It was New Year’s night .An aged man was standing at a window. He raised his mournful eyes towards the deep blue sky, where the stars were floating like white lilies on the surface of a clear calm lake. When he cast them on the earth where few more hopeless people than himself now moved towards their certain goal-the tomb. He had already passed sixty of the age leading to it, and he had brought from his journey nothing but errors and remorse. Now his health was poor, his mind vacant, his heart sorrowful, and his old age short of comforts.
这是新年的夜晚一位老人站在窗边，忧伤的眼睛眺望着深蓝的天空空中的繁星，犹如漂浮在清澈如镜的湖面上的朵朵百合。他慢慢将目光投向地面。此刻，没有什么人比他还绝望。他即将迈向他最终的归宿——坟墓。他已走过通向坟墓的六十级台阶，除了错误和悔恨，他一无所获。现在他体弱多病，精神空虚，心哀神伤，人到晚年却无所慰藉。
The days of his youth appeared like dream before him, and he recalled the serious moment when his father placed him at the entrances of the two roads One leading to a peaceful, sunny place covered with flowers, fruits and resounding with soft, sweet songs; the other leading to a deep dark cave which was endless, where poison flowed instead of water and where devils and poison snakes hissed and crawled.
年轻岁月，如梦般展现在他面前，老人想起父亲把他带到岔路口的那个庄严时刻。一条路通向安宁、快乐的世界，鲜花遇布，果实丰硕，甜美轻柔的歌声在空中回荡;另一条路则通向幽深黑暗，没有尽头的洞，洞内流淌着的不是水而是毒液，群魔乱舞，毒蛇嘶嘶爬动。
He looked towards the sky and cried painfully,"0h youth, return! Oh, my father, place me once more at the entrance to life and I’II chose the better way! "But both his father and the days of his youth had passed away.
他仰望星空，痛苦地大喊：“啊，青春，回来吧!啊，父亲，再一次带我到人生的岔路口吧，我会选一条更好的道路。”但是，他的父亲和他的青春岁月都已一去不复返了。
He saw the lights flowing away in the darkness, and these were the days of his wasted life; he saw a star fall from the sky and disappeared, and this was the symbol of himself .His remorse which was like a sharp arrow struck deeply into his heart. Then he remembered his friends in his childhood, which entered life together with him. But they had made their way to success and were now honored and happy on this New Year’s night.
他看到灯光在黑暗中流逝，就像他挥霍掉的往昔;他看到一颗流星自天边坠落，消失不见，就像是他的化身。无尽的悔恨，像一支利箭，深刺心间。他又记起和自己一同迈入人生之途的儿时玩伴，j但他们已功成名就，在这个新年之夜，倍受尊崇，幸福快乐。
The clock in the high church tower struck and the sound made him remember his parents’ early love for him. They had taught him and prayed to God for his good. But he chose the wrong way with shame and grief he dared no longer to look towards the heaven where his father lived. His darkened eyes were full of tears, and with a despairing effort. He burst out a cry:"Come back, my early days! Come back! "
高高的教堂钟楼传来钟声，这声音使他记起父母早年对他的疼爱：他们教育他，为他祈祷。然而，他却选择了错误的道路：羞愧和悲哀使他再也没有勇气仰望父亲所在的天堂：黯淡的双眼溢满了泪水，他绝望地嘶声大呼：“回来吧，我的往昔!回来吧!”
And his youth did return for all this was only a dream which he had on New Year’s night. He was still young though his faults were real. He had not yet entered the deep dark cave, and he was still free to walk on the road which leads to the peaceful and sunny land.
他的青春真的回来了，所有这些只是一个梦，一个他在新年之夜所做的梦，他仍然年轻，虽然他犯的错误是真实的;他尚未走入那幽深黑暗的洞穴，还有自由选择通向安宁、快乐的道路：
Those who still linger on the entrance of life hesitating to choose the bright road remember that when years are passed and your feet stumble on the dark mountains. You will cry bitterly, but in vain."0h youth return! Oh give me back my early days! "
仍在人生路口徘徊，仍在为是否应当选择光明坦途而犹豫不决的人们啊，请记住：当青春不再，当你在黑暗的山岭间跌倒时，你会痛苦地呼喊：“啊，青春，回来吧!啊，还给我往昔吧!”此时，一切已是徒劳。
【1227精读笔记】
1.mournful [’mɔːnfʊl; -f(ə)l] adj. 悲哀的
eg:He looked mournful, even near to tears.
他看上去很悲伤，几乎要掉泪了。
2.vacant[’veɪk(ə)nt] adj. 茫然的
eg:She had a kind of vacant look on her face.
在她脸上有一种茫然的表情。
3.youth [juːθ] n. 年轻
eg:In my youth my ambition had been to be an inventor.
在我年轻时我的抱负曾是当一名发明家。
4.burst [bɜːst] n.爆发 v. 突发;爆炸
eg:A dam burst and flooded their villages.
一个大坝决堤，淹没了他们的村子。
【1226重点单词回顾】
1.mourning [’mɔːnɪŋ] n. 哀痛
2.lovebird [’lʌvbɜːd] n. [鸟] 多情鹦鹉;喻意：恋爱中的人
3.ointment [’ɒɪntm(ə)nt]n. 药膏;[药] 油膏
4.respective [rɪ’spektɪv] adj.各自的
5.diamond [’daɪəmənd] n. 钻石
6.Valentines’ Day情人节
【温馨提醒：更多经常阅读，请到往期内容中查阅噢】
PS：更多英语学习:
优美句型提炼
1 .Now his health was poor, his mind vacant, his heart sorrowful, and his old age short of comforts.
英语点睛：省略相同成分使句子更加精练。
2. He saw the lights flowing away in the darkness, and these were the days of his wasted life; he saw a star fall from the sky and disappeared, and this was the symbol of himself.
英语点睛：采用排比结构，增强表达的气势，使平淡无奇的文字变得更加震撼人心。
3. Those who still linger on the entrance of life, hesitating to choose the bright road, remember that when years are passed and your feet stumble on the dark mountains, you will cry bitterly, but in vain.
英语点睛：Those who still..., hesitating to remember that...you will...在文章结尾处使用这种结构可起到总结概括和画龙点睛的作用。
学习更多：
1.Histories make men wise poets witty the mathematics subtle, natural philosophy deep; moral grav logic and rhetoric able to contend.
(描写读书、学习的好处)读史使人明智，读诗使人灵秀，数学使人周密，科学使人深刻，伦理学使人庄重，逻辑修辞之学使人善辩。
2.We saw the forests disappearing at an alarming rate: we saw water being wasted and polluted; we saw white plastics bags swirling in the wild wind.
(描写环境破坏)我们看到树木以惊人的速度消失眼前;我们看到水资源遭受浪费和污染;我们看到白色塑料袋在狂风中漫天飞舞。
3. Those who still waste life no doubt and fear. Fooling around here and there, remember that when the days of youth are passed. You will be too late to feel regretful.
(提醒人们切勿浪费时间)仍在疑虑中虚度年华，仍在到处游手好闲的人们啊，请记住：当青春不再，后悔也来不及了。
