世界上最优美的散文--人生短篇-第24章
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e a few minutes before； so death was now as strange。 the moth having righted himself now lay most decently and uncomplainingly composed。 o yes； he seemed to say； death is stronger than i am。
第1卷 第九章
《海鸥乔纳森。利文斯顿》节选
理查德。贝奇
理查德。贝奇曾是一位飞行员，参加过二战，后从事写作。本文节选自他的寓言体小说 《海鸥乔纳森。利文斯顿》。
大多数海鸥只要学会最简单的飞行本领就行了——怎样从岸上飞出去觅食，再飞回来。 对多数海鸥来说，重要的不是飞，而是吃。可是，对于这只海鸥而言，重要的是飞，而不是 吃。海鸥乔纳森。利文斯顿喜爱飞行胜于其他一切。
他发现自己的这种思想不会受到同类欢迎。他整天独自练习飞行，做几百次低飞滑翔， 连他的父母都为此感到灰心。
比如，他自己也不知道为什么，只要他飞翔在离水面不到翼展一半的高度时，他在空中 停留的时间就会更长，用的力气也更小，这样他就不需要用脚朝下溅落海中的一般方式落水 ，而可以两脚呈流线型紧贴身体，在水面上留下长而平滑的波纹，然后落水。他在沙滩上滑 翔着陆时开始用两脚紧贴身体的方法，然后步测在沙面上滑行的长度。他的父母见了，也实 在不知怎么办才好。
“怎么啦，乔恩！怎么啦？”他母亲问道，“难道像别的海鸥那样就这么难吗，乔恩？ 低飞是鹈鹕和信天翁的事，你为什么学这个？你怎么不吃东西呢？孩子，你都瘦得皮包骨头 了。”
“我不在乎瘦得像皮包骨头，妈妈。我只是想知道，当我在空中时能做什么，不能做什 么，就是这样，我只是想了解而已。”
“你瞧，乔纳森，”他父亲亲切地说，“冬天快来了，船只要减少了，海面上的鱼也要 往深处游了。如果你一定要学，那就学学觅食吧。飞行这种事虽然好，可你不能拿滑翔当饭 吃吧。别忘了，你飞行的目的就是为了觅食。”
乔纳森顺从地点点头。以后几天，他尽量学其他海鸥的样子，他真的这么做了，他同鸥 群一起，围绕着码头和渔船，尖叫着争夺食物吃，扎到海里，抢点碎鱼和面包渣。可这对他 行不通。
他有意把好不容易才弄到的一条鲤鱼扔给一只追逐他的饥饿的老海鸥。他想，这真没意 思，我可以用这些时间来学飞行。有很多东西需要学习！
……
“这儿为什么没有那么多的海鸥呢。呃，在我原来住的那个地方有”
“……我知道有成千上万只海鸥。”沙利文摇摇头，“乔纳森，我惟一知道的答案是， 你是万里挑一的好鸟儿。我们中间的大多数都是姗姗来迟。大多数鸟儿从一个世界进入另一 个几乎完全相同的世界，立刻就忘了是来自哪里，也不在乎到哪里去，只顾眼前。你是否知 道，要初步领悟生活中比充饥、战斗、争权更重要的事，我们要经过多少次生活经历吗？乔 ，要经过一千次一万次呢！然后还要经过一百次，才能领悟到，存在着尽善尽美这样的东西 。然后再经过一百次，才会认识到，追求尽善尽美就是我们生活的目的，使之彰明昭著…… ”
excerpts from “jonathan
livingstone seagull〃
richard d。 bach
most gulls don't bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flight — h ow to get from shore to food and back again。 for most gulls； it is not flying th at matters； but eating。 for this gull； though； it was not eating that mattered； but flight。 more than anything else； jonathan livingston seagull loved to fly。
this kind of thinking； he found； is not the way to make one's self popular w ith other birds。 even his parents were dismayed as jonathan spent whole days alo ne； making hundreds of lowlevel glides； experimenting。
he didn't know why； for instance； but when he flew at altitudes less than ha lf his wingspan above the water； he could stay in the air longer with less effor t。 his glides ended not with the usual feetdown splash into the sea； but with long flat wake as he touched the surface with him feet tightly streamlined again st his body。 when he began sliding in to feetup landings on the beach then pac ing the length of his slide in the sand； his parents were very much dismayed ind eed。
“why； jon； why。〃 his mother asked。 “why is it so hard to be like the rest of the flock； jon。 why can't you leave low flying to the pelicans； the albatross 。 why don't you eat。 son； you're bone and feathers！〃
“i don't mind being bone and feathers； mom。 i just want to know what i can do in the air and what i can't； that's all。 i just want to know。〃
“see here； jonathan；〃 said his father； not unkindly。 “winter isn't far awa y。 boats will be few； and the surface fish will be swimming deep。 it you must st udy； then study food； and how to get it。 this flying business is all very well； but you can't eat a glide； you know。 don't you forget that the reason you fly is to eat。〃
jonathan nodded obediently。 for the next few days he tried to behave like th e other gulls； he really tried； screeching and fighting with till flock around t he piers and fishing boats； diving on scraps of fish and bread。 but he couldn't make it work。
it's all so pointless； he thought； deliberately dropping a hardwon anchovy to a hungry old gull chasing him。 i could be spending all this time learning to fly。 there's so much to learn！
…
“why aren't there more of us here。 why； where i came from there were…〃
“…thousands and thousands of gulls。 i know。〃 sullivan shook his head。 “th e only answer i can see； jonathan； is that you are pretty well a oneinamil lion bird。 most of us came along ever so slowly。 we went from one world into ano ther that was almost exactly like it； forgetting right away where we had come fr om； not caring here we were headed； living for the moment。 do you have any idea how many lives we must have gone through before we even got the first idea that there is more to life than eating； or fighting； power in the flock。 a thousand l ives； jon； ten thousand！ and then another hundred lives until we began to learn that there is such a thing as perfection； and another hundred again to get the i dea that our purpose for living is to find that perfection and show it forth…〃
河之歌
威廉。s『毛』姆
沿着整条河都可以听见歌声。它洪亮而有力度，那是船夫，他们划着木船顺流而下，船 尾翘得很高，船边系着桅杆。这也许是比较急促的号子。那些纤夫拉着纤逆流而上，如果拉 的是小木船，也许就只要五六个人，如果拉的是要过急滩的扬着横帆的大船，就要二百多人 。一个汉子站在船中央不停地击鼓助威，引导他们加劲。于是他们用尽全身的力量，像着了 魔似的，腰弯成两折，有时力量要全部用完了就全身趴在地上匍匐前进，就像田里的牲口。 他们用力，拼命用力，对抗着水流无情的威慑之力。领头的在纤绳前后不停地奔跑，见到有 人没有用尽全力，就用竹板打他的光背。每个人都必须竭尽全力，否则就要前功尽弃。就这 样他们还是唱着激昂热烈的号子，那汹涌澎湃的河水号子。我不知道用怎样的词语才能描写 出这其中的拼搏，它体现除了紧绷的心弦，几乎要断裂的筋肉，同时也体现了人类以顽强的 精神克服着无情的自然力。虽然绳子可能扯断，大船可能倒退，但险滩最终能通过，在结束 筋疲力尽的一天之后，可以痛快地吃上一顿饱饭……
然而最让人难受的却是苦力的歌，他们背着从船上卸下的大包，沿着陡坡爬上城墙。他 们不停地来回地上下，和着没有尽头的劳动响起有节奏的喊声：嗨，哟——嗨，哟。他们赤 脚『裸』背，脸上的汗水不断地向下流。他们的歌是痛苦的呻『吟』，失望的叹息，让人听来心碎不 已，简直不像是人的声音。这是在无尽的悲凉中的呼喊的灵魂，只不过配上了有节奏的音乐 而已。那终曲简直就是人『性』泯灭的低泣。生活如此艰难、如此残酷，这喊声正是最后绝望的 抗议。这就是河之歌。
the song of the river
william s。 maugham
you hear it all along the river。 you hear it； loud and strong； from the rowe rs as they urge the junk with its high stem； the mast lashed alongside； down the swift running stream。 you hear it from the trackers； a more breathless chant； a s they pull desperately against the current； half a dozen of them perhaps if the y are taking up a sampan； a couple of hundred if they are hauling a splendid jun k； its square sail set； over a rapid。 on the junk a man stands amidships beating a drum incessantly to guide their efforts； and they pull with all their strengt h； like men possessed； bent double； and sometimes in the extremity of their trav ail they crawl on the ground； on all fours； like the beasts of the field。 they s train； strain fiercely； against the pitiless might of the stream。 the leader goe s up and down the line and when he sees one who is not putting all his will into the task he brings down his split bamboo on the naked back。 each one must do hi s utmost or the labour of all is vain。 and still they sing a vehement； eager cha nt； the chant of the turbulent waters。 i do not know how words can describe what there is in it of effort。 it serves to express the straining heart； the breakin g muscles； and at the same time the indomitable spirit of man which overcomes th e pitiless force of nature。 though the rope may part and the great junk swing ba ck； in the end the rapid will be 蚯 蚓
佚名
世界各地都可以发现蚯蚓，它们有助于建造世界，它们有助于土地长出人类所需的粮食 。你觉得这种说法很奇怪吗？
现在，让我们来看看蚯蚓是怎么做到这些的吧。蚯蚓生存于地下，它们在地下钻来钻去 ，把泥土钻成一条条蜿蜒而长的孔道，如同街道一般。那些“长廊”或者“隧道”可以使泥 土松弛，所以有利于植物的根部生长。
这些孔道也有助于空气轻易地透进泥土里面。蚯蚓在泥土里不停地钻来钻去，就如同人 们在地面上用耙子、铲或犁来掘松泥土一样。
蚯蚓首要的工作还是使土壤更加肥沃。当它们建造房子的时候，总是让自己长长的身体 蘸满泥土，并带到地上，堆成小堆，这就是人们所叫的蚯蚓粪。在每天早上或下雨之后，你 都可以在花园的小径上发现有蚯蚓粪。
每年都有成千上万的蚯蚓在忙碌工作着，它们每年可以挖动数以吨计的泥土。它们用嘴 使泥土疏松并使之变得肥沃。那些本来是硬如坚石的土壤，经它们钻动之后就变得肥沃而富 饶了。
the earthworm
anonymous
earthworms are found in all parts of the wor
