书城外语寻找人生的坐标(英文爱藏双语系列)
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第29章 谱写生命的乐章

Write Your Own Life

佚名 / Anonymous

Suppose someone gave you a pen —a sealed, solid-colored pen. You couldn’t see how much ink it had. It might run dry after the first few tentative words or last just long enough to create a masterpiece (or several) that would last forever and make a difference in the scheme of things. You don't know before you begin.

Under the rules of the game, you really never know. You have to take a chance!

Actually, no rule of the game states you must do anything. Instead of picking up and using the pen, you could leave it on a shelf or in a drawer where it will dry up, unused.

But if you do decide to use it, what would you do with it? How would you play the game?

Would you plan and plan before you ever wrote a word? Would your plans be so extensive that you never even got to the writing?

Or would you take the pen in hand, plunge right in and just do it, struggling to keep up with the twists and turns of the torrents of words that take you where they take you?

Would you write cautiously and carefully, as if the pen might run dry the next moment, or would you pretend or believe (or pretend to believe) that the pen will write forever and proceed accordingly?

And of what would you write: Of love? Hate? Fun? Misery? Life? Death? Nothing? Everything?

Would you write to please just yourself? Or others? Or yourself by writing for others?

Would your strokes be tremblingly timid or brilliantly bold? Fancy with a flourish or plain?

Would you even write? Once you have the pen, no rule says you have to write. Would you sketch? Scribble? Doodle draw?

Would you stay in or on the lines, or see no lines at all, even if they were there? Or are they?

There’s a lot to think about here, isn’t there?

Now, suppose someone gave you a life…

设想,如果有人给了你一支单色的不可拆装的钢笔。你根本看不到里面究竟有多少墨水。也许你试着写几个字后它就没墨水了,也许里面的墨水足够完成一部(也可能是几部)意义深远的传世之作。但这一切在动笔前,都不得而知。

这样的游戏规则,其结果你的确很难预料。只能赌一把!

实际上,游戏规则并未规定你一定要做点什么,反之,你甚至完全可以把它放到书架上或抽屉里,不去动它,任其墨水自然枯竭而变得毫无用处。

可是,倘若你打算用它,你会将其派上什么用场呢?你将如何开展这一游戏呢?

或许你会在写一个字之前,不断犹豫,反复斟酌?又或许你会因为计划过于周详而没时间动笔?

或许你只是手握钢笔,埋头苦写,笔耕不辍,顺着泉涌的文思被动前行呢?

或许你写字时会很慎重和小心,似乎这支笔的墨水下一刻就会枯竭一样?又或是你会假装去相信这支笔永无枯竭之时?

那么你会写些什么呢:爱情?仇恨?喜悦?痛苦?生命?死亡?虚无?抑或是一切?

你的写作目的是充实自己?还是愉悦他人?或是两者兼而有之?

你落笔胆怯审慎,还是铿锵有力?你的想象力丰富还是匮乏?

也许你根本没有落笔?因为没有规则要求你拿到笔后必须要去写作。或许你会去素描?乱画一通?信笔涂鸦?

你会写在线内还是线上,或许你根本看不到线,即使有又在哪里呢?那些是吗?

就此有许多该考虑的问题,难道不是吗?

此刻,如果有人给你一支谱写生命乐章之笔……

记忆填空

1. You couldn’t how much ink it had. It might run dry the first few tentative or last just long enough to create a masterpiece (or several) that would last forever and make a difference in the scheme of . You don’t know you begin.

2. Actually, no of the game states you must do . Instead of picking up and using the , you could leave it on a or in a drawer where it will up, unused.

3. Or would you the pen in hand, plunge right in and just it, struggling to keep up the twists and turns of the torrents of words that take you they take you?

佳句翻译

1. 可是,倘若你打算用它,你会将其派上什么用场呢?

2. 你会在写一个字之前,不断犹豫,反复斟酌吗?

3. 就此有许多该考虑的问题,难道不是吗?

短语应用

1. Instead of picking up and using the pen, you could leave it on a shelf or in a drawer where it will dry up, unused.

dry up:干涸;住口

2. Or would you take the pen in hand, plunge right in and just do it, struggling to keep up with the twists and turns of the torrents of words that take you where they take you?

struggle to:挣扎着做某事