海倫·凱勒自傳《我的生活》第11期

There was a moment of sinister silence, then a multitudinous stirring of the leaves. A shiver ran through the tree, and the wind sent forth a blast that would have knocked me off had I not clung to the branch with might and main. The tree swayed and strained. The small twigs snapped and fell about me in showers. A wild impulse to jump seized me, but terror held me fast. I crouched down in the fork of the tree. The branches lashed about me. I felt the intermittent jarring that came now and then, as if something heavy had fallen and the shock had traveled up till it reached the limb I sat on. It worked my suspense up to the highest point, and just as I was thinking the tree and I should fall together, my teacher seized my hand and helped me down. I clung to her, trembling with joy to feel the earth under my feet once more. I had learned a new lesson--that nature "wages open war against her children, and under softest touch hides treacherous claws."

接着，是片刻的寧靜，令人產生不祥的預感。隨後，周圍的樹葉大肆抖動起來，我身下的櫻桃樹發出一陣震顫，如果不是我用盡力氣緊緊抱住樹幹，迎面而來的一股狂風就會把我掀到地上。樹搖晃得很厲害，在風雨的裹挾下，我身邊的小樹枝噼啪作響，似乎在嘲笑我的渺小。一陣狂暴的悸動攫住了我，恐懼感令我難以自抑。我蜷縮在樹杈之間，任憑枝葉的鞭打。我斷斷續續地感到了身邊強烈的震動，彷彿有某種重物墜落。震顫在頭頂上劃過，一直傳到了我身下的樹杈上。我的不安已經達到了極限，因爲我覺得我和大樹會一起倒下。幸好我的老師及時抓住了我的手，把我從樹上弄下來。我緊緊地依附在老師身邊，高興得渾身顫抖，我又一次感受到了腳下堅實的土地。我想我已經學會了新的一課——大自然時常會“向她的子民公然發起戰爭，在其最溫柔的觸摸之下，隱藏着一雙險惡的利爪”。

After this experience it was a long time before I climbed another tree. The mere thought filled me with terror. It was the sweet allurement of the mimosa tree in full bloom that finally overcame my fears. One beautiful spring morning when I was alone in the summer-house, reading, I became aware of a wonderful subtle fragrance in the air. I started up and instinctively stretched out my hands. It seemed as if the spirit of spring had passed through the summer-house. "What is it?" I asked, and the next minute I recognized the odour of the mimosa blossoms. I felt my way to the end of the garden, knowing that the mimosa tree was near the fence, at the turn of the path. Yes, there it was, all quivering in the warm sunshine, its blossom-laden branches almost touching the long grass. Was there ever anything so exquisitely beautiful in the world before! Its delicate blossoms shrank from the slightest earthly touch; it seemed as if a tree of paradise had been transplanted to earth. I made my way through a shower ofpetals to the great trunk and for one minute stood irresolute; then, putting my foot in the broad space between the forked branches, I pulled myself up into the tree. I had some difficulty in holding on, for the branches were very large and the bark hurt my hands. But I had a delicious sense that I was doing something unusual and wonderful, so I kept on climbing higher and higher, until I reached a little seat which somebody had built there so long ago that it had grown part of the tree itself. I sat there for a long, long time, feeling like a fairy on a rosy cloud. After that I spent many happy hours in my tree of paradise, thinking fair thoughts and dreaming bright dreams.

在經歷了這件事之後，有很長一段時間，我都沒有再爬樹。我留下來的唯一記憶就是恐懼。但是，金合歡樹盛開的花朵和迷人的芬芳終於使我戰勝了恐懼。那是一個春天的早晨，我正獨自在涼亭裏閱讀。漸漸地，我覺察到空氣中瀰漫着一股淡淡的香氣。於是，我一下子站起來，本能地伸出雙手，彷彿在探尋着穿過涼亭的春天的氣息。“這是什麼東西？”我在心裏發出疑問。緊接着，我就認出了這是金合歡花的氣味。我摸索着來到花園盡頭，我知道那棵金合歡樹就在籬笆附近小路的拐角處。不錯，它就在那裏，在和煦的陽光下，金合歡樹輕輕搖曳，它那綴滿花朵的枝椏幾乎垂到了長長的草叢上。世上怎麼會有如此精巧美麗的花朵！即使是最輕微的觸動，它那精緻的花瓣也會立刻回縮併攏，就像是一棵天堂之樹被移植到了人間。撥開繁茂的花枝，我走到了巨大的樹幹下面。我先是猶豫地站了一小會，然後，我把雙腳放在了樹杈之間的寬闊地帶，並且開始向上攀。保持攀登姿態相當吃力，因爲樹幹非常粗大，樹皮還磨破了我的雙手。可是我依然鬥志昂揚，沉浸在征服困難的喜悅之中。我繼續往高處爬，一直爬到了一個凳子上。這個小凳子是很早以前的什麼人綁在這裏的，如今，它已經長成了大樹的一部分。在高高的樹杈之間，我坐了很長時間，我覺得自己就像一個坐在玫瑰祥雲上的仙女。一連好幾個小時，我在這棵天堂之樹上展開神思遐想，做了一個又一個有關光明的夢。