假如我又回到了童年

你可曾這樣問過自己：“假如我可以重新來過……？”有一天，我曾經這樣靜心地坐在桌前捫心自問了一回，發現如果時間可以倒流的話，很多事情我都希望可以重新來過。我會把所有的悲劇主題，一一粉碎，然后按照心靈的意愿，將它們重新排列組合。不過，生命中又有多少個“假如”可以重來呢？這正是問題的所在。所以，還是珍惜現在吧，把現在的每一天都過得精彩絕倫，我們就不必去思考“假如可以重新來過”的命題了，不是嗎？

If I were a boy again， I would practice perseverance① more often， and never give up a thing because it was or inconvenient②.If we want light，we must conquer darkness③. Perseverance can sometimes equal④ genius in its results. “There are only two creatures，”says a proverb⑤， “who can surmount the pyramids⑥-the eagle and the snail.”

If I were a boy again， I would school myself into a habit of attention; I would let nothing come between me and the subject in hand⑦. I would remember that a good skater never tries to skate in two directions at once.

The habit of attention becomes part of our life， if we begin early enough. I often hear grown up people say“I could not fix my attention on the sermon⑧ or book， although I wished to do so”， and the reason is， the habit was not formed in youth.

If I were to live my life over again， I would pay more attention to⑨ the cultivation of the memory. I would strengthen that faculty by every possible means， and on every possible occasion. It takes a little hard work at first to remember things accurately; but memory soon helps itself， and gives very little trouble. It only needs early cultivation to become a power.

If I were a boy again， I would cultivate courage. “Nothing is so mild and gentle as courage， nothing so cruel and pitiless as cowardice.”says a wise author.

We too often borrow trouble， and anticipate that may never appear.“ The fear of ill exceeds⑩ the ill we fear.” Dangers will arise in any career， but presence of mind will often conquer the worst of them. Be prepared for any fate， and there is no harm to be feared.

If I were a boy again， I would look on the cheerful side. Life is very much like a mirror: if you smile upon it， It smiles back upon you; but if you frown and look doubtful on it， you will get a similar look in return.Inner sunshine warms not only the heart of the owner， but of all that come in contact with it. “who shuts love out，in turn shall be shut out from love.”

If I were a boy again， I would school myself to say no more often. I might write pages on the importance of learning very early in life to gain that point where a young boy can stand erect， and decline doing an unworthy act because it is unworthy.

If I were a boy again， I would demand of myself more courtesy towards my companions and friends， and indeed towards strangers as well. The smallest courtesies along the rough roads of life are like the little birds that sing to us all winter long， and make that season of ice and snow more endurable.

Finally， instead of trying hard to be happy， as if that were the sole purpose of life， I would， if I were a boy again， I would still try harder to make others happy.

譯文對照

假如我又回到了童年，我做事要更有毅力，決不因為事情艱難或者麻煩而撒手不干，我們要光明，就得征服黑暗。 毅力在效果上有時能同天才相比。俗話說：“能登上金字塔的生物，只有兩種——鷹和蝸牛。”

假如我又回到了童年，我就要養成專心致志的習慣；有事在手，就決不讓任何東西使我分心。我要牢記：優秀的滑冰手從不試圖同時滑向兩個不同的方向。

如果及早養成這種專心致志的習慣，它將成為我們生命的一部分。我常聽成年人說：“雖然我希望能集中注意力聽牧師講道或讀書，但往往做不到。”而原因就是：年輕時沒有養成這種習慣。

假如我現在能重新開始我的生命，我就要更注意記憶力的培養。我要采取一切可能的辦法，并且在一切可能的場合，增強記憶力。要正確無誤地記住一些東西，在開始階段的確要作出一番小小的努力；但要不了多久，記憶力本身就會起作用，使記憶成為輕而易舉的事，只需及早培養，記憶自會成為一種才能。

假如我又回到了童年，我就要培養勇氣。一位明智的作家曾說過：“世上沒有東西比勇氣更溫文爾雅，也沒有東西比怯懦更殘酷無情。”

我們常常過多地自尋煩惱，杞人憂天。“怕禍害比禍害本身更可怕。”凡事都有危險，但鎮定沉著往往能克服最嚴重的危險。對一切禍福做好準備，那么就沒有什么災難可以害怕的了。

假如我又回到了童年，我就要事事樂觀。生活猶如一面鏡子：你朝它笑，它也朝你笑；如果你雙眉緊鎖，向它投以懷疑的目光，它也將還你以同樣的目光。 內心的歡樂不僅溫暖了歡樂者自己的心，也溫暖了所有與之接觸者的心。“誰拒愛于門外，也必將被愛拒之門外。”

假如我又回到了童年，我就要養成經常說“不”字的習慣。一個少年要能挺得起腰，拒絕做不應該做的事，就因為這事不值得做。我可以寫上好幾頁談談早年培養這一點的重要性。

假如我又回到了童年，我就要要求自己對伙伴和朋友更加禮貌，而且對陌生人也應如此。在坎坷的生活道路上，最細小的禮貌猶如在漫長的冬天為我們歌唱的小鳥，那歌聲使冰天雪地的寒冬變得較易忍受。

最后，假如我又回到了童年，我不會力圖為自己謀幸福，好像這就是人生唯一的目的；與之相反，我要更努力為他人謀幸福。

細節鏈接

① perseverance：堅定不移。

② inconvenient：不變的、有困難的。

③ light:光明，反義詞darkness:黑暗。conquer:戰勝。

④ equal:等同于、相當于。

⑤ says a proverb: 俗話說……

⑥ surmount: 戰勝， 超越， 克服， 在……頂上。surmount the pyramids：登上金字塔。

⑦ in hand（adv.）：在手頭， 在進行中， 掌握住。

⑧ sermon (n.): 訓誡， 說教， 布道。

⑨ pay attention to sth.：注意某事。pay more attention to sth.：更加留意某事。

⑩ exceeds：超越、超過。

cheerful side：好的方面。I would look on the cheerful side:凡事朝好的方面去看。

in return:作為回報、作為報答。

courtesy：謙恭、禮貌。I would demand of myself more courtesy towards my companions and friends：我就要要求自己對伙伴和朋友更加禮貌。

sth. are like the little birds that sing to us all winter long， and make that season of ice and snow more endurable:這就猶如在漫長的冬天為我們歌唱的小鳥，那歌聲使冰天雪地的寒冬變得較易忍受。(多美好的句子，沒有生詞和生僻的用法。)