Ks Home

最近看了一篇约翰.罗斯金的散文，心中又是一阵澎湃翻滚……（怎么总是容易激动呢 ）于是情不自禁的又贴上来了，看来最近比较喜欢帖文章哈。这篇文章文字十分简单，但是却表达出了很深刻的含义，关键是让人看了真的会产生要“好好珍惜时光”的冲动感，呵呵，不信你试试……我想这就是文学牛人的魅力吧. （在此还推荐大家有时间看看国外原版小说，里面的用词很地道，很精辟，不失为娱乐&学习english的好方法~）

The Two Roads —-John Ruskin
It was New Year’s Night. An aged man was standing at a window. He raised his mournful eyes towards the deep blue sky, where the stars were floating like white lilies on the surface of a clear calm lake. Then he cast them on the earth, where few more hopeless people than himself now moved towards their certain goal—-the tomb. He had already passed sixty of the stages leading to it, and he had brought from his journey nothing but errors and remorse. Now his health was poor, his mind vacant, his heart sorrowful, and his old ages short of comforts.

The days of his youth appeared like dreams before him, and he recalled the serious moment when his father placed him at the entrance of the two roads—-one leading to a peaceful, sunny place, covered with flowers, fruits and resounding with soft, sweet songs; the other leading to a deep, dark cave, which was endless, where poison flowed instead of water and where devils and poisonous snakes hissed and crawled.

He looked towards the sky and cried painfully, “O youth, return! O my father, place me once more at the entrance to life, and I’ll choose the better way!” But both his father and the days of his youth had passed away.

He saw the lights flowing away in the darkness. These were the days of his wasted life; he saw a star fall from the sky and disappeared, and this was the symbol of himself. His remorse, which was like a sharp arrow, struck deeply into his heart. Then he remembered his friends in his childhood, who entered on life together with him. But they had made their way to success and were now honoured and happy on this New Year’s Night.

The clock in the high church tower struck and the sound made him remember his parents’ early love for him. They had taught him and prayed to God for his good. But he chose the wrong way. With shame and grief he dared no longer look towards that heaven where his father lived. His darkened eyes were full of tears, and with a despairing effort, he burst out a cry:” Come back, my early days! Come back!”

And his youth did return, for all this was only a dream which he had on New Year’s Night. He was still young though his faults were real; he had not yet entered the deep, dark cave, and he was still free to walk on the road which leads to the peaceful and sunny land.

Those who still linger on the entrance of life, hesitating to choose the bright road, remember that when years are passed and your feet stumble on the dark moutains, you will cry bitterly, but in vain:” O youth, return! Oh give me back my early days!”

顺便介绍一下–小john：（说起john，让我想起了 8号当铺 里面的那个为了爱情而被惩罚的天使了，呵呵）

约翰·罗斯金是英国著名的学者、作家、艺术评论家，1819年出生于伦敦一个殷实的酒商家庭。父亲是一个热情洋溢的艺术爱好者，母亲为一名虔诚的清教徒。罗斯金从小受严格的家庭教育。他每年夏天随父母游览名山大川，参观古代建筑和名画，培养了对自然和艺术的爱好。18岁时考入牛津大学，后因病退学。此后两年在意大利养病，同时搜集资料从事著述。1843年，他因《现代画家》（Modern Painters）一书而成名，并使其拥有众多追随者，其中就包括英国大文豪王尔德。以及随后发表的三十九卷有关艺术的评论，使他成为维多利亚时代艺术趣味的代言人。

　　罗斯金本身即是一位多才多艺的艺术家，曾经有人把他比作我国的钱锺书。他不仅是一位才华横溢的艺术家，而且还是建筑、意大利文艺复兴史方面的专家。1849年和1851年，他分别写了《建筑学的七盏灯》和《威尼斯之石》，两书都强调美好的作品来自创作者美好的心态。同时他认为艺术作品和人类各层面的文明息息相关，艺术是人类通用的语言。

　　60年代后，罗斯金的思想发生了很大的转变，他一改前期的美学风范，开始致力于社会改良运动。除在报刊杂志上发表了大量的抨击时事的文章外，他还身体力行，在伦敦及附近城市作了大量的演讲。这些演讲后来结集出版，在英国广为传颂，最著名的莫过于《芝麻与百合》。1879年罗斯金隐居于兰开夏科尼斯顿湖畔的布伦特伍德镇。1900年1月20日患脑热病去世。

Tags: english