21天读英文《海鸥乔纳森》-Day 13

乔纳森和苏利万告别 返回尘世帮助同伴

Day 13

① “Jon, you were Outcast once. Why doyou think that any of the gulls in your old time would listen to you now? Youknow the proverb, and it’s true: The gull sees farthest who flies highest.Those gulls where you came from are standing on the ground, squawking andfighting among themselves. They’re from heaven - and you sayyou want to show them heaven from where they stand! Jon, they can’t see theirown wingtips! Stay here. Help the new gulls here, the ones who are high enoughto see what you have to tell them.” He was quiet for a moment, and then hesaid, “What if Chiang had gone back to his old worlds? Where would you havebeen today?”

“乔，过去你是个弃儿。你有什么理由认为，过去与你生法在一起的海鸥中间，有谁现在会听你的话呢？俗话说得好：飞得高，看得远。尘世里的那些海鸥，整天站在地上，嘎嘎叫着，你抢我夺。他们离天堂有千里远，可你却说要从他们所站的地方，向他们启示天堂！乔，他们连自己的翅膀梢都看不见呢！留在这儿吧！帮助那些新来到这里的海鸥，他们已经飞得这么高，很可以领会你说的一切了。”他沉默了片刻，又接着说，“要是当初江也回到他原来的世界去了呢？你能有今天吗？”

② The last point was the telling one,and Sullivan was right The gull sees farthest who flies highest.

最后一点很有说服力，苏利万说的有道理。飞得高，看得远。

 ③Jonathan stayed and worked with the newbirds coming in, who were all very bright and quick with their lessons. But theold feeling came back, and he couldn’t help but think that there might be oneor two gulls back on Earth who would be able to learn, too. How much more wouldhe have known by now if Chiang had come to him on the day that he was Outcast!

乔纳森留下了、跟那些新来的鸟儿一起飞行。他们都很聪明，进步很快。但不久他又老毛病发作。不由自主地想起：说不定尘世间也会有那么一、两只海鸥能够学习。如果他当弃儿那一天江就来教导他，那他现在的进步该有多大啊！

④ “Sully, I must go back “ he said atlast “Your students are doing well. They can help you bring the newcomersalong.”

“苏利，我非回去不可，”最后他说，“你的学生们都学得不错。以后新来的要学习，他们都可以帮你一手了。”

⑤ Sullivan sighed, but he did notargue. “I think I’ll miss you, Jonathan,” was all he said.

苏利万叹了口气，但没再坚持，他只说了一句：“我一定会想念你的，乔纳森。”

⑥“Sully, for shame!” Jonathan said inreproach, “and don’t be foolish! What are we trying to practice every day? Ifour friendship depends on things like space and time, then when we finallyovercome space and time, we’ve destroyed our own brotherhood! But overcomespace, and all we have left is Here. Overcome time, and all we have left isNow. And in the middle of Here and Now, don’t you think that we might see eachother once or twice?”

“苏利，亏你说得出口！”乔纳森责备他说，“可别这么傻！我们每天要实践的都是什么呢？如果我们的友谊是建立在空间和时间之类的东西上，那么最后我们一旦征服了空间和时间，岂不也就破坏了我们之间的手足之情！可是我们一旦征服了空间，剩下的就是此地；我们一旦征服了时间，剩下的就是此刻。而在此地、此刻中，难道我们就不可能彼此见一两面吗？”

 ⑦Sullivan Seagull laughed in spite of himself.“You crazy bird,” he said kindly. “If anybody can show someone on the groundhow to see , it will be Jonathan Livingston Seagull.” He lookedat the sand. “Good-bye, Jon, my friend.”

海鸥苏利万不禁噗嗤一笑。“你这个疯子，”他和蔼地说，“要是有谁能教导地上哪只海鸥看到一千英里以外，那就只有你乔纳森·利文斯顿了。”他眼望着沙滩说，“再见吧，乔，我的朋友。”

⑧ “Good bye, Sully. We’ll meet again.”And with that, Jonathan held in thought an image of the great gull flocks onthe shore of another time, and he knew with practiced ease that he was not boneand feather but a perfect idea of freedom and flight, limited by nothing atall.

“再见，苏利万。我们会重新见面的。”说完这话，乔纳森的脑海里就浮现出这样的形象：一大群海鸥，在另一个时间的岸上。他早已从实践中懂得，他不是血肉之躯，而是关于自由和飞行的一个尽善尽美的观念，不受任何限制。

⑨ Fletcher Lynd Seagull was stillquite young, but already he knew that no bird had ever been so harshly treatedby any Flock, or with so much injustice.

海鸥弗莱契·林德年纪还很轻，但他已经明白，没有哪只鸟儿曾经从自己群里受到过那么粗暴、那么不公正的待。