When the time of daisies and buttercups came Miss Sullivan took me by the hand across the fields, where men were preparing the earth for the seed, to the banks of the Tennessee River, and there, sitting on the warm grass, I had my first lessons in the beneficence of nature. I learned how the sun and the rain make to grow out of the ground every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, how birds build their nests and live and thrive from land to land, how the squirrel, the deer, the lion and every other creature finds food and shelter. As my knowledge of things grew I felt more and more the delight of the world I was in. Long before I learned to do a sum in arithmetic or describe the shape of the earth, Miss Sullivan had taught me to find beauty in the fragrant woods, in every blade of grass, and in the curves and dimples of my baby sister’s hand. She linked my earliest thoughts with nature, and made me feel that “birds and flowers and I were happy peers.”
雏菊和毛茛的开花时节到来了，沙利文小姐牵着我的手穿过田野，向田纳西河边走去。人们正在田间耕地，准备播种。坐在温暖的草地上，我首次感受到大自然的恩惠。我懂得了阳光和雨露如何让树木成长，既使人悦目又为人提供食物；我明白了鸟儿们如何搭建巢穴生存繁衍，如何经迁徙而壮大；我也知道了松鼠、鹿和狮子等各种动物如何觅食，如何栖息。随着我对事物的了解日益增多，我越来越感到世界的美好。沙利文小姐教会我在芬芳的树林里、在每一片草叶上、在妹妹小手的凹痕和曲线中发现美，然后教我算术，教我勾画地球的形状。她将我的启蒙教育与大自然相联系，使我感到“花儿、鸟儿和我是快乐的伙伴”。
I recall many incidents of the summer of 1887 that followed my soul’s sudden awakening. I did nothing but explore with my hands and learn the name of every object that I touched; and the more I handled things and learned their names and uses, the more joyous and confident grew my sense of kinship with the rest of the world.
灵魂顿悟后的1887年夏天发生的许多事情，我至今仍然记忆犹新。我整天用双手去探索，记住触摸到的每一样物体的名称。我接触的东西越多，对它们的名称和用途了解得越多，我就越高兴、越自信，也就越发感觉自己与外界联系紧密。
Suddenly a change passed over the tree. All the sun’s warmth left the air. I knew the sky was black, because all the heat, which meant light to me, had died out of the atmosphere. A strange odour came up from the earth. I knew it, it was the odour that always precedes a thunderstorm, and a nameless fear clutched at my heart. I felt absolutely alone, cut off from my friends and the firm earth. The immense, the unknown, enfolded me. I remained still and expectant; a chilling terror crept over me. I longed for my teacher’s return; but above all things I wanted to get down from that tree.
忽然之间，树的上方发生了突变。天空中太阳不再温暖，我知道天色变暗了，因为所有的热度——对我而言意味着光，已经从周围消失。大地上升起一股怪味，我知道这通常是暴风雨来临的先兆，我感到莫名的恐惧。一种与朋友隔绝、同坚实大地分离的孤独感油然而生。我陷入了浩瀚而未知的自然之中，一动不动地等待着，内心充满了恐惧。我盼望着老师回来，可首先，我想从树上下来。
But about this time I had an experience which taught me that nature is not always kind. One day my teacher and I were returning from a long ramble. The morning had been fine, but it was growing warm and sultry when at last we turned our faces homeward. Two or three times we stopped to rest under a tree by the wayside. Our last halt was under a wild cherry tree a short distance from the house. The shade was grateful, and the tree was so easy to climb that with my teacher’s assistance I was able to scramble to a seat in the branches. It was so cool up in the tree that Miss Sullivan proposed that we have our luncheon there. I promised to keep still while she went to the house to fetch it.
但这期间的另一次经历让我感觉到，大自然并不总是那么友善。一天，我和老师在长距离散步后往回走。早上天气还不错，后来渐渐热起来，最后竟闷热难当。我们在路旁的树荫下小憩了两三次。最后一次停留是在离家不远的一棵野樱桃树下。此树枝叶茂密且易攀爬，在沙利文小姐的帮助下，我爬上树，坐在树枝上。树上很凉爽，沙利文小姐提议在那里吃午餐。我答应坐在树杈上不动，等她回家拿午饭。
There was a moment of sinister silence, then a multitudinous stirring of the leaves. A shiver ran through the tree, and the wind sent forth a blast that would have knocked me off had I not clung to the branch with might and main. The tree swayed and strained. The small twigs snapped and fell about me in showers. A wild impulse to jump seized me, but terror held me fast. I crouched down in the fork of the tree. The branches lashed about me. I felt the intermittent jarring that came now and then, as if something heavy had fallen and the shock had traveled up till it reached the limb I sat on. It worked my suspense up to the highest point, and just as I was thinking the tree and I should fall together, my teacher seized my hand and helped me down. I clung to her, trembling with joy to feel the earth under my feet once more. I had learned a new lesson — that nature’wages open war against her children, and under softest touch hides treacherous claws.”
一阵不祥的沉寂之后，树叶哗啦啦地响了起来。野樱桃树开始剧烈摇动，要不是我用尽力气紧抱住树枝，一阵狂风差点就把我刮下树来。树在摇晃，在变形。折断的小树枝雨点般向我飞来。我有一种往下跳的强烈冲动，但是惊骇又使我不敢有丝毫动弹。我蜷缩在树的桠杈之中，树枝击打着我。我不时感到断断续续的震动，像是什么重物坠落似的，震波从地面一直传到我身下的树干。正当我惊恐至极，以为自己会和树一起倒下时，沙利文小姐抓住了我的手，把我抱了下来。我紧紧抱住她，因为双脚再次踏上坚实的大地而兴奋得浑身战栗。从此，我对大自然又多了一层了解：“她会向儿女们开战，在最温柔的外表下隐藏着充满危险的利爪。”
After this experience it was a long time before I climbed another tree. The mere thought filled me with terror. It was the sweet allurement of the mimosa tree in full bloom that finally overcame my fears. One beautiful spring morning when I was alone in the summer-house, reading, I became aware of a wonderful subtle fragrance in the air. I started up and instinctively stretched out my hands. It seemed as if the spirit of spring had passed through the summer-house. “What is it?” I asked, and the next minute I recognized the odour of the mimosa blossoms. I felt my way to the end of the garden, knowing that the mimosa tree was near the fence, at the turn of the path. Yes, there it was, all quivering in the warm sunshine, its blossom-laden branches almost touching the long grass. Was there ever anything so exquisitely beautiful in the world before! Its delicate blossoms shrank from the slightest earthly touch; it seemed as if a tree of paradise had been transplanted to earth. I made my way through a shower of petals to the great trunk and for one minute stood irresolute; then, putting my foot in the broad space between the forked branches, I pulled myself up into the tree. I had some difficulty in holding on, for the branches were very large and the bark hurt my hands. But I had a delicious sense that I was doing something unusual and wonderful so I kept on climbing higher and higher, until I reached a little seat which somebody had built there so long ago that it had grown part of the tree itself. I sat there for a long, long time, feeling like a fairy on a rosy cloud. After that I spent many happy hours in my tree of paradise, thinking fair thoughts and dreaming bright dreams.
这次经历过去后许久我都没有再爬树，甚至一想到爬树就浑身发抖。直到有一天，金合欢盛开的芬芳让我难以抵挡诱惑，最终克服了恐惧心理。那是一个春光明媚的早晨，我正独自坐在凉亭里读书。一股奇异的清香扑鼻而来，如同春之精灵掠风穿亭而过，我站起身来，本能地伸出了双手。“这是什么？”我问道，但马上就分辨出这是金合欢的香味。我摸索着来到园子尽头，知道那株金合欢树就在篱笆附近小路的拐角处。确实，它就在那里！那缀满繁花的枝条在和煦的阳光下轻轻颤动，几乎触到地面上长长的绿草。世上难道还有什么比这更美妙的景色吗？那些娇柔的花儿只要轻轻一碰就会收缩，如同是天堂之树移植到了人间。我在落英缤纷中穿过，摸索着走近树干，站在那里犹豫了片刻，然后，一只脚踏到树杈上，我爬上了树。由于树干粗大，我无法抓牢，手被树皮擦破了。不过，我灵敏地感到自己在做一件妙不可言的非凡之事！我不断地往上爬，越爬越高，最后找到一个舒适的座位。那是很久前别人弄的座位，现在竟然长成了大树的一部分。我在上面待了很久很久，好像空中凌云的仙女一样。从那以后，我便常常来到我的天堂之树神思遐想，陶醉在自己美妙的梦境之中，度过了许多快乐时光。
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