名著之所以是名著，是因為它無論經歷怎樣的風霜打磨依然散發思想和藝術的魅力。而不少文學名著中的第一句話、第一段話，往往是整部著作的神韻所在。它們或將人深深吸引，或令人陷入深思，使讀者欲罷不能。
若你不經常在名著的海洋中暢遊，反覆體味閱讀的愉悅，就讓這短短的開場白，串聯出一縷經典的芬芳，圍繞著你，氤氳不散。
1. 《1984》
喬治·奧威爾
It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.
四月間，天氣寒冷晴朗，鐘敲了十三下。
2. 《雙城記》
查爾斯·狄更斯
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.
那是最美好的時代，那是最糟糕的時代；那是智慧的年頭，那是愚昧的年頭；那是信仰的時期，那是懷疑的時期；那是光明的季節，那是黑暗的季節；那是希望的春天，那是失望的冬天。
we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.
我們擁有一切，我們一無所有；人們正在直登天堂，也在直下地獄。
3. 《藻海無邊》
簡·里斯
They say when trouble comes close ranks, and so the white people did.
他們說，當麻煩接踵而至的時候，白人也會這樣。
4.《墨菲》
塞繆爾•貝克特
The sunshine, having no alternative, on the nothing new.
太陽照常升起，一切都沒有改變。
5. 《彼得·潘》
詹姆斯·馬修·巴利
All children,except one,grow up.
所有孩子都長大了，除了一個例外。
6. 《鐘形罩》
西爾維婭•普拉斯
It was aqueer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenberg,and I didn’t know what I was doing in New York.
那是一個古怪、悶熱的夏天，就是羅森博格因間諜罪名被處死的那個夏天，我不知道我在紐約幹什麼。
7. 《再見，柏林》
克里斯多福•伊薛伍德
I am a camera with its shutter open, quite passive, recording, not thinking.
我是一臺被動的相機，開著快門只記錄不思考。
8. 《了不起的蓋茨比》
弗·司各特·菲茨傑拉德
In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since."Whenever you feel like criticizing any more"he told me,"just remember that all the people in the world haven't had the advantages that you've had."
我年紀還輕、閱歷不深的時候，我父親教導過我一句話，我至今念念不忘，“每逢你想要批評任何人的時候”，他對我說，“你就記住，這個世界上所有的人，並不是個個都有過你擁有的那些優越條件的。”
9.《追憶似水年華》
普魯斯特
For a long time I used to go to bed early. Sometimes, when I had put out my candle, my eyes would close so quickly that I had not even time to say "I'm going to sleep." And half an hour later the thought that it was time to go to sleep would awaken me.
在很長一段時期裡，我都是早早就躺下了。有時候，蠟燭才滅，我的眼皮兒隨即合上，都來不及咕噥一句“我要睡著了”。半小時之後，我才想到應該睡覺。這一想，我反倒清醒過來。
10. 《烏鴉公路》
伊恩•班克斯
It was the day my grandmother exploded.
那一天我外婆發怒了。
11. 《安娜·卡列尼娜》
列夫·托爾斯泰
All happy families are happy alike, all unhappy families are unhappy in their own way.
幸福的家庭總是相似的，而不幸的家庭則各有各的不幸。
12. 《傲慢與偏見》
簡·奧斯丁
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possessing of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.
凡是有錢的單身漢，總想娶位太太，這已經成了一條舉世公認的真理。
13. 《洛麗塔》
弗拉基米爾•納博科夫
Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-Lee-Ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate of tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta.
洛麗塔，我的生命之光，我的慾念之火。我的罪惡，我的靈魂，洛-麗-塔：舌尖向上，分三步，從上顎往下輕輕落在牙齒上。洛.麗.塔。
14. 《麥田守望者》
J•D•賽林格
If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.
你要是真想聽我講，你想要知道的第一件事可能是我在什麼地方出生，我倒楣的童年是怎樣度過，我父母在生我之前幹些什麼，以及諸如此類的大衛·科波菲爾式廢話，可我老實告訴你，我無意告訴你這一切。
15. 《哈克貝里•費恩歷險記》
馬克•吐溫
You don’t know about me without you have read a book by the name of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”, but that ain’t no matter. That book was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly.
你要是沒讀過一本叫做《湯姆索亞歷險記》的書，你肯定不知道我是誰，不過這沒關係。這本書的作者是一個叫馬克·吐溫的人，他大多講真話。
16. 《一段情》
L•P•哈特利
The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.
往事猶若異鄉：他們在那裡做的事情都不一樣。
17. 《變形記》
弗蘭茲•卡夫卡
As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.
一天早晨，格里高爾•薩姆沙從不安的睡夢中醒來，發現自己躺在床上變成了一隻巨大的甲蟲。
18. 《第22條軍軌》
約瑟夫·海勒
It was love at first sight. The first time Yossarian saw the chaplain she fell madly in love with him.
這可是實實在在的一見鍾情。初次相見，約腮連便狂熱地戀上了隨軍牧師。
19. 《米德爾馬契》
喬治•艾略特
Miss Brooke had that kind of beauty which seems to be thrown into relief by poor dress.
布魯克小姐的姿色，在素淡的衣衫襯托下，反而顯得格外動人。
20. 《一位女士的肖像》
亨利•詹姆斯
Under certain circumstance there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.
在某些情況下，生活中很少有比把時間用在名為下午茶的儀式上更令人愜意的事了。
21. 《局外人》
阿爾伯特·加繆
Mother died today. Or maybe, yesterday; I can't be sure.
今天，媽媽死了，也許是昨天，我不知道。
22. 《飛越瘋人院》
肯·克西
They’re out there. Black boys in white suits up before me to commit sex acts in the hall and get it manned up before I can catch them.
他們在外頭，穿白色制服的黑男孩們起得比我早，他們公然在大廳裡曖昧，然後在我能抓到他們前把大廳都清理乾淨了。
23. 《簡•愛》
夏洛特•勃朗特
There was no possibility of taking a walk that day.
那天，出去散步是不可能了。
24. 《埃爾墨•甘特利》
辛克萊•劉易斯
Elmer Gantry was drunk. He was eloquently drunk, lovingly and pugnaciously drunk.
埃爾墨•甘特利喝醉了，醉得胡話連篇，洋相百出，動不動還找人吵架。
25. 《笨伯聯盟》
約翰•肯尼迪•圖爾
A green hunting cap squeezed the top of a fleshy balloon of a head.
一頂綠色的獵帽卡在隆起的頭部。
26. 《紅色英勇勳章》
斯蒂芬•克萊恩
The cold passed reluctantly from the earth, and the retiring fogs revealed an army stretched out on the hills, resting.
寒冷遲疑地從大地上退去，隨著薄霧逐漸散開，可以看見一支軍隊分散在山坡上睡覺。
27. 《無名的裘德》
托馬斯•哈代
The schoolmaster was leaving the village, and everybody seemed sorry.
這位小學老師就要離開村子了，人人都似乎有些難過。
28. 《老人與海》
歐內斯特•海明威
He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone 84 days now without taking a fish.
他是個獨自在灣流中一條小船上釣魚的老人，至今已了84天，一條魚也沒逮住。
29. 《第五屠宰場》
庫特•馮內古特
All this happened, more or less.
故事中的一切，或多或少都發生過。
30. 《霍亂時期的愛情》
馬爾克斯
It was inevitable：the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love.
這是不可避免的，苦杏仁的味道總是讓他想起註定沒有回報的愛情。
閱讀更多 英語奇葩說 的文章
