Three Days to SeeHelen Kellerclose1RT All of us have read thrilling stories in which the hero had only a limited and specified time to live. Sometimes it was as long as a year;sometimes as short as twenty-four hours. But always we wereinterested in discovering just how the doomed man chose to spend hislast days or his last hours. I speak, of course, of free men who have achoice, not condemned criminals whose sphere of activities is strictlyconfined.假如拥有三天光明海伦·凯勒我们都读过一些扣人心弦的故事，主人公将不久于人世，长则1年，短则24小时。
而我们总是很感兴趣，这个即将辞世的人会如何度过他最后的时日。
当然，我指的是拥有选择权利的自由人，不是那些活动范围受到严格限制的死囚。
close2RT Such stories set us thinking, wondering what we should do undersimilar circumstances. What events, what experiences, whatassociations, should we crowd into those last hours as mortal beings?What happiness should we find in reviewing the past, what regrets?这一类故事会促使我们思考，在类似的处境下，我们自己会做些什么？身为生命有限的人类，我们会把什么样的事件、经历、联想，塞进这最后的时光里？回首往事，我们又会有哪些快乐和遗憾呢？close3RT Sometimes I have thought it would be an excellent rule to liveeach day as if we should die tomorrow. Such an attitude wouldemphasize sharply the value of life. We should live each day with agentleness, a vigor, and a keenness of appreciation which are often lostwhen time stretches before us in the constant panorama of more daysand months and years to come. There are those, of course, who wouldadopt the motto of "Eat, drink, and be merry", but most people wouldbe punished by the certainty of death.有时我想，把每天都当作生命的最后一天来度过，会是一个很好的原则。
这样的态度将更能凸显人生的价值。
每一天我们都会怀着柔情、充满活力、心存感激，而这些，在来日方长时却常被我们所忽视。
当然，也有一些人会奉行享乐主义——吃喝玩乐，但是绝大多数人在得知死期将至时都会更加珍惜生命。
close 4RT Most of us take life for granted. We know that one day we mustdie, but usually we picture that day as far in the future. When we are ingood health, death is all but unimaginable. We seldom think of it. Thedays stretch out endlessly. So we go about our petty tasks, hardlyaware of our listless attitude towards life.我们大多数人都不珍惜生命。
我们知道有一天自己定会死去，但是总觉得这一天很遥远。
我们身体健康时，死亡是完全无法想象的，我们很少会加以考虑。
日复一日，没有尽头。
所以我们忙于琐事，几乎不曾意识到自己对生活的态度有多么冷漠。
close5RT The same listlessness, I am afraid, characterizes the use of all ourfaculties and senses. Only the deaf appreciate hearing, only the blindrealize the blessings that lie in sight. Particularly does this observationapply to those who have lost sight and hearing in adult life. But thosewho have never suffered loss of sight or hearing damage seldom makethe fullest use of these blessed faculties. Their eyes and ears take in allsights and sounds hazily, without concentration, and with littleappreciation. It is the same old story of not being grateful for what wehave until we lose it, of not being conscious of health until we are ill.在运用所有的感官时我们的态度恐怕同样冷漠。
只有聋人才珍惜听力，只有盲者才知道能见光明的幸运。
对于那些成年后才失明失聪的人来说尤其如此。
但是那些听力或视力从未遭受损失的人却很少充分利用这些幸运的能力。
他们眼睛看见的、耳朵听到的，都是模糊的，不专心，也不带感激。
这个道理，就是常说的失去才懂得珍惜，生病才知健康可贵。
close6RT I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human beingwere stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time during hisearly adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight;silence would teach him the joys of sound.我常想，如果每一个人在刚成年时，有几天突然既盲又聋，也不失为一件幸事。
黑暗会令他更感激光明；寂静会教他领会声音的乐趣。
close7RT Now and then I have tested my seeing friends to discover whatthey see. Recently I was visited by a very good friend who had justreturned from a long walk in the woods, and I asked her what she hadobserved. "Nothing in particular," she replied. I might have showndisbelief had I not been accustomed to such responses, for long ago Ibecame convinced that the seeing see little.有时我会试探视力正常的朋友，问他们看见了什么。
最近，一位非常要好的朋友来看我，她刚刚在树林里走了很长时间，我问她看见了什么。
“没什么，”她回答说。
我本应觉得难以置信，不过我早已习惯类似回答，因为很久以前我就知道视力正常的人看到的东西很少。
close8RT How was it possible, I asked myself, to walk for an hour throughthe woods and see nothing worthy of note? I who cannot see findhundreds of things to interest me through mere touch. I feel thedelicate symmetry of a leaf. I pass my hands lovingly about the smoothskin of a silver birch, or the rough bark of a pine. In spring I touch thebranches of trees hopefully in search of a bud, the first sign ofawakening Nature after her winter's sleep. I feel the delightful textureof a flower, and discover its remarkable folds; and something of themiracle of Nature is revealed to me. Occasionally, if I am very fortunate,I place my hand gently in a small tree and feel the happy quiver of abird in full song. I am delighted to have cool waters of a brook rushthrough my open fingers. To me a thick carpet of pine needles or softgrass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug. To me thecolorful seasons are a thrilling and unending drama, the action of whichstreams through my finger tips.我问自己，在树林里散步一个小时，看不到任何值得注意的东西，这怎么可能呢？我看不见东西，只凭触摸，却也能发现数以百计的有趣的东西。