海倫·凱勒自傳《我的生活》第65期
When a rainy day keeps me indoors, I amuse myself after the manner of other girls. I like to knit and crochet; I read in the happy-go-lucky way I love, here and there a line; or perhaps I play a game or two of checkers or chess with a friend. I have a special board on which I play these games. The squares are cut out, so that the men stand in them firmly. The black checkers are flat and the white ones curved on top. Each checker has a hole in the middle in which a brass knob can be placed to distinguish the king from the commons. The chessmen are of two sizes, the white larger than the black, so that I have no trouble in following my opponent's maneuvers by moving my hands lightly over the board after a play. The jar made by shifting the men from one hole to another tells me when it is my turn.
每當雨天把我困在家裏的時候，我就會學着其他姑娘們的樣子找點有趣的事幹幹。我喜歡用鉤針做一些女紅；我會以逍遙自在的方式瀏覽書籍，這裏看一行，那裏看一行；我也可能同朋友下盤跳棋或者國際象棋。我有一個專用木板棋盤，棋盤上的方格子都被重新雕琢過，這樣棋子就可以穩穩地立在上面。黑色的格子是平的，白色的格子則略微凸出；每一個格子的中心位置都有一個小孔，而其中的一個帶有黃銅小圓凸的格子則代表國王的位置。棋子也有兩種規格，白棋比黑棋要大一些，這樣我就能用手輕輕地在棋盤上摸索，辨別對手的棋路也不會有什麼困難。而移動棋子時的微弱振動則提醒我出棋的先後順序。If I happen to be all alone and in an idle mood, I play a game of solitaire, of which I am very fond. I use playing cards marked in the upper right-hand corner with braille symbols which indicate the value of the card.
如果碰巧遇到孤身一人且無所事事的情況，我就會興致盎然地玩一局單人紙牌遊戲。當然，在我使用的紙牌的右上角都印有盲文標記，以此可以表明紙牌的大小。If there are children around, nothing pleases me so much as to frolic with them. I find even the smallest child excellent company, and I am glad to say that children usually like me. They lead me about and show me the things they are interested in. Of course the little ones cannot spell on their fingers; but I manage to read their lips. If I do not succeed they resort to dumb show. Sometimes I make a mistake and do the wrong thing. A burst of childish laughter greets my blunder, and the pantomime begins all over again. I often tell them stories or teach them a game, and the wing閐 hours depart and leave us good and happy.
如果有小孩子在身邊，那麼再沒有比同他們嬉戲更讓我高興的事了。我發現即便是最小的孩子，也能成爲我的好夥伴，而且，我可以很榮幸地說，孩子們都喜歡和我一起玩。他們會領着我四處走動，還把他們感興趣的東西指給我看。當然，小一點的孩子還不會用手指拼寫句子，但是我可以設法讀懂他們的脣語。有時候我也無法領會他們的“啞語”，難免會做出錯誤的舉動，這時我的失誤就會遭到一陣孩子氣的鬨堂大笑，於是用手勢溝通的過程又重新開始。我通常會給他們講故事或者教他們做遊戲，幾個小時就這樣匆匆流逝，唯有快樂和滿足留存在每個人的心中。
Museums and art stores are also sources of pleasure and inspiration. Doubtless it will seem strange to many that the hand unaided by sight can feel action, sentiment, beauty in the cold marble; and yet it is true that I derive genuine pleasure from touching great works of art. As my finger tips trace line and curve, they discover the thought and emotion which the artist has portrayed. I can feel in the faces of gods and heroes hate, courage and love, just as I can detect them in living faces I am permitted to touch. I feel in Diana's posture the grace and freedom of the forest and the spirit that tames the mountain lion and subdues the fiercest passions. My soul delights in the repose and gracious curves of the Venus; and in Barr?s bronzes the secrets of the jungle are revealed to me.
博物館和藝術品商店是帶給我快樂和靈感的另一個源泉。很多人都覺得難以理解——在冷冰冰的大理石雕像面前，不憑藉視覺，單靠觸摸就能“看到”它的形態、情感和藝術魅力，這可能嗎？事實上，我的確從觸摸偉大藝術作品的過程中獲得了無上的快樂，這一點是確鑿無疑的。當我的指尖摸索着起伏的線條時，它們自會發現藝術家作畫時的想法和激情。我能在衆神和英雄們的臉上觸摸到仇恨、勇氣和愛憐的表情。當然，也只有在被允許觸摸的時候，我才能探查到雕像生動的面容。我在狄安娜的身姿中觸摸到了優雅和權威——這位主宰森林生靈的女神有本領馴化兇猛的山獅，也能懾服最狂暴的激情。在維納斯的優雅曲線和睡姿當中，我感受到了靈魂的喜悅；而芭利的青銅雕像則揭示了叢林的祕密。A medallion of Homer hangs on the wall of my study, conveniently low, so that I can easily reach it and touch the beautiful, sad face with loving reverence. How well I know each line in that majestic brow—tracks of life and bitter evidences of struggle and sorrow; those sightless eyes seeking, even in the cold plaster, for the light and the blue skies of his beloved Hellas, but seeking in vain; that beautiful mouth, firm and true and tender. It is the face of a poet, and of a man acquainted with sorrow. Ah, how well I understand his deprivation—the perpetual night in which he dwelt—
我書房的牆壁上懸掛着一尊荷馬的圓形浮雕，雕像掛得很低，因此我一伸手就可以觸摸到荷馬那張優美而悲傷的臉。雕像有着莊嚴的面目表情，我對臉部的每一根線條都瞭如指掌——生命的軌跡，掙扎的苦澀和憂傷；即使被凝固在冷冰冰的石膏中，（荷馬）那雙失明的眼睛仍然在探尋，只爲了他所至愛的明媚陽光、碧空如洗的希臘，然而尋找是徒勞的。荷馬的嘴輪廓優美，顯示出堅忍、誠實而溫柔的特質。這是一張詩人的臉，一張了解悲傷爲何物的男人的臉。哦，我是多麼理解他的失明之痛啊——與之相伴的唯有永恆的黑夜：
