LESSON 2 THE BLUEBELL 藍色風鈴草

1.There is a story I have heard—

A poet learned it of a bird,

And kept its music every word—

2.A story of a dim ravine,

O’er which the towering tree tops lean,

With one blue rift^[1] of sky between;

3.And there, two thousand years ago,

A little fl ower as white as snow

Swayed^[2] in the silence to and fro.

4.Day after day, with longing eye,

The fl oweret watched the narrow sky,

And fl eecy clouds that fl oated by.

5.And through the darkness, night by night,

One gleaming star would climb the height^[3],

And cheer the lonely fl oweret’s sight.

6.Thus, watching the blue heavens afar,

And the rising of its favorite star,

A slow change came—but not to mar;

7.For softly o’er its petals^[4] white

There crept a blueness, like the light

Of skies upon a summer night;

8.And in its chalice^[5], I am told,

The bonny^[6] bell was formed to hold

A tiny star that gleamed like gold.

9.Now, little people, sweet and true, I fi nd a lesson here for you Writ in the fl oweret’s hell of blue:

10.The patient child whose watchful eye Strives after all things pure and high, Shall take their image by and by.

【中文閱讀】

1.我曾聽過一個故事，

一位詩人從小鳥那兒獲悉，

他記下，故事里的每個音符。

2.故事來自一個幽暗的山谷，

這個山谷被高高的樹蔭遮蔽，

只露出一道狹長的藍天。

3.兩千多年前，那處峽谷，

開著一朵小花，潔白嫵媚，

安靜地妙曼起舞。

4.日復一日，搖曳著期盼，

小花凝視著狹仄的藍天，

輕柔的云，悠然飄過頭頂。

5.夜復一夜，黑暗無邊，

有顆星星，從藍色縫隙閃入，

照亮孤獨小花喜悅的眼睛。

6.就這樣，遙遠天穹，

升起一顆，笑臉星辰，

變化慢慢開始——不會太糟。

7.它雪白的花瓣，悄然升起

一抹亮麗，幽藍夜空里，

盡情伸展，夏季的深邃致意。

8.小花，像捧白色圣杯，

我聽說，那美麗的小風鈴，

是為了能握住一粒金光閃閃的小星星。

9.現在，親愛的孩子們，

在這株藍色風鈴草里

藏著一個甜蜜的，真實的故事：

10.學會堅忍，學會敏銳觀察，

仰望那些純凈高貴的魂靈，

耳濡目染，獲取精神動力。

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【注釋】

[1] Rift, a narrow opening, a cleft.

[2] Swayed, swung.

[3] Height, an elevated place.

[4] Petals, the colored leaves of a f lower.

[5] Chalice, a cup or bowl.

[6] Bonny, beautiful.