我的生活海伦凯勒摘抄 海伦·凯勒自传《我的生活》第59期

海伦·凯勒自传《我的生活》第59期  

I have since read Shakespeare's plays many times and know parts of them by heart
but I cannot tell which of them I like best. My delight in them is as varied as my moods. The little songs and the sons have a meaning for me as fresh and wonderful as the dramas. But
with all my love for Shakespeare
it is often weary work to read all the meanings into his lines which critics and mentators have given them. I used to try to remember their interpretations
but they discouraged and vexed me; so I made a secret pact with myself not to try any more. This pact I have only just broken in my study of Shakespeare under Professor Kittredge. I know there are many things in Shakespeare
and in the world
that I do not understand; and I am glad to see veil after veil lift gradually
revealing new realms of thought and beauty.
Next to poetry I love history. I have read every historical work that I have been able to lay my hands on
from a catalogue of dry facts and dryer dates to Green's impartial
picturesque "History of the English People"; from Freeman's "History of Europe" to Emerton's "Middle Ages." The first book that gave me any real sense of the value of history was Swinton's "World's History
" which I received on my thirteenth birthday. Though I believe it is no longer considered valid
yet I have kept it ever since as one of my treasures. From it I learned how the races of men spread from land to land and built great cities
how a few great rulers
earthly Titans
put everything under their feet
and with a decisive word opened the gates of happiness for millions and closed them upon millions more: how different nations pioneered in art and knowledge and broke ground for the mightier growths of ing ages; how civilization underwent
as it were
the holocaust of a degenerate age
and rose again
like the Phoenix
among the nobler sons of the North; and how by liberty
tolerance and education the great and the wise have opened the way for the salvation of the whole world.
In my college reading I have bee somewhat familiar with French and German literature. The German puts strength before beauty
and truth before convention
both in life and in literature. There is a vehement
sledge-hammer vigour about everything that he does. When he speaks
it is not to impress others
but because his heart would burst if he did not find an outlet for the thoughts that burn in his soul.
在上大学期间，我比较熟悉的是法语和德语的文学作品。德国人总是使美好的事物凸显某种力量，使传统习俗蕴涵某种真理，这种民族性格在他们的生活和文学作品中随处可见。不妨说，在他们所做的每一件事情中，大都具有某种澎湃而个性鲜明的激情。当他们说话的时候，你并不觉得有何感人之处，这是因为，如果他们没有为灵魂深处灼热沸腾的思想寻找到一个出路，那么，他们的心就会爆裂。所以，他们不会轻易地使自己灭亡。