英语名篇诵读 云

Clouds

云

I've opened the curtain of my east window here above the computer, and I sit now in a holy

theater before a sky- blue stage. A little cloud above the neighbor's trees resembles Jimmy

Durante's nose for a while, then becomes amorphous¹ as it slips on north. Other clouds follow,

big and little and tiny on their march toward whereness. Wisps of them lead or droop² because

there must always be leading and drooping³.

The trees seem to laugh at the clouds while yet reaching for them with swaying branches.

Trees must think that they are real, rooted, somebody, and that perhaps the clouds are only trickled⁴

water which sometimes blocks their sun. But trees are clouds, too, of green leaves — clouds that

only move a little. Trees grow and change and dissipate like their airborne cousins.

And what am I but a cloud of thoughts and feelings and aspirations⁵? Don't I put out tentative

mists here and there? Don't I occasionally appear to other people as a ridiculous shape of thoughts

without my intending to? Don't I drift toward the north when I feel the breezes of love and the

warmth of compassion⁶ ?

If clouds are beings, and beings are clouds, are we not all well-advised to drift, to feel the

wind tucking us in here and plucking us out there? Are we such rock-hard bodily lumps as we

imagine?

Drift, let me. Sing to the sky, will I. One in many, are we. Let us breathe the breeze and find

therein our roots in the spirit.

I close the curtain now, feeling broader, fresher. The act is over. Applause is sweeping⁷

through the trees.

拉开电脑上方东边窗户的窗帘，我置身于一个有着天蓝色舞台的神圣剧院中。邻居家

树木的上方，有一朵云彩有一阵子酷似吉米·杜兰特的鼻子，接着在它向北悄悄飘移之时，

变成了不规则的形状。别的云也上来了，大块的，小块的，细微的，自由自在地飘荡。白

云朵朵，有的先行，有的随后，恰如世事有主从一般。

树木摇曳着枝叶，向着浮云伸展，似乎在嘲笑它们。树木一定在想，自己是真实的，

扎根的，是个人物，而云可能只是有时会挡住太阳的慢慢移动的水。但是树也是长着绿叶

的云——只是移动得很少的云。树像它们空中的表兄妹一样，生长、变化、消散。

我是什么呢？我也是一朵云，一朵有思想、感情和渴望的云。我不是也在尝试着到处

散发迷雾吗？我不是偶尔也会在不经意间化作一团奇形怪状的思绪之云，飘浮在他人面前

吗？我不是也在感受到爱的微风和怜悯的温暖时向北飘移吗？

如果云是人，人如云，我们随风飘荡，天地间自由来去，不是更妙吗？难道我们就是

自己想象的坚硬如岩石的肉桩吗？

让我飘吧。我要向着天空放声歌唱。我们不过是沧海一粟。让我们呼吸微风的气息，

在那里找到精神之根吧。

我关上了窗帘，顿觉心胸豁然开朗，神清气爽。剧终。树林里响起一片喝彩声。

1 amorphous   

adj.无定形的

参考例句：

• There was a weakening of the intermolecular bonds,primarily in the amorphous region of the polymer.分子间键合减弱，尤其在聚合物的无定形区内更为明显。
• It is an amorphous colorless or white powder.它是一种无定形的无色或白色粉末。

2 droop   

v.低垂，下垂；凋萎，萎靡

参考例句：

• The heavy snow made the branches droop.大雪使树枝垂下来。
• Don't let your spirits droop.不要萎靡不振。

3 drooping   

adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词

参考例句：

• The drooping willows are waving gently in the morning breeze. 晨风中垂柳袅袅。
• The branches of the drooping willows were swaying lightly. 垂柳轻飘飘地摆动。

4 trickled   

v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动

参考例句：

• Blood trickled down his face. 血从他脸上一滴滴流下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The tears trickled down her cheeks. 热泪一滴滴从她脸颊上滚下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。

6 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

7 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？