我的生活海伦凯勒摘抄 海伦·凯勒自传《我的生活》第3期

海伦·凯勒自传《我的生活》第3期  

Chapter II
I cannot recall what happened during the first months after my illness. I only know that I sat in my mother's lap or clung to her dress as she went about her household duties. My hands felt every object and observed every motion
and in this way I learned to know many things. Soon I felt the need of some munication with others and began to make crude signs. A shake of the head meant "No" and a nod
"Yes
" a pull meant "Come" and a push
"Go." Was it bread that I wanted? Then I would imitate the acts of cutting the slices and buttering them. If I wanted my mother to make ice-cream for dinner I made the sign for working the freezer and shivered
indicating cold. My mother
moreover
succeeded in making me understand a good deal. I always knew when she wished me to bring her something
and I would run upstairs or anywhere else she indicated. Indeed
I owe to her loving wisdom all that was bright and good in my long night.
I understood a good deal of what was going on about me. At five I learned to fold and put away the clean clothes when they were brought in from the laundry
and I distinguished my own from the rest. I knew by the way my mother and aunt dressed when they were going out
and I invariably begged to go with them. I was always sent for when there was pany
and when the guests took their leave
I waved my hand to them
I think with a vague remembrance of the meaning of the gesture. One day some gentlemen called on my mother
and I felt the shutting of the front door and other sounds that indicated their arrival. On a sudden thought I ran upstairs before any one could stop me
to put on my idea of a pany dress. Standing before the mirror
as I had seen others do
I anointed mine head with oil and covered my face thickly with powder. Then I pinned a veil over my head so that it covered my face and fell in folds down to my shoulders
and tied an enormous bustle round my small waist
so that it dangled behind
almost meeting the hem of my skirt. Thus attired I went down to help entertain the pany.
我明白我的未来所面临的巨大考验。在我五岁的时候，我学会了把干净的衣服叠好并且收起来，而且，在洗衣房送来的衣物中，我会辨别出哪些是自己的衣服。通过这种方式，我也顺便知道了母亲和姨妈会在什么时候外出。我总是央求她们带我一起去。家里有客人来的时候，我会主动打招呼；当他们走的时候，我会朝他们挥手道别。当然，关于那些手势的记忆是含混不清的。有一天，一些绅士邀请我母亲外出，我感觉到了大门关闭的震动和他们离去的声音。一个突如其来的念头令我跑上了楼，我穿上了外出的礼服，站在镜子前。就像其他人做的那样，我往自己的头上抹油，还往自己的脸上涂满厚厚的香粉。随后，我在头上别了一块面纱，于是我的脸和肩膀全都埋进了面纱的褶皱里。我还在腰间系了一个硕大的绳结，绳结悬垂在身后，几乎碰到了裙角。带着这身打扮，我会下楼逗众人开心。
I do not remember when I first realized that I was different from other people; but I knew it before my teacher came to me. I had noticed that my mother and my friends did not use signs as I did when they wanted anything done
but talked with their mouths. Sometimes I stood beeen o persons who were conversing and touched their lips. I could not understand
and was vexed. I moved my lips and gesticulated frantically without result. This made me so angry at times that I kicked and screamed until I was exhausted.
I think I knew when I was naughty
for I knew that it hurt Ella
my nurse
to kick her
and when my fit of temper was over I had a feeling akin to regret. But I cannot remember any instance in which this feeling prevented me from repeating the naughtiness when I failed to get what I wanted.
In those days a little coloured girl
Martha Washington
the child of our cook
and Belle
an old setter and a great hunter in her day
were my constant panions. Martha Washington understood my signs
and I seldom had any difficulty in making her do just as I wished. It pleased me to domineer over her
and she generally submitted to my tyranny rather than risk a hand-to-hand encounter. I was strong
active
indifferent to consequences. I knew my own mind well enough and always had my own way
even if I had to fight tooth and nail for it. We spent a great deal of time in the kitchen
kneading dough balls
helping make ice-cream
grinding coffee
quarreling over the cake-bowl
and feeding the hens and turkeys that swarmed about the kitchen steps. Many of them were so tame that they would eat from my hand and let me feel them. One big gobbler snatched a tomato from me one day and ran away with it. Inspired
perhaps
by Master Gobbler's success
we carried off to the woodpile a cake which the cook had justfrosted
and ate every bit of it. I was quite ill afterward
and I wonder if retribution also overtook the turkey.