佚名/Anonymous
It was New Year's night. An aged man was standing at a window. He raised his mournful eyes towards the deep blue sky, where the stars were floating like white lilies on the surface of a clear calm lake. Then he cast them on the earth, where few more hopeless people than himself now moved towards their certain goal—the tomb. He had already passed sixty of the stages leading to it, and he had brought from his journey nothing but errors and remorse. Now his health was poor, his mind vacant, his heart sorrowful, and his old age short of comforts.
The days of his youth appeared like dreams before him, and he recalled the serious moment when his father placed him at the entrance of the two roads—one leading to a peaceful, sunny place, covered with flowers, fruits and resounding with soft, sweet songs; the other leading to a deep, dark cave, which was endless, where poison flowed instead of water and where devils and poisonous snakes hissed and crawled.
He looked towards the sky and cried painfully, "O, youth, return! O, my father, place me once more at the entrance to life, and I'll choose the better way!" But both his father and the days of his youth had passed away.
He saw the lights flowing away in the darkness. These were the days of his wasted life; he saw a star fall from the sky and disappeared, and this was the symbol of himself. His remorse, which was like a sharp arrow, struck deeply into his heart. Then he remembered his friends in his childhood, who entered life together with him. But they had made their way to success and were now honoured and happy on this New Year's night.
The clock in the high church tower struck and the sound made him remember his parents' early love for him. They had taught him and prayed to God for his good. But he chose the wrong way. With shame and grief he dared no longer to look towards that heaven where his father lived. His darkened eyes were full of tears, and with a despairing effort, he burst out a cry, "Come back, my early days! Come back!"
And his youth did return, for all this was only a dream, which he had on New Year's night. He was still young though his faults were real; he had not yet entered the deep, dark cave, and he was still free to walk on the road which leads to the peaceful and sunny land.
Those who still linger on the entrance of life, hesitating to choose the bright road, remember that when years are passed and your feet stumble on the dark mountains, you will cry bitterly, but in vain: "O, youth, return! Oh, give me back my early days!"
在新年之夜，一位上了年紀的人佇立在窗前。他抬起充滿哀傷的眼睛，仰望著深藍色的天空，星星在那裏遊移著，如同朵朵百合散落在清澈而平靜的湖麵上。接著他把目光投向地麵，看到幾個比他更加絕望的人正走向他們的終點——墳墓。在通往人生終點的道路上，他已經走過了六十個驛站，除了過失和悔恨，他一無所獲。現在，他健康欠佳，精神空虛，心情憂鬱，缺少晚年應有的舒適和安逸。
年輕的時光如夢幻般浮現在他眼前，他回想起父親將他放在人生道路入口處時那個關鍵的時刻。當時，擺在他麵前的有兩條道路：一條通向和平寧靜、陽光燦爛的地方，那裏滿是花果，回**著柔和甜美的歌聲；另一條則通向黑暗無底的深淵，那裏流淌著毒汁而非清水，惡魔肆虐，毒蛇橫行。
他仰望著天空，痛苦地叫喊：“啊，青春，請回來吧！啊，父親，請把我重新放到人生道路的起點上吧，我將會作出更好的選擇。”然而，父親和他的青春都已離他遠去。
他看著燈光被黑暗吞沒，那就是他虛度的時光；他看見一顆星星從空中隕落、消逝，那正是他自身的寫照。悔恨如同利箭深深地刺進他的心髒。然後，他回想起兒時的朋友，他們曾與他一同踏上人生的旅程，現在已走在成功的道路上，受到人們的尊敬，此時正沉浸在歡度新年的幸福中。
教堂高塔上的鍾聲敲響了，這讓他回憶起父母早年對他的愛。他們曾給予他諄諄教誨，曾為他的幸福向上帝祈禱。但他偏偏選擇了人生的歧途。羞愧和憂傷使他再也不敢正視父親所在的天堂。他雙目黯然，飽含著淚水。在絕望中，他奮力高喊：“回來吧，我那逝去的歲月！回來吧！”
他的青春真的回來了，因為上麵所發生的一切隻不過是他在新年之夜所做的一場夢。他依然年輕，當然，他也曾真的犯過錯誤，但還不至於墮入黑暗的深淵，他仍然可以自由地走在通向寧靜和光明的道路上。
正在人生路口徘徊，正在猶豫是否要選擇光明大道的年輕人啊，你們一定要記住：當你青春已逝，在黑暗的群山中舉步維艱、跌跌撞撞時，你才會痛心疾首、徒勞無功地呼喊：“啊，回來吧，青春！啊，把我美好的年華還給我吧！”
心靈小語
人生的痛苦不在於失去什麽，而在於擁有的時候不懂得珍惜。生命的不可逆轉性，使那些青春已逝卻兩手空空的老人徒然歎息，悔不當初，卻又無可奈何。聰明的我們難道還要重蹈前人的覆轍嗎？
W 詞匯筆記
mournful[?m?nf?l]adj.哀痛的；令人傷心的
例 He took a mournful view on human affairs.
他對人生持悲觀的態度。
remorse[ri?m?s]n.懊悔；悔恨；自責
例 His remorse is just an artifice to gain sympathy.
他的悔恨隻是一種騙局，是為了博取同情。
resounding[ri?zandi?]adj.鳴響的；回響的；回**的；響亮的
例 His resounding voice continued to resound in my ears long after he was out of sight.
他人走遠了，但他響亮的聲音仍在我的耳際回**。
hesitate[?heziteit]v.猶豫；躊躇；遲疑不決
例 The local government will not hesitate to take the severest measures to against criminals.
當地政府將毫不猶豫地采取最嚴厲的措施對付犯罪分子。
S 小試身手
他抬起充滿哀傷的眼睛，仰望著深藍色的天空，星星在那裏遊移著，如同朵朵百合散落在清澈而平靜的湖麵上。
譯___________________________________________
悔恨如同利箭深深地刺進他的心髒。
譯___________________________________________
他們曾給予他諄諄教誨，曾為他的幸福向上帝祈禱。
譯___________________________________________
P 短語家族
But both his father and the days of his youth had passed away.
pass away：去世；過世
造___________________________________________
He burst out a cry, "Come back, my early days! Come back!"
burst out：突然（哭、笑、叫）起來
造___________________________________________