智慧人生篇章 第61期:奥运遗产

 　　Being here in Edinburgh on the opening day of the International Book Festival feels like the perfect place to celebrate words and stories, 在国际图书节开幕的这天，在爱丁堡歌颂语言和小说是再适合不过的了，

　　especially as we're about to turn the last page of the Olympic blockbuster which has had more thrills and spills and tears and triumphs than any bestseller. 特别是当我们即将翻到奥林匹克这一轰动大作的最后一页时，它包含着比任何畅销书都要丰富的激动、泪水以及喜悦之情。

　　You know the way you inhabit a novel when it grips your imagination. 你应该知道被一本小说深深吸引的感受。

　　Your mind is full of its scenes and characters. 脑海中满是故事情节和人物。

　　My Olympics story conjures¹ up a horse dancing to music. 奥运会让我想起随着音乐起舞的马儿。

　　Two brothers in black collapsing² into each other's arms at the finish of the Triathlon. 两位黑人兄弟冲过铁人三项赛终点后相互拥抱。

　　How utterly³ beautiful the rowers were at Eton Dorney when I was there a week ago. 一星期前，我到伊顿-多尼水上中心观看比赛，

　　Standing⁴ beside the glittering water, they looked as tall as giraffes on their long, pale legs. 划手们立在粼粼的水边，修长白皙的腿，像长颈鹿般高挑，十分美丽。

　　And that extraordinarily⁵ moving moment, two weeks ago at the opening ceremony,  还有两周前开幕式上将火炬传给年轻人的无比动人的时刻，

　　when the torch was passed to the new generation, those young, committed men and women, who carried it around the stadium together, a symbolic⁶ rebirth of hope in dark times. 那些年轻的男女一齐举着火炬，绕场一周，象征着在黑暗中重生的希望。

　　Perhaps. Like so many scenes from Olympics, it was inspiring, and deeply emotional. 也许如此。和奥运会中的许多场景一样，这一刻十分令人振奋、具有感染力又无法言表。

　　And that's where words have often failed. 欣喜、心痛和泪水，这些感触都无法用文字来形容。

　　In the midst of all the joy and heartache and tears, words have been overcome by feeling. "那一刻，那馈赠来得太快，带来太多喜悦或苦痛。

　　I've lost count of the number of times the question was asked of jubilant or crushed athletes: " Describe your emotions at this moment ". 数不清人们有多少次向运动员说："请描述一下你现在的心情。"不管是高兴还是沮丧，

　　And so often the answer was: " It's unbelievable. I can't believe it. 他们常常会说："太不可思议了，我简直无法相信。

　　" The moment, the present, is too immediate⁷, too charged with joy or pain. "那一刻，那馈赠来得太快，带来太多喜悦或苦痛。

　　Like the believer trying to put into words the reality of religious experience, or the mystery of faith, it's somehow too elusive⁸ to capture, too deeply felt to express. 正如信徒试图描述某次宗教经历或信仰的无法解释之处，有时这种感觉太难以捉摸，太深刻却无从描述。

　　As with our Olympians, words come later, and then the stories of dedication⁹ and sacrifice and desire are written. 对我们的奥运选手来说，他们要过段时间才能想好如何表达，如何书写自己关于奉献、牺牲和渴望的故事。

　　The witnesses and believers come forward. 他们的见证人自告奋勇的站出来。

　　And we listen to parents like Carol Hoy who played a far greater part in the story than they would ever admit. 于是我们听到像卡罗尔·霍伊这样的父母的心声，他们在整个故事中起到比他们自己认为的还要重要的作用。

　　"I was proud of him when he won the egg and spoon race when he was a wee boy as well, " she said about Chris, "so I'm just a boring mum that loves her kids. " And so the unbelievable becomes the inspirational. "我同样为他小时候赢得汤匙盛蛋赛跑而感到骄傲，"她谈到克里斯时说，"因此我只是一个爱着自己的孩子的乏味的母亲。"于是这难以置信的事实化作对孩子的激励。

　　If love, courage and sacrifice are at the heart of the best stories, that's a different kind of an Olympic legacy¹⁰, because the stories will be retold and passed on, and they will inspire. 如果爱、勇气和牺牲是一篇佳作的主题，那么它将成为一份别样的奥林匹克遗产，因为这些故事将被流传下去，鼓舞更多的人。

　　We'll remember them, and be changed by them, because that's what the greatest stories do. 我们将铭记它们，被其改变，这正是最伟大的作品的力量。

1 conjures   

用魔术变出( conjure的第三人称单数 )； 祈求，恳求； 变戏法； （变魔术般地） 使…出现

参考例句：

• The word 'birthday' conjures up images of presents and parties. “生日”这个词使人想起礼物和聚会的情景。
• The name Sahara conjures up images of a desert of aridity. "撒哈拉"这个名字使人想起干旱的沙漠情景。

2 collapsing   

压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。

3 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

4 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。

5 extraordinarily   

adv.格外地；极端地

参考例句：

• She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
• The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。

6 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

7 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

8 elusive   

adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的

参考例句：

• Try to catch the elusive charm of the original in translation.翻译时设法把握住原文中难以捉摸的风韵。
• Interpol have searched all the corners of the earth for the elusive hijackers.国际刑警组织已在世界各地搜查在逃的飞机劫持者。

9 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

10 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。