新东方英语文章

A contented mind is the greatest blessing a man can enjoy in this world！
知足是人生在世最大的幸事！
34 Raising Oysters
In the oysters were raised in much the same way as dirt farmers raised tomatoes- by transplanting them. First, farmers selected the oyster bed, cleared the bottom of old shells and other debris, then scattered clean shells about. Next, they ”planted” fertilized oyster eggs, which within two or three weeks hatched into larvae. The larvae drifted until they attached themselves to the clean shells on the bottom. There they remained and in time grew into baby oysters called seed or spat. The spat grew larger by drawing in seawater from which they derived microscopic particles of food. Before long, farmers gathered the baby oysters, transplanted them once more into another body of water to fatten them up.
Until recently the supply of wild oysters and those crudely farmed were more than enough to satisfy people’s needs. But today the delectable seafood is no longer available in abundance. The problem has become so serious that some oyster beds have vanished entirely.
Fortunately, as far back as the early 1900’s marine biologists realized that if new measures were not taken, oysters would become extinct or at best a luxury food. So they set up well-equipped hatcheries and went to work. But they did not have the proper equipment or the skill to handle the eggs. They did not know when, what, and how to feed the larvae. And they knew little about the predators that attack and eat baby oysters by the millions. They failed, but they doggedly kept at it. Finally, in the 1940’s a significant breakthrough was made.
The marine biologists discovered that by raising the temperature of the water, they could induce oysters to spawn not only in the summer but also in the fall, winter, and spring. Later they developed a technique for feeding the larvae and rearing them to spat. Going still further, they succeeded in breeding new strains that were resistant to diseases, grew faster and larger, and flourished in water of different salinities and temperatures. In addition, the cultivated oysters tasted better!
33 Plankton
Scattered through the seas of the world are billions of tons of small plants and animals called plankton. Most of these plants and animals are too small for the human eye to see. They drift about lazily with the currents, providing a basic food for many larger animals.
Plankton has been described as the equivalent of the grasses that grow on the dry land continents, and the comparison is an appropriate one. In potential food value, however, plankton far outweighs that of the land grasses. One scientist has estimated that while grasses of the world produce about 49 billion tons of valuable carbohydrates each year, the sea’s plankton generates more than twice as much.
Despite its enormous food potential, little effect was made until recently to farm plankton as we farm grasses on land. Now marine scientists have at last begun to study this possibility, especially as the sea’s resources loom even more important as a means of feeding an expanding world population.
No one yet has seriously suggested that “ plankton-burgers” may soon become popular around the world. As a possible farmed supplementary food source, however, plankton is gaining considerable interest among marine scientists.
One type of plankton that seems to have great harvest possibilities is a tiny shrimp-like creature called krill. Growing to two or three inches long, krill provides the major food for the great blue whale, the largest animal to ever inhabit the Earth. Realizing that this whale may grow to 100 feet and weigh 150 tons at maturity, it is not surprising that each one devours more than one ton of krill daily.
31 British Columbia
British Columbia is the third largest Canadian provinces, both in area and population. It is nearly 1.5 times as large as Texas, and extends 800 miles(1,280km) north from the United States border. It includes Canada’s entire west coast and the islands just off the coast.
Most of British Columbia is mountainous, with long rugged ranges running north and south. Even the coastal islands are the remains of a mountain range that existed thousands of years ago. During the last Ice Age, this range was scoured by glaciers until most of it was beneath the sea. Its peaks now show as islands scattered along the coast.
The southwestern coastal region has a humid mild marine climate. Sea winds that blow inland from the west are warmed by a current of warm water that flows through the Pacific Ocean. As a result, winter temperatures average above freezing and summers are mild. These warm western winds also carry moisture from the ocean.
Inland from the coast, the winds from the Pacific meet the mountain barriers of the coastal ranges and the Rocky Mountains. As they rise to cross the mountains, the winds are cooled, and their moisture begins to fall as rain. On some of the western slopes almost 200 inches (500cm) of rain fall each year.
More than half of British Columbia is heavily forested. On mountain slopes that receive plentiful rainfall, huge Douglas firs rise in towering columns. These forest giants often grow to be as much as 300 feet(90m) tall, with diameters up to 10 feet(3m). More lumber is produced from these trees than from any other kind of tree in North America. Hemlock, red cedar, and balsam fir are among the other trees found in British Columbia.
28.Changing Roles of Public Education
One of the most important social developments that helped to make possible a shift in thinking about the role of public education was the effect of the baby boom of the 1950's and 1960's on the schools. In the 1920's, but especially in the Depression conditions of the 1930's, the United States experienced a declining birth rate --- every thousand women aged fifteen to forty-four gave birth to about 118 live children in 1920, 89.2 in 1930, 75.8 in 1936, and 80 in 1940. With the growing prosperity brought on by the Second World War and the economic boom that followed it young people married and established households earlier and began to raise larger families than had their predecessors during the Depression. Birth rates rose to 102 per thousand in 1946,106.2 in 1950, and 118 in 1955. Although economics was probably the most important determinant, it is not the only explanation for the baby boom. The increased value placed on the idea of the family also helps to explain this rise in birth rates. The baby boomers began streaming into the first grade by the mid 1940's and became a flood by 1950. The public school system suddenly found itself overtaxed. While the number of schoolchildren rose because of wartime and postwar conditions, these same conditions made the schools even less prepared to cope with the food. The wartime economy meant that few new schools were built between 1940 and 1945. Moreover, during the war and in the boom times that followed, large numbers of teachers left their profession for better-paying jobs elsewhere in the economy.
Therefore in the 1950’s and 1960’s, the baby boom hit an antiquated and inadequate school system. Consequently, the “ custodial rhetoric” of the 1930’s
and early 1940’s no longer made sense that is, keeping youths aged sixteen and older out of the labor market by keeping them in school could no longer be a high priority for an institution unable to find space and staff to teach younger children aged five to sixteen. With the baby boom, the focus of educators and of laymen interested in education inevitably turned toward the lower grades and back to basic academic skills and discipline. The system no longer had much interest in offering nontraditional, new, and extra services to older youths.
On peace of mind 心如止水
集美貌与智慧于一身的人不计其数、富裕之人随处可见、名望之人也不在少数。

但是内心平静——是上帝对他的眷顾者的恩赐，是对他的偏爱者的最荣耀的奖赏，他从不慷慨给予。

绝大多数人无缘此殊荣；另外的等待了一辈子——直到鬓发斑白，终于如愿以偿。

Joshua Loth Liebman "On my head pour only the sweet waters of serenity. Give me the gift of the Untroubled Mind."
Once, as a yongy man full of exuberant fancy, I undertollk to draw up a catalogue of the acknowledged "goods" of life. As other men sometimes tabulate lists of properties they own or would like to own, I set down my inventory of earthly desirables: health, love, beauty, talent, power,riches,and fame.
When my inventory was completed I proudly showed it to a wise elder who had been the mentor and spiritual model of my youth. Perhaps I was trying to impress him with my precocious wisdom. Anywany, I handed him the list. "This", I told him confidently, "is the sum of mortal goods. Could a man possess them all, he would be as a god."
At the corners of my friend's old eyes, I saw wrinkles of amusement gathering in a patient net. "An excellent list," he said, pondering it thoughtfully, "well digested in contented and set down in not-unresonable order. But it appears, my young friend, that you have omitted the most important element of all. You have forgotten the one ingredient, lacking with each possession becomes a hideous torment."
"And what." I asked, peppering my voice with truculence, "is that missing ingredient?"
"What a pencil stub he crossed out my entire schedule. Then, haveing demolished my adolscent dream structure at a single stroke, he wrote down three syllables: peace of mind. “This is the gift that God reserves for His special Proteges." he said.
"Talent and beauty He gives to many. Wealth is commonplace, fame not rare. But peace of mind - that is His final guerdon of approval, the fondest insignia of His love, He bestows it charily. Most
men are never blessed with it; others wait all their lives- yes, far into advanced age - for this gift to descend upon them."
不完美也没什么大不了
新年，春节或者其他什么以年度来衡量的节日都已经过去了。

聚会，宿醉也早已经烟消云散。

但不幸的是，对于大多数人来讲，为新的一年而作的计划也已经成为记忆里的过去式了。

运动服还整齐放在衣柜的角落里，减肥餐也冰冷的陈列在冰箱里。

你的愿望是美好的，我能理解。

你希望在新的一年你培养自己运动的习惯，开始健康的饮食，更努力的工作，跟家人分享更多的时间，或者参加慈善义工。

或者甚至你想做上面说的所有事情。

The New Year, Chinese or otherwise, has now passed. The parties, and any hangovers, are long gone. Unfortunately, for many of you, your New Year’s resolutions are only memories. The gym bag sits forlorn in the corner, the bean sprouts wilt in your fridge. Your intentions were good, I know. You resolved to get into a new exercising habit, eat better, spend more time at work, spend more time with the family, or volunteer for a local charity. Or maybe all of the above (Yikes!)
对你们中那些在新年里坚持按照你们的计划行动的人，我要祝贺你“你做到了！”。

但千万不要太沾沾自喜。

同样对于你们中那些没有做到的，我也要祝贺你们！
To those of you who are sticking to your New Year’s resolutions I say CONGRATULATIONS! Don’t be too smug. For those of you who have not, I say CONGRA TULATIONS!
为什么我要祝贺那些没有实践自己计划的人？原因很简单。

他们已经开始计划了。

已经决定作出改变，已经为了让自己在某方面做的更好而自我承诺了，这不是一个很容易就能下定的决心。

事实上当你决定作出改变的时候就证明你已经检视过自己。

已经自我反省了。

你没有让那种自我安慰的力量去阻止你改变自己。

Why would I congratulate people who haven’t stuck to their resolutions? Simple. They MADE resolutions. Deciding to change yourself, really committing to be a better person in some way, is not a decision arrived at easily. The fact that you decided to change yourself means that you’ve taken stock of yourself. You’ve reflected. You haven’t let the powerful forces of rationalization prevent you from committing to self-change.
但也许你会说，“我失败了，这很糟糕对么？这个结果非常令人沮丧。

如果这个过程这么痛苦为什么我还要费力去尝试？”
“But,” you say, “I failed. That’s terrible isn’t it? It’s so depressing. Why even bother trying if it’s so hard?”
有些事情我想让你知道：人是不完美的。

你不是全能的。

自我改变是个很艰难的过程，所以初次尝试的失败结果并不出人意料。

所以，不要再雪上加霜让自己感觉更糟糕。

就像一个人从马背上被甩下来一样，如果是个坚强的骑手会怎么做？他会站起身来，掸掸灰尘，然后重新骑上马背！你现在也需要做同样的事情。

I have news for you: You are not perfect. You are not all-powerful. Self-change is hard, so it’s not terribly surprising that you didn’t get it right the first try. So, stop feeling so bad. It’s li ke when someone gets thrown from a horse. What do the horsie-types say? You’re supposed to get up, brush the dust off, and get back on that horse! That’s what you need to do right now.
按照下面的方法：
Follow these steps:
1.告诉你自己“没什么。

我失败了，但这很正常。

”
想想以前你失败的经验。

不要让那种自我安慰的力量影响你。

不要想着：“那没什么，我不需要这样折磨自己。

这样的改变也没什么大不了的。

”应该问自己：如果自己的计划没有那么重要，那为什么一开始的时候还要下定决心做这件事情？
1. Tell yourself, “It’s okay. I failed, but there’s nothing new in that.”
Think of all of the other times you’ve failed. Re-read Leo’s post on how great f ailure can be [link to that post]. Don’t let the powers of rationalization take you further, though. Don’t give into the thought: “It’s okay. I don’t need to be better. It wasn’t all that important anyway.” Ask yourself this: If changing yourself wasn’t so important, then why did you decide to do it in the first place?
2.为自己想要改变的愿望而高兴。

作为一个社会心理学者，我知道人们为自己的缺点开脱是一件多么容易的事情。

想要让自己变得更好本身就需要极大的勇气。

2. Congratulate yourself for wanting to be better.
As a social psychologist, I know how extremely easy it is for people to excuse themselves their shortcomings. Your decision to be better takes moral courage.
3.了解到底是哪里出了问题。

有没有做不切实际的计划？还是计划的细节太模糊笼统了？
3. Figure out what went wrong.
Were you too ambitious? Was your plan too vague?
4.从失败的基础上修改你的计划。

如果因为睡懒觉而耽误了去健身房，那就在新计划里让自己早睡一会儿。

如果觉得阻止你的
健康饮食计划是因为需要太多时间准备食物，那就想办法缩短准备的时间。

如果总是工作到很晚，那就把和家人的聚会放在一个稍早的时间里。

4. Form a plan that is informed by your failure.
If you didn’t get to the gym because you slept in, plan to go to bed earlier. If you ate the wrong foods because you found preparing healthy food too time-consuming, find ways to make it less time consuming. If you stayed too late at work (again and again), schedule events with the family earlier in the evening.
5.继续前进！
5. Get going!
Taking a Stand坚定你的立场
Taking a Stand
The summer before fifth grade, my world was turned upside down when my family moved from the country town where I was born and raised to a town near the beach. When school began, I found it difficult to be accepted by the kids in my class who seemed a little more sophisticated, and who had been in the same class together since first grade.
I also found this Catholic school different from the public school I had attended. At my old school, it was acceptable to express yourself to the teacher. Here, it was considered outrageous to even suggest a change be made in the way things were done.
My mom taught me that if I wanted something in life, I had to speak up or figure out a way to make it happen. No one was going to do it for me. It was up to me to control my destiny.
I quickly learned that my classmates were totally intimidated by the strict Irish nuns who ran the school. My schoolmates were so afraid of the nuns’ wrath that they rarely spoke up for themselves or suggested a change.
Not only were the nuns intimidating, they also had some strange habits. The previous year, my classmates had been taught by a nun named Sister Rose. This year, she came to our class to teach music several times a week.
One day during music, I announced to Sister Rose that the key of the song we were learning was too high for our voices. Every kid in the class turned toward me with wide eyes and looks of total disbelief. I had spoken my opinion to a teacher ― one of the Irish nuns!
That was the day I gained acceptance with the class. Whenever they wanted something changed,
they’d beg me to stick up for them. I was willing to take the punishment for the possibility of making a situation better and of course to avoid any special attention from Rose. But I also knew that I was being used by my classmates who just couldn’t find their voices and stick up for themselves.
Things pretty much continued like this through sixth and seventh grades. Although we changed teachers, we stayed in the same class together and I remained the voice of the class.
At last, eighth grade rolled around and one early fall morning our new teacher, Mrs. Haggard― not a nun, but strict nevertheless― announced that we would be holding elections for class representatives. I was elected Vice President.
That same day, while responding to a fire drill, the new president and I were excitedly discussing our victory when, suddenly, Mrs. Haggard appeared before us with her hands on her hips. The words that came out of her mouth left me surp rised and confused. “You’re impeached!” she shouted at the two of us. My first reaction was to burst out laughing because I had no idea what the word “impeached” meant. When she explained that we were out of office for talking during a fire drill, I was devastated.
Our class held elections again at the beginning of the second semester. This time, I was elected president, which I took as a personal victory. I was more determined than ever to represent the rights of my oppressed classmates.
My big opportunity came in late spring. One day, the kids from the other eighth grade class were arriving at school in “free dress,” wearing their coolest new outfits, while our class arrived in our usual uniforms: the girls in their pleated wool skirts and the boys in their salt and pepper pants. “How in the world did this happen?” we all wanted to know. One of the eighth graders from the other class explained that their teacher got permission from our principal, Sister Anna, as a special treat for her students.
We were so upset that we made a pact to go in and let our teacher know that we felt totally ripped off. We agreed that when she inevitably gave us what had become known to us as her famous line, “If you don’t like it, you can leave,” we’d finally do it. We’d wal k out together.
Once in the classroom, I raised my hand and stood up to speak to our teacher. About eight others rose to show their support. I explained how betrayed we felt as the seniors of the school to find the other eighth graders in free dress while we had to spend the day in our dorky uniforms. We wanted to know why she hadn’t spoken on our behalf and made sure that we weren’t left out of this privilege.
As expected, instead of showing sympathy for our humiliation, she fed us her famous line, “If you don’t like it, you can leave.” One by one, each of my classmates shrank slowly back into their seats. Within seconds, I was the only one left standing.
I began walking out of the classroom, and Mrs. Haggard commanded that I continue on to the
princi pal’s office. Sister Anna, surprised to see me in her office so soon after school had begun, asked me to explain why I was there. I told her that as class president, I had an obligation to my classmates to represent them. I was given the option to leave if I didn’t like the way things were, so I did. I believed that it would have been a lie for me to sit back down at that point.
She walked me back to class and asked Mrs. Haggard to tell her version of the situation. Mrs. Haggard’s side seemed to be differ ent from what the class had witnessed. Then something incredible happened. Some of my classmates began shouting protests from their desks in response to Mrs. Haggard’s comments. “That’s not true,” they countered. “She never said that,” they protested.
It was too much of a stretch for them to stand up and walk out with me that day, but I knew something had clicked inside of them. At least they finally spoke up.
Perhaps they felt that they owed me. Or they realized that we’d soon be at different high scho ols and I wouldn’t be there to stick up for them anymore. I’d rather believe that when they spoke up that day, they had finally chosen to take control of their own destinies.
I can still hear their voices.
坚定你的立场
上五年级之前的那个暑假里，我家从生我养我的乡下小镇搬到了一座海滨小城，从此我的生活发生了翻天覆地的变化。

等到开学的时候，我发觉自己很难被班里的其他同学所接纳。

他们看起来有些过于世故。

而且他们从一年级起就同在一个班级。

与此同时，我还发现天主教会学校有别于我以前就读的公立学校。

在原来的学校里，学生可以直言不讳地向老师表达自己的想法。

而在这里，哪怕是建议按照事情原本的规律做一下改变也被认为是忍无可忍的粗鲁行为。

妈妈曾经教导我：如果在生活中我想得到某种东西，就必须大胆直言或者千方百计找出办法使梦想成真。

没有人能代替我做这一切。

只有我才能掌控自己的命运。

很快我便了解到全班同学都早已被管理这所学校的那些严厉的爱尔兰修女们镇住了。

全校学生都对这些修女的坏脾气怕得要死。

以至于几乎没人为自己辩解或提议做出某种改变。

这些修女不仅常常吓唬学生而且她们自身还有一些怪异的习惯。

去年，一个被叫做罗丝姐姐的修女一直都担任我那些同学的老师。

而在今年，她每周只是来我所在的班级上几次音乐课而已。

有一天在音乐课上，我大声告诉罗丝老师，对我们的嗓音来说，正在学唱的这首歌调门实在太高。

班里的每个孩子都转过头，瞪大了眼睛盯着我，脸上满是难以置信的表情。

我竟敢对老师——一名爱尔兰修女，说出了自己心中的想法。

正是在那一天，全班同学真正接纳了我。

从此，每每他们想让某些事情有所改变，他们就来恳求我为他们仗义执言。

为了使大家的处境变得好些，我心甘情愿接受惩罚。

同时，还要避免引起罗丝老师的过多关注。

但是我也心知肚明，全班同学是在利用我，因为他们从未大胆直言，为自己的利益而据理力争。

诸多此类事情持续不断发生，历经六年级和七年级。

尽管我们更换了不同的老师，但是我们仍然在同一个班级，我始终是大家的代言人。

终于，我们开始了八年级的学习生活。

一个初秋的早晨，我们的新老师哈嘉德夫人——虽然她不是修女，但仍然很严厉——宣布我们准备选举班级干部。

于是我被推选为副班长。

就在同一天，我们参加了消防训练。

正当我和新班长激动不已地讨论我们的胜利的时候，突然，哈嘉德老师两手叉腰出现在我俩面前。

她脱口而出的话令我既惊愕又困惑。

“你们被弹劾了。

”她对我俩吼叫着。

我的第一反应是开怀大笑起来因为我根本不知道她所谓的“弹劾”是什么意思。

当她向我们解释我俩因为在消防训练中闲聊而被撤职时，我极为震惊。

第二学期伊始，我们班再次选举。

这次，我被推选为班长。

我把这看作是个人的胜利。

我比以往更加坚定，决心代表受压迫的全班同学的利益。

在晚春时节，我的机会来了。

一天，我发现八年级某个班级的学生身着便装来上学。

他们穿着最酷的新套装。

而我们却照例一如既往地穿着校服，女生一律穿着格子呢裙，男生一律穿着黑白相间的格子裤。

怎么会有这种事情呢？我们都想探个究竟。

来自那个班级的一名学生告诉我们他们的老师获得安娜校长的许可，可以给他们这种特殊待遇。

我们十分气愤，大家约好一起去找老师，想告诉她我们完全被愚弄了。

我们全都同意如果她仍不可避免地说出那句早被我们熟知的“名言”——“如果你不喜欢，你就可以走。

”那么我们就会真的那样做。

一起走出教室。

最终在教室里，我举手示意并站起来对老师说出了我们的想法。

大约有七、八个同学也同时站起来表示支持。

我解释道：我们看到其他八年级学生可以身着便装而我们却不得不穿着老式的校服度过一整天。

作为本校高年级学生，我们有一种被出卖的感觉。

我们想知道，老师为什么没有为我们仗义执言，从而确保我们也能拥有这一特权。

果然不出所料，她没有对我们受到的不公平待遇表现出一丝同情，而是甩出那句著名的老话：“如果你不喜欢，你就可以走。

”于是所有同学一个接一个慢慢地缩回到座位上。

很快，只剩下我一个人还站在那里。

我迈步走出教室。

哈嘉德老师命令我一直走，去找安娜校长。

刚刚开始上课，就看到我来到校长办公室，安娜校长感到很惊讶，她问我为什么来找她。

我告诉她作为班长，我有责任代表全班同学表达心声。

我被赋予权利，如果我不喜欢目前事情运作的方式，我可以选择离开。

在那种情况下，我相信如果我重新回到座位坐下，对我来说，那完全是一种撒谎。

安娜校长陪我一起走回教室。

她让哈嘉德老师讲述一下她对这件事情的说法。

然而哈嘉德老师的说法与先前同学们看到的情况大相径庭。

随即，令人难以置信的事情发生了。

一些同学
在他们的座位上大声抗议来回应哈嘉德老师的言论。

“那不是真的。

”他们反驳道，“她根本不是那么说的。

”
我深知，那天随我一起站起来并走出教室对其他同学来说实在是强人所难了。

但是他们的内心还是受到了某种触动。

至少他们最终大胆地说出了自己的想法。

也许他们感觉亏欠了我。

或者他们意识到我们不久就要升入不同的中学。

而我将不能在那里继续为他们仗义执言了。

我更愿意相信那一天当他们大声说出心里话的时候，他们终于选择由自己掌控自己的命运。

时至今日，我依然可以听到他们的喊声。

What I have lived for 我为什么而活？
常常思索生活的你，是否想过为何而生呢？对爱情的渴望，对知识的追求，对人类苦难的同情是支配我一生的三种单纯而强烈的感情。

如果有来生，我将再次欣然接受这难得的赐予……
Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward course, over a great ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair.
I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasy - ecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all the rest of life for a few hours of this joy. I have sought it, next, because it relieves loneliness--that terrible loneliness in which one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the cold unfathomable lifeless abyss. I have sought it finally, because in the union of love I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the heaven that saints and poets have imagined. This is what I sought, and though it might seem too good for human life, this is what--at last--I have found.
With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of men. I have wished to know why the stars shine. And I have tried to apprehend the Pythagorean power by which number holds sway above the flux. A little of this, but not much, I have achieved.
Love and knowledge, so far as they were possible, led upward toward the heavens. But always pity brought me back to earth. Echoes of cries of pain reverberate in my heart. Children in famine, victims tortured by oppressors, helpless old people
a burden to their sons, and the whole world of loneliness, poverty, and pain make a mockery of what human life should be. I long to alleviate this evil, but I cannot, and I too suffer.
This has been my life. I have found it worth living, and would gladly live it again if the chance were offered me
How do I love thee -- 英国最经典的爱情诗
How do I love thee -- 英国最经典的爱情诗
by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
【诗后的故事】作者ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING[伊丽莎白·巴雷特·勃朗宁]于公元1806年出生在达翰姆（英格兰北部一郡）。

1838年，她出版了《撒拉弗和其它诗篇》[撒拉佛——
六翼天使(九级天使中地位最高者)，又称：炽爱天使]。

1843年，由于当时英国的最高统治者是女性，伊丽莎白于国家诗人的提名得到了更加广泛的支持。

结果很不幸，她输给了威廉·华兹华斯--同一时代的另一位伟大诗人[有机会笔者会撰文介绍此人]。

此后不久，伊利沙白与罗伯特·勃朗宁——另一位有才华的诗人，结婚了。

然而，伊丽莎白的父亲，却不同意这场婚事。

于是，这对情侣决定出逃。

并由此，引发了一场浪漫的婚姻。

伊丽莎白与罗伯特·勃朗宁准备各自出发，逃往意大利，并在比萨会合，去继续他们的生活。

他们成功了。

三年后，即1849年，他们已在意大利中部的佛罗伦萨定居。

一日，伊丽莎白送给她的丈夫一件珍贵的礼物——44首她为丈夫写的十四行诗，里面有开始时的怀疑，与家庭抗争的恐惧，与爱人的甜蜜，及最终爱的胜利的喜悦。

同年，他们唯一的男孩出生了。

一年后，即1850年，勃朗宁夫妇出版了那44首诗，但做了些伪装。

他们用“葡萄牙十四行诗集”为这44首诗命名。

如此一来，读者便会接受这些诗是由葡萄牙语翻译过来的的暗示。

于是，我们今天可以看到如此表达真爱和深爱的诗句。

伊丽莎白的浪漫婚姻促成了她的，也是整个维多利亚时代的，最美丽的爱情商籁体诗。