英语励志文章： Be a Fighter

 　　A young friend of mine asked me in a letter, "What kind of man should I be?" My answer was, "Be a fighter."

　　Another friend of mine inquired, "How should I live my life?" Again my answer was, "Be a fighter."

　　The author of In Praise of the Fighter says:

　　Riding on the ceaseless rushing torrent¹ of life, I should pursue and overtake it so as to create an even greater and deeper torrent of my own.

　　If I were a lamp, it would be my duty to light up thick darkness. If I were the sea tide, I would marshal rolling waves to cleanse² the beach of all accumulated filth³.

　　This quotation⁴ reflects aptly the state of mind of a lighter⁵.

　　Fighters are badly needed in our time. But such fighters do not necessarily go to the battle- field gun in hand. Their weapons are not necessarily bullets. Their weapons may be knowledge, faith and strong will. They can bring the enemy sure death without drawing his blood.

　　A fighter is always in pursuit of light. Instead of basking⁶ in the sunshine under a clear sky, he holds a burning torch in the darkness of night to illuminate⁷ people's way so that they can continue their journey till they see the dawn of a new day. It is the task of a fighter to dispel⁸ darkness. Instead of shirking darkness, he braves it and fights the hidden demons⁹ and monsters therein. He is determined¹⁰ to wipe them out and win light. He knows no compromise. He will keep on fighting until he wins light.

　　A fighter is perennially¹¹ young. He is never irresolute¹² or inactive. He plunges¹³ deep into teeming¹⁴ crowds in search of such vermin as flies and venomous mosquitoes. He will fight them relentlessly¹⁵ and refuse to coexist with them under the same sky. To him, life means nothing but continuous fighting. He either survives by winning light, or perishes with his body covered all over with cuts and bruises¹⁶. In the course of the struggle, it is the "future" that serves as the beacon¹⁷ light to him; the "future" gives people hope and inspiration. He will never lose his youthful vigour¹⁸.

　　A fighter will never lose heart or despair. He will pile up broken pieces of brick and stone to rebuild a nine-story pagoda¹⁹ on the ruins of failure. No blows will ever break his will. He will never close his eyes until he has breathed his last.

　　A fighter is always fearless. His steps are firm. Once he has settled on an objective, he will press right ahead. He is never afraid of being tripped by a stumbling block. No obstacles will ever make him change his mind. His eyes will never be hoodwinked by false appearances. His actions are guided by faith. He can endure any hardships or sufferings while striving to attain²⁰ his chosen objective. He will never abandon work as long as he is alive.

　　This is the kind of fighter we now need. He is not necessarily possessed²¹ of superhuman capability²². He is just an ordinary person. Anyone can be a fighter so long as he has the determination. Hence a few words of mine about "being a fighter" to encourage those young people who wander about in a depressed²³ state, not knowing which way to go.

　　参考译文：

　　做一名进攻型战士

　　一个年轻的朋友写信问我：“应该做一个什么样的人?“我回答他：“做一个战士。”

　　另一个朋友问我：“怎样对付生活了，我仍旧答道：“做一个战士。”

　　《战士颂》的作者曾经写过这样的话：

　　“我激荡在这绵绵不息、滂沱四方的生命洪流中，我就应该追逐这洪流，而且追过它，自己去造更广、更深的洪流。”

　　“我如果是一盏灯，这灯的用处便是照彻那多量的黑暗。我如果是海潮，便要鼓起波涛去洗涤海边一切陈腐的积物。”

　　这一段话很恰当地写出了战士的心情。

　　在这个时代，战士是最需要的。但是这样的战士并不一定要持枪上战场。他的武器也下一定是枪弹。他的武器还可以是知识、信仰和坚强的意志。他并不一定要流仇敌的血，却能更有把握地致敌人的死命，战士是永远追求光明的。他并不躺在晴空下享受阳光，在晴夜里燃起火炬，给人们照亮道路，使他们走向黎明。驱散黑暗，这是战士的任务。他不躲避黑暗，却要面对黑暗，跟躲藏在阴影里的魑魅、魍魉搏斗。他要消灭它们而取得光明。战士是不知道妥协的。他得不到光明便不会停止战斗。

　　战士永远是年轻的。他不犹豫，不休息。他深入人丛中，找寻苍蝇、毒蚊等等危害人类的东西。他不断地攻击它们，不肯与它们共同生存在一个天空下面，对于战士，生活就是不停的战斗，他不是取得光明而牛存，便是带着满身伤痕而死去。在战斗中力量只有增长，信仰只有加强，在战斗中给战士指路的是“未来”，“未来”给人以希望和鼓舞。战士永远不会失去青春的活力。

　　战士是不知道灰心与绝望的。他甚至在失败的废墟上，还要堆起破碎的砖石重建九级宝塔。任何打击都不能击破战士的意志。只有在死的时候他才闭上眼睛。

　　战士是不知道畏缩的，他的脚步很坚定。一旦他认准目标，便会向前走去。他不怕被绊脚石摔倒，没有一种障碍能使他改变心思，假象绝不能迷住战士的眼睛，支配战士的行动的是信仰。他能够忍受一切艰难、痛苦，而达到他所选定的目标。除非他死，否则他决不放弃工作。

　　这便是我们现在需要的战士。这样的战士并不一定具有超人的能力。他是一个平凡的人。每个人都可以做战士，只要他有决心。所以我用“做一个进攻型的战士”来激励那些还在苦闷中彷徨，不知何去何从的年轻朋友。

1 torrent   

n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发

参考例句：

• The torrent scoured a channel down the hillside. 急流沿着山坡冲出了一条沟。
• Her pent-up anger was released in a torrent of words.她压抑的愤怒以滔滔不绝的话爆发了出来。

2 cleanse   

vt.使清洁，使纯洁，清洗

参考例句：

• Health experts are trying to cleanse the air in cities. 卫生专家们正设法净化城市里的空气。
• Fresh fruit juices can also cleanse your body and reduce dark circles.新鲜果汁同样可以清洁你的身体,并对黑眼圈同样有抑制作用。

3 filth   

n.肮脏，污物，污秽；淫猥

参考例句：

• I don't know how you can read such filth.我不明白你怎么会去读这种淫秽下流的东西。
• The dialogue was all filth and innuendo.这段对话全是下流的言辞和影射。

4 quotation   

n.引文，引语，语录；报价，牌价，行情

参考例句：

• He finished his speech with a quotation from Shakespeare.他讲话结束时引用了莎士比亚的语录。
• The quotation is omitted here.此处引文从略。

5 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

6 basking   

v.晒太阳，取暖( bask的现在分词 )；对…感到乐趣；因他人的功绩而出名；仰仗…的余泽

参考例句：

• We sat basking in the warm sunshine. 我们坐着享受温暖的阳光。
• A colony of seals lay basking in the sun. 一群海豹躺着晒太阳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 illuminate   

vt.照亮，照明；用灯光装饰；说明，阐释

参考例句：

• Dreams kindle a flame to illuminate our dark roads.梦想点燃火炬照亮我们黑暗的道路。
• They use games and drawings to illuminate their subject.他们用游戏和图画来阐明他们的主题。

8 dispel   

vt.驱走，驱散，消除

参考例句：

• I tried in vain to dispel her misgivings.我试图消除她的疑虑，但没有成功。
• We hope the programme will dispel certain misconceptions about the disease.我们希望这个节目能消除对这种疾病的一些误解。

9 demons   

n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念

参考例句：

• demons torturing the sinners in Hell 地狱里折磨罪人的魔鬼
• He is plagued by demons which go back to his traumatic childhood. 他为心魔所困扰，那可追溯至他饱受创伤的童年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

11 perennially   

adv.经常出现地；长期地；持久地；永久地

参考例句：

• He perennially does business abroad. 他常年在国外做生意。 来自辞典例句
• We want to know what is perennially new about the world. 我们想知道世上什么东西永远是新的。 来自互联网

12 irresolute   

adj.无决断的，优柔寡断的，踌躇不定的

参考例句：

• Irresolute persons make poor victors.优柔寡断的人不会成为胜利者。
• His opponents were too irresolute to call his bluff.他的对手太优柔寡断,不敢接受挑战。

13 plunges   

n.跳进，投入vt.使投入，使插入，使陷入vi.投入，跳进，陷入v.颠簸( plunge的第三人称单数 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• Even before he plunges into his program, he has his audience in his pocket. 他的节目甚至还没有出场，就已控制住了观众。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• 'Monseigneur, he precipitated himself over the hill-side, head first, as a person plunges into the river.' “大人，他头冲下跳下山坡去了，像往河里跳一样。” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

14 teeming   

adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注

参考例句：

• The rain was teeming down. 大雨倾盆而下。
• the teeming streets of the city 熙熙攘攘的城市街道

15 relentlessly   

adv.不屈不挠地；残酷地；不间断

参考例句：

• The African sun beat relentlessly down on his aching head. 非洲的太阳无情地照射在他那发痛的头上。
• He pursued her relentlessly, refusing to take 'no' for an answer. 他锲而不舍地追求她，拒不接受“不”的回答。

16 bruises   

n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was covered with bruises after falling off his bicycle. 他从自行车上摔了下来，摔得浑身伤痕。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The pear had bruises of dark spots. 这个梨子有碰伤的黑斑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 beacon   

n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔

参考例句：

• The blink of beacon could be seen for miles.灯塔的光亮在数英里之外都能看见。
• The only light over the deep black sea was the blink shone from the beacon.黑黢黢的海面上唯一的光明就只有灯塔上闪现的亮光了。

18 vigour   

（=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力

参考例句：

• She is full of vigour and enthusiasm.她有热情，有朝气。
• At 40,he was in his prime and full of vigour.他40岁时正年富力强。

19 pagoda   

n.宝塔（尤指印度和远东的多层宝塔），（印度教或佛教的）塔式庙宇

参考例句：

• The ancient pagoda is undergoing repairs.那座古塔正在修缮中。
• The pagoda is reflected upside down in the water.宝塔影子倒立在水里。

20 attain   

vt.达到，获得，完成

参考例句：

• I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一目的。
• His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。

21 possessed   

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：

• He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
• He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

22 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

23 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。