为你读书：《最美丽的花》The most beautiful flower

 

原文（节选）欣赏

 A young boy out of breath approached me, all tired from play. He stood right before me with his head tilted down and said with great excitement, “Look what I found!”

一个小男孩上气不接下气地走近我，看样子玩得很累。他就站在我的正前方，歪着脑瓜激动地说：“看，我找到的东西!”

In his hand was a flower, and what a pitiful sight, with its petals all worn—not enough rain, or too little light. Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play, I faked a small smile and then shifted away.

他手中拿着一枝花，真可怜，花瓣全掉光了，看起来不是雨水不够，就是光照不足。我假装笑了笑把脸转向一边，希望他拿着那枯死的花到一边玩去。

But instead of retreating he sat down next to my side and placed the flower to his nose and declared with surprise, “It sure smells pretty and it's beautiful, too. That's why I picked it; here, it's for you.”

可是他不但没有离开反而挨着我坐了下来，他把那枝花放到鼻子下面闻了一下惊奇地说道：“这枝花真香!也很漂亮，所以我把它采下来，送给你吧。”

The weed before me was dying or dead，not vibrant of colors, orange, yellow or red. But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave. So I reached for the flower, and replied, “Just what I need.”

我面前的这枝花已是半枯，差不多全枯了，没有任何鲜艳的橘黄色、黄色或者红色。但是我知道我必须接过那枝花，否则他是不会离开的，所以我伸手去接那枝花，应声说：“这正是我想要的。”

 

 

But instead of him placing the flower in my hand, he held it mid-air without reason or plan. It was then that I noticed for the very first time, that the boy could not see: he was blind.

可是他没有把花放到我的手里，而是无缘无故将花举到半空中。就在这时我第一次注意到这个男孩看不见：他是一个盲人。

I heard my voice quiver, tears shone like the sun. As I thanked him for picking the very best one, “You're welcome,” he smiled, and then ran off to play, unaware of the impact he'd had on my day.

我听到自己的声音有些发颤，眼睛里闪现出晶莹的泪光。我感谢他摘了最好的一朵花送给我。他笑了笑说：“不客气”，然后就跑到一边去玩了,没有意识到他对我那一天的影响有多深。

Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see, the problem was not with the world; the problem was with me. And for all of those times I myself had been blind, I vowed to see beauty. 

透过那个盲孩的眼睛，最终我明白了问题不在于这个世界，而在于我自己。就那些日子来说，我才算是一个盲人。因此我发誓要去发现生活中的美。