TED演讲 自杀者的生死之桥(3)

 A witness had observed him jumping off the bridge at 1:58 p.m. the previous day.  一名目击者看到他从桥上冲下去，就在前一天下午1点58分。

Thanks so much for standing¹ up for those who may be only temporarily too weak to stand for themselves.  我非常感谢你一直在鼓励那些人，他们可能只是一时软弱而自己无法承受。

Who hasn't been low before? 谁没有消沉过？

without suffering from a true mental illness?  即使是没有遭受过真正的精神疾病？

It shouldn't be so easy to end it.  这么轻率地结束它实在是不应该。

My prayers are with you for your fight.  我为你和你的努力而祷告。

The GGB, Golden Gate Bridge,  金门大桥

is supposed to be a passage across our beautiful bay, 本应是跨过我们美丽的旧金山湾，

not a graveyard².  而非跨过一片墓地。

Good luck this week. Vicky.  祝你这周好运。维姬。

I can't imagine the courage it takes for her to go down to that bridge and walk the path that her son took that day, 我无法想象她这样的勇气，就这样走过那座桥，重走她儿子那天所走的路，

and also the courage just to carry on.  以及坚持下来的勇气。

I'd like to introduce you to a man I refer to as hope and courage. 我想为大家介绍一个人，我认为他代表了希望和勇气。

On March 11 of 2005,  在2005年3月11日，

I responded to a radio call of a possible suicidal subject on the bridge sidewalk near the north tower. 我的无线电说桥上的人行道上有个人可能想自杀，我回应了。就在北塔附近，

I rode my motorcycle down the sidewalk and observed this man, Kevin Berthia, 我骑着我的摩托车沿着人行道过去，看到了这个人，凯文贝希亚，

standing on the sidewalk.  他正站在人行道上。

When he saw me, he immediately traversed³ that pedestrian⁴ rail, 当他看到我时，他立即翻过人行道护栏，

and stood on that small pipe which goes around the tower. 站在塔周围的小钢管上。站在塔周围的小钢管上。

For the next hour and a half,  之后的一个半小时里，

I listened as Kevin spoke⁵ about his depression and hopelessness. 我就在那里听凯文讲他的抑郁和绝望。

Kevin decided⁶ on his own that day to come back over that rail and give life another chance. 那一天凯文自己决定，从护栏那边回来，再给生命一次机会。

When Kevin came back over,  当凯文回来时，

I congratulated him.  我祝贺了他。

This is a new beginning, a new life.  这是一个新的开始，新的生命。

But I asked him, What was it that made you come back and give hope and life another chance? 但我又问他：是什么让你回来，并且再给希望和生命一次机会？

And you know what he told me?  你们知道他告诉了我什么？

He said, You listened.  他说：你听了。

You let me speak, and you just listened.  你让我说，你就是听。

Shortly after this incident,  这件事后不久，

I received a letter from Kevin's mother,  我收到凯文母亲写来的一封信，

and I have that letter with me,  我带来了这封信，

and I'd like to read it to you.  我想给大家读一读。

Dear Mr. Briggs,  亲爱的布里格斯先生，

Nothing will erase⁷ the events of March 11,  什么都无法抹去3月11日的那件事，

but you are one of the reasons Kevin is still with us.  而凯文仍在我们身边，你是原因之一。

I truly believe Kevin was crying out for help.  我真的相信凯文是在呼喊求救。

He has been diagnosed⁸ with a mental illness for which he has been properly medicated. 他诊断患有精神疾病，一直在接受适当的药物治疗。

I adopted Kevin when he was only six months old,  在凯文年仅六个月时，我收养了他，

completely unaware⁹ of any hereditary¹⁰ traits,  我完全不知道他在遗传上的任何问题，

but, thank God, now we know.  但感谢上帝，现在我们知道了。

Kevin is straight, as he says.  凯文说自己是直男。

We truly thank God for you.  我们真的为你而感谢上帝，

Sincerely indebted to you,  真的感激不尽，

Narvella Berthia.  娜弗拉?贝希亚。

And on the bottom she writes,  在信下面她写道，

P.S. When I visited San Francisco General Hospital that evening,  又及：我那晚到旧金山综合医院时，

you were listed as the patient.  你被登记为病人。

Boy, did I have to straighten that one out.  天哪，我一定要提这事吗？

Today, Kevin is a loving father  今天，凯文是个慈爱的父亲，

and contributing member of society.  对社会也在做出贡献。

He speaks openly about the events that day and his depression in the hopes that his story will inspire others. 他坦率地说起那天的事和他的抑郁症，希望他的故事能启发他人。

Suicide¹¹ is not just something I've encountered on the job.  自杀不仅是我工作中遇到的事情，

It's personal.  在我的私人生活也有。

My grandfather committed suicide by poisoning.  我的祖父服毒自杀。

That act, although ending his own pain,  他这样做，虽然结束了他自己的痛苦，

robbed me from ever getting to know him.  而连我认识他的机会也被夺走了。

This is what suicide does.  这就是自杀的后果。

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

2 graveyard   

n.坟场

参考例句：

• All the town was drifting toward the graveyard.全镇的人都象流水似地向那坟场涌过去。
• Living next to a graveyard would give me the creeps.居住在墓地旁边会使我毛骨悚然。

3 traversed   

横越，穿越，横贯( traverse的过去式和过去分词 )； （爬山时）作Z形攀登

参考例句：

• The prospecting team has traversed the length and breadth of the land. 勘探队踏遍了祖国的山山水水。
• He traversed alone the whole continent of Africa from east to west. 他只身长途跋涉，从东向西横穿整个非洲大陆。

4 pedestrian   

n.行人，步行者；adj.徒步的，呆板的，通俗的

参考例句：

• The criminal pushed a pedestrian down and ran away.罪犯推倒了一个行人逃跑了。
• The city built a pedestrian overpass over the highway.城里在公路上建了一座过街天桥。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 erase   

v.擦掉；消除某事物的痕迹

参考例句：

• He tried to erase the idea from his mind.他试图从头脑中抹掉这个想法。
• Please erase my name from the list.请把我的名字从名单上擦去。

8 diagnosed   

诊断( diagnose的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Some foetal malformations cannot be diagnosed until late in pregnancy. 有些胎儿的畸形部位得等到妊娠后期才能诊断出来。
• He diagnosed the trouble that caused the engine to knock. 他找出了引擎咔咔响的毛病所在。

9 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

10 hereditary   

adj.遗传的，遗传性的，可继承的，世袭的

参考例句：

• The Queen of England is a hereditary ruler.英国女王是世袭的统治者。
• In men,hair loss is hereditary.男性脱发属于遗传。

11 suicide   

n.自杀，自毁，自杀性行为

参考例句：

• The number of suicide has increased.自杀案件的数量增加了。
• The death was adjudged a suicide by sleeping pills.该死亡事件被判定为服用安眠药自杀。