闲读英文版纪伯伦《先知·论美》
在艺术天才纪伯伦的心中，其祖国黎巴嫩是尘寰中最美的地方。
正如他在作品中写道：“只要我一闭上眼睛，那充满魅力、庄严肃穆的河谷、雄伟多姿的高山，便展现在面前;只要我一捂上耳朵，那小溪的潺潺流水和树叶的沙沙声便响在我的耳边，我像哺乳的婴儿贪恋母亲的怀抱那样，思念这往昔如画的美景。”
那么今天就让我们一起闲读他的散文诗《论美》，了解他对于美的理解与感悟。
纪伯伦
On Beauty
《论美》
Where shall you seek beauty, and how shall you find her unless she herself be your way and your guide?
如果美不以自身为途径，为向导，你们到哪里，又如何能找到她呢？
And how shall you speak of her except she be the weaver of your speech?
如果她不是你们言语的编织者，你们又如何能谈论她呢？
The aggrieved and the injured say, “Beauty is kind and gentle.
伤心痛苦者说：“美是善良而温柔的。
Like a young mother half-shy of her own glory she walks among us.”
她像一位因自己的荣耀而半含羞涩的年轻母亲，走在我们的身边。”
And the passionate say, “Nay，beauty is a thing of might and dread.
热情奔放者说：“不，美是强烈而令人惊畏的。
Like the tempest she shakes the earth beneath us and the sky above us.”
她如暴风雨般震动我们脚下的大地，摇撼我们头上的天空。”
The tired and the weary say, “beauty is of soft whisperings. She speaks in our spirit.
疲惫怠倦者说：“美是温柔的低语，她在我们的心中诉说。
Her voice yield to our silences like a faint light that quivers in fear of the shadow.”
她的声音波动在我们的沉默中，犹似一道微弱的光在对阴影的恐惧中颤抖。”
But the restless say, “We have heard her shouting among the mountains,
但活泼好动者说：“我们曾听到她在山谷中大声呼叫，
And with her cries came the sound of hoofs, and the beating of wings and the roaring of lions.”
随其呐喊而来的是足蹄踏地、翅膀拍击和熊狮怒吼的声音。”
看到这里开头的一句“Where shall you seek beauty, and how shall you find her unless she herself be your way and your guide? ”中的“be”,很多人会很奇怪“be”为什么用原形，而不用“is”。
这是因为这里的“be”是“成为”的意思，例如瑞典歌手Darin Zanyar在Pop Idol 2004上演唱的一首好听的歌曲《Be What You Wanna Be》（《成为那个你想成为的人》）。
此外我们看到这是一个“unless”引导的条件状语从句，要明确一点“unless”不可以引导虚拟语气，尽管有unless = if…not , 但是这只适用于真实条件句，假设条件句只能用if结构。
Unless 与 if…not 的意义并不完全相同。Unless 强调例外的事件，所以准确地说，它的意义为“除非”。当条件与已知事实相反时，必须用 if…not, 不用unless。例如：
If the begger had not grabbed the rich man’leg ,it would have been ignored.
如果那个乞丐没有抓住富人的腿，就会无人过问。
接下来介绍这部分出现的重点词汇词组。
1.be shy of… ：害羞于…
另外，“shy”还有一种用法：
Be shy about doing something: He is a bold speaker and he is not shy about speaking his mind.
2．faint: dim.微弱的
quiver: shake. 颤抖
in fear of: be fearful of. 害怕
3.beat v.翅膀拍打
补充词汇： heartbeat：心跳 ； drumbeat：鼓声
Roaring：动词roar 的现在分词.
adj.风哮雨嚎的；喧哗的.
adv. 非常地
n.吼声；咆哮；怒吼
At night the watchmen of the city say, “Beauty shall rise with the dawn from the east.”
夜晚，城市的守夜人说：“美将与晨光一同从东方升起。”
And at noontide the toilers and the wayfarers say,“We have seen her leaning over the earth from the windows of the sunset.”
正午，辛勤劳作者和长途跋涉者说：“我们曾看到她透过黄昏之窗眺望大地。”
In winter say the snow-bound, “She shall come with the spring leaping upon the hills.”
严冬，困在风雪中的人说：“她将与春同至，雀跃于山峦之间。”
And in the summer heat the reapers say, “We have seen her dancing with the autumn leaves, and we saw a drift of snow in her hair.”
酷暑，收割庄稼的人说：“我们曾看到她与秋叶共舞，雪花点缀于她的发梢。”
All these things have you said of beauty.
你们谈到关于美的所有这些，
Yet in truth you spoke not of her but of needs unsatisfied,
实际并非关于她本身，而是关于你们未被满足的需求，
And beauty is not a need but an ecstasy.
但美并不是一种需求，而是心醉神迷的欣喜。
这里要介绍词组有：
1. a drift of snow: 雪堆
a flurry of snow:飘雪
a pile of snow:一小堆雪
2. unsatisfied needs: 未满足的需求
It is not a mouth thirsting nor an empty hand stretched forth,
她不是焦渴的唇，也不是伸出的空空的手，
But rather a heart enflamed and and a soul enchanted.
而是一颗燃烧的心，一个充满喜悦的灵魂。
It is not the image you would see nor the song you would hear,
她不是你们想看到的形象，也不是你们想听到的歌声，
But rather an image you see through you close your eyes and a song you hear though you shut your ears.
而是你们闭上眼睛看到的形象，堵住耳朵听到的声音。
It is not the sap within the furrowed bark, nor a wing attached to a claw,
她不是伤残树皮下的树液，也不是悬在利爪下的翅膀。
But rather a garden for ever in bloom and a flock of angels for ever in flight.
而是一座鲜花永远盛开的花园，一群永远在天空飞翔的天使。
People of Orphalese, beauty is life when life unveils her holy face.
奥法利斯城的人们啊，当生命摘去遮盖她圣洁面容的面纱时，美就是生命。
But you are life and you are the veil.
但你们是生命，也是面纱。
Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror。
美是凝视自己镜中身影的永恒。
But you are eternity and you are the mirror.
但你们就是永恒，你们也是明镜。
最后这部分出现的词汇词组有：
1. thirst for…:渴望
2. The sap within the furrowed bark:
sap: 树脂
furrowed: wrinkled. 有褶皱的
补充词组:1.furrowed field :有褶皱的田地
2.furrowed forehead:有皱纹的额头
例句：He raised his eyes and laughed, his forehead furrowed, his lips chapped.
他抬起头，笑了，他前额皱了，嘴唇也皲裂了。
好啦，今天对于Kahlil Gibran 的On Beauty的阅读就到这里了，希望大家能够喜欢！