常春藤名家散文精選 第16期:人生之旅
第十六課 人生之旅
Wherever you are，and whoever you may be, there isone thing in which you and I are just alike at thismoment, and in all the moments of our existence.
不論你身在何處，不論你是何等人物，在此刻，以及人生中的每一刻，你我之間有一點(diǎn)正好是相同的，那就是:
We are not at rest; We are on a journey.
我們并非靜止著，而是在旅程中。
Our life is a movement，a tendency, a steady,ceaseless progress towards an unseen goal.
我們的人生是一種運(yùn)行，一種移動(dòng)，一種朝著某個(gè)看不見的目標(biāo)穩(wěn)健而又永無(wú)休止的進(jìn)展。
We are gaining something，or losing something，every day.
我們每日皆有得有失。
Even when our position and our character seem to remain precisely the same，they arechanging，for the mere advance of time is a change.
即使我們的地位和品德似乎維持原狀時(shí)，它們卻一直在改變中，因?yàn)楣馐菚r(shí)間的流逝就是一種改變。
It is not the same thing to have a bare field in January and in July.
同是一塊光禿禿的田野，一月中所見的就與七月中所見的完全不一樣。
The season makes the difference.
這是季節(jié)所造成的差別。
The limitations that are childlike in the child are childish in the man.
同樣，聰明才智在孩子身上稱得上是天真爛漫，但在大人身上則就算是幼稚愚蠢了。
Everything that we do is a step in one direction or another.
我們的所作所為都表示我們已朝甲方向或乙方向跨出了一步。
Even the failure to do something is in itself a deed.
即使無(wú)為，其本身亦是一種行為。
It sets us forward or backward.
它引領(lǐng)我們不是進(jìn)步就是倒退。
The action of the negative pole of a magnetic needle is just as real as the action of thepositive pole.
磁針的磁極作用不論正負(fù)皆是同樣的真實(shí)。
To decline is to accept the other alternative.
拒絕其實(shí)就是接受另一種選擇。
Are you nearer to your port today than you were yesterday?
你今天是否比昨天更接近你的人生目標(biāo)?
Yes，you must be a little nearer to some port or other; for since your ship was launched uponthe sea of life,
當(dāng)然，你一定更接近你的人生目標(biāo);因?yàn)橐坏┠愕拇谌松拇蠛Ｖ邢滤?/p>
you have never been still for a single moment—the sea is too deep;
你絕不會(huì)有須臾片刻靜下來(lái)—人生的大海太深了，
you could not find an anchorage if you would; there can be no pause until you come into port.
即使你想找個(gè)停泊處也無(wú)法辦到;你唯有進(jìn)港才能稍作休息。
