海倫·凱勒自傳《我的生活》第61期

Chapter XXII

第二十二章

I trust that my readers have not concluded from the preceding chapter on books that reading is my only pleasure; my pleasures and amusements are many and varied.

我相信我的讀者們並不會從前面的章節中得出這樣的結論——閱讀是我唯一的快樂。事實上，我的快樂和興趣是廣泛而多樣的。

More than once in the course of my story I have referred to my love of the country and out-of-door sports. When I was quite a little girl, I learned to row and swim, and during the summer, when I am at Wrentham, Massachusetts, I almost live in my boat. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than to take my friends out rowing when they visit me. Of course, I cannot guide the boat very well. Some one usually sits in the stern and manages the rudder while I row. Sometimes, however, I go rowing without the rudder. It is fun to try to steer by the scent of watergrasses and lilies, and of bushes that grow on the shore. I use oars with leather bands, which keep them in position in the oarlocks, and I know by the resistance of the water when the oars are evenly poised. In the same manner I can also tell when I am pulling against the current. I like to contend with wind and wave. What is more exhilarating than to make your staunch little boat, obedient to your will and muscle, go skimming lightly over glistening, tilting waves, and to feel the steady, imperious surge of the water!

在講述自己故事的過程中，我不止一次地提到了我對鄉間和戶外運動的熱愛。當我還是一個小姑娘的時候，我就學會了划船和游泳。在馬薩諸塞州的蘭瑟姆過暑假期間，我幾乎整日住在我的船上。有朋友來訪時，再沒有什麼能比帶他們出去划船更令我快樂的事了。當然，我並不能很好地掌握行船方向。在通常情況下，當我划船的時候，就會有人坐在船尾爲我掌舵。然而，有時候不靠舵手我也能劃。憑藉着水草和百合花，以及岸邊灌木叢的氣味辨別方向是十分有趣的一件事。我使用的是用皮革捆綁的船槳，這樣就能把槳固定在槳架上。當船槳處於平穩狀態時，我可以通過水的阻力來感知航行狀態。用同樣的方式，我也能說出船在什麼時候正處於激流之中。我喜歡同風浪較量一番。你讓忠實的小船聽命於自己的意願和力量；你讓它輕輕地掠過波光瀲灩的水面；你感受着或平穩，或洶涌的波浪——還有什麼能比這更令人興奮的事情呢！

I also enjoy canoeing, and I suppose you will smile when I say that I especially like it on moonlight nights. I cannot, it is true, see the moon climb up the sky behind the pines and steal softly across the heavens, making a shining path for us to follow; but I know she is there, and as I lie back among the pillows and put my hand in the water, I fancy that I feel the shimmer of her garments as she passes. Sometimes a daring little fish slips between my fingers, and often a pond-lily presses shyly against my hand. Frequently, as we emerge from the shelter of a cove or inlet, I am suddenly conscious of the spaciousness of the air about me. A luminous warmth seems to enfold me. Whether it comes from the trees which have been heated by the sun, or from the water, I can never discover. I have had the same strange sensation even in the heart of the city. I have felt it on cold, stormy days and at night. It is like the kiss of warm lips on my face.

我也喜歡劃獨木舟。我想，當你們聽說我尤其喜歡月夜泛舟時，你們一定會莞爾相視的。坦白地講，我無法看見月亮爬上松樹的枝頭，一邊悄悄地在天際間穿行，一邊爲路人鋪就發光的小徑。但是，我知道她（月亮）就在那裏。當我仰面躺在枕頭上，並且把手放在水中時，我就幻想着觸摸到了她微光閃爍的“外衣”。有時候，一條勇敢的小魚會從我的手指間滑過，而睡蓮則害羞地擠壓着我的手掌。最常發生的情況是，當我們一從小河灣裏劃出來，我就會立刻覺察到周圍開闊的空間。一團明亮的暖意似乎將我圍裹其中，無論這股暖意是來自被陽光曬熱的林木，還是來自水面，我都無法尋覓其蹤。甚至在城市的核心地帶，我也會產生這種奇怪的感覺。我已經在夜晚和暴風驟雨來臨的時刻觸摸到了它的氣息，這就好似溫暖的雙脣吻在臉上的感覺。

My favourite amusement is sailing. In the summer of 1901 I visited Nova Scotia, and had opportunities such as I had not enjoyed before to make the acquaintance of the ocean. After spending a few days in Evangeline's country, about which Longfellow's beautiful poem has woven a spell of enchantment, Miss Sullivan and I went to Halifax, where we remained the greater part of the summer. The harbour was our joy, our paradise. What glorious sails we had to Bedford Basin, to McNabb's Island, to York Redoubt, and to the Northwest Arm! And at night what soothing, wondrous hours we spent in the shadow of the great, silent men-of-war. Oh, it was all so interesting, so beautiful! The memory of it is a joy forever.

我尤其喜愛的娛樂活動是坐船航行。1901年夏天的時候，我去諾瓦斯科夏遊覽，這使我第一次有了同海洋親密接觸的機會。在伊萬傑琳的家鄉——一個美得如同朗費羅筆下的詩歌般迷人的地方——盤桓幾日後，我和蘇立文小姐來到了哈利法克斯，我們在這裏度過了幾乎整個夏天。可以說，這座海港城市是我們的快樂源泉，也是我們的天堂。駕船航行在貝德福德海灣，麥克奈布斯島，約克堡，一直到西北軍（駐地）——這是一次多麼偉大而光榮的航行啊！到了夜晚，我們會一連好幾個小時置身在巨大戰艦的陰影之下，那的確是一種愜意而奇妙的感覺。哦，周圍的一切都是那麼新奇而美麗！它給我留下了難以磨滅的愉快回憶。