Excerpt from The Light of a Bright Day
By Helen Keller [美]海伦•凯勒
Active faith knows no fear, and it is a safeguard to me against cynicism and despair. After all, faith is not one thing or two or three things; it is an indivisible totality of beliefs that inspire me.
积极的信念是无畏的,它守护着我远离愤世嫉俗和绝望的境地。除此之外,信念并非一种或两三种具体的事物,而是鼓舞着我所有信仰的整体,是无法分割的。
Reverence for the beauty and preciousness of the earth, and a sense of responsibility to do what I can to make it a habitation of health and plenty for all men. Faith in immortality because it renders less bitter the separation from those I have loved and lost, and because it will free me from unnatural limitations and unfold still more faculties I have in joyous activity.
我崇敬着地球上一切美丽与珍贵的事物,感觉到自己有责任为全人类能拥有一个健康而富饶的家园尽心尽力。永恒能减轻我与深爱但已失去的人分离时的痛苦;它能让我摆脱人为的束缚,发现享受欢乐的能力,因此我相信永恒。
Even if my vital spark should be blown out, I believe that I should behave with courageous dignity in the presence of fate and strive to be a worthy companion of the beautiful, the good, and the true.
就算我的生命之火终将熄灭,我还是坚信,自己能够勇敢且充满尊严地面对命运,成为真善美称职的战友。
But fate has its master in the faith of those who surmount it, and limitation has its limits for those who, thought disillusioned, live greatly. True faith is not a fruit of security, it is the ability to blend mortal fragility with the inner strength of the spirit. It does not shift with the changing shades of one's thought.
但那些战胜命运者的信仰也会受命运的主宰,那些理想虽破灭但依然勇敢生存者的权利也会受到局限。真正的信念充满了危险,它是人类致命的脆弱与精神内在力量的能力结合。它不会随一个人想法的转变而改变。
整理:2024年1月28日于北城家园