We walked down the path to the well-house， attracted by the fragrance of the honeysuckle with which it was covered. Some one was drawing water and my teacher placed my hand under the spout. As the cool stream gushed over one hand she spelled into the other the word water， first slowly， then rapidly. I stood still， my whole attention fixed upon the motions of her fingers. Suddenly I felt a misty consciousness as of something forgotten — a thrill of returning thought： and somehow the mystery of language was revealed to me. I knew then that “w-a-t-e-r” meant the wonderful cool something that was flowing over my hand. That living word awakened my soul， gave it light， hope， joy， set it free！ There were barriers still， it is true， but barriers that could in time be swept away.
兩條道路
The Two Roads
約翰·羅斯金 / John Ruskin
新年之夜，一位上了年紀的人佇立在窗前。他抬起充滿哀傷的眼睛，仰望著深藍色的天空，星星在那裏遊移著，如同朵朵百合散落在清澈而平靜的湖麵上。接著，他把目光投向地麵，看到幾個比他更加絕望的人正走向他們的終點——墳墓。在通往人生終點的道路上，他已經走過了六十個驛站，除了過失和悔恨之外，他一無所獲。現在，他健康欠佳，精神空虛，心情憂鬱，缺少晚年應有的舒適和安逸。
年輕的時光如夢幻般浮現在他眼前，他回想起父親將他放在人生道路的入口處時那個關鍵的時刻。當時，擺在他麵前的有兩條道路：一條通向和平寧靜、陽光燦爛的地方，那裏充滿花果，回**著柔和甜美的歌聲；另一條則通向黑暗無底的深淵，那裏流淌著毒汁而非清水，惡魔肆虐，毒蛇橫行。
他仰望著天空，痛苦地叫喊：“啊，青春，請回來吧！啊，父親，請把我重新放到人生道路的起點上吧，我將會作出更好的選擇。”然而，父親和他的青春都已離他遠去。