海倫·凱勒自傳《我的生活》第69期

I count it one of the sweetest privileges of my life to have known and conversed with many men of genius. Only those who knew Bishop Brooks can appreciate the joy his friendship was to those who possessed it. As a child I loved to sit on his knee and clasp his great hand with one of mine, while Miss Sullivan spelled into the other his beautiful words about God and the spiritual world. I heard him with a child's wonder and delight. My spirit could not reach up to his, but he gave me a real sense of joy in life, and I never left him without carrying away a fine thought that grew in beauty and depth of meaning as I grew. Once, when I was puzzled to know why there were so many religions, he said: "There is one universal religion, Helen—the religion of love. Love your Heavenly Father with your whole heart and soul, love every child of God as much as ever you can, and remember that the possibilities of good are greater than the possibilities of evil; and you have the key to Heaven." And his life was a happy illustration of this great truth. In his noble soul love and widest knowledge were blended with faith that had become insight. He saw

在生活當中，我有幸享受到了許多“特權”，其中最爲我珍視的就是同那些天才人物的交談。只要認識布魯克斯主教的人，都能從與他的友誼當中體會到切實的快樂。還是一個小孩子的時候，我就喜歡坐在他的腿上玩；我用一隻手緊緊攥住他的大手，而他的關於神和靈魂世界的精彩述說，則被蘇立文小姐一一拼寫在我的另一隻手上。我帶着小孩子的好奇和喜悅聽他娓娓道來，雖然我的精神境界無法達到他那樣的高度，但是他確實讓我領悟到了什麼叫做真正快樂的生活。在我成長的過程中，沒有他的悉心教誨，我就不會明瞭傑出思想的魅力和其深邃的內涵。記得有一次，我對世界上竟然存在着如此多的宗教十分不解。布魯克斯主教對我說道：“天地間只有一種宗教，海倫——那就是愛的宗教，用你全部的心靈去愛你的天父，盡你的一切可能去愛每一個神的孩子，要時刻牢記，正義的力量終將會戰勝邪惡，懂得了這個道理，你便得到了進入天堂的鑰匙。”事實上，他的生活正是這種偉大真理的完美寫照。在他崇高的博愛思想和廣博的學識之中，已經被深深地融入了信仰的力量。他看到了——

God in all that liberates and lifts,

在人類爭取解放和自由的過程中，神無處不在，

In all that humbles, sweetens and consoles.

在所有卑微者面前，神會施與傷者愛的援手

Bishop Brooks taught me no special creed or dogma; but he impressed upon my mind two great ideas—the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man, and made me feel that these truths underlie all creeds and forms of worship. God is love, God is our Father, we are His children; therefore the darkest clouds will break and though right be worsted, wrong shall not triumph.

布魯克斯主教傳授給我的並非特殊的信條或教義，但是他把兩種偉大的觀念賜給了我——神的父親般的慈愛，以及人的兄弟般的情誼。我以爲，這些真理正是構成一切信條和崇拜形式的基礎。神是愛，神是我們的父，我們是他的孩子。有了這樣的信念，即使是最黑暗的雲也會被吹散，而且，這裏也不會有罪惡與不義的容身之地。

I am too happy in this world to think much about the future, except to remember that I have cherished friends awaiting me there in God's beautiful Somewhere. In spite of the lapse of years, they seem so close to me that I should not think it strange if at any moment they should clasp my hand and speak words of endearment as they used to before they went away.

在這個世界上，我是感到如此地快樂，以至於很少考慮到未來；但是有一件事我永遠記在心裏——我所珍愛的友人們正在神創造的愛的國度裏隨時迎候我。儘管失散多年，但是他們似乎就在我的身邊；假如在某一時刻，他們抓住我的手，如同以往一樣對我說着貼心話，那麼我是不會感到絲毫驚奇的。

Since Bishop Brooks died I have read the Bible through; also some philosophical works on religion, among them Swedenborg's "Heaven and Hell" and Drummond's "Ascent of Man," and I have found no creed or system more soul-satisfying than Bishop Brooks's creed of love. I knew Mr. Henry Drummond, and the memory of his strong, warm hand-clasp is like a benediction. He was the most sympathetic of companions. He knew so much and was so genial that it was impossible to feel dull in his presence.

自從布魯克斯主教去世後，我通讀了整部《聖經》，還有其他的一些宗教哲學著作。這其中就包括斯韋登伯格的《天堂與地獄》和遮蒙德的《人類的階梯》，可是我發現，同布魯克斯主教“愛的信念”相比，這些人所持的信條或教理都無法令人獲得心靈上的滿足。我認識亨利·遮蒙德先生，印象中，他那雙有力、溫暖的手如同一句熱情的祝福語。他是最富有同情心的良友，他是如此地和藹可親，只要有他在身邊，你就不會感到枯燥乏味。