海伦·凯勒自传《我的生活》第65期

　　When a rainy day keeps me indoors, I amuse myself after the manner of other girls. I like to knitand crochet; I read in the happy-go-lucky way I love, here and there a line; or perhaps I play a game or two of checkers or chess with a friend. I have a special board on which I play these games. The squares are cut out, so that the men stand in them firmly. The black checkers are flat and the white ones curved on top. Each checker has a hole in the middle in which a brass knob can be placed to distinguish the king from the commons. The chessmen are of two sizes, the white larger than the black, so that I have no trouble in following my opponent’s maneuvers by moving my hands lightly over the board after a play. The jar made by shifting the men from one hole to another tells me when it is my turn.

　　每当雨天把我困在家里的时候，我就会学着其他姑娘们的样子找点有趣的事干干。我喜欢用钩针做一些女红;我会以逍遥自在的方式浏览书籍，这里看一行，那里看一行;我也可能同朋友下盘跳棋或者国际象棋。我有一个专用木板棋盘，棋盘上的方格子都被重新雕琢过，这样棋子就可以稳稳地立在上面。黑色的格子是平的，白色的格子则略微凸出;每一个格子的中心位置都有一个小孔，而其中的一个带有黄铜小圆凸的格子则代表国王的位置。棋子也有两种规格，白棋比黑棋要大一些，这样我就能用手轻轻地在棋盘上摸索，辨别对手的棋路也不会有什么困难。而移动棋子时的微弱振动则提醒我出棋的先后顺序。

　　If I happen to be all alone and in an idle mood, I play a game of solitaire, of which I am very fond. I use playing cards marked in the upper right-hand corner with braille symbols which indicate the value of the card.

　　如果碰巧遇到孤身一人且无所事事的情况，我就会兴致盎然地玩一局单人纸牌游戏。当然，在我使用的纸牌的右上角都印有盲文标记，以此可以表明纸牌的大小。

　　If there are children around, nothing pleases me so much as to frolic with them. I find even the smallest child excellent company, and I am glad to say that children usually like me. They lead me about and show me the things they are interested in. Of course the little ones cannot spell on their fingers; but I manage to read their lips. If I do not succeed they resort to dumb show. Sometimes I make a mistake and do the wrong thing. A burst of childish laughter greets my blunder, and the pantomime begins all over again. I often tell them stories or teach them a game, and the wing閐 hours depart and leave us good and happy.

　　如果有小孩子在身边，那么再没有比同他们嬉戏更让我高兴的事了。我发现即便是最小的孩子，也能成为我的好伙伴，而且，我可以很荣幸地说，孩子们都喜欢和我一起玩。他们会领着我四处走动，还把他们感兴趣的东西指给我看。当然，小一点的孩子还不会用手指拼写句子，但是我可以设法读懂他们的唇语。有时候我也无法领会他们的“哑语”，难免会做出错误的举动，这时我的失误就会遭到一阵孩子气的哄堂大笑，于是用手势沟通的过程又重新开始。我通常会给他们讲故事或者教他们做游戏，几个小时就这样匆匆流逝，唯有快乐和满足留存在每个人的心中。

　　Museums and art stores are also sources of pleasure and inspiration. Doubtless it will seem strange to many that the hand unaided by sight can feel action, sentiment, beauty in the coldmarble; and yet it is true that I derive genuine pleasure from touching great works of art. As my finger tips trace line and curve, they discover the thought and emotion which the artist has portrayed. I can feel in the faces of gods and heroes hate, courage and love, just as I can detectthem in living faces I am permitted to touch. I feel in Diana’s posture the grace and freedom of the forest and the spirit that tames the mountain lion and subdues the fiercest passions. My soul delights in the repose and gracious curves of the Venus; and in Barr?s bronzes the secrets of the jungle are revealed to me.

　　博物馆和艺术品商店是带给我快乐和灵感的另一个源泉。很多人都觉得难以理解——在冷冰冰的大理石雕像面前，不凭借视觉，单靠触摸就能“看到”它的形态、情感和艺术魅力，这可能吗?事实上，我的确从触摸伟大艺术作品的过程中获得了无上的快乐，这一点是确凿无疑的。当我的指尖摸索着起伏的线条时，它们自会发现艺术家作画时的想法和激情。我能在众神和英雄们的脸上触摸到仇恨、勇气和爱怜的表情。当然，也只有在被允许触摸的时候，我才能探查到雕像生动的面容。我在狄安娜的身姿中触摸到了优雅和权威——这位主宰森林生灵的女神有本领驯化凶猛的山狮，也能慑服最狂暴的激情。在维纳斯的优雅曲线和睡姿当中，我感受到了灵魂的喜悦;而芭利的青铜雕像则揭示了丛林的秘密。

　　A medallion of Homer hangs on the wall of my study, conveniently low, so that I can easily reach it and touch the beautiful, sad face with loving reverence. How well I know each line in thatmajestic brow—tracks of life and bitter evidences of struggle and sorrow; those sightless eyes seeking, even in the cold plaster, for the light and the blue skies of his beloved Hellas, but seeking in vain; that beautiful mouth, firm and true and tender. It is the face of a poet, and of a manacquainted with sorrow. Ah, how well I understand his deprivation—the perpetual night in which he dwelt—

　　我书房的墙壁上悬挂着一尊荷马的圆形浮雕，雕像挂得很低，因此我一伸手就可以触摸到荷马那张优美而悲伤的脸。雕像有着庄严的面目表情，我对脸部的每一根线条都了如指掌——生命的轨迹，挣扎的苦涩和忧伤;即使被凝固在冷冰冰的石膏中，(荷马)那双失明的眼睛仍然在探寻，只为了他所至爱的明媚阳光、碧空如洗的希腊，然而寻找是徒劳的。荷马的嘴轮廓优美，显示出坚忍、诚实而温柔的特质。这是一张诗人的脸，一张了解悲伤为何物的男人的脸。哦，我是多么理解他的失明之痛啊——与之相伴的唯有永恒的黑夜：