聆聽美文
Questing Inward
探尋內心
"On my head pour only the sweet waters of serenity. Give me the gift of the Untroubled Mind."
"只在我頭上灌注寧靜的蜜露，賜予我一份不受干擾的心境。"
Once, as a young man full of exuberant fancy, I undertook to draw up a catalogue of the acknowledged "goods" of life. As other men sometimes tabulate lists of properties they own or would like to own, I set down my inventory of earthly desirables: health, love, beauty, talent, power, riches, and fame.
曾經，當我還是個充滿豐富幻想的年輕人時，我著手起草了一份被公認為人生"幸福"的目錄。就像別人有時會將他們所擁有或想要擁有的財產列成表，我將世人皆求之物列成表：健康、愛情、美麗、權利、才智、財富和名譽。
When my inventory was completed I proudly showed it to a wise elder who had been the mentor and spiritual model of my youth. Perhaps I was trying to impress him with my precocious wisdom. Anyway, I handed him the list. "This", I told him confidently, "is the sum of mortal goods. Could a man possess them all, he would be as a god."
當我完成清單後，我自豪地將它交給一個睿智的長者，他曾是我少年時代的良師和精神楷模。或許我是想盡力地在他面前展現我早熟的睿智。無論如何，我把單子遞給了他，我充滿自信地對他說："這是人類幸福的總和。一個人若能擁有這些，就和神差不多了。"
At the corners of my friend's old eyes, I saw wrinkles of amusement gathering in a patien net. An excellent list," he said, pondering it thoughtfully. "well digested in content and set down in not-unreasonable order. But it appears, my young friend, that you have omitted the most important element of all. You have forgotten the one ingredient, lacking which each possession becomes a hideous torment."
在我朋友沉澱著歲月印記的眼角處，我看到愉悅的皺紋匯聚成一張耐心的網。"是一張出色的表單，"他深思熟慮後說。"內容分類清晰，順序排列合理。但是，我的年輕朋友，好像你忽略了最重要的一個要素。你忘記了那個要素，如果缺少了它，每一次擁有都變成可怕的折磨。"
"And what,"I asked, peppering my voice with truculence,"is that missing ingredient?
我問道，言語間充滿著急躁和不滿："那麼，我遺漏的要素是什麼？"
" With a pencil stub he crossed out my entire schedule. Then, having demolished my adolescent dream structure at a single stroke, he wrote down three syllables: peace of mind. "This is the gift that God reserves for His special Proteges," he said.
他用一小節鉛筆劃掉了我的整張表格，一拳擊碎了我的少年美夢。緊接著寫下了三個字：心之靜。"這是上帝為他特別的子民保留的禮物。"他說道。
Talent and beauty He gives to many. Wealth is commonplace, fame not rare. But peace of mind-that is His final guerdon of approval, the fondest insignia of His love. He bestows it charily. Most men are never blessed with it: others wait all their lives-yes, far into advanced age-for this gift to descend upon them."
"上帝賦子許多人才能和美麗。財富司空見慣，名望並非稀有。但心靈的寧靜才是他允諾最終賞賜，是他愛的最佳象徵。他施予它的時候很謹慎，多數人從未享受過，有些人則等待了一生--是的，一直到暮年，才等到賞賜降臨他們身上。"
詞彙講解
1. draw up 草擬，起草；停住；使靠近
Let's draw up an agenda for our discussion, shall we?
我們擬定一個討論日程，您看如何？
2. set down 放下；記下；看做；確定
He was asked to set down the facts just as he remembered them.
他要根據記憶把事實寫下來。
3. the sum of 總和
She paid the sum of $ 200 for dresses.
她買衣服總共花了200元錢。
4. at the corners of 在……的角落裡
He studied the face bent over him, an Asian face burned dark by the Hawaiian sun, with laugh wrinkles at the corners of the eyes.
他打量著俯伏其上的這張臉----這是一張亞洲人的臉，已被夏威夷的太陽曬黑，笑的時候眼角四周蕩起皺紋。
5. cross out 劃掉
Also, make sure that any blank spaces in the agreement are filled in or crossed out before you sign it.
此外，在簽訂協議之前務必把協議上留出的空白一一填寫清楚或劃掉。
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