英语美文：The Five Boons of Life

以下是小编整理的情感类英语美文欣赏：The Five Boons of Life， 希望使你的心灵有所触动。

　The Five Boons of Life

In the morning of life came a good fairy with herbasket,and said:"Here are gifts. Take one, leave theothers,And be wary,choose wisely!For only one ofthem is valuable."

The gifts were five :Fame, Love,Riches,Pleasure, youth,said,eagerly:"Thereis no need to consider";and he chose Pleasure.

He went out into the world and sought out thepleasures that youth delights in . But each in its turnwas short-liyed and disappointing,vain and empty;and each,departing,mocked him the endhe said:"These years i have i could but choose again, I would choose wisely."

在生命之初，一位仙女带着篮子走来，对一位年轻人说道："这里有几份礼物，你可以从中选一份，留下其它的.你要小心，做一个明智的选择;啊，你要明智地进行选择!因为这里面只有一份礼物是珍贵的."

一共有五份礼物：名声，爱情，财富，快乐，还有死亡.年轻人迫不及待地说："没有必要多想."他选了快乐.

此后他就开始步入世界，追逐年轻人所喜爱的快乐.然而每一种快乐都是如此短暂，令人感到空虚和失望.每当一种快乐弃他而去时，还要把他嘲弄一番.最后，年轻人感叹道"这些年我都浪费了.如果我可以再选一次，我一定会做一个明智的选择."

2

The fairy appeared,and said:"Four of the gifts se once more:and oh,remember--time is flying,and only one of them is precious."

The man considered long,then chose Love;and did not mark the tears that rose in the fairy'seyes.

After many,many years the man sat by a coffin,in an empty he communed withhimself,saying:"One by one they have gone away and leftme;and now she lies here,the dearestand the lation after desolation has swept over me;but each hour of happiness thetreacherous trader,Love,sold me i have paid a thousand hours ofo grief!Out of my heart ofhearts i curse him!"

这时仙女又出现了，她说："这里还有四份礼物.再选一次吧.噢，记住时间飞逝，而其中只有一件是珍贵的."

他思考了很久，最终选择了爱情;他没有注意到仙女眼里泛起的泪光.许多许多年之后，这个人坐在一口棺材旁边，屋子里空荡荡的.他自言自语道："他们一个一个地走了，只剩下我.现在，她就躺在这儿，我最亲爱的人儿，我最后的亲人.孤独一次又一次把我包围.都是因为爱情这个阴狡诈的商人，他出售给我的每个甜蜜的小时，我现在都要用数千个小时的悲伤来偿还!我从心底里诅咒他!"

3

"Choose again."It was the fairy speaking."The years have you wisdow-surely it must e gifts one of them has anyworth-remember it ,and choose warily."

The man reflected long,then chose Fame;and the fairy,sighing,went her way.

Years went by and she came again,and stood behind the man where he sat solitary in thefading day, she knew his thought:"My name filled the world,and its praiss were onevery tongue,and it seemed well with me for a little a while it was!Then cameenvy;then detraction;then hate;then derision,which is the begining of last of all came pity,which is the funeral of ,the bitterness and misery ofrenown!"

"你在选一次吧."仙女又一次说话了.

"这些年已经教予你智慧--也理当如此.这里还有三份礼物，其中只有一份是有价值的--切记，你好好挑吧."

他想了很久，然而选择了名声.仙女叹了口气，径自离开了.岁月流转，仙女又回来了，站到他的身旁.已迈入迟暮之年的他孑然一身，心情重重.他在想些什么，她都了然于心.

"我的名字传遍世界，每个人都争相赞颂，有一阵子好像让我心满足.可那是多么短暂的一阵子啊!随之而来的是妒忌;然后是诋毁;然后是憎恶;然后是迫害.之后是嘲讽，从些一切开始步入完结.最后便是怜悯，这也是我的名声的葬礼.啊，名声原来是这般苦涩和痛苦!"

4

"Choose yet again."It was the fairy's voice. "Two gifts do not despair thebegining there was but one that was precious,and it is still here.

"Wealth-which is power!How blind i was!"said the man."Now,at last,life will be worth the l e mockers and despisers will crawl in the dirt before me,and i will feedmy hungry heart with their envy,I will have all luxuries,all joys,all enchant-times of the spirit Iwill buy,buy,buy!I have lost much time,and chosen badly heretofore,but let that pass;I wasignorant then,and could but take for best what seemed so."

Three short years went by,and a day came when the man sat shivering in a mean garret;and hewas gaunt and wan and hollow-eyed,and clothed in rags;and he was gnawing a dry crust andmumbling:"Curse all the world's gifts for mockeries and gilded lies!And miscalled,every one,Theyare not gifts,but merely ,es:they are but temporary disguisesfor lasting realities-Pain,Grief,Shame, fairy said true;in all her store there was butone gift which was precious,only one that was not valueless,How poor and cheap and mean iknow those others now to be,Bring it!I am weary.I would rest."

"不过你还可以重新现挑一次."仙女的声音再度响起.

"还剩下两份礼物.不要灰心丧气，从一开始就只有一份是宝贵的，而现在它还在那里啊."

"财富--财富就是力量!我过去多盲目啊!"他说."现在，终于，我的生命将要变得有意义.我要纵情欢度此生，我要挥霍我的人生.那些对我冷嘲热讽，轻蔑诋毁我的人将要在我面前的泥土里挣扎，而我空乏的心也将因为他们的妒忌而得到满足.我将要享尽荣华富贵，所有欢乐和所有销魂的时光.我要买，买!以前我做错了选择，失去了许多时间，就让它过去吧;当时我很无知，我只能选我觉得最好的东西.

短短的三年又过去了.到了这么一天，这个人蜷缩在一个简陋的小阁楼里，古瘦如柴，苍白无力，双眼深陷，身上裹着碎布衣衫，浑身颤抖不停.他一边啃着一块干面包皮，一边咕哝着："该死的礼物，都是为了让我受人嘲笑和欺诈!每一样都叫错了!它们都不是礼物，根本只是租借品!快乐，爱情，名声还有财富-都只不过是长久现实的暂时伪装-它们其实是永远的痛苦，悲哀，耻辱和贫穷!那个仙女说的没错啊，她所有的东西里只有一样是珍贵的，只有那么一样不是毫无价值的.我现在才明白，其它礼物是多么低贱与卑劣!把它带来吧-那真正宝贵的礼物!我累了，我想休息了.

5

The fairy came,bringing again four of the gifts,but Death was said:"I gave it to amother's pet, a little was ignorant,but trusted me,asking me to choose for didnot ask me to choose."

"Oh,miserable me!What is left for me ?"

"What not even you have deserved:the wantoninsult of Old Age."

仙女出现了，带着以前的那四件礼物，但惟独没有最后那一件-死亡.她说道："我把它给了一位母亲的宠儿子：一个小孩子.他什么也不懂，但他相信我，让我来帮他挑选.而你并没有这么做."

"啊，我多可悲啊!那还剩下什么给我呢?"

"一件你也不配得到的东西：接受年老体衰的折磨.