英语名篇诵读 在黑暗中步行（在线收听）

Hiking in the Dark

在黑暗中步行

Miriam C. Daum(米里亚姆·C. 多姆)

It is dark now when I begin my early morning walk in the woods. And now that autumn has

marched resolutely into winter, darkness persists well beyond my 6 a.m. start time.

Trails that have become familiar after years of hiking are disfigured by eerie shapes

and outlines. Rocks and tree roots have magically sprouted from previously level ground.

Inevitably, I stub my toe or trip on some unseen obstacle. Fallen branches from last

night's storm lie in wait. Layers of autumn leaves create a false floor through which my

unsuspecting footsteps sink. Sometimes a piece of the moon donates a few streaks of light to the

mystery trail. But when skies are dark, there are no visual clues for where I step.

My very first night hike was during summer camp on a warm August night in the Connecticut

woods. Our leader forbade bright flashlights so we would not scare away the nocturnal

creatures we hoped to find.

“See with your feet,” he told us over and over again.

Amazingly, that advice worked. With concentration — and a chunk of courage — it didn't

take long before our feet became sensitive to the ground's gradations , textures and

irregularities. Toes learned to explore for obstacles before trusting full weight on feet. Holes, dips,

and depressions in the ground were detected in advance of potential stumbles... but mistakes still

happen. My foot gets snagged into a trip and I fall. Since the pace is slow, there is little damage

except to pride. Once down, I pause to feel the firmness of earth beneath me, to imagine its

solidity all the way to core.

On my way home, as dawn makes way for day, I think about how similar night hikes are to

journeys through life.

The same rules often work for both： Slow down, concentrate, “see” with new senses — and

don't be scared. Despite uncertainties of the trail — hidden obstacles, false surfaces, slippery floor

— the earth is solid and firm underneath. It is the nature of nocturnal ground. It is the nature of

life.

清晨，我开始在树林里散步的时候，天还黑着。秋天已远去，冬天来临了，我六点钟

开始散步，很久之后天还没亮。

多年步行熟悉了的小道，影影绰绰，甚为怪异。石块和树根着魔似的从原先平整的地

面冒了出来。

不可避免地，一些看不见的障碍物，被我踢到或把我绊倒。昨夜暴风雨中折断的树枝

掉落在小路上，得时时提防。一层层秋叶铺在小路上，形成错觉的表面，脚步踏上去，便

深陷其中。时而，月亮露出脸，在神秘的小道上洒下几缕亮光。而当天空一片漆黑时，我

便看不清该朝哪里迈步了。

我第一次夜行是在康涅狄格州森林里，那是八月里一个暖和的夜晚，我们在那里举行

夏令营。我们的领队不让我们使用明亮的手电筒，以免吓跑我们希望发现的夜间活动的动

物。

“用脚看路。”他一遍遍地对我们说。

真奇怪，他的劝告奏效了。集中注意力——加上鼓足勇气——没用多久，我们的脚便

能觉察出地面的高低、软硬和不平坦的地方。脚趾学会了先探查障碍物，然后才移步向

前。地面上的坑坑洼洼，在没有把我们绊倒之前就被探明了……但也有出错的时候。我的

脚一不小心被绊了一下，我跌倒了。因为步速很慢，并无损伤，只是觉得有点不好意思。

一旦跌倒，我便停下来摸摸脚下泥土的硬度，想象着一直到地心的坚硬程度。

在回家的路上，天已大亮，我思考着，夜间步行与人生之旅多么相似。

同样的规则，往往对两者都适用。放慢速度，集中注意力，用新的感官去“看”——不

要害怕。尽管小路上充满了不确定因素——隐藏的障碍，造成错觉的表面，湿滑的路面

——可是脚下的土地坚实牢固。夜晚的地面是这样，人生原来也是如此。