双语对照 ● The Two Roads 两条路
The Two Roads 两条路
◎ John Ruskin
It was New Year’s Night. An aged man was standing at a window. He raised his mournful eyes towards the deep blue sky, where the stars were floating like white lilies on the surface of a clear calm lake. Then he cast them on the earth, where few more hopeless people than himself now moved towards their certain goal—the tomb[72]. He had already passed sixty of the stages leading to it, and he had brought from his journey nothing but errors and remorse. Now his health was poor, his mind vacant, his heart sorrowful, and his old age short of comforts.
那是一个新年夜。一位老人站在窗前，他那忧伤的双眼眺望着深远蔚蓝的天空。繁星就像是漂浮在平静、清澈湖面上的朵朵白百合。接着他的目光投向地面，此刻，没有人比他更绝望，因为他正一步步迈向自己的最终归宿——坟墓。他已经走过通向坟墓的六十级台阶，除了过错和悔恨，他什么都没有得到。如今，他体弱多病，精神空虚，心情沮丧，人到晚年无所慰藉。
He looked towards the sky and cried painfully, “O youth, return! O my father, place me once more at the entrance to life, and I’ll choose the better way!” But both his father and the days of his youth had passed away.
他仰望星空，痛苦地大声喊道：“噢，回来吧，青春！噢，父亲，请再次把我带到人生的岔路口吧！我会选择一条更好的道路！”然而，他的父亲和他的青春一起消逝不见了。
The days of his youth appeared like dreams before him, and he recalled the serious moment when his father placed him at the entrance of the two roads—one leading to a peaceful, sunny place, covered with flowers, fruits and resounding with soft, sweet songs; the other leading to a deep, dark cave, which was endless, where poison flowed instead of water and where devils and poisonous snakes hissed and crawled.
青春的日子如梦一般出现在他眼前。老人想起了父亲将他带到人生岔路口的庄严时刻——一条路通往宁静的、阳光明媚的世界，那里满是鲜花和水果，还有甜美轻柔的歌声回荡在空中；另一条路通往一个深沉、黑暗、看不到尽头的洞穴，那里流淌着的不是水，而是毒液，毒蛇一边爬一边发出嘶嘶声。
He saw the lights flowing away in the darkness. These were the days of his wasted life; he saw a star fall from the sky and disappeared, and this was the symbol of himself. His remorse, which was like a sharp arrow, struck deeply into his heart. Then he remembered his friends in his childhood, who entered on life together with him. But they had made their way to success and were now honored and happy on this New Year’s night.
他看见黑暗中掠过缕缕亮光，就像是自己挥霍掉的往昔。他看见一颗星星从天边陨落，消失不见，那就是他的化身。他的悔恨，就像是一把利箭，深深地刺进他的心脏。于是，他想起了和自己一同迈入人生的儿时好友。可是，他们找到了通往成功的道路。在这个新年夜，他们备受尊敬，幸福无比。
The clock in the high church tower struck and the sound made him remember his parents’ early love for him. They had taught him and prayed to God for his good. But he chose the wrong way. With shame and grief he dared no longer look towards that heaven where his father live. His darkened eyes were full of tears, and with a despairing[73]
高高的教堂钟楼上传来了钟声，这声音让他回想起父母早年对他的疼爱。他们教育他，祈求上帝保佑他。可是，他选择了一条错误的路。羞愧和悲伤让他不敢仰望父亲所在的天堂。他那双黯淡的双眼噙满了泪水，他绝望地嘶喊道：“回来吧！我的往昔！回来吧！”
effort, he burst out a cry: “Come back, my early days! Come back!” And his youth did return, for all this was only a dream which he had on New Year’s Night. He was still young though his faults were real; he had not yet entered the deep, dark cave, and he was still free to walk on the road which leads to the peaceful and sunny land.
他的青春真的回来了，所有的这一切只是一个梦，一个在新年夜所做的梦。他依旧年轻，虽然他犯的错是真实存在的；他也没有走进那个深幽、黑暗的洞穴；他依旧可以自由行走在那条通往宁静的、阳光明媚的世界的道路上。
Those who still linger[74]on the entrance of life, hesitating to choose the bright road, remember that when years are passed and your feet stumble on the dark mountains, you will cry bitterly, but in vain: “O youth, return! Oh give me back my early days!”
那些仍旧徘徊在人生岔路口，犹豫着该不该选择光明之路的人们，请你们记住，当青春不再，你的双脚跌绊在黑暗的山间时，你会痛苦地呼喊着：“噢，青春，回来吧！把我的往昔还给我！”但这一切已是徒然。
美丽语录
Life’s greatest regret, than the wrong insist, and easily give up.
人生最大的遗憾，莫过于错误的坚持，和轻易的放弃。
