书城外语那些无法拒绝的名篇
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第28章 春风化雨

Dead Poets Society

1959 年,威尔顿预备学院以它凝重的风格受到

了人们的尊敬。在那里,教育的模式是固定的,不仅

单调而且束缚了思想。然而这一切在一个新教师的手

中发生了改变。老师反传统的教育方法给学院带来了

一丝生气:在他的课堂上,他鼓励学生站在课桌上,

用一个崭新的视角去观察周围的世界;他向学生介绍

了许多有思想的诗歌;他所提倡的自由发散式的思维

哲学在学生中引起了巨大的反响。

[ 法] N.H. 克雷鲍牧( N.H.Kleinbaum)

Keating:“Oh Captain,My Captain”who knows where that

comes from? Anybody? Not a clue? It's from a poem by

Walt Whitman about Mr. Abraham Lincoln. Now in this

class you can either call me Mr. Keating. Or,if you’re

slightly more daring,Oh Captain,My Captain. Now let

me dispel a few rumors so they don't fester into facts.

Yes,I too attended Welton and survived. And no,at

that time I was not the mental giant you see before you.

I was the intellectual equivalent of a ninety-eight pound

weakling. I would go to the beach and people would

kick copies of Byron in my face. Now,Mr. Pitts? That’s a

rather unfortunate name. Mr. Pitts,where are you? Mr.

Pitts? Would you open your hymnal to page 542 and

read the first stanza of the poem you find there?

Pitts: To the virgins,to make much of time?

Keating: Yes,that's the one. Somewhat appropriate,isn't it.

Pitts: Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,old time is still a flying,

and this same flower that smiles today,tomorrow will

be dying.

Keating: Thank you Mr. Pitts.“ Gather ye rosebuds while ye

may.”The Latin term for that sentiment is Carpe Diem.

Now who knows what that means?

Meeks: Carpe Diem. That's“ seize the day”.

Keating: Very good,Mr.-

Meeks: Meeks.

Keating: Meeks. Another unusual name. Seize the day. Gather ye

rosebuds while ye may. Why does the writer use these

lines?

Charlie: Because he's in a hurry.

Keating: No,ding! Thank you for playing anyway. Because we are

food for worms,lads. Because,believe it or not,each

and every one of us in this room is one day going to

stop breathing,turn cold,and die. Now I would like you

to step forward over here and peruse some of the faces

from the past. You've walked past them many times.

I don't think you've really looked at them. They're not

that different from you,are they? Same haircuts,full

of hormones,just like you. Invincible,just like you feel.

The world is their oyster. They believe they're destined

for great things,just like many of you. Their eyes are

full of hope,just like you. Did they wait until it was

too late to make from their lives even one iota of what

they were capable? Because you see,gentlemen,

these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen

real close,you can hear them whisper their legacy

to you. Go on,lean in. Carpe. Hear it? Carpe. Carpe.

Carpe Diem. Seize the day boys,make your lives

extraordinary.

基 丁:“哦,船长!我的船长”这句话,有谁知道出自哪儿

吗?有吗?没人知道?它出自沃尔特·惠特曼为亚伯

拉罕·林肯写的一首诗。听好啦,在班上你们可以叫

我基丁老师,或者有胆量的话就叫“哦,船长!我的

船长”。我首先要澄清一些谣言,免得误人子弟。没错,

我也上过这所地狱学校并活了下来。不过,那时候我

可不是你们现在看到的这个思想巨人。我的智慧跟一

个98 磅重的弱智差不多,我到海滩念诗,人们会把拜

伦诗集往我脸上砸。好了,哪位是皮茨先生?这名字

太不幸了。皮茨,哪位是皮茨?皮茨,把诗集翻到第

542 页,念一下那首诗的第一节。

皮 茨“: 劝少女们珍惜时光” ?

基 丁:是,就是那首。对你们很合适,对吧?

皮 茨:及时采撷你的花蕾

旧时光一去不回

今天尚在微笑的花朵

明日便在风中枯萎

基 丁:谢谢,皮茨。“及时采撷你的花蕾”这种感慨用拉丁语

说就叫“卡匹迪恩”。有谁知道是什么意思吗?

米克斯:“卡匹迪恩”就是抓紧时间的意思。

基 丁:很好,你叫?

米克斯:米克斯

基 丁:好,米克斯。又一个不寻常的名字。抓紧时间,“及时

采撷你的花蕾”。为什么作者要写这几句话?

查 理:因为他很着急。

基 丁:不!不!不过还是要感谢你的幽默。小伙子们,因为

我们是蛆虫的食物,因为不管你们信不信,在这儿的

每一个人,有一天都会停止呼吸,变冷,死亡。你们

到前面来,好好看看他们——过去的这些面孔。你们

从这儿经过多少次了,但肯定没有仔细看过。他们和

你们差别不大,对吧?他们和你们一样,同样的发型,

充满活力,认为自己所向披靡,就像你们现在这样。

世界在他们手中。他们相信自己一定能成就伟大的事

业,就像你们中的很多人一样。他们眼中充满希望,

就像你们一样。但他们是不是曾经蹉跎而错过他们本

可能成就的任何事业?因为,你瞧,各位,当年的年

轻人已变成了花下之尘。但如果仔细听,你们还能听

见他们给你们留下的忠告。来吧,靠近一点。听见了吗?

卡匹………听见了吗?卡匹………卡匹迪恩。抓紧时

间,孩子们,让你的生命不同寻常。

A man, like a watch, is to be valued by this manner of going.

——William Penn

一个人,正如一个时钟,是以他的行动来定其价值的。

——英国海军上将 佩恩

作者介绍

N.H. 克莱鲍姆毕业于美国西北大学麦迪尔新闻学院,曾经做过报

纸记者和编辑。她和丈夫及三个孩子现居住在纽约附近的克斯科山。

单词注解

equivalent [i5kwivElEnt] adj. 相等的,相同的

sentiment [5sentimEnt] n. 感情,心情;情操

invincible [in5vinsEbl] adj. 无敌的;无法征服的;不屈不挠的

legacy [5le^Esi] n. 遗产; 遗赠

名句大搜索

我首先要澄清一些谣言,免得误人子弟。

他们相信自己一定能成就伟大的事业,就像你们中的很多人一样。

抓紧时间,孩子们,让你的生命不同寻常。

实战提升