海倫·凱勒自傳《我的生活》第21期

Chapter X

第十章

Just before the Perkins Institution closed for the summer, it was arranged that my teacher and I should spend our vacation at Brewster, on Cape Cod, with our dear friend, Mrs. Hopkins. I was delighted, for my mind was full of the prospective joys and of the wonderful stories I had heard about the sea.

臨近帕金斯學院放暑假時，我和老師打算去科德角的布魯斯特度假，一起同行的還有我們親密的朋友霍普金斯夫人。我很興奮，因爲我滿腦子裏想的都是快樂的旅程和關於大海的神奇故事。

My most vivid recollection of that summer is the ocean. I had always lived far inland and had never had so much as a whiff of salt air; but I had read in a big book called "Our World" a description of the ocean which filled me with wonder and an intense longing to touch the mighty sea and feel it roar. So my little heart leaped high with eager excitement when I knew that my wish was at last to be realized.

我對那個夏天的最生動的記憶就是海洋。我一直生活在內陸，從來沒有如此近距離地呼吸過帶鹹味的空氣。但是我曾讀到過一本厚厚的，叫做《我們的世界》的書，書中對於海洋的描述令我產生了十分迫切的衝動，我渴望能觸摸到雄渾的大海，領略到巨浪的咆哮。我知道我的願望終於要實現了，我那顆小小的心臟激動得怦怦直跳。

No sooner had I been helped into my bathing-suit than I sprang out upon the warm sand and without thought of fear plunged into the cool water. I felt the great billows rock and sink. The buoyant motion of the water filled me with an exquisite, quivering joy. Suddenly my ecstasy gave place to terror; for my foot struck against a rock and the next instant there was a rush of water over my head. I thrust out my hands to grasp some support, I clutched at the water and at the seaweed which the waves tossed in my face. But all my frantic efforts were in vain. The waves seemed to be playing a game with me, and tossed me from one to another in their wild frolic. It was fearful! The good, firm earth had slipped from my feet, and everything seemed shut out from this strange, all-enveloping element--life, air, warmth and love. At last, however, the sea, as if weary of its new toy, threw me back on the shore, and in another instant I was clasped in my teacher's arms. Oh, the comfort of the long, tender embrace! As soon as I had recovered from my panic sufficiently to say anything, I demanded: "Who put salt in the water?"

剛換好游泳衣，我就衝向了溫暖的沙灘，根本顧不得考慮海浪是大是小了。我觸摸到了巨大的如浪濤般起伏的岩石，還有石頭上的水窪。在起伏的海水中漂流，我高興得渾身顫抖。但是緊接着，我的喜悅就變成了恐懼。我的腳撞到了一塊岩石，隨後，一股水流又涌上了我的頭頂。我伸出手想抓住某個能支撐的東西，可我只是抓到了隨波逐流的海草。瘋狂的努力是徒勞的，海浪似乎在同我玩一出遊戲。在*的戲耍當中，它把我隨意地拋來拋去。這真是太可怕了！舒適、堅實的陸地從我腳下溜走了，所有的一切——生命、空氣、關懷和友愛——似乎都被這種異樣的自然環境擋在了外面。終於，大海似乎對它的新玩具感到了厭倦，於是又把我拋回到岸上。接着，我就被老師緊緊地摟住了。哦！這個持久、溫柔的擁抱是多麼舒服啊！一從恐慌中恢復過來，我就提出了請求：“誰能從海水裏撈出鹽來？”