那一夜,这个城市里的人们到处都谈论着他,说那是一张在那里所见过的最平静的面孔.许多人还说他看上去是超然的,像先知一样.
不久前,同一斧头下的最杰出的受难者之一......一位女子......曾在这同一个断头台下请求准许,写下她当时激起的感想.如果他也被允许倾吐他的感想......他那先知般的预言,就会是这样:
"我看见巴萨德.克拉.德法热.复仇者,陪审官.法官,一长串在旧压迫者的毁灭之上兴起的新压迫者,在这复仇机器停止使用前,灭亡在它的下面.我看见一个美丽的城市,辉煌的民族从这深渊中兴起;在他们争取真正的自由的斗争中,历经了失败与胜利的长久岁月后,我看见这个时代的罪恶,以及自然生出这罪恶的以前时代的罪恶,渐渐自行补偿并消亡.
"我看见我为之牺牲的人们,幸福.平安.富裕.有益地生活在我将永远无法再见到的英格兰.我看见她,怀里抱着以我的名字命名的婴儿.我看见她的父亲,年迈而弓着背,但身心已复原,宁静而尽心地在诊所服务于一切病人.我看见那位善良的老人,他们多年的朋友,在十年中以他的所有使他们富足,然后平静地了结一生.
"我看见他们的心中为我保留着神圣的地位,乃至他们的后代,就这样世代相传.我看到她,一位年迈的妇人,在我的祭日为我而哭泣.我看见她及她丈夫,并列善终于他们最终的土床,我知道他们各自在对方灵魂中引起的敬仰都超不过我在他们灵魂中激起的敬仰.
"我看见她怀抱的婴儿,以我的名字而命名,在我往日的生命道路上往高处走着,直至成功.我看见他的成功是这样辉煌,以至于我的名字也由于他的光辉而变得辉煌.我看到我曾沾染在生命道路上的污点就此消褪殆尽.我看见他,一位最公正的法官,最受尊敬的人,携着一个男孩......也以我的名字命名,他有我熟悉的前额,金色的头发......来到这个地方,......到那时这里已变成一个美丽的地方,丝毫没有今日的残缺景象......我听到他向孩子讲述我的故事,声音温柔而哽咽.
"我今日所做的事远比我往日的所作所为更好,更好;我今日将享受的安息远比我所知的一切更好,更好."
It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far
better rest that I go to than I have ever known.
2012年5月7日星期一
双城记 (1)
那是最美好的时期，那是最堕落的时期；那是智慧的岁月，那是没有开化的岁月；那是信仰坚定的时代，那是怀疑一切的时代；那是阳光明媚的季节，那是黑夜深重的季节；那是满怀希望的春天，那是令人绝望的冬天；人们拥有一切，人们一无所有；人们直入天堂，人们直堕地狱...... 总而言之，那个时代与现在极其相似，以至于那时名噪一时的某些权威们坚持只用比较级中的最高级修辞形式对它进行评判，不论是好是坏。
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
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It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
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好多年前在买买提上看到一个人写回国见闻，半纪实半小说的形式。那篇见闻写得水平一般，现在我已经完全不记得里面都写了些什么了，但是见闻的开头引用了《双城记》的开篇做开头，給了我深刻的震撼。《双城记》是上大学的时候读的，除了中学英语课本里摘选的那一段，其它的我读过之后也都忘记了，对开篇也没有一点印象。最近因为读《艰难的制造》，重新找出来《双城记》做对照。现在重读，开篇給人的震撼依然如故。这几句话写得真好！
2011年12月30日星期五
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