I Still Matter《我依然重要》·John
为你读英语美文 · 第511期 主播:John 录制地点:纽约 John McAuley是严喆本科时的外教,曾在2015年为我们带来过第69期节目《The Daffodil Principle水仙花法则》,第120期《回顾2015》,2016年第144期《毕业赠言》,2018年《我为什么而活》。John曾在联合国总部工作,后来分别在非洲,日本,大连,台湾,香港工作和生活过,现在回到了家乡纽约。 从大连到上海,再到德国,这十多年来,严喆从本科读到博士,如今以访问学者的身份往返于中国和德国,也一直和John保持着亦师亦友的联系。当严喆读到I Still Matter 这首诗的时候,曾研究养老课题的他十分触动,我们终将老去,但我们将以什么样的心态面对衰老? John今年72岁,有着丰富的人生阅历,邀请他读这首诗再合适不过。严喆在德国沟通,John在美国朗读,永清在中国后期。跨越三个大洲,三个不同的时区,有了这期节目。 做完后期,John听完节目后,发来信息: Thank you for reconnecting again, Yongqing and Yanzhe. I greatly enjoy my occasional collaboration with you. You chose a very poignant poem for your latest broadcast, and I believe it will touch the hearts of many. May the good effects of the work you do return to you a thousand times over! Your connected, but unmet friend, John McA. I Still Matter 《我依然重要》 作者:Patricia A Fleming I'm still here 我还在这里 My looks are nothing special, My face reveals my age, My body shows some wear and tear, And my energy's not the same. 我的长相并无特别之处、 我的容颜暴露了我的年龄、 我的身体有些磨损 精力不济 Too often my memory fails me, And I lose things all the time. One minute I know what I plan to do, And the next it may just slip my mind. 我的记忆经常出错 我总是丢三落四 前一分钟我还知道要做什么 下一秒就可能忘得一干二净。 I try hard to avoid my mirror. There are things I would rather not see, And even those times when I just catch a glimpse, I can no longer recognize me. 我努力避免照镜子 有些事情我不想看到 即使我只是瞥了一眼 我已经认不出自己了 The things I used to do with ease Can now cause aches and pains, And the quality of the things I do Will never be quite the same. 我过去轻而易举地做的事情 现在也会引起疼痛、 我做事情的质量 永远不会再像从前一样。 I always compare my older self To those younger versions of me, And I know I'm wasting too much time Missing who I used to be. 我总是拿年老的自己 与年轻时的自己相比 我知道我浪费了太多时间 怀念曾经的自己 But the thing that really makes me sad Is despite what people see, Underneath my tattered, worn out shell, I'm still the same old me. 但真正让我难过的是 尽管人们看到 在我破烂不堪的外表下 我还是原来的我 My heart can still feel endless love, And at times it still can ache. My heart can fill with so much joy, And then it can suddenly break. 我的心依然能感受到无尽的爱 有时也会心痛 我的心可以充满欢乐 然后突然破碎 My soul can still feel sympathy And longs for forgiveness and peace, And there are times its light shines boldly through, And times when it longs for release. 我的灵魂仍能感到同情 渴望宽恕与和平 有时它的光芒也会肆意闪耀 也有渴望释放的时候。 It's true, maybe now that I'm older, Feeling lonely may be status quo, But it also has made me more willing To forgive and let past conflicts go. 这是真的,也许现在我老了、 感到孤独可能是现状、 但这也让我更愿意 原谅和放下过去的冲突。 So maybe to some I look ugly and old, A person who barely exists. I'm still quite aware of the beauty inside, And my value should not be dismissed. 也许在某些人看来,我又老又丑、