Chapter XX
第二十章
The struggle for admission to college was ended, and I could now enter Radcliffe whenever I pleased. Before I entered college, however, it was thought best that I should study another year under Mr. Keith. It was not, therefore, until the fall of 1900 that my dream of going to college was realized.
为踏入大学校门所做的拼搏结束了,现在,只要我愿意,我随时都可以进入拉德克利夫学院。然而,在入学之前,人们认为最为稳妥的计划,就是我应该在凯斯先生门下再学一年。因此,直到1900年秋天,我才实现了上大学的梦想。
I remember my first day at Radcliffe. It was a day full of interest for me. I had looked forward to it for years. A potent force within me, stronger than the persuasion of my friends, stronger even than the pleadings of my heart, had impelled me to try my strength by the standards of those who see and hear. I knew that there were obstacles in the way; but I was eager to overcome them. I had taken to heart the words of the wise Roman who said, "To be banished from Rome is but to live outside of Rome." Debarred from the great highways of knowledge, I was compelled to make the journey across country by unfrequented roads—that was all; and I knew that in college there were many bypaths where I could touch hands with girls who were thinking, loving and struggling like me.
我仍然记得入学第一天的情景,对我而言,那真是兴味盎然的一天。我期盼这一天已经很多年了。在我心里蕴涵着一股强大的力量,它比朋友们的规劝更具有说服力,它甚至比我内心的祈求更加强烈,它驱策我竭尽全力向那些耳目功能俱全的正常人看齐。我深知行路艰难,但是我有克服一切困难的雄心。我将睿智的古罗马格言铭记于心:“虽然被逐出罗马,却依旧活在罗马城下。”我已被阻挡在知识的大道之外,那么我只能迫使自己穿越人迹罕至的乡村小路——这就是我所做的一切。我当然知道大学里面遍布着许多条这样的小路,在行进途中,我用双手触摸到的姑娘们都怀着和我一样的心理,她们勤于思考,热爱知识,而且斗志昂扬。
I began my studies with eagerness. Before me I saw a new world opening in beauty and light, and I felt within me the capacity to know all things. In the wonderland of Mind I should be as free as another. Its people, scenery, manners, joys, tragedies should be living, tangible interpreters of the real world.
我满怀激情地开始了我的大学生涯。在我面前,我看到了一个光明而美丽的新世界;内心深处,我已经做好了接纳一切知识的准备。在神奇的精神王国里,我会拥有像其他人一样的自由。这个王国的子民、风景、习俗、欢乐和悲伤也应该是鲜活而真切的。