第17章 天空的奇迹 A Wonder in the Sky

佚名/Anonymous

The past years fled when I overheard the little child's voice. Her parents had taken her to see the holiday lights in Washington, D.C. It was a clear, crisp December evening. The child spotted a lighted star on top of a chimney.“Oh, look!”she said.“Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might have the wish I wish tonight.”There was nothing comic in her wish, and nothing was lessened by her mistaking an artificial star near at hand for a blazing orb light years away. The moment was sincere, innocent, and wrapped in wonder.

It is not by accident, I think, that a star is a symbol of light, guidance, and hope. It has inspired men and women of every age, every faith, every nation, and every era. To the ancient Egyptians, stars were the souls of the happy dead. To a modern scientist, stars are a demonstration of the great principles of a rational universe. To all, stars are a source of wonder.

Star light, Star bright... There is a beauty in a star, in that point of light which seems to wink at us, as if sharing a secret joke. It reminds us that there is hope for man, so long as we do not take ourselves too seriously. It reminds us of perspective and the importance of balance. A confrontation with a colleague, a disappointment in our investments, the frustrations of daily living seem very small compared with the immensity of the universe and those laughing stars, inviting us to share in a cosmic good humor. The beauty of a star is the beauty of a laughing child, so long as we can look with child-like eyes.

First star I see tonight... There is another wonder. Each night, we can see the stars for the f irst time. We can, if we are so minded, recapture the rapture. We can look upon the first star we see and think of our individual faiths and our relationships with the infinite. We can feel that expansion of the soul which comes when we realize, again, that we are not limited to time and space, that our body is not all there is to man, that we are far, far more than some chemical accident. There are no accidents in a universe of order.

I wish I may, I wish I might have the wish I wish tonight. Wisely are we warned,“Be careful what you wish for, you may get it.”Most of us have had the experience of wanting something to happen and, subsequently, being very glad that it did not. We will become what we think about and concentrate upon. Wishes have power because they are reflections of our focus, and that power can be used for good. To intend well is important.

So, at this season, I wish for you the child-like wonder and joy which can see a star, love its beauty, utter a wish, and make that wish come true.

无意中，我听见一个小孩子的话，这已经过去好多年了。那是在华盛顿，她的父母带她去看假日灯火。那个十二月的夜晚明朗而又清澈，孩子看到烟囱顶端一颗明亮的星星，说道，“噢，看！星星亮，亮星星，我今晚看到的第一颗星，我希望我可以祈祷实现今晚的愿望。”她的许愿毫无可笑之处，就连她将人造灯误认为是数光年之外的闪耀明星，也丝毫没有减弱她的真诚。这是一个虔诚、纯真、包围着奇迹的光环的时刻。

我想，这并非偶然——星星是光芒、向导和希望的象征。它使每一个年龄段、每一种信仰、每一个国家、每一个时代的人备受鼓舞。在古埃及人看来，星星是逝者幸福的灵魂；而在现代科学家看来，星星是一个理性宇宙伟大定律的实证；对所有人来说，星星是奇迹的源泉。

星星亮，亮星星……星星蕴藏着一种美，那种光芒好像在向我们眨眼，似乎是在同我们分享一个秘密笑话。它提醒我们，人总会有希望，只要我们不对自己过于严肃。它提醒我们远观和平衡的重要性。同事间的矛盾，投资上的失望，日常生活中的挫折，比起浩瀚的宇宙和那些笑意盈盈的繁星来，是多么地渺小。它们邀请我们分享宇宙中的快乐。只要我们用孩童般的眼光去看，星星之美就如同一个笑口常开的孩童。

我今晚看见的第一颗星……这是另一个奇迹。每晚，我们都能看见全新的星星。如果真有心的话，我们一定能找到快乐。我们仰望第一颗星，思索个人的信仰和我们与无限的关系。我们能感受到灵魂的扩张，当我们再一次意识到自己不再受限于时空时，我们的身体已非人类，也远远超越了某种化学的偶然。在规律的宇宙中不存在偶然。

我希望我可以祈祷实现今夜的愿望，我们得到了明智的告诫，“要谨慎地许愿，因为你可能会实现它。”我们大多数人都经历过这样的事：我们希望某事发生，结果却又为它没有发生感到高兴。我们会成为自己所想和所关注的样子。愿望具有一种力量，因为它是我们注意力的反映，这种力量能用来做好事。做好打算是非常重要的。

所以，在这个季节，我祈愿你拥有孩童般的好奇心和快乐，这样你就能看到星星。热爱它的美好，许下一个心愿，让这个愿望变成现实。

记忆填空

1.It is____________by accident, I think, that a star is a symbol of____________, guidance, and hope. It has inspired men and women____________every age, every faith, every nation, and every era. To the ancient Egyptians,____________were the souls of the happy dead.

2.We can look____________the first star we see and think of our individual faiths and our relationships____________the infinite. We can feel that expansion of the____________which comes when we realize, again, that we are not limited to____________and space, that our body is not all there is to man, that we are far, far more____________some chemical accident.

佳句翻译

1.它提醒我们，人总会有希望，只要我们不对自己过于严肃。

译___________________________________________________

2.只要我们用孩童般的眼光去看，星星之美就如同一个笑口常开的孩童。

译___________________________________________________

3.所以，在这个季节，我祈愿你拥有孩童般的好奇心和快乐，这样你就能看到星星。

译___________________________________________________

短语应用

1....nothing was lessened by her mistaking an artificial star near at hand for a blazing orb light years away.

at hand：在手边；即将到来

造___________________________________________________

2.It is not by accident, I think, that a star is a symbol of light, guidance, and hope.

by accident：偶然；无意中

造___________________________________________________