Three Days to See
三日所见
Helen Keller
海伦·凯勒
Sometimes I have thought it would be an excellent rule to live each day as if we should dietomorrow. Such an attitude would emphasize sharply the values of life. We should live each daywith a gentleness, a vigor, and a keenness of appreciation which are often lost when time stretches before us in the constant panorama of more days and months and years to come. There are those, of course, who would adopt the epicurean motto of "Eat, drink, and be merry," but most people would be chastened by the certainty of impending death. It has often been noted that those who live, or have lived, in the shadow of death bring a mellow sweetness to everything they do.
有时候我想,如果把每一天都当作好像我们明天就要死去一般地度过,那一定是个极好的习惯。这样一种态度能强烈地唤起人们对人生价值的注意。我们每天都应该带着一种高雅、一种活力和一种敏锐的鉴赏力去生活,而当时间日复一日、月复一月、年复一年地以一再重复的景象在我们眼前展现时,这种高雅、活力和敏锐的鉴赏力常会失去。当然,有那么些人会信奉享乐者“吃喝玩乐”的格言,但大多数人在死亡迫在眉睫、不可避免时会检点自己的行为。常听到别人说,那些过去曾经或现在正生活在死亡阴影中的人做什么事都觉得甜美欢快,津津有味。
Most of us, however, take life for granted. We know that one day we must die, but usually we picture that day as far in the future. When we are in buoyant health, death is all but unimaginable. We seldom think of it. The days stretch out in an endless vista. So we go aboutour petty tasks, hardly aware of our listless attitude toward life.
然而,我们大多数人都将生命视为理所当然。我们知道有一天我们肯定会死去,但通常我们都把那一天想象得遥遥无期。当我们欢乐健康时,死亡几乎难以想象。我们极少想到它。时光像一道无穷尽的远景延伸出去。于是我们终日忙于琐事,几乎意识不到自己对生活的这种倦怠的态度。