John Ruskin
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. Then 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 stages 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.
The days of his youth appeared like dreams before him, and he recalled the serious moment when his father placed him at the entrance 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 poisonous snakes hissed and crawled.
He looked towards the sky and cried painfully, “O youth, return! O my father, place me once more at the entrance to life, and I’ll choose the better way!” But both his father and the days of his youth had passed away.
He saw the lights flowing away in the darkness. These were the days of his wasted life; he saw a star fall down 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, who entered on life together with him. But they had made their way to success and were now honoured and happy on this New Year’s Night.
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 look towards that 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!”
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.
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: “O youth, return! Oh give me back my early days!”
兩條道路
約翰.羅斯金
那是一個除夕之夜，一位老人站在窗前。他悲傷地望著天空，望著深藍色的天空，繁星像百合花一樣漂浮在清澈平靜的天空之湖里。他望著地面，卻沒有幾個像他這樣絕望的，奔向唯一的終點――墳墓的人。在通往生命終點的旅途中，他已經走過了六十個驛站，收獲的卻只有過失和悔恨。如今他的健康不佳，精神空虛，內心痛苦，晚年的生活并不舒適。
年輕的時光像夢一樣在浮現在眼前，他回想起那個關鍵的時刻，父親把他帶到人生的岔路口，有兩條路擺在他面前：一條通往一個寧靜的、陽光燦爛的地方，那里滿是花果，柔和甜美的歌手回響在空中;另一條卻通往一個黑暗無底的洞穴，那里流淌的不是清水，而是毒汁，那里惡魔肆虐，毒蛇橫行。
他仰望著天空，痛苦地哭喊道：“啊，青春，回來吧!啊，父親，重新把我帶到生命的起點吧，我會選擇另一條更好的路!”可是，他的父親連同青春，都已經離開他了。
他看到黑暗中點點光亮被吞沒，那些是他虛度的日子;他看見一顆星星從天上墜落，消失了，那他的象征。悔恨，像一把鋒利的劍，深深刺入他的心臟。他想起那些童年時的伙伴，那些同他一起踏上生命的旅途的人們，如今都是成功的、受人尊重的。此刻，他們都沉浸在除夕的幸福中。
教堂高塔上的鐘聲敲響了，這讓他想起了小時父母的愛，那些諄諄教誨，那些他們為他的幸福所做的禱告。可是他選擇了一條錯誤的路。羞愧和悲傷使他不敢再奢望父親所居住的天堂。他昏暗的眼睛飽含了淚水，他絕望地奮力哭喊：“回來吧，我逝去的歲月!回來啊!”
不過這次他的青春真的回來了。因為所有這一切只不過是除夕夜他做的一場夢而已。他仍然年輕，盡管確實犯過錯誤，不過仍然沒有進入那黑暗的洞穴，他仍然可以選擇那條通往安寧和光明的道路。
正在人生路口徘徊，猶豫著是否選擇光明之路的年輕人啊!請記住，當時光已逝，你的雙腳在黑暗的山間舉步維艱、跌跌撞撞的時候，你會痛苦地呼喊：“啊，青春!回來!啊，把我逝去的日子還給我吧!”可是，那一切都是沒用的!
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