Three Days to See(Excerpts)

假如給我三天光明(節(jié)選)

All of us have read thrilling stories in which the hero had only a limited and specified time to live. Sometimes it was as long as a year, sometimes as short as 24 hours. But always we were interested in discovering just how the doomed hero chose to spend his last days or his last hours. I speak, of course, of free men who have a choice, not condemned criminals whose sphere of activities is strictly delimited.

我們都讀過(guò)震撼人心的故事，故事中的主人公只能再活一段很有限的時(shí)光，有時(shí)長(zhǎng)達(dá)一年，有時(shí)卻短至一日。但我們總是想要知道，注定要離世人的會(huì)選擇如何度過(guò)自己最后的時(shí)光。當(dāng)然，我說(shuō)的是那些有選擇權(quán)利的自由人，而不是那些活動(dòng)范圍受到嚴(yán)格限定的死囚。

Such stories set us thinking, wondering what we should do under similar circumstances. What events, what experiences, what associations should we crowd into those last hours as mortal beings, what regrets?

這樣的故事讓我們思考，在類似的處境下，我們?cè)撟鲂┦裁?作為終有一死的人，在臨終前的幾個(gè)小時(shí)內(nèi)我們應(yīng)該做什么事，經(jīng)歷些什么或做哪些聯(lián)想?回憶往昔，什么使我們開心快樂?什么又使我們悔恨不已?

The same lethargy, I am afraid, characterizes the use of all our faculties and senses. Only the deaf appreciate hearing, only the blind realize the manifold blessings that lie in sight. Particularly does this observation apply to those who have lost sight and hearing in adult life. But those who have never suffered impaimp3ent of sight or hearing seldom make the fullest use of these blessed faculties. Their eyes and ears take in all sights and sounds hazily, without concentration and with little appreciation. It is the same old story of not being grateful for what we have until we lose it, of not being conscious of health until we are ill.

我擔(dān)心同樣的冷漠也存在于我們對(duì)自己官能和意識(shí)的運(yùn)用上。只有聾子才理解聽力的重要，只有盲人才明白視覺的可貴，這尤其適用于那些成年后才失去視力或聽力之苦的人很少充分利用這些寶貴的能力。他們的眼睛和耳朵模糊地感受著周圍的景物與聲音，心不在焉，也無(wú)所感激。這正好我們只有在失去后才懂得珍惜一樣，我們只有在生病后才意識(shí)到健康的可貴。

I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.

我經(jīng)常想，如果每個(gè)人在年輕的時(shí)候都有幾天失時(shí)失聰，也不失為一件幸事。黑暗將使他更加感激光明，寂靜將告訴他聲音的美妙。

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