Tucked away in our subconsciousness is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent. We are traveling by train. Out the windows, we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides, of city skylines and village halls.
在我們內心深處，總隱藏著一片詩情畫意的風景。我們覺得自己正處于一次跨越大陸的漫長旅行中。坐在火車上，窗外流動的風景在我們面前一掠而過：附近高速公路上馳騁的汽車；十字路口揮手的孩童；遠處山坡上放牧的牛群；電廠排放的裊裊煙塵；成片的玉米地和小麥地；還有，平原、峽谷、山脈和丘陵；城市的輪廓和鄉間的農舍。
But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour, we will pull into the station. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for loitering -waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.
可是，我們想的最多的還是目的地。某天的某一刻，我們抵達站點，會有樂隊演奏，歡迎旗幟飄揚。一旦我們到達了目的地，夢想就會變成現實，而我們破碎的生活會像一幅拼好的畫圖，變得完美。我們焦躁不安地在車廂里踱來踱去，詛咒火車的遲緩--等啊等，等待進站的那一刻。
"When we reach the station, that will be it!" we cry. "When I'm 18." "When I buy a new 450SL Mercedes Benz!""When I put the last kid through college.""When I have paid off the mortgage!" "When I get a promotion." "When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after!"
"進站時，一切都好了！"我們呼喊著。"我滿１８歲時。""我買了一輛新的450SL奔馳轎車時！""當我供最小的孩子讀完大學。""當我還了所有的貸款。""當我退休的時候，就從此過上了幸福的生活！"
Sooner or later, we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.
遲早，我們會意識到人生沒有終點站，沒有什么地方真正完美。生命的真正樂趣在于旅行的過程。終點站只是一個夢，它永遠在我們的前方。
"Relish the moment" is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118:24, "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad. It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.
"品味現在"本身就是一句很好的箴言，再加上《圣經?詩篇》第118章第24行的這樣一句話，使得它更顯特別："主創造了今天，我們為活在今日而歡欣雀躍。"導致人們瘋狂的往往不是今日的沉重，而是對昨日的懊悔和對明日的畏懼。懊悔和畏懼如同一對孿生的竊賊，偷走了我們的今天。
So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice creams, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.
因此，別再在車廂內徘徊，不要計算著余下的行程吧！讓我們攀登更多的高山，吃冰激凌，赤腳漫步，游泳，欣賞日落，多點兒歡笑，少些淚水吧。讓生命活在我們前進的腳步中，那么車站很快就會到達。 |
大學英語---