第12章 永恒之脉 The Thread of Permanence
威廉·佐拉奇/William Zorach
It is strange how certain things make a great impression on us in childhood. I remember these verses by Longfellow:
“Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the graves is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.”
And again:
“Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time.”
Of course, my generation was much more sentimental than today's youth but whether this was great poetry, it communicated in simple language a message, and made a lasting impression on a small boy.
When I was fifteen I had an imaginary guardian angel and when I went to the country to sketch on Sundays, I asked for guidance, praying that someday I would be a fine artist and paint nature as beautiful as she really is. What this little ceremony brought me was faith in the world and a belief in myself.
My faiths and beliefs have been badly strained. The Atomic Age has caught us in a web of fear. Our lives seem so impermanent and uncertain. There is such a waste of human potential, of things worth while in people which never find expression. I sometimes think it's a miracle that anything survives. Yet I believe that a thread of permanence runs through everything from the beginning of time, and the most valuable residue will survive.
I believe everybody has an urge to somehow spin his own life into a thread of permanence. It is the impulse of life. Some would call it the drive to immortality. Whatever it is, I think it is good because it gives purpose to existence. But purpose is not enough. Artists are supposed to be notoriously impractical, but for myself, I found I had to make decisions and plans if I were to try to create anything. I realized that I must approach life not only with a sensitivity, a perception of beauty, but with a feeling of humility and reverence.
My creed as an artist is to love life and liberty and the world of people. A man who works and loves his work is often a man dreaming, and the spirit of his dreams will find forms and symbols to express that dream. It is a wonderful feeling to create something. But today, I think there is a lack of power of communication. If people, not just artists, but all kinds of people, could only open their hearts and express their sorrow, their happiness, their fears and hopes, they would discover they had an identity with the main stream of life which they never saw before.
Sometimes fear and cynicism so grip our minds that we lose heart. Then I try to remember how the great artists of the ages had the power of expressiveness. Theirs was the power to communicate, to exalt, to move the observer to joy or tears, to strike terror and awe in the hearts of men; not just to decorate or merely entertain.
If we can expand the boundaries of men's thoughts and beliefs, we will discover we all have creative possibilities—talents to make ourselves real identities as individuals, with a hold on the thread of immortality. If we can awaken ourselves to it, I am convinced we shall find that this is an alive and exciting age of adventure and experimentation from which a new beauty and a finer world will emerge.
令人惊奇的是，儿时的某些东西总会给我们留下深刻的印象。我至今还记得朗费罗的几句诗：
“生活是真实的！生命是真诚的！
死亡并非它最终的目标；
你本为尘埃，必归为尘土，
这是指肉体，而非灵魂。”
还有：
“伟人的生命警醒着我们，
我们能够高尚地生活，
离开人世的时候，
也会在时间的沙滩上留下我们的足迹。”
诚然，与现在的年轻人相比，我们这代人的情感更为丰富。但是，无论这首诗是否为佳作，它朴素的言辞都传达了一种信息，并在一个小男孩的脑海中留下永久的记忆。
15岁时，我幻想着自己拥有一个守护天使。每当周末去乡间写生时，我会请求它的指引，祈祷某天能够成为一名伟大的艺术家，描绘出大自然最真实的美丽。这一小小的祈祷带给我对世界的信仰和对自己的信心。
然而，我的信仰与信心遇到了严峻的考验。核武器时代让我们陷入了恐慌，我们的生命也似乎危在旦夕。人类的潜能与价值无法发挥出来，这也近乎是一种浪费。有时，我会想，万物的生存皆是一种奇迹。但是我坚信，有一种“永恒之脉”始终贯穿着天地万物，最具价值的遗产将会永存。
我相信，无论用怎样的方式，每个人都渴望将自己的生命融入这条“永恒之脉”。这就是生命的动力，也有人称它为永恒的动力。我想，无论它是什么，都是有益的，因为它赋予了我们生存的目标。不过，只有目标还远远不够。在人们眼中，艺术家总会不切实际地空想，但就我自己而言，我发现在创造任何艺术作品之前，都必须作出决定和计划。我知道，我不仅要带着敏锐的情感、对美的感知，去接近生活，同时还要有一颗谦卑、崇敬的心。
作为一名艺术家，我的人生信条是：热爱生活，热爱自由，热爱全世界人民。通常，一个热爱自己工作的人会是一个有梦想的人，而他梦想的灵魂也会以某些方式与特征表现出来。创造是一种绝妙的感觉。然而，我认为现今的人们缺乏交流的能力。如果人们，不仅仅是艺术家，而是所有的人，只要能敞开心扉，表达出忧愁与快乐、恐惧与希望，他们就会发现以前无法看到的东西，发现自己已融入生活的主流。
有时，恐惧与嘲讽会让我们灰心丧气。每当这时，我便会努力回忆不同时代的伟大艺术家拥有着怎样的表现力。一种能与人交流、提升人的品格的力量，能使观众产生或喜或悲、或惧或敬的心灵共鸣，而不只是为了装点生活或娱乐大众。
如果我们能扩大人类的思想与信仰领域，将会发现人人都具有创造天赋。这种才能使得我们每个人都独具个性，并赢得“永恒之脉”中的一席之地。我深信，如果我们能认识到这些，就会发现我们所生活的这个时代充满了冒险与革新的**，我们将会在它的带领下走进一个更美好的崭新世界。
1.__________I was fifteen I had an imaginary guardian__________and when I went to the country to sketch on Sundays, I asked__________guidance, praying that someday I__________be a fine artist and paint nature as beautiful__________she really is.
2.I realized__________I must approach life not only__________a sensitivity, a perception of beauty, but with a__________of humility and reverence.
3.Theirs__________the power to communicate, to exalt, to__________the observer to joy or tears, to strike terror and__________in the hearts of men; not__________to decorate or merely entertain.
1.令人惊奇的是，儿时的某些东西总会给我们留下深刻的印象。
____________________________________
2.它朴素的言辞都传达了一种信息，并在一个小男孩的脑海中留下永久的记忆。
____________________________________
3.人类的潜能与价值无法发挥出来，这也近乎是一种浪费。
____________________________________
1.It is strange how certain things make a great impression on us in childhood.
make an impression on：对……的印象
____________________________________
2.What this little ceremony brought me was faith in the world...
faith in：对……的信心
____________________________________