- 美国语文读本5（英汉双语图文版）
- (美)威廉·H·麦加菲
- 2157字
- 2020-12-04 15:57:25
LESSON 13 RESPECT FOR THE SABBATH REWARDED 尊重安息日
1.In the city of Bath, not many years since, lived a barber who made a practice of following his ordinary occupation on the Lord’s day.As he was on the way to his morning’s employment, he happened to look into some place of worship just as the minister was giving out his text—”Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” He listened long enough to be convinced that he was constantly breaking the laws of God and man by shaving and dressing his customers on the Lord’s day.He became uneasy, and went with a heavy heart to his Sabbath task.
2.At length he took courage, and opened his mind to his minister, who advised him to give up Sabbath work, and worship God.He replied that beggary would be the consequence.He had a fl ourishing trade, but it would almost all be lost.At length, after many a sleepless night spent in weeping and praying, he was determined to cast all his care upon God, as the more he refl ected, the more his duty became apparent[1].
3.He discontinued his Sabbath work, went constantly and early to the public services of religion, and soon enjoyed that satisfaction of mind which is one of the rewards of doing our duty, and that peace which the world can neither give nor take away.The consequences he foresaw actually followed.His genteel[2] customers left him, and he was nicknamed “Puritan” or “Methodist.” He was obliged to give up his fashionable shop, and, in the course of years, became so reduced[3] as to take a cellar under the old market house and shave the poorer people.
4.One Saturday evening, between light and dark, a stranger from one of the coaches, asking for a barber, was directed by the hostler to the cellar opposite.Coming in hastily, he requested to be shaved quickly, while they changed horses, as he did not like to violate[4] the Sabbath.This was touching the barber on a tender chord.He burst into tears; asked the stranger to lend him a half-penny to buy a candle, as it was not light enough to shave him with safety.He did so, revolving in his mind the extreme poverty to which the poor man must be reduced.
5.When shaved, he said, “There must be something extraordinary in your history, which I have not now time to hear.Here is half a crown for you.When I return, I will call and investigate[5] your case.What is your name?” “William Reed,” said the astonished barber.“William Reed?” echoed the stranger: “William Reed? by your dialect[6] you are from the West.” “Yes, sir, from Kingston, near Taunton.” “William Reed from Kingston, near Taunton? What was your father’s name?” “Thomas.” “Had he any brother?” “Yes, sir, one, after whom I was named; but he went to the Indies, and, as we never heard from him, we supposed him to be dead.”
6.“Come along, follow me,” said the stranger, “I am going to see a person who says his name is William Reed, of Kingston, near Taunton.Come and confront[7] him.If you prove to be indeed he who you say you are, I have glorious news for you.Your uncle is dead, and has left an immense fortune, which I will put you in possession of when all legal doubts are removed.”
7.They went by the coach; saw the pretended William Reed, and proved him to be an impostor.The stranger, who was a pious attorney[8], was soon legally satisfied of the barber’s identity[9], and told him that he had advertised him in vain.Providence had now thrown him in his way in a most extraordinary manner, and he had great pleasure in transferring[10] a great many thousand pounds to a worthy man, the rightful heir of the property.Thus was man’s extremity[11] God’s opportunity[12].Had the poor barber possessed one half-penny, or even had credit for a candle, he might have remained unknown for years; but he trusted God, who never said, “Seek ye my face,” in vain.
【中文阅读】
1.在巴斯城里，住着一位理发师。几年前，他始终保持着星期日不休息、照常工作的习惯。某个周日早晨，在去理发店的路上，他偶然看见一处教会敬拜的场所，牧师正在分发布道经文——“纪念安息日，请维护它的神圣。”他听了很久，终于相信自己所作所为确实违背了上帝与人类的律法，安息日里，他竟然还在为顾客打理胡须、修剪头发，想到这里，他开始变得不安，心情沉重地前去工作。
2.终于，他鼓起勇气，向牧师袒露了他的忧虑。牧师建议他在安息日停止工作，敬拜上帝。他回答道，如果不在安息日工作的话，他大概就得四处乞讨了。他那曾经蒸蒸日上的事业，很快便会失去。他在哭泣和祈祷中度过了一个个不眠之夜，他最终决定，全身心地信奉上帝，越是反省深思，他越觉得上帝赋予他的职责至关重要。
3.从此以后，每逢安息日，他不再工作，总是早起去参加教会礼拜。很快，他便感受到内心的平安喜乐，这种安宁的心态是对履行我们职责的回报，既不能由别人给予，也无法被他人夺走。当然，他曾预见到的后果也随之而来。上流社会的顾客们纷纷离他而去，他甚至还被封了“清教徒”、“卫道士”的绰号。他被迫卖掉自己那间时尚理发店，随后的日子里，生活日渐窘迫，他不得不租了一间破旧市场的地下室，为穷人理发剃须。
4.一个星期六的晚上，夜幕刚刚降临，有个陌生人从马车上走下来，想找一位理发师，住在理发店对面的马夫将他带到这里。客人匆忙地走进小店，要求理发师趁着马夫换马的工夫，迅速帮他打理一下，因为他不想违背安息日的规矩。这话触动了理发师心里柔软的地方，顿时让他泪流满面。屋里太黑，他唯恐做起活来不稳当，只好开口向客人先支借半便士来买根蜡烛。客人拿出半便士给他，理发师这么穷困潦倒，客人不禁陷入沉思。
5.理完发后，客人说：“你的经历一定很特别，我很感兴趣，但现在没有时间倾听，先付你两个半便士。等我回来的时候，我再找你好好聊聊。你叫什么名字？”“威廉·瑞德。”理发师回答道，心里有点吃惊。“威廉·瑞德？”陌生人不可置信地重复了一遍，“威廉·瑞德？你的方言听起来，好像是从西边来的？”“是的，先生，我出生在陶顿附近的金士顿。”“从陶顿附近的金士顿来的威廉·瑞德？你父亲叫什么名字？”“托马斯。”“他有兄弟吗？”“是的，先生，他有一个兄弟，我的名字便是用来纪念他的。但他去了西印度群岛，此后就再无音讯了。我们猜想，他大概已经不在人世了。”
6.“来吧，跟我来，”陌生人说，“我正要去见一个自称从陶顿附近的金士顿来的名叫威廉·瑞德的人。你跟着我，来和他当面对质。如果你能证明你才是这个人，我可有个天大的好消息要告诉你。你的叔叔去世了，留下了一笔巨额财富。如果你所言不虚，通过所有相关的法律认证，你便可以继承这笔财产。”
7.于是，他们乘着马车去见了那个冒牌的威廉·瑞德，证实了他是一个骗子。不久以后，这名陌生人——事实证明他是一名尽职的律师，很快获得理发师的合法身份证明。他告诉理发师自己曾登出广告寻找，却一无所获。如今天如人意，竟用最不寻常的方式将真正的威廉·瑞德带到他的眼前，他很高兴能将这笔巨额财富移交给一个值得拥有的人，这笔遗产的合法继承者。逆境是上帝考验人的良机，如果当时那个可怜的理发师拥有半便士，哪怕是拥有欠钱买蜡烛的信用，律师可能都还要花很长时间才能找到他。但是，他相信上帝。上帝说，“你们当寻求我的面”，这话绝非虚言。
【注释】
[1] Apparent, clear, plain.
[2] Genteel, fashionable, elegant.
[3] Reduced, brought to poverty.
[4] Violate, to break, to profane.
[5] Investigate, to inquire into with care.
[6] Dialect, a local form of speech.
[7] Confront, to face, to stand before.
[8] Attorney, a lawyer.
[9] Identity, the condition of being the same as something claimed.
[10] Transferring, making over the possession of.
[11] Extremity, greatest need.
[12] Opportunity, favorable time.