文/萨缪尔·厄尔曼
青春不是年华,而是心境;青春不是桃面、丹唇、柔膝,而是深沉的意志、恢宏的想像、炽热的感情;青春是生命的深泉涌流。
Youth is nota time of life; it is a state of mind; it isnot a matter of rosy cheeks, redlips and supple knees; it is a matter of thewill, a quality of the imagination,a vigor of the emotions; it is thefreshness of the deep springs of life.
青春气贯长虹,勇锐盖过怯弱,进取压倒苟安。如此锐气,二十后生有之,六旬男子则更多见。年岁有加,并非垂老;理想丢弃,方堕暮年。
Youth meansa temperamental predominance of courage overtimidity of the appetite, foradventure over the love of ease. This oftenexists in a man of sixty more than abody of twenty. Nobody grows old merely bya number of years. We grow old bydeserting our ideals.
岁月悠悠,衰微只及肌肤;热忱抛却,颓唐必致灵魂。忧烦、惶恐、丧失自信,定使心灵扭曲,意气如灰。
Years maywrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasmwrinkles the soul. Worry, fear,self-distrust bows the heart and turns thespirit back to dust.
无论年届花甲,抑或二八芳龄,心中皆有生命之欢愉,奇迹之感召,孩童般天真久盛不衰。
Whethersixty or sixteen, there is in every human being'sheart the lure of wonder, theunfailing child-like appetite of what's next, andthe joy of the game of living.
人的心灵应如浩淼瀚海,只有不断接纳美好、希望、欢乐、勇气和力量的百川,才能青春永驻、风华长存。
In thecenter of your heart and my heart there is awireless station; so long as itreceives messages of beauty, hope, cheer,courage and power from men and fromthe Infinite, so long are you young.
一旦心海枯竭,锐气便被冰雪覆盖,玩世不恭、 自暴自弃油然而生,即使年方二十,实已垂垂老矣;然则只要虚怀若谷,让喜悦、达观、仁爱充盈其间,你就有望在八十高龄告别尘寰时仍觉年轻。
When theaerials are down, and your spirit is coveredwith snows of cynicism and the iceof pessimism, then you are grown old, evenat twenty, but as long as youraerials are up, to catch the waves of optimism,there is hope you may die youngat eighty.