

只要有机会，就去成为两者之一吧。

The more you give, the more you receive is a universal truth that applies to way more than charitable giving.

“你付出得越多，收获得越多” 不只适用于慈善捐献，还是一句普遍真理，它确实适用于每件事。

It literally applies to everything. It has been described as the boomerang effect and that term is very fitting because you literally get back everything you put out there.

这被称为“反向效应”相当贴切，因为你确实能够收获所有你付出的东西。

It doesn’t matter if it is kindness, generosity, love, anger, frustration, money, etc. It all comes right back to you.

无所谓它是什么，不论是好意、慷慨、爱心、怒火、挫折、金钱以及其它，最终都会回报与你。

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.

在一场船难中，唯一的生存者随着潮水漂流到一座无人岛上。他天天虔诚地祈祷神明，希望能够早日回到家乡。他每天注视着海平线希望寻求帮助，但见到的却总是一片汪洋，除此之外什么也没有。

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions.

后来，他决定用那块带他到小岛的木头造一个简陋的小木屋，以在这险恶的环境中自保，并且用以保存他仅剩的一点东西。

But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky.

然而有一天，他外出觅食物回来，准备回小屋时，发现小屋竟陷在熊熊烈火之中， 浓烟不断向天上窜。

The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. "God how could you do this to me!" he cried.

最悲惨的是：他一切的东西，在这一瞬间通通化为乌有。悲痛的他气愤地对天吶喊着：老天！你怎么可以这样对我！顿时，眼泪从眼角中流出。

Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him.

第二天一早，他被一艘正靠近小岛的船只的鸣笛声吵醒。是的，有人来救他了。

"How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

上船后，他问那些船员：

「你怎么知道我在这里？」

「因为我们看到了信号般的浓烟。」

他们回答说。

It is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad. But we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering.

人在碰到困难时，很容易沮丧。不过无论如何，都不用因此丧失信心，因为老天自有安排，即时遭遇悲伤疼痛，神明也没有将我们抛弃。

Remember, next time your little hut is burning to the ground it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God. 

记住：当下一次你的小木屋着火时，那可能只是神明美妙的恩典。

For all the negative things we have to say to ourselves, God has a positive answer for it.

所有我们认为负面的事情，往后看吧，上天自由安排。

I see trees of greenred roses too

我看到树木葱茏

春色满园

I see them bloom for me and you

见它们为你绽放

为我盛开

And I think to myself

what a wonderful world.

于是我若有所思

世界灿烂 值得谱写风月

I see skies of blue and clouds of white

我看到晴空之下

云卷云舒

The bright blessed days

the dark sacred nights

度过阳光明媚的白天

黑暗神圣的夜晚

And I think to myself

what a wonderful world

于是我辗转反侧

世界灿烂

值得谱写风月

The colors of the rainbow

so pretty in the sky

绚烂的彩虹挂在天空

Are also on the faces of people going by

向下俯视着沥青路上

架肩击毂的路人

I see friends shaking hands

saying"How do you do?"

我看到朋友挥手问候

They're really saying

"I love you."

他们其实在相互取暖

说:“我一直在”

I hear babies cry

I watch them grow

我听见婴儿呱呱坠地

见证他们茁壮成长

They'll learn much more

than I'll ever know

他们如陆海潘江

已成为饱学之士

And I think to myself

what a wonderful world

于是我终日而思

世界灿烂 值得流传千古

And I think to myself

what a wonderful world

于是我终日而思

世界灿烂 值得谱写风华

我们就像奶油。当奶油浮到顶部的时候，它会和牛奶分离。也许这种现象正像是新世纪运动的写照。

We find ourselves lonely at the top. Yes, it is.

我们发现自己飞得越高，就会越感孤独。是的，这就是现实。

It is no different with political enlightenment, spiritual enlightenment, or even becoming enlightened about relating to each other.

不论是政治或精神修养的造诣有多深，或者甚至是与他人之间有一种默契的关系，就孤独这一点而言，是没有区别的。

The more mentally healthy you become, the more spiritual, the more balanced, the wealthier, the more global you become… the more alone you may feel.

你越是拥有健康有理智，精神修养的造诣越深，生活越平衡，越富有，或你的名气传播得越广，你也会感觉越孤独。

Often, we find ourselves unable to find those other rare individuals who are choosing the same path as ours. 

经常，我们很难找到那些选择我们和我们同路的人们。

The path of sloppy and lazy is full of other people to meet and talk to. The path of whiners is full.

那条潮湿，慵懒的道路挤满了可以相遇并聊天的人。那条满是牢骚者的道路上也拥挤不堪。

The path of being safe, generic and boring is so crowded you almost cannot even move forward. Isn’t that why you left that path?

那条所谓安全，普通以及枯燥的道路是如此拥挤以至于你无法向前挪步。难道这不正是你离开那条道路的原因吗？

You had a need to move forward, a need for some elbowroom, a need to spread your arms wide, a need to be seen as special, unique, different.

你需要向前挪步，需要活动的空间，需要展开你的双臂，需要被认知为特别，有个性，与众不同。

The masses may admire you, but they are not going to be able to really relate to you. You will be alone much of the time.

万千大众仰慕你，但他们却不可能真正地融入你。大部分的时间里，你将是孤独的。

Do not be afraid of the loneliness of enlightenment. Do not force others to agree with you. Simply give your heart and know that you are growing and that they are free to grow or not. It is the nature of the game.

不要害怕因造诣深而产生的孤独感。不必要勉强别人赞识你。做你自己，坚定着你自己的成长，别人是否愿意成长就由他们自己去决定吧。这就是自然界的规则。

We are all free to choose our paths.

我们都有选择自己道路的自由。

For me the most interesting thing about a solitary life, and mine has been that for the last twenty years, is that it becomes increasingly rewarding.

对我而言,独身生活中最有趣的——也是我最近20年以来深有体会的——就是它使生活变得越来越有情调了。

When I can wake up and watch the sun rise over the ocean, as I do most days, and know that I have an entire day ahead, uninterrupted, in which to write a few pages, take a  walk with my dog, lie down in the afternoon for a think, read and listen to music, I am flooded with happiness.

当我早展醒来看到太阳从大海上冉冉升起的时候——尽管我几乎每天都是如此——我就知道面前将有没人打搅的整整一天时间了。在这一天里，我可以悠闲地写几页文章，可以带着狗散散步，午后还可以躺下来思考思考问题，看看书，听听音乐，心中洋溢着快乐之情。

I am lonely only when I am overtired, when I have worked too long without a break, when for the time being I feel empty and need filling up.

只有在我过度疲劳的时候，或是在我工作太久而没有休息的时候，或是在我当时觉得空虚因而需要充实的时候，我才会感到孤独。

And I am lonely sometimes when I come back home after a lecture trip, when I have seen a lot of people and talked a lot, and am full to the brim with experience that needs to be sorted out.

而有时，当我在外地演讲后赶回家的时候，当我和许多人见面并且交谈甚多的时候，当许多经历多得要溢出来，因而需要整理的时候，我才会感到孤独。

Then for a little while the house feels huge and empty, and I wonder where myself is hiding. It has been recaptured slowly by watering the plants, perhaps, and looking again at each one as though it were a person, by feeding the two cats, by cooking a meal.

那个时候，房子一度让人觉得太大、太空，而我却不知道自我藏身于何处。也许通过给花草浇水，并对其逐一端详，好像端详人一样;也许通过喂那两只猫和做一餐饭，我才能又慢慢捕捉到自我了。

It takes a while, as I watch the surf blowing up in fountains at the end of the field, but the moment when the world falls away, and the self emerges again from the deep unconsciousness, bringing back all I have recently experienced to be explored and slowly understood, when I can converse again with my hidden powers, and so grow, and so be rewarded, till death do us part.

过了一会儿，我看到地平线的尽头海浪如泉水般喷涌，那一刻，世界消逝殆尽了，而自我从深层的无意识中再一次浮现，这才使我想起最近所经历的一切，让我去探究、去缓慢了解。此时，我又能与隐藏的力量交流了，于是我又在成长，并在成长中得到回报，直到死亡将我们分开。