"How do you account for your remarkable accomplishment in life?" Queen Victoria of England asked Helen Keller.
"How do you explain the fact that even though you were both blind and deaf, you were able to accomplish so much?"
英国维多利女王曾问海伦•凯勒:“ 你一生中获得如此卓越成就的原因是什么?你又聋又盲,你是如何取得如此巨大的成就的?”
Ms. Keller’s answer is a tribute to her dedicated teacher. "If it had not been for Anne Sullivan, the name of Helen Keller would have remained unknown."
凯勒女士将这一切归功于她那赋予奉献精神的老师。“如果没有安妮•沙利文, 海伦凯勒的名字也许永远不会为人所知。”
According to speaker Zig Ziglar, "Little Annie" Sullivan, as she was called when she was young, was no stranger to hardship. She was almost sightless herself (due to a childhood fever) and was, at one time, diagnosed as hopelessly "insane" by her by caregivers. She was locked in the basement of a mental institution outside of Boston. On occasion, Little Annie would violently attack anyone who came near. Most of the time she generally ignored everyone in her presence.
据金克•金克拉说,小安妮——沙利文幼时的名字——可是没少经历苦难。她自己因为儿时发高烧而几乎双目失明,且一度被看护者们诊断为精神失常,无法医治。她被所在波士顿城外一个精神医院的地下室里。有时,小安妮惠狂暴的攻击每一个靠近她的人,但多数时候她则对身边的每一个人不理不睬。
An elderly nurse believed there was hope, however, and she made it her mission to show love to the child. Every day she visited Little Annie. For the most part, the child did not acknowledge the nurse’s presence, but she still continued to visit. The kindly woman left cookies for her and spoke words of love and encouragement. She believed Little Annie could recover, if only she were shown love.
尽管如此,一位上了年纪的护士认为仍有希望。她把爱护这个孩子作为自己的职责,每天都去看小安妮。大多数时候,这孩子都意识不到护士的存在,但她仍旧不断地去看她。这位好心的女士给孩子留下饼干,对她说鼓励和慈爱的话语。她坚信,只要有爱,小安妮就一定能恢复正常。
Eventually, doctors noticed a change in the girl. Where they once witnessed anger and hostility, they now noted an emerging gentleness and love. They moved her upstairs where she continued to improve. Then the day finally came when this seemingly "hopeless" child was released.
终于,医生发现了小姑娘身上的变化。以往他们看到的是愤怒和敌意,但现在看到的确是逐渐显现的温顺和爱意。他们把她搬到了楼上,在那里,她的情况继续好转。终于有一天,这个看来无药可救的孩子出院了。