我非常喜欢这篇文章。
Two Roads
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 was the lights flowing away in the darkness. 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, 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 live. 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!"
新年的夜晚。一位老人伫立在窗前。他悲戚地举目遥望苍天，繁星宛若玉色的百合漂浮在澄静的湖面上。老人又低头看看地面，几个比他自己更加无望的生命正走向它们的归宿——坟墓。老人在通往那块地方的路上，也巳经消磨掉六十个寒暑了。在那旅途中，他除了有过失和澳悔之外，再也没有得到任何别的东西。他老态龙钟，头脑空虚，心绪忧郁，一把年纪折磨着老人。
年轻时代的情景浮现在老人眼前，他回想起那庄严的时刻，父亲将他置于两条道路的入口——一条路通往阳光灿烂的升平世界，田野里丰收在望，柔和悦耳的歌声四方回荡；另一条路却将行人引入漆黑的无底深渊，从那里涌流出来的是毒液而不是泉水，蛇蟒满处蠕动，吐着舌箭。
老人仰望昊天，苦悸地失声喊道：“青春啊，回来！父亲哟，把我重新放回人生的入口吧，我会选择一条正路的！”可是，父亲以及他自己的黄金时代却一去不复返了。
他看见阴暗的沼泽地上空闪烁着幽光，那光亮游移明灭，瞬息即逝了。那是他轻抛浪掷的年华。他看见天空中一颗流星陨落下来，消失在黑暗之中。那就是它自身的象征。徒然的懊丧像一支利箭射穿了老人的心脏。他记起了早年和自己一同踏入生活的伙伴们，他们走的是高尚、勤奋的道路，在这新年的夜晚，载誉而归，无比快乐。
高耸的教堂钟楼鸣钟了，钟声使他回忆起儿时双亲对他这浪子的疼爱，他想起了发蒙时父母的教诲，想起了父母为他的幸福所作的祈祷。强烈的羞愧和悲伤使他不敢再多看一眼父亲居留的天堂。老人的眼睛黯然失神，泪珠儿泫然坠下，他绝望地大声呼唤：“回来，我的青春！回来呀！”
老人的青春真的回来了。原来，刚才那些只不过是他在新年夜晚打盹儿时做的一个梦。尽管他确实犯过一些错误，眼下却还年轻。他虔诚地感谢上天，时光仍然是属于他自己的，他还没有堕入漆黑的深渊，尽可以自由地踏上那条正路，进入福地洞天，丰硕的庄稼在那里的阳光下起伏翻浪。
依然在人生的大门口徘徊逡巡，踌躇着不知该走哪条路的人们，记住吧，等至岁月流逝，你们在漆黑的山路上步履踉跄时，再来痛苦地叫喊，“青春啊，回来！还我韶华！”那只能是徒劳的了。
[欣赏]
让·保尔·里克特简介（1763～1825），原名佛利德利希·里克特，让·保尔·里克特是他的笔名。其散文颇为精致，《两条路》是佳作之一。在一个新年的夜晚，有一位年已花甲的老人，当他伫立窗前，遥望苍天，回首以往虚掷的年华时，泪下如注，“早年和自己一同踏入生活的伙伴们，他们走的是高尚、勤奋的道路，在这新年的夜晚，载誉而归，无比快乐。”可自己，“除了有过失和懊悔之外，再也没有得到任何别的东西”。仰望昊天，老人多么懊悔，多么哀痛，他多么希望父亲重新把他“好回人生的入口”，那时，他“会选择一条正路的”。然而......“父亲以及他自己的黄金时代却一去不复返了”。正因为这样，老人悲切地呼唤道：“回来，我的青春！回来呀！”
正当我们也如同文中老人一样，为他失去了青春而不能挽回痛心时，情景出现了转机：“老人的青春真的回来了。原来，刚才那些只不过是他在新年夜晚打盹儿时做的一个梦。尽管他确实犯过一些错误，眼下却还年轻。”这篇文章的构思很巧妙，文章大部分内容以写实的手法去写梦。临近结尾了，情节出人意料地一转，写现实。这样写，情节有波澜，不落俗套。当然，读了这篇散文后，也许有的同学会想：倘若文章中写的不是梦，“老人”虚掷的年华真的无法挽回，那该是怎样的一种悲哀呢？是啊，同学们，你们还都年轻，还都刚刚踏入人生旅途的起点。你们不妨问问自己：自己选择的是一条人生的正路吗？相信你们一定会很好地把握自己的人生的。
Do you know I was very sad when I saw the number... If it is really hard to continue,give it up,or I will feel sorry.
马克一下~~~
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