別停下，繼續彈

王婉寧

Wishing to encourage her young son’s progress1 on the piano， a mother took her boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated， the mother spotted2 a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her.

Seizing3 the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall， the little boy rose and eventually explored his way through a door marked “NO ADMITTANCE”. When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin， the mother returned to her seat and discovered that the child was missing.

Suddenly， the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. In horror， the mother saw her little boy sitting at the key-board， innocently picking out Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. At that moment， the great piano master made his entrance， quickly moved to the piano， and whispered in the boy’s ear， “Don’t quit4. Keep playing.”

Then leaning over， Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a running obbligato. Together， the old master and the young novice transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was mesmerized5.

That’s the way it is in life. What we can accomplish6 on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best， but the results aren’t exactly graceful flowing music. But when we trust in the hands of a Greater Power， our life’s work truly can be beautiful.

Next time you set out to accomplish great feats， listen carefully. You can hear the voice of the Master， whispering in your ear， “Don’t quit. Keep playing.”

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為了讓兒子能在鋼琴方面有長足的進步，一位母親帶著兒子去聽帕德瑞夫斯基的音樂會。待他們坐定之后，那位母親看到一位熟人，就穿過走道去跟朋友打招呼。

小男孩好不容易有機會欣賞音樂廳的宏偉，他站了起來，并慢慢地摸索到了一扇門旁邊，上面寫著“禁止入內”。大廳里的燈暗了下來，音樂會馬上就要開始了。那位母親回到座位，卻發現自己的孩子不見了。

突然間，幕布徐徐拉開，大廳里的聚光燈都集中到了舞臺上的施坦威鋼琴上。而讓母親吃驚的是，她的兒子竟然坐在鋼琴前，自顧自地彈著《一閃一閃小星星》。這時候，著名的鋼琴大師走上臺，并且迅速地走到鋼琴旁邊，并在男孩的耳邊輕聲說道：“孩子，別停下，繼續彈。”

帕德瑞夫斯基俯下身去，用左手在鍵盤上彈奏低音部分。然后，他的右手繞過男孩的身后，彈奏出優美的伴奏。這位年長的鋼琴大師和年幼的初學者一起，將原本緊張的氣氛變成了一種全新的體驗。全場的觀眾都聽得入迷了。

其實，生活也是如此。我們所取得的成就不一定要多么顯著。我們盡力了，結果卻不一定能演奏出優美流暢的音樂。但是，如果我們相信大師的力量，我們的生活就會變得非常美麗。

下次當你準備完成偉大作品的時候，仔細地側耳傾聽，你會聽到大師的聲音，在你耳邊輕聲說道：“別停下，繼續彈！”

新鮮詞

1. progress 進步;發展

例如：We are making slow but steady progress. 我們雖然緩慢，但是在穩步前進。

2. spot認出;看出

例如：Can you spot the difference between these two pictures？ 你能不能看出這兩幅畫有什么不同？

3. seize 抓住;利用

例如：We should seize the precious chance. 我們應該抓住這個寶貴的機會。

4. quit 停止;放棄

例如：I’ve quit smoking. 我戒了煙。

5. mesmerized 著迷的

例如：He is still mesmerized by his new inventions. 他依然沉迷于自己的新發明。

6. accomplish 實現;達到;完成

例如：I think we could accomplish our goal. 我想我們能實現我們的目標。