LESSON 2 THE BLUEBELL 蓝色风铃草

1.There is a story I have heard—

A poet learned it of a bird,

And kept its music every word—

2.A story of a dim ravine,

O’er which the towering tree tops lean,

With one blue rift^[1] of sky between;

3.And there, two thousand years ago,

A little fl ower as white as snow

Swayed^[2] in the silence to and fro.

4.Day after day, with longing eye,

The fl oweret watched the narrow sky,

And fl eecy clouds that fl oated by.

5.And through the darkness, night by night,

One gleaming star would climb the height^[3],

And cheer the lonely fl oweret’s sight.

6.Thus, watching the blue heavens afar,

And the rising of its favorite star,

A slow change came—but not to mar;

7.For softly o’er its petals^[4] white

There crept a blueness, like the light

Of skies upon a summer night;

8.And in its chalice^[5], I am told,

The bonny^[6] bell was formed to hold

A tiny star that gleamed like gold.

9.Now, little people, sweet and true, I fi nd a lesson here for you Writ in the fl oweret’s hell of blue:

10.The patient child whose watchful eye Strives after all things pure and high, Shall take their image by and by.

【中文阅读】

1.我曾听过一个故事，

一位诗人从小鸟那儿获悉，

他记下，故事里的每个音符。

2.故事来自一个幽暗的山谷，

这个山谷被高高的树荫遮蔽，

只露出一道狭长的蓝天。

3.两千多年前，那处峡谷，

开着一朵小花，洁白妩媚，

安静地妙曼起舞。

4.日复一日，摇曳着期盼，

小花凝视着狭仄的蓝天，

轻柔的云，悠然飘过头顶。

5.夜复一夜，黑暗无边，

有颗星星，从蓝色缝隙闪入，

照亮孤独小花喜悦的眼睛。

6.就这样，遥远天穹，

升起一颗，笑脸星辰，

变化慢慢开始——不会太糟。

7.它雪白的花瓣，悄然升起

一抹亮丽，幽蓝夜空里，

尽情伸展，夏季的深邃致意。

8.小花，像捧白色圣杯，

我听说，那美丽的小风铃，

是为了能握住一粒金光闪闪的小星星。

9.现在，亲爱的孩子们，

在这株蓝色风铃草里

藏着一个甜蜜的，真实的故事：

10.学会坚忍，学会敏锐观察，

仰望那些纯净高贵的魂灵，

耳濡目染，获取精神动力。

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【注释】

[1] Rift, a narrow opening, a cleft.

[2] Swayed, swung.

[3] Height, an elevated place.

[4] Petals, the colored leaves of a f lower.

[5] Chalice, a cup or bowl.

[6] Bonny, beautiful.