作者:萨缪尔·厄尔曼1840年生于德国,儿时随家人移居美利坚,参加过南北战争,之后定居伯明翰,经营五金杂货,年逾70开始写作。
青春不是年华,而是心境;青春不是桃面、丹唇、柔膝,而是深沉的意志、恢宏的想像、炽热的感情;青春是生命的深泉涌流。
Youth isnot a time of life; it is a state of mind; it isnot a matter ofrosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will,a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is thefreshness of the deep springs of life.
青春气贯长虹,勇锐盖过怯弱,进取压倒苟安。如此锐气,二十后生有之,六旬男子则更多见。年岁有加,并非垂老;理想丢弃,方堕暮年。
Youthmeans a temperamental predominance of courage overtimidity of theappetite, for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists ina man of sixty more than a body of twenty. Nobody grows old merelyby a number of years. We grow old by deserting ourideals.
岁月悠悠,衰微只及肌肤;热忱抛却,颓唐必致灵魂。忧烦、惶恐、丧失自信,定使心灵扭曲,意气如灰。
Years maywrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit backto dust.
无论年届花甲,抑或二八芳龄,心中皆有生命之欢愉,奇迹之感召,孩童般天真久盛不衰。
Whethersixty or sixteen, there is in every human being's heart the lure ofwonder, the unfailing child-like appetite of what's next, and thejoy of the game of living.
人的心灵应如浩淼瀚海,只有不断接纳美好、希望、欢乐、勇气和力量的百川,才能青春永驻、风华长存。
In thecenter of your heart and my heart there is awireless station; solong as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer,courage andpower from men and from the Infinite, so long are youyoung.
一旦心海枯竭,锐气便被冰雪覆盖,玩世不恭、自暴自弃油然而生,即使年方二十,实已垂垂老矣;然则只要虚怀若谷,让喜悦、达观、仁爱充盈其间,你就有望在八十高龄告别尘寰时仍觉年轻。
When theaerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows ofcynicismandthe ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at twenty, butas long as your aerials are up, to catch the waves of optimism,there is hope you may die young at eighty.