那片羽毛随风飘散 Feather in the Wind

佚名/Anonymous

A certain good woman one day said something that hurt her best friend of many years. She regretted immediately and would have done anything to have taken the words back. What she said hurt the friend so much that this good woman was herself hurt for the pain she caused. In an effort to undo what she had done, she went to an older, wiser woman in the village, explained her situation, and asked for advice.

Listening to her, the older woman sensed the younger woman's distress and knew she must help her. She also knew she could never alleviate her pain, but she could teach. She knew the outcome would depend solely on the character of the younger woman. She said, "Tonight, take your best feather pillows and put a single feather on the doorstep of each house in town before the sun rises."

The young woman hurried home to prepare for her chore, even though the feather pillows were very dear to her. All night long, she labored alone in the cold. Finally the sky was getting light, she placed the last feather on the steps of the last house. Just as the sun rose, she returned to the older woman.

"Now," said the wise woman, "Go back and refill your pillows with the feather you have put on the steps. Then everything will be as it was before."

"You know that's impossible! The wind blew away each feather as fast as I placed them on the doorsteps!" The young woman was surprised.

"That's true," said the older woman, "Never forget. Each of your words is like a feather in the wind. Once spoken, no amount of effort, regardless how heartfelt or sincere, can never return them to your mouth. Choose your words well and guard them most of all in the presence of those you love."

一天，一个善良的女人说了一些话，伤害了多年的好友。话刚出口，她就后悔了，若能收回已说出口的话，她愿意付出一切代价。她的话不但深深地伤害了朋友，自己也因此痛苦不堪。为了弥补自己的过失，她求助于村里的一位有智慧的老妇人，向她诉说了自己的苦恼。

从这个年轻女人的话里，老妇人能体会到她的苦恼，因此，她决定帮她一把。同时，她也知道，自己虽不可能减轻她的痛苦，但至少可以让她吸取教训；结果将会取决于这个年轻女人的性格。于是，老妇人说：“今夜，你将最好的羽绒枕头拿出来，天亮之前，在镇上每一户人家的门阶上放一根羽毛。”

尽管这个年轻女人舍不得那些珍贵的羽绒枕头，但她还是匆忙回家，准备按老妇人的话去做。整整一夜，她顶着寒风，一个人奔忙于镇上。终于在天快亮时，她把最后一根羽毛放在了最后一幢房子的门阶上。日出之时，她又来到老妇人那里。

这位智慧长者说：“现在回去，将你放在门阶前的羽毛收齐装进枕头。然后，一切就会恢复从前的样子。”

年轻女人惊呼：“那怎么可能！我把羽毛一放在门阶上，风马上就将它吹走了！”

老妇人说：“没错。所以，你得记住，你所说的每一句话就像风中的羽毛一样。一旦说出口，不论你怎样努力，也不管你如何有诚意，都再也收不回来。说话要慎重，在你爱的人面前尤其要注意这点。”

心灵小语

古语云：“覆水难收”，事后想办法补救固然是好的，但事情已经随着时间的流逝而不可逆转了。如果真的要自己问心无愧，就要在说每一句话、做每一件事之前三思，尊重别人，也尊重自己，为自己留下无悔的记忆，也为别人带去温暖。

W 词汇笔记

undo[?n?du]v.松开；解开

例 It is better for the doer to undo what he has done.

解铃还须系铃人。

distress[dis?tres]n.悲痛；痛苦；忧伤；苦恼

例 Company in distress makes trouble less.

同病相怜，痛苦减轻。

alleviate[??li?vieit]v.减轻；缓解；缓和

例 Tea with milk can alleviate fatigue, stimulate appetite and help assimilation.

奶茶有解除疲劳、使人兴奋、增强食欲、帮助消化等作用。

refill[?ri?fil]v.再注满；重新装满

例 Print your document after you refill your ink to check the nozzle condition.

填充墨水后，打印文档，检查喷嘴状态。

S 小试身手

你所说的每一句话就像风中的羽毛一样。

译___________________________________________

一旦说出口，不论你怎样努力，也不管你如何有诚意，都再也收不回来。

译___________________________________________

说话要慎重，在你爱的人面前尤其要注意这点。

译___________________________________________

P 短语家族

She regretted immediately and would have done anything to have taken the words back.

take back：收回；撤回

造___________________________________________

Choose your words well and guard them most of all in the presence of those you love.

in the presence of：在……面前

造___________________________________________