The most important day I remember in all my life is the one on which my teacher, AnneMansfield Sullivan, came to me. I am filled with wonder when I consider the immeasurablecontrasts between the two lives which it connects. It was the third of March, 1887, threemonths before I was seven years old.
在我的一生中,最令我刻骨銘心的一天就是我的老師,安妮曼斯菲爾德蘇立文的到來。我心里充滿了驚奇,我認為在兩個將命運聯系在一起的人之間一定存在著無限的差異。那天是1887年3月3日,三個月后我就滿七歲了。
On the afternoon of that eventful day, I stood on the porch, dumb, expectant. I guessedvaguely from my mother's signs and from the hurrying to and fro in the house that somethingunusual was about to happen, so I went to the door and waited on the steps. The afternoonsun penetrated the mass of honeysuckle that covered the porch, and fell on my upturned face.My fingers lingered almost unconsciously on the familiar leaves and blossoms which had justcome forth to greet the sweet southern spring. I did not know what the future held of marvelor surprise for me. Anger and bitterness had preyed upon me continually for weeks and a deeplanguor had succeeded this passionate struggle.
那天下午,我站在門廊里,似乎在默默地期待著什么。我從房間里人們忙前忙后的動靜,以及母親的手勢里隱約地猜到,家里要有什么事發生。所以,我就走出房門坐在臺階上等著。午后的陽光穿透門廊上茂密的金銀花藤,暖暖地灑落在我仰起的臉上。我的手指不由自主地游移在那些熟悉的葉片和花蕾之間,初生的枝蔓似乎也忙不迭地向南方的春日致意。我不知道我的未來會發生什么樣的奇跡,一連好幾個星期,懊惱和苦悶折磨著我,深深的無助感令我抗爭不得。
Have you ever been at sea in a dense fog, when it seemed as if a tangible white darkness shutyou in, and the great ship, tense and anxious, groped her way toward the shore with plummetand sounding-line, and you waited with beating heart for something to happen? I was like thatship before my education began, only I was without compass or sounding-line, and had no wayof knowing how near the harbour was. "Light! give me light!" was the wordless cry of my soul,and the light of love shone on me in that very hour.
你是否曾到過濃霧籠罩的海面?一團白色的霧靄將你徹底封閉,而你腳下的那條大船,則焦慮不安地摸索前行,它邊走邊用鉛錘和探深繩尋找著靠岸的航道。那么你呢?就帶著怦怦的心跳等待著未知事物的發生?在接受正式教育之前,我就像那艘漂蕩在迷霧中的船,只是我沒有指南針和探深繩,也無從知曉港口的遠近?!肮?!給我光明!”這是發自我靈魂深處無言的吶喊,每分每秒,我都想把自己沐浴在愛的光明之中。