偉大的友誼
Thomas Jefferson and James Madison met in 1776. Could it have been any other year? They worked together starting then to further the American Revolution and later to shape the new scheme of government. From that work sprang a friendship perhaps incomparable in intimacy and the trustfulness of collaboration and indurations. It lasted 50 years. It included pleasure and utility but over and above them, there were shared purpose, a common end and an enduring goodness on both sides. Four and a half months before he died, when he was ailing, debt-ridden, and worried about his impoverishedfamily, Jefferson wrote to his longtime friend. His words and Madison's reply remind us that friends are friends until death. They also remind us that sometimes a friendship has a bearing on things larger than the friendship itself, for has there ever been a friendship of greater public consequence than this one?
托馬斯·傑斐遜和詹姆斯·麥迪遜相識於1776年。爲什麼偏偏是這一年呢？當時他們開始共同努力推動美國 革命，後來又一同爲政府擬訂新草案。在這些合作中孕育出的友誼是親密無間、信誠以託、堅不可摧的。這份友誼維持了五十年。當中包含有歡樂，有協作，他們更 志同道合地朝共同的目標邁進，歷經多年從不間斷地令彼此受益。在離開人世前四個半月時，傑斐遜重病在身，債臺高築，併爲家庭的貧困感到憂心如焚，於是他提 筆給這位知交好友寫了封信。從他的信以及麥迪遜的回覆中，我們可以看到：這兩個朋友是一生之交；並且有時候，他們之間的友情意義之大更超越了友情本身，這 份友誼給大衆帶來的深遠影響是前所未有的。
"The friendship which has subsisted between us now half a century, the harmony of our political principlesand pursuits have been sources of constant happiness to me through that long period. It's also been a great solace to me to believe that you're engagedin vindicating to posterity the course that we've pursued for preserving to them, in all their purity, their blessings of self-government, which we had assisted in acquiring for them. If ever the earth has beheld a system of administration conducted with a single and steadfast eye to the general interest and happiness of those committed to it, one which, protected by truth, can never know reproach, it is that to which our lives have been devoted. Myself, you have been a pillar of support throughout life. Take care of me when dead and be assured that I shall leave with you my last affections."(Feb 17, 1826)
“你我之間的友誼迄今已經走過了半個世紀，我們在政治原則與追求上取得的協調在過去的漫漫歲月中爲我帶來 了源源不斷的快樂。我感到一大安慰的是，我相信你還在兢兢業業地致力於造福子孫後代的事業——這份事業我們曾爲他們爭取過，我們也努力要把他們透明自治的 優良體制流傳下去。希望這世界上有一種治理制度，在執行的時候專門有堅定不移的一隻眼睛來審視它，監護大衆利益和爲之奮鬥者的幸福，建立在真理基礎上的制 度將永遠與責難無緣，我們一生所致力的也正在這裏。我自己，還有你，畢生都爲此鼎力支持。請你照顧我的身後之事，也請相信，我的`友情永遠和你同在。” （1826年2月17日）
A week later Madison replied--
一個星期後，麥迪遜寫了回信——
"You cannot look back to the long period of our private friendship and political harmony with more affecting recollections than I do. If they are a source of pleasure to you, what aren't they not to be to me? We cannot be deprived ofthe happy consciousness of the pure devotion to the public good with which we discharge the trust committed to us and I indulgea confidence that sufficient evidence will find its way to another generation to ensure, after we are gone, whatever of justice may be withheld whilst we are here."
“在過去的漫長歲月中，你我的友誼與一致的政治觀，總令我在回想時心中無比感動。它們爲你帶來歡樂，對我 又何嘗不是如此？我們肩負人民的信任，爲大衆福利鞠躬盡瘁，從中獲得的幸福感是難以泯滅的。我堅信，無論當前對我們的評判怎樣，我們的一切貢獻，身後的下 一代人必將給予公斷。”
歡迎光臨論壇參與更多欄目:
A Parable of a Child
A Parable of a Child
一個孩子的寓言
by Steve Goodier 李 瑾 譯
父母說：“我有一個孩子，他/她將來會成爲一名……”
孩子說：“我是你們的孩子，我將來會成爲一名……”
省略號的內容由你決定！教育與經驗之間是有區別的。教育就是從閱讀文字所得到的，而經驗是從不閱讀而得到的。看一個故事，你就會明白“偉大的學習來自於教育和經驗的結合”。
一名青年教師夢見天使出現在他面前，對他說：“你將會有一個孩子，他/她將來會成爲一名世界領袖。你得讓她意識到自己的智慧，增長自信心，開發她果斷不失細膩，虛心而又堅韌的性格特質，你會如何爲她做準備呢？”
夢醒時，青年教師一身冷汗。他從沒經歷過這種事情。照夢中所說的，他現在或將來的學生之中的任何一個人都有可能有成爲他夢中聽到的那個人物。他準備好了要去幫助他們實現每一個志向嗎？他默默想：“既然知道了某一個學生會成爲那個人物，那麼我的教學方式該怎麼改變一下呢？”一步一步地，他已經開始暗自籌劃了。
這名學生不僅需要有經歷，而且需要有人指導。他的教學方式改變了。對他而言，每一個走過他教室的年輕人都有可能成爲未來的世界領袖。他看這些學生時，不是看他們曾經是什麼樣子，而是看他們將來可能成爲什麼樣子。他以一種平和的心態期盼學生髮揮最大的潛力。他在教育學生時，彷彿世界的未來完全掌握在他的教導中。
多年以後，他所認識的一名女子成爲舉世矚目的人物。這時他才悟出，她就是那晚夢中天使所說的那個女孩。只是，她不是他的學生，而是他的女兒。在女兒一生所遇到的老師之中，他是最棒的。
我聽過這樣一句話：“孩子是我們給自己無法預見的某個時間、某個地點所發送出去的活信息。”可這並不僅僅是一則有關一個無名教師的寓言，而是有關你我的寓言——不論我們是爲人父母，還是爲人師表。而這個故事——我們的故事，其實是這樣開始的：
“你將有一個孩子，他/她將來會成爲一名……”你來填完這個句子吧，如果不填“世界領袖”，那麼“絕世好爸”也行；再要不“優秀教師”？“妙手神醫”？“不按常理出牌的問題剋星”？“鼓舞人心的藝術家”？或是“慷慨無私的慈善家”？
你會在何地、如何遇見這個孩子，那是一個謎。可是，你要相信，一個孩子的將來很有可能就取決於你給他/她所造成的影響；也要相信，孩子會出人頭地的。對你來說，任何孩子都是不平凡的，你也因此脫胎換骨。
A young school teacher had a dream that an angel appeared to him and said, “You will be given a child who will grow up to become a world leader. How will you prepare her so that she will realize her intelligence, grow in confidence, develop both her assertiveness and sensitivity, be open-minded, yet strong in character？”
The young teacher awoke in a cold sweat. It had never occurred to him before——any ONE of his present or future students could be the person described in his dream. Was he preparing them to rise to ANY POSITION to which they may aspire？ He thought, “How might my teaching change if I KNEW that one of my students were this person？” He gradually began to formulate a plan in his mind.
This student would need experience as well as instruction. His teaching changed. Every young person who walked through his classroom became, for him, a future world leader. He saw each one, not as they were, but as they could be. He expected the best from his students, yet tempered it with compassion. He taught each one as if the future of the world depended on his instruction.
After many years, a woman he knew rose to a position of world prominence. He realized that she must surely have been the girl described in his dream. Only she was not one of his students, but rather his daughter. For of all the various teachers in her life, her father was the best.
I’ve heard it said that “Children are living messages we send to a time and place we will never see.” But this isn’t simply a parable about an unnamed school teacher. It is a parable about you and me——whether or not we are parents or even teachers. And the story, OUR story, actually begins like this:
“You will be given a child who will grow up to become…” You finish the sentence. If not a world leader, then a superb father？ An excellent teacher？ A gifted healer？ An innovative problem solver？ An inspiring artist？ A generous philanthropist？
Where and how you will encounter this child is a mystery. But believe that one child’s future may depend upon influence only you can provide, and something remarkable will happen. For no young person will ever be ordinary to you again. And you will never be the same.
·父親節的由來（一）
父親節的由來（一）
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Father’s Day, contrary to popular misconception, was not established as a holiday in order to help greeting card manufacturers sell more cards. In fact when a “father’s day” was first proposed there were no Father’s Day cards!
父親節與普遍的誤解不同的是，它並非是一個爲了幫助賀卡製作廠商銷售更多賀卡的節日。事實上，當“父親節”的提議首先被提出時，父親節賀卡根本就不存在。
Mrs. John B Dodd, of Washington, first proposed the idea of a “father’s day” in 1909. Mrs. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father William, whose wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state. It was after Mrs. Dodd became an adult that she realized the strength and selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent.
華盛頓州的約翰·布魯斯·多德夫人在1909年首先提出了設立“父親節”的提議。多德夫人希望有一個特殊的日子來向她的父親———威廉·斯瑪特表示敬意。他的妻子在生他們第六個孩子時因難產而死。斯瑪特先生在華盛頓州東部鄉下的農場裏獨自養大了六個孩子。多德太太成人後她才意識到她的父親一個人養大孩子所表現的力量和無私。
The first Father’s Day was observed on June 19,1910 in Washington. And it was in 1966 that President Lyndon Johnson officially declared the 3rd Sunday of June as Father’s Day.
1910年的6月19日人們在華盛頓慶祝了第一個父親節。林登·約翰遜總統最終於1966年宣佈每年六月的第3個星期天爲父親節。
Father’s Day has become a day to not only honor your father, but all men who act as a father figure. Stepfathers, uncles, grandfathers, and adult male friends are all honored on Father’s Day.
父親節現在已經成爲向父親及所有扮演父親角色的人表達敬意的節日。繼父，伯父，祖父所有成年男性都將在父親節受到尊敬。
文字
·當你老去
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當你老去 When You Are Old
When you are old and gray and full of sleep
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;
當你老了，頭白了，睡思昏沉，
爐火邊打盹，請取下這部詩歌，
慢慢讀，回想你過去眼神的柔和，
回想它們過去濃重的陰影；
How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true;
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;
多少人愛你年輕歡暢的時候，
愛慕你的美貌，出於假意或者真心
只有一個人愛你那朝聖者的靈魂，
愛你已改的容顏痛苦的皺紋
And bending down beside the glowing bars
Murmur, a little sadly, how love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead,
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.
躬身在紅光閃耀的爐火旁，
悽然低語，愛爲何消逝，
它漫步走上高高山巒，
將臉龐隱沒在了羣星間。
·當你老去
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當你老去 When You Are Old
When you are old and gray and full of sleep
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;
當你老了，頭白了，睡思昏沉，
爐火邊打盹，請取下這部詩歌，
慢慢讀，回想你過去眼神的柔和，
回想它們過去濃重的陰影；
How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true;
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;
多少人愛你年輕歡暢的時候，
愛慕你的美貌，出於假意或者真心
只有一個人愛你那朝聖者的靈魂，
愛你已改的容顏痛苦的皺紋
And bending down beside the glowing bars
Murmur, a little sadly, how love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead,
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.
躬身在紅光閃耀的爐火旁，
悽然低語，愛爲何消逝，
它漫步走上高高山巒，
將臉龐隱沒在了羣星間。
·肇事的兔子
The rabbits who cause all the trouble 肇事的兔子
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Within the memory of the youngest child there was a family of rabbits who lived behind a pack of wolves. The wolves announced that they did not like the way the rabbits were wolves were crazy about the way they themselves were 1iving,because it was the only way to live.
在最小的孩子還記得的那個時候,在狼羣的附近居住着兔子一家。狼們公開宣佈,他們不喜歡兔子的生活方式。狼對自己的生活方式推崇備至,因爲這是唯一可行的生活方式。
One night several wolves were killed in an earthquake and this was blamed on the rabbits, for it is well known that rabbits pound on the ground with their hind legs and cause earthquakes. On another night one of the wolves was killed by a bolt of lightning and this was also named on the rabbits, for it is well known that lettuce-eaters cause wolves threatened to civilize the rabbits if they didn't behave.
一天晚上,幾隻狼在地震中死亡。這件事是兔子的責任,因爲衆所周知,兔子用兩條腿蹬地造成了地震。另一個晚上,一隻狼被雷電劈斃,這件事也怪罪於兔子,因爲衆所周知,雷電是由吃萵苣的動物引發的。狼威脅說,如果兔子繼續爲非作歹,它們將施以管教。
The rabbits decided to move away to a desert island. But the animals, who lived at a great distance, shamed them, saying, "You must stay where you are and be brave. There is no world for escapists. If the wolves attack you, we will come to your aid all probability." So the rabbits continued to live near the wolves.
兔子決定逃到一個荒島上去。但是其它住在遠處的動物奚落它們說:"你們必須守住陣腳,要勇敢。這個世界決沒有逃避主義者的容身之地。如果狼攻擊你們,我們多半會來相助。"於是兔子繼續在狼羣附近生活。
One day them was a terrible flood which drowned a great many wolves. This was blamed on the rabbits, for it is well known that carrot-nibblers with long ear cause floods. The wolves descended on the rabbits, for their own good, and imprisoned them in a dark cave, for their own protection.
有一天,發生了一場可怕的洪水,許多狼被淹死。責任怪罪到兔子頭上,因爲衆所周知,長耳朵並小口小口吃胡蘿蔔的動物會引起洪水。爲了兔子着想,狼對它們下手了,把它們關在黑洞裏進行保護。
When nothing was heard about the rabbits for some weeks, the other animals demands to know what had happened to them. The wolves replied that the rabbits had been eaten and since they had been eaten the affair was a purely internal matter. But the other animals warned that they might possibly unite against the wolves unless some reason was given for the destruction of the rabbits. So the wolves gave them one. “They were trying to escape,” sad the wolves, "and, as you know, there is no world for escapists."
由於連續幾星期沒有聽到兔子的消息,其它動物要求知道它們的行蹤。狼回答說兔子已經被吃了;既然已經吃到肚裏,此事就純屬內政。但其它動物警告說,除非有消滅兔子的正當理由,不然它們可能團結起來,一致對狼。於是,狼給了它們一條理由。"它們企圖逃走",狼說。"你們也知道,這個世界決沒有逃避主義者的容身之地。”
