第5章 Spring——George Gissing

内容导读

乔治·吉辛，英国小说家，教师，其代表作有《阴间》等。在这篇散文《春》中，作者试图突出春的两大特色：颜色及给人的宁静感。冬日中沉睡的万物大有“春风又绿江南岸”的气势，那颜色格外诱人。在阳光正好、微风轻拂的日子里闲庭信步怎能不是人生的一大幸事呢？

英文正文

Morning after morning, of late, I have taken my walk in the same direction, my purpose being to look at a plantation of young larches.There is no lovelier colour on earth than that in which they are now clad; it seems to refresh as well asgladdenmy eyes, and its influence sinks deep into my heartToo soon it will change; already I think the firs radiant verdurehas begun to pass into summer'ssoberness. The larch has its moment of unmatched beauty—and well for him whose chance permits him to enjoy it, spring after spring.

Could anything be more wonderful than the fact that here am I, day by day, not only at leisure to walk forth and gaze at the larches, but blessed with thetranquilityof mind needful for such enjoyment?On any morning of spring sunshine, how many mortals find themselves so much at peace that they are able to give themselves wholly to delight in the glory of heaven and of earth.Is it the case with one man in every fifty thousand? Consider what extraordinary kindness of fate must tend upon one, that not a care, not a preoccupation, should interfere with his contemplativethought for five or six days successively! So rooted in the human mind （and so reasonably rooted） is the belief in an Envious Power, that I ask myself whether I shall not have to pay, by some disaster, for this period of sacred clam. For a week or so I have been one of a small number, chosen out of the whole human race by fate's supremebenediction.It may be that this comes to everyone in turn; to most, it can only be once in a lifetime, and so briefly.That my own lot seems so much better than that of ordinary men, sometimes makes me fearful.

中文译文

春

乔治·吉辛

最近，我总是喜欢在清晨时分沿着同一方向去散步，为的是能看看落叶松的幼苗。世上再没有任何一个颜色能够与它外衣的颜色相媲美了。它在让我感到清新的同时，又使我满怀喜悦，并深深地打动了我的心。它的变化太快了，仿佛它那最初的灿烂已经转为夏日里的朴实无华了。落叶松也曾拥有它那无与伦比的绚丽时刻，如果能够在每年的春季都可以欣赏到它这绚丽时刻，此生也该别无他求了。

世上还会有比我生活得更惬意的吗？日复一日，不仅可以悠闲地散步、欣赏落叶松，还可以在恬静的生活中使自己的心灵得到安抚。春日里，那一缕缕清晨的阳光曾使多少人重新找回了内心的安宁，在天地间尽情享受这无限的光辉。每五万人会有这样一个幸运的人吗？请抛开一切烦恼，避免所有干扰，不要过于急切，只要花上五六天的时间好好想一想，一个人要得到上帝怎样的垂青，才能拥有这样的命运啊！在人类的内心，有一个根深蒂固的信念，那就是相信世间存在嫉妒之神，想到这儿，我不禁问自己，若不是拥有一段痛苦的经历，我是否能享受眼前的这份略显神圣的宁静呢？在一个星期左右的时间里，我有幸得到命运之神的祝福，成为整个人类之中为数不多的幸运儿。也许，每个人都会得到这种祝福。然而，这种祝福对大多数人而言，一生也只能拥有一次，而时间却又如此短暂。而我呢，似乎比世人要好得多，有时，我甚至会为此而感到惶恐不安。

词汇速记

gladden v. 使喜悦，使高兴

radiant adj. 辐射的，容光焕发的，光芒四射的

verdure n. 碧绿

soberness n. 清醒，暗淡

leisure n. 闲暇，空闲

tranquility n. 宁静，平静

contemplative adj. 沉思的，冥想的

benediction n. 祝福，恩赐

美句欣赏

①There is no lovelier colour on earth than that in which they are now clad; it seems to refresh as well as gladden my eyes, and its influence sinks deep into my heart世上再没有任何一个颜色能够与它外衣的颜色相媲美了。它在让我感到清新的同时，又使我满怀喜悦，并深深地打动了我的心。

②On any morning of spring sunshine, how many mortals find themselves so much at peace that they are able to give themselves wholly to delight in the glory of heaven and of earth.春日里，那一缕缕清晨的阳光曾使多少人重新找回了内心的安宁，在天地间尽情享受这无限的光辉。

③It may be that this comes to everyone in turn; to most, it can only be once in a lifetime, and so briefly也许，每个人都会得到这种祝福。然而，这种祝福对大多数人而言，一生也只能拥有一次，而时间却又如此短暂。