The stories had little or no meaning for me then; but the mere spelling of the strange words was sufficient to amuse a little child who could do almost nothing to amuse herself; and although I do not recall a single circumstance connected with the reading of the stories, yet I cannot help thinking that I made a great effort to remember the words, with the intention of having my teacher explain them when she returned. One thing is certain, the language was ineffaceably stamped upon my brain, though for a long time no one knew it, least of all myself.
当时,这些故事并没有给我留下什么印象,不过,那些奇异的单词拼写足以让一个没有任何乐趣的小孩子开心一阵子了。虽然我连任何一个同故事有关的情节都记不起来了,但是我无法忘掉学习单词的艰苦过程。在老师休假归来后,我马上让老师给我解释那些陌生的词。因此,有一件事是肯定的——语言在我头脑中留下的烙印是无法抹煞的,只是很久以来,我并没有去特别留意这个问题。
When Miss Sullivan came back, I did not speak to her about "The Frost Fairies," probably because she began at once to read "Little Lord Fauntleroy," which filled my mind to the exclusion of everything else. But the fact remains that Miss Canby's story was read to me once, and that long after I had forgotten it, it came back to me so naturally that I never suspected that it was the child of another mind.
苏立文小姐回来后,我并没有对她讲《冰雪仙子》的事,这可能是因为她一回来就给我读《小爵爷方特勒罗伊》,我满脑子里装的都是这个故事,就暂时把别的事都抛到了一边。但实际情况是,曾经有人把肯拜小姐的故事读给我听,这是一种残存的记忆,虽然时间会令人遗忘,但是对我而言,记忆恢复时还是显得那么自然。我从不怀疑那个故事就是某个孩童的另一个头脑的产物。
In my trouble I received many messages of love and sympathy. All the friends I loved best, except one, have remained my own to the present time.
在那段艰难的日子里,我得到了很多人的同情和关爱,我的朋友们无一例外地伸出援手,把我从低谷中拉上来。
Miss Canby herself wrote kindly, "Some day you will write a great story out of your own head, that will be a comfort and help to many." But this kind prophecy has never been fulfilled. I have never played with words again for the mere pleasure of the game. Indeed, I have ever since been tortured by the fear that what I write is not my own.
肯拜小姐亲自写信安慰我:“有朝一日,你也会用自己的头脑写出一篇伟大的故事,它将会抚慰很多人,也会对他们助益匪浅。”但是这个预言从来没有实现,我不再做仅仅为了娱乐而玩弄辞藻的游戏了。实际上,自那以后,我被恐惧折磨着,我害怕我写的东西不是我自己的。