The Story of Helen Keller

Translated into English by Yueqing Huang

????????海倫·凱勒一歲半的時(shí)候被重病奪去了視力和聽力。在莎莉文老師幫助下，又盲又聾的她竟然學(xué)會(huì)了讀書和說話，并以優(yōu)異的成績畢業(yè)于美國哈佛大學(xué)，成為一名學(xué)識(shí)淵博，掌握英、法、德、拉丁、希臘五種文字的著名作家和教育家。著名作家馬克.吐溫曾說：19世紀(jì)出現(xiàn)了兩個(gè)了不起的人物，一個(gè)是拿破侖，一個(gè)就是海倫·凱勒。“我的老師安妮·莎莉文來到我家的這一天，是我一生中最重要的一天。她使我的精神獲得了解放。”海倫回憶道。

????????Helen Keller was deprived of vision and listening by a serious illness when she was one and a half years old. Yet with the assistance of Anne Sullivan the teacher, the blind and deaf girl actually learnt to read and speak, graduated from Harvard University with honors and became a famous writer and educationist of great scholarship proficient in English, French, German, Latin and Greek. The distinguished writer Mark Twain once said, “There are two remarkable persons in the 19th?century, one is Napoleon, another is Helen Keller.” “It is the most important day in my life when teacher Anne Sullivan came to my house. She liberated my spirit.” Recalled Helen.

????????1880年6月27日，海倫?·凱勒的出生讓父母高興萬分。她是一個(gè)健康、聰明的小孩，6個(gè)月已經(jīng)會(huì)說“茶”和“你好”，剛滿周歲就會(huì)走路了。家里的庭院繁花盛開，鳥兒歌唱，充滿好奇心的小海倫幸福地度過了她人生開端的19個(gè)月。但美好的時(shí)光總是短暫，一歲半的小海倫突發(fā)高燒，醫(yī)生診斷為急性腦充血，宣布不治。過了幾日海倫奇跡般退燒了，但當(dāng)她睜開眼睛時(shí)，發(fā)現(xiàn)眼前一片黑暗，那種驚恐與悲傷的感覺她一生都沒忘掉。從此，她開始生活在黑暗和無聲的世界里。因?yàn)橛置@又啞，海倫處在雙重孤獨(dú)中。隨著年齡增長，她希望表達(dá)自己思想情感的愿望越來越強(qiáng)烈，幾種單調(diào)的手勢根本不夠用。每次別人不了解她的意思，她都大發(fā)脾氣，無法交流的絕望感讓她瘋狂地踢打哭鬧，在地上翻滾、吼叫，直到精疲力竭。7歲之前的海倫是個(gè)被寵壞的脾氣暴烈，任性妄為的小女孩。

????????The birth of Helen Keller on June 27th, 1880 got her parents delirious with joy. She was a healthy, smart baby able to utter ‘tea’ and ‘hello’ when she was 6 months old and to walk at the age of 1. Against the background of flowers in full bloom and singing of the birds in the courtyard, the curious little girl passed her first 19 months in happiness. However, good time is always short-lived, a fever suddenly came to one-and-a-half-year-old little Helen, it is diagnosed as acute brain hyperemia and declared incurable. Although Helen’s fever was gone miraculously a few days later, when she opened her eyes, she couldn't see anything but darkness, that feeling of consternation and grief was an experience she would remember for the rest of her life. Since then, she began to stay in a world of darkness and silence. Because of both deafness and dumbness, Helen was in double solitude. As she grew older, her desire to express her thoughts and feelings was increasing strong while She has too few monotonous gestures to do it. She got mad at everyone misconstruing her meaning, the despair of being at cross-purposes with everyone else makes her crying and kicking wildly, shouting and rolling on the floor until she was exhausted. Before 7, Helen was a spoiled, willful girl of fierce temper.

? ? ? ? 1887年3月，安妮·莎莉文來到海倫家，這一天成為海倫一生最重要的一天，是她幫助海倫從一只小獸變成了人。見面之初，當(dāng)海倫抓住了莎莉文送給她的洋娃娃時(shí)，莎莉文就開始在海倫掌心中拼寫“DOLL(娃娃)?”，海倫跟著拼寫，卻并不懂這字有什么意義。一天早上，海倫照老習(xí)慣亂抓別人的飯，當(dāng)她抓到莎莉文盤中的香腸時(shí)，莎莉文一把按住她的手。海倫開始發(fā)脾氣，滿地打滾，還和老師對打……橫下心的莎莉文堅(jiān)決不退讓，她下決心首先要讓海倫養(yǎng)成良好的生活習(xí)慣。三四天后，海倫的發(fā)作次數(shù)減少，她開始注意周圍的事物，每天模仿老師在手上拼寫一些莫名的字。兩周后的一天，當(dāng)海倫伸手浸在清涼的流水中時(shí)，莎莉文抓住她的手，在她濕淋淋的掌心中拼寫“水”。海倫掙扎著要抽回手，莎莉文緊握不放，一次又一次寫著“水”。突然，海倫觸電般停住掙扎，屏住呼吸，全神貫注地體會(huì)著手掌中的拼字?！八睆乃菩妮斎肽X海，烙印于心。剎那間，她臉上閃耀出頓悟的光輝。原來每種東西是有名字的!

????????Anne Sullivan came to Helen’s house on March 3rd, 1887, the most important day in Helen’s life, because she turned her from a little beast into a human being. At their first meeting, Sullivan started to spell “Doll” on Helen’s palm when Helen caught hold of the doll she gave her as a gift, Helen followed her, in spite of the fact that she had no idea what the letters mean. One morning, Helen clawed at other people’s meals habitually, when it came on the sausage in Sullivan’s plate, she caught her hands. Then Helen began to get angry: rolling on the floor and fighting with teacher……the determined teacher stood fast and refused to make a concession to Helen, she made up her mind to foster Helen’s good habit. Three or four days later, the frequency of Helen’s fit decreased, she began to pay attention to things around her, and copy her teacher’s spelling of inexplicable letters on the palm everyday. Two weeks later, Sullivan seized Helen’s hand and spelled “water” in her wet palm when Helen soaked her hands in the cool water. Helen struggled to withdraw it while Sullivan refused to let it go, wrote time and again the word “water”. Suddenly, as if got an electric shock, Helen stopped to struggle, she held her breath and focused on the word on her palm. “Water” was input from her palm into the brain, and burned into her mind. For an instant her face sparkled with insight, it turns out that everything has a name!

　　混沌初開，海倫的生命仿佛從夢中驚醒。她坐在地上笑著，叫著，用拳頭捶地。她如饑似渴地要求莎莉文老師快快教給她更多的字，她要重新認(rèn)識(shí)這個(gè)世界。這一天，她學(xué)了30個(gè)字，過了一個(gè)月她學(xué)到將近400個(gè)字。之后，她開始學(xué)習(xí)閱讀……

???????? As if a chaotic world had been opened, Helen’s life seemed to be waken up from a dream. She sat there laughing, crying and thump the floor with her fist. She was thirsty for more words to be taught by Sullivan, she wanted to take a new acquaintance of the world. Today she learnt 30 words, and within a month learnt nearly 400 words. After that, she began to learn to read……

????????“為了得到真才實(shí)學(xué)，就得攀登奇山險(xiǎn)峰。我滑落過好幾次，跌倒，爬不上去，但每得到一點(diǎn)進(jìn)步便受到一份鼓舞。我的心越來越熱切，奮勇攀登，漸漸看見了更為廣闊的世界?！?/p>

????????“One must scale perilous peak to learn true skills. I slid down a few times, fell and could hardly get up, but was encouraged by every progress I made. I became more and more fervent, did all I can to reach higher, and gradually saw a wider world.”

? ? ? ? 莎莉文老師堪稱偉大的教育家，她對海倫的教育耐心而充滿趣味，不管教什么，她總是用一個(gè)很好聽的故事，或是一首詩來做形象講解。她帶海倫到大自然中學(xué)習(xí)，引導(dǎo)海倫觸摸體會(huì)動(dòng)物、植物。海倫無所不問，莎莉文老師無所不答。

????????Teacher Sullivan, who can be rated as a great educationist, was patient and full of fun in her education to Helen, she always explained whatever she taught vividly with a pretty story or a poem. Moreover, she brought Helen to nature to learn, guided her to touch and experience animals and plants. Helen kept asking about everything while Sullivan spared no effort to answer.

????????這樣的學(xué)習(xí)方式讓海倫收獲太多，最大的收獲是她找到了自我，開始享受心靈的自由飛翔。被鎖在空茫黑暗中的女孩不再孤單，她學(xué)會(huì)了溝通和參與。只用了半年，海倫就可以用盲文和柏金斯盲校的孩子們通信了。

????????This kind of learning style benefited Helen enormously, the greatest gain was that Helen found herself, and began to enjoy a free-flying mind. The girl locked in vacant darkness was no long alone, she learnt to communicate and participate. It took Helen only half a year to learn to correspond with children in Perkins School for the Blind in Braille.

????????海倫是個(gè)活潑熱情的女孩，愛好非常豐富。她喜愛田野漫步和戶外運(yùn)動(dòng)，在兒童時(shí)代就學(xué)會(huì)了劃船和游泳。她喜歡駕船和風(fēng)浪搏斗，也喜歡月夜泛舟，她還喜歡編織、下棋、玩盲人紙牌，也樂于去博物館，欣賞歌劇，或者看戲。她做什么都興致勃勃，講給別人聽也活靈活現(xiàn)，比健全人的感受還要鮮活。

????????Helen is a lively and enthusiastic girl and has a good few hobbies. She likes to roam around the fields and outdoor sports, and learnt to row and swim in her childhood. She not only likes to struggle with rough weather in the boat, to go sailing on moonlight nights, to weave, play chess and blind cards, but also take delight in the museum, in appreciating operas and playgoing. She was in high spirits in doing everything, and gave vivid descriptions, the feeling to which is liver than a healthy man, to everyone else.

????????讀書是海倫的最大樂趣，她學(xué)習(xí)知識(shí)，感受世界，如饑似渴，所有能拿到的盲文書她都反復(fù)閱讀。莎莉文幫她把很多不是盲文版的書翻譯成手語，當(dāng)老師的手累得不得不停下時(shí)，海倫甚至著急到自己去摸書上的印刷體……

????????Reading is the greatest pleasure to Helen, she was eager to learn, to experience the world, and read every book in Braille at hand over and over again. Sullivan translated for Helen a good deal of books in non-Braille into sign language, when teacher’s hands were too tired to continue, Helen, in anxiety, went so far as to touch the print on the book……

? ? ? ? 身體上的缺陷擋不住一顆不屈不撓的心。小海倫宣布自己將來要考入哈佛大學(xué)，跟正常的女孩子一較高下。

????????Physical defects can’t stop a relentless mind. Little Helen announced that she was planning to enter Harvard University in years to come, and compete with normal girls.

????????為了這這個(gè)目標(biāo)，她離開讀了兩年的聾人學(xué)校，進(jìn)入劍橋女子中學(xué)學(xué)習(xí)。莎莉文每天和她一起上課，以無限的耐心把老師講的都寫到她的手心上，課后幫她查生字，反復(fù)閱讀課本和筆記。

????????To make it true, she left the school for the deaf where she studied for 2 years, and entered Cambridge Middle School for Girls. Sullivan, who attended classes with Helen everyday, wrote every word teacher said onto Helen’s palm with infinite patience, help her learn new words and read textbooks and notes for her over and over again after class.

????????19歲，海倫考入哈佛大學(xué)拉德克利夫?qū)W院。在大學(xué)學(xué)習(xí)時(shí)，許多教材都沒有盲文本，要靠別人把書的內(nèi)容拼寫在她手上，因此她預(yù)習(xí)功課的時(shí)間要比別的同學(xué)多得多。當(dāng)別的同學(xué)在外面嬉戲、唱歌的時(shí)候，她正在努力備課。長期的刻苦學(xué)習(xí)，讓她掌握了大量知識(shí)，并具有了超群的記憶力，她擁有了改變命運(yùn)的力量。

????????Helen was admitted to Radcliffe College of Harvard University when she was 19. At college she was obliged to have the contents of most teaching materials spelt on her hands by other people as many of them didn’t have versions written in Braille, therefore she spent much more time preparing lessons than anyone else. When they were playing and singing outside, she had no other choice but to apply herself to the preparation of lesson. Long-term painstaking efforts on study mastered substantial knowledge for her and gave her an excellent memory, she now had the power to change her fate.

????????“世界是美好的，甚至黑暗和沉寂也是如此。無論出于什么樣環(huán)境，都要不斷努力，都要學(xué)會(huì)滿足?！?br/>

????????“The world is beautiful, even in darkness and dreariness. One should always strive to achieve more and be happy with what he has, no matter what environment he is in.”

????????“我的身體雖然不自由，但我的心是自由的?！?br/>

????????“Despite my body is fettered, my heart is free.”

????????從小聾盲的海倫，雖然聲帶沒有問題，但因?yàn)閺膩聿辉牭?、看到別人講話，所以根本無法學(xué)會(huì)說話。為此莎莉文為海倫找了一位專家，教導(dǎo)她利用雙手去感受別人說話時(shí)嘴型的變化，以及鼻腔吸氣、吐氣的不同，來學(xué)習(xí)發(fā)音。當(dāng)她第一次連貫說出“天氣很溫暖”這個(gè)句子時(shí)，她意識(shí)到有一種新的力量，讓她從靈魂的枷鎖中釋放出來，走出了死一般寂靜的世界。

????????Helen was deaf and blind at a very early age, although her vocal cords has no problem, she was unable to learn to speak at all as she never heard other people’s words or watched them uttering words. For this purpose Sullivan found an expert to give Helen lessons on pronunciation by feeling the change of the mouth and differences of inhalation and exhalation of the nasal cavity with her hands. When she first uttered the words “it is warm” coherently, she was on to a new strength frees her from the fetters of the soul, and gets her out of a world of deathly hush.

????????在莎莉文老師陪伴下，經(jīng)過反復(fù)艱苦的鍛煉后，海倫走上了演講臺(tái)。

????????In Sullivan’s company, Helen did strenuous exercise and finally stood on the podium.

? ? ? ? 第一次演講的時(shí)候，海倫站在臺(tái)上發(fā)著抖，用盡全身力氣喊出聲來，自己感覺像射了一發(fā)大炮，但后來聽別人說，那聲音小得像蚊子。但是，從此，海倫會(huì)說話了，能演講了!

????????The first time Helen gave a speech, she shivered on the stage, although she felt a cannonball had been fired as she shouted out the words with all her might, her voice, as someone else let her know subsequently, was as low as a mosquito. Nevertheless, Helen was in a position to speak and make speeches then!

????????大學(xué)時(shí)，海倫參與了建立盲人特別委員會(huì)的請?jiān)富顒?dòng)，畢業(yè)后更是日漸忙碌。作為美國盲人基金會(huì)的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人之一，為了向大眾籌募基金，三年時(shí)間里海倫與莎莉文跑遍了全國123個(gè)城市，對20萬人發(fā)表過演講。為此，她還到白宮拜會(huì)過柯立芝總統(tǒng)和其他要人，她的努力得到許多人大力支持，收獲了輝煌成果。

????????At college Helen took part in petitions to establish the Special Committee for The Blind, and became ever more busier after graduation. As one of the leaders of American Foundation for the Blind, Helen, with her teacher Sullivan, ran across 123 cities nationwide and gave speeches to 200,000 people within 3 years to collect funds. To this end, she went so far as to visit President Coolidge and dignitaries in the White House, her endeavor received strong support and achieved brilliant results.

????????21歲時(shí)，海倫和老師合作發(fā)表了處女作《我的生活》，在以后的六十多年中，無論工作多忙，她從沒放下手中的筆，前后完成了14部著作。一場大火燒掉了她為《老師》這本書搜集了20年的筆記、信件和大部分文稿，這對健全人來說都是重大打擊，海倫不放棄。她用了十年時(shí)間完成了該書，這是她獻(xiàn)給莎莉文老師的厚禮，莎莉文為此感到無比驕傲。

????????When she was 21 years old, Helen, collaborated with her teacher, published her maiden work?My Life, in the ensuing 6 decades, she was still active in writing no matter how busy she was and had finished 14 works altogether. A big fire devastated the notes, letters and most of manuscripts she collected within 20 year for the book?The Teacher, it would be a huge blow to a healthy man, yet Helen never gave up. She spent 10 years finishing this book, took it as a gift to her teacher Sullivan, who was immensely proud of it.

????????1936年，66歲的莎莉文永遠(yuǎn)離開了海倫，離開了人世。海倫必須得獨(dú)自面對現(xiàn)實(shí)了，每當(dāng)懈怠、沮喪時(shí)，總有一個(gè)聲音響起來：“海倫，老師可不喜歡你這樣?！边@慈祥的耳語支持海倫忍受痛苦，重建人生。她辛苦耕耘，開懷大笑?！拔业纳眢w雖然不自由，但我的心是自由的?！?br/>

????????In 1936, 66-year-old Sullivan passed away and left Helen forever. Helen had to face the reality alone, every time when she felt depressed and was to slack off, there always had a voice came out, “Helen, I don’t like you the way you are.” This motherly whisper allowed her to endure suffering, rebuild her life. She worked diligently and laughed heartily. “Although my body is fettered, my soul is free.”

? ? ? ? 1968年6月1日下午，海倫·凱勒在睡夢中去世，享年87歲。

????????On the afternoon of June 1st, 1968, Helen Keller passed away in her sleep at the age of 87.

????????海倫走遍了美國和世界各地，把自己的一生獻(xiàn)給了盲人福利和教育事業(yè)。她贏得了世界各國人民的贊揚(yáng)，并得到許多國家政府的嘉獎(jiǎng)。著名作家馬克·吐溫這樣評價(jià)她：19世紀(jì)出現(xiàn)了兩個(gè)了不起的人物，一個(gè)是拿破侖，一個(gè)就是海倫·凱勒。

????????Helen travelled around America and the world, devoted all her life to the cause of welfare and education for the blind. She won praises from the people all over the world, and was commended by a number of national governments. The well-known writer Mark Twain rated her like this: there has two remarkable persons in the 19th?century, one is Napoleon, another is Helen Keller.