每天背诵 英语背诵

生命中的五次选择二

4

　　”Choose yet again."It was the fairy's voice.
　　"Two gifts remain.And do not despair .In the begining there was but one that was precious,and it is still here.
　　"Wealth-which is power!How blind i was!"said the man."Now,at last,life will be worth the living.I will spend.squander.These mockers and despisers will crawl in the dirt before me,and i will feed my hungry heart with their envy,I will have all luxuries,all joys,all enchant-times of the spirit I will buy,buy,buy!I have lost much time,and chosen badly heretofore,but let that pass;I was ignorant then,and could but take for best what seemed so."
　　Three short years went by,and a day came when the man sat shivering in a mean garret;and he was gaunt and wan and hollow-eyed,and clothed in rags;and he was gnawing a dry crust and mumbling:"Curse all the world's gifts for mockeries and gilded lies!And miscalled,every one,They are not gifts,but merely lendings.Pleasure.Love,Fame.Riches:they are but temporary disguises for lasting realities-Pain,Grief,Shame,Poverty.The fairy said true;in all her store there was but one gift which was precious,only one that was not valueless,How poor and cheap and mean i know those others now to be,Bring it!I am weary.I would rest."
　　

５

　　The fairy came,bringing again four of the gifts,but Death was wanting.She said:"I gave it to a mother's pet, a little child.It was ignorant,but trusted me,asking me to choose for it.You did not ask me to choose."
　　"Oh,miserable me!What is left for me ?"
　　"What not even you have deserved:the wantoninsult of Old Age."

”不过你还可以重新现挑一次．”仙女的声音再度响起．

　　”还剩下两份礼物．不要灰心丧气，从一开始就只有一份是宝贵的，而现在它还在那里啊．”

　　”财富－－财富就是力量！我过去多盲目啊！”他说．”现在，终于，我的生命将要变得有意义．我要纵情欢度此生，我要挥霍我的人生．那些对我冷嘲热讽，轻蔑诋毁我的人将要在我面前的泥土里挣扎，而我空乏的心也将因为他们的妒忌而得到满足．我将要享尽荣华富贵，所有欢乐和所有销魂的时光．我要买，买！以前我做错了选择，失去了许多时间，就让它过去吧；当时我很无知，我只能选我觉得最好的东西．

　　短短的三年又过去了．到了这么一天，这个人蜷缩在一个简陋的小阁楼里，古瘦如柴，苍白无力，双眼深陷，身上裹着碎布衣衫，浑身颤抖不停．他一边啃着一块干面包皮，一边咕哝着：”该死的礼物，都是为了让我受人嘲笑和欺诈！每一样都叫错了！它们都不是礼物，根本只是租借品！快乐，爱情，名声还有财富－都只不过是长久现实的暂时伪装－它们其实是永远的痛苦，悲哀，耻辱和贫穷！那个仙女说的没错啊，她所有的东西里只有一样是珍贵的，只有那么一样不是毫无价值的．我现在才明白，其它礼物是多么低贱与卑劣！把它带来吧－那真正宝贵的礼物！我累了，我想休息了．
       仙女出现了，带着以前的那四件礼物，但惟独没有最后那一件－死亡．她说道：”我把它给了一位母亲的宠儿子：一个小孩子．他什么也不懂，但他相信我，让我来帮他挑选．而你并没有这么做．”　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

　　”啊，我多可悲啊！那还剩下什么给我呢？”　　　　　　　　　　　　　
　　”一件你也不配得到的东西：接受年老体衰的折磨．