雷雨中的顿悟

⊙ By Nelson Glueck翻译：蓝蓝

雷雨中的顿悟

⊙ By Nelson Glueck翻译：蓝蓝

突然遇到倾盆大雨，你的第一反应是不是撒腿就跑，赶紧找个地方躲雨呢？不过，有些景色，在风雨中确实另有一番滋味；而有些领悟，或许只能在等着雨停的时候才会有所感受呢……

Many years ago, I was on a bicycle trip through some1)exceedingly2)picturesque countryside. Suddenly, dark clouds piled up overhead and rain began to fall, but3)strange to relate, several hundred4)yards ahead of me the sun shone brilliantly. Pedaling, however, as rapidly as I could, I found it impossible to get into the clear. The clouds with their rain kept advancing faster than I could race forward. I continued this unequal5)contest for an exhausting half hour, before realizing that I could not win my way to the bright area ahead of me.

Then it6)dawned upon me that I was wasting my strength in unimportant hurry, while paying no attention7)whatsoever to the landscape for the sake of which I was making the trip. The storm could not last forever, and the discomfort was not unendurable. Indeed, there was much to look at which might otherwise have escaped me. As I gazed about with sharpened appreciation, I saw colors and lines and8)contours that would have

1) exceedingly [Ik5si:dINlI] adv. 非常，极端地

2) picturesque [7pIktFE5resk] adj. （景色）如画的，美丽的

3) strange to relate 说来奇怪，奇怪的是

4) yard [jB:d] n. 码，1码=3英尺≈0.914米。

5) contest [5kɒntest] n. 比赛，角逐，竞争

6) dawn upon 意识到，突然想到

7) whatsoever [7hwɒtsEJ5evE(r)] pron. 无论什么

8) contour [5kɒntJE(r)] n. 轮廓，外形appeared differently under brilliant light. The rain mists which now9)crowned the wooded hills and the fresh clearness of the different greens were entrancing. My annoyance at the rain was gone, and my eagerness to escape it vanished. It had provided me with a new view and helped me understand that the sources of beauty and satisfaction may be found close at hand within the range of one’s own10)sensibilities.

It helped me realize that there is no sense in my attempting ever to flee from circumstances and conditions which cannot be avoided but which I might bravely meet, and frequently11)mend, and often turn to good account. I know that half the battle is won if I can face trouble with courage, disappointment with12)spirit, and13)triumph with14)humility. It has become ever clearer to me that danger is far from disaster, that defeat may be the forerunner of final victory, and that,15)in the last analysis, all achievement is16)perilously fragile unless based on17)enduring principles of moral conduct.

I have learned that trying to find a carefree world somewhere far off involves me in an endless chase, in the course of which the opportunity for happiness and the happiness of attainment are all too often lost in the chase itself. It has become apparent to me that I cannot wipe out the pains of existence by denying them, blaming them largely or completely on others, or running away from them. The elements of weakness which mark every person cannot18)absolve me from the19)burdens and20)blessings of responsibility for myself and to others. I can21)magnify but never lessen my problems by ignoring,22)evading, or23)exorcising them. I believe that my24)perplexities and difficulties can be considerably25)resolved, if not completely overcome, by my own attitudes and actions. I am convinced that there can be no guarantee of my happiness, except that I help26)evoke and27)enhance it by the work of my hands, and the28)dictates of my heart, and the direction of my striving.

9) crown [kraJn] v. 加在顶上

10) sensibility [7sensI5bIlItI] n. 敏感性，感受力

11) mend [mend] v. 改进，改良

12) spirit [5spIrIt] n. 活力，锐气

13) triumph [5traIEmf] n. 胜利，成功

14) humility [hju:5mIlItI] n. 谦恭，谦逊

15) in the last analysis 归根结底

16) perilously [5perIlEslI] adv. 危险地

17) enduring [In5djJErIN] adj. 持久的，永久的

18) absolve [Eb5zɒlv] v. 解除（承诺、义务等）

19) burden [5b:d(E)n] n. 负担，重任

20) blessing [5blesIN] n. 幸福，可喜的事情

21) magnify [5mA^nIfaI] v. 放大，扩大

22) evade [I5veId] v. 逃避，规避

23) exorcise [5eksR:saIz] v. 驱赶，抹去

24) perplexity [pE5pleksEtI] n. 困惑，混乱

25) resolve [rI5zɒlv] v. 解决

26) evoke [I5vEJk] v. 唤起，引起

27) enhance [In5hAns] v. 增加，提高

28) dictate [5dIkteIt] n. （发自内心、非遵守不可的）指令

Then it dawned upon me that I was wasting my strength in unimportant hurry, while paying no attention whatsoever to the landscape for the sake of which I was making the trip.

短语for the sake of是一个我们在日常生活中经常会听到、看到的词组，可以表达“由于，为了，为了……的利益”等意思，强调短语后面引出的内容正是目的所在，如：He gave up smoking for the sake of health. （出于健康考虑，他把烟都戒了。）

许多年前，我骑着自行车出外游玩，路过一片风景绝美的乡村郊野。突然大片乌云压顶，大雨倾盆而下；不过说来奇怪，就在前方几百码的地方，竟是一派阳光灿烂。即便我蹬着车，尽快往前冲，却怎么也到不了天晴的地方。乌云夹着大雨不断推进，速度比我还快。筋疲力尽地骑了半个小时后，我放弃了这场不对等的比赛，终于意识到自己根本无法到达前头那片晴朗的天地。

那一刻，我突然明白了，我之前一直在毫无意义地匆匆赶路，浪费自己的体力，却不曾好好欣赏沿途的各色景致——而后者其实才是我这次出游的目的。暴雨不会没完没了地下，而淋雨的不适感还算可以忍受。的确，这一路上有许多值得一看的景致，平时的我大概不会注意到这一切。我以更敏锐的目光欣赏着周围的景色，看到的各种色彩、线条与轮廓，都与它们在明媚日光下的模样大异其趣。朦胧烟雨笼罩着树木繁茂的青山，各种不同的绿意清新明朗，令人神迷。至此，我对大雨的懊恼早已消散，急于避雨的冲动也消失了。大雨带给我一种全新的视角，让我懂得了一个道理——只要我们自身具备感受力，就能找到身边的美好与满足。

这次经历让我明白了一个道理：对于无法避免的处境与状况，企图逃避是毫无意义的；但我可以勇敢面对，时常改善，最后事情多半能有好结果。我知道，只要勇敢地面对困难，振奋地面对失望，谦逊地面对成功，那人生的战役便已成功了一半。我也更清楚地意识到，危险远非灾难，而失败也许就是最后胜利的前兆。因此，归根结底，只有以经受得起时间考验的道德准则为基础，已经取得的各种成就才不会脆弱不堪、危如累卵。

我发现，试图在遥远的地方寻找一个无忧无虑的世界只会让我陷入无休无止的追寻之中——正是在这种追寻的过程中，一个人常常会错过获得幸福的机会，以及取得成就的快乐。我逐渐明白了，拒绝承认痛苦，或者将多数或全部的问题归咎于他人，或者选择逃避了事，其实都无法消除生活的苦难。

尽管每个人都会有他的不足之处，但这并不意味着我就不需要对自己和他人负责，这种责任带来的负担与福气并不能因此免除。置之不理、避之不谈或是抛诸脑后都不会让问题大事化小，这些做法或许只会让情况更加恶化。我相信，哪怕无法彻底克服，我所遇到的各种疑难依然可以通过自己的态度与行为得到一定的解决。我确信，只要靠着自己的双手努力工作，听从内心的指引，朝着目标奋斗进取，我才能唤起并提高内心的幸福感，才能真正获得幸福。