名篇背诵：The Lesson of a Tree 一棵树的启示

The Lesson of a Tree 一棵树的启示

沃尔特·惠特曼(Walter Whitman)

I should not take either the biggest or the most picturesque tree to illustrate it. Here is one of my favorites now before me, a fine yellow poplar, quite straight, perhaps 90 feet high, and four thick at the butt . How strong, vital, enduring! How dumbly eloquent! What suggestions of imperturbability and being , as against the human trait of mere seeming . Then the qualities, almost emotional, palpably artistic, heroic, of a tree; so innocent and harmless, yet so savage. It is, yet says nothing. How it rebukes by its tough and equable serenity all weathers, this gusty-temper'd little whiffet , man that runs indoors at a mite of rain or snow. Science (or rather half-way science) scoffs at reminiscence of trees speaking. But, if they don't, they do as well as most speaking, writing, poetry, sermons — or rather they do a great deal better. Go and sit in a grove or woods, with one or more of those voiceless companions, and read the foregoing, and think.

- butt [bʌt] n. 底端，树桩

- imperturbability [ˌɪmpəˌtɜːbəˈbɪlətɪ] n. 沉着冷静，泰然自若

the human trait of mere seeming 人生的浮华表象

gusty-temper'd little whiffet 无用小东西

- scoff [skɒf] v. 讥讽，嘲笑

我不拿最高大的树，也不拿最漂亮的树，来加以说明，在我跟前的就是我最喜欢的北美鹅掌楸，笔直笔直的，也许高达九十英尺，底端有四英尺粗。它是多么粗壮，多么生机勃勃，多么有忍耐性！它不说话却有雄辩之才，体现出泰然自若，跟人类耍弄机巧、粉饰外表的特性形成对照。树的秉性，几乎是情感丰富，有鲜明的艺术气质，有英勇无畏的气概；它洁白无害，却颇有野性。它自立自在，默然无语。这个历经风雨的小东西，无论是风和日丽还是雨雪交加，它都坚忍不拔，安详泰然，相比之下，下了一点点小雨雪慌忙钻到室内躲避的人类是多么猥琐渺小。科学（倒不如说半瓶子醋科学）嘲笑树会讲话的旧事。但是，即便它们不说话，却同大部分的话语、文章、诗歌、布道说得一样好，甚至要深刻得多。到一个小树林或森林里坐坐，同一个或更多的那些无声的伙伴一起，读读前面的话，好好想想。