I gave him some answer, and continued to watch her, till the beauty, precise hull, with all its lovely detail, had become blurred to leeward, where the sun was now marching in triumph, the helm of a golden warrior plumed in cirrus.
我刚一看见她时，前帆下檐以下的船身全被浓雾裹着。上桅帆和迎风飘动的轻帆映着晨曦的微光。然后大雾滚滚离开了她，我们这才看见船身和刚刚挂器的舱内舷灯发出的微弱的闪光。
她时起时伏地前进，朝着天空划着一个个的弧。在我眼睛盯着她时，船身上晨光逐渐加深，最后，船上的每一条风帆都映红，透着玫瑰色，好像阳光穿过蛋白石一样，又像冒火的宝石。她此时光辉灿烂，她是不朽的美人，那只微微摆动的体态轻盈的快帆船！她一路随波起伏，驶出迷雾，进入破晓的熹微，她活像一个魂灵，一个理智的神灵。她的船身泛着光，船帆泛着光；小船及其索具都染上了颜色。这是一只崇高的快帆船（张着天帆和豪华的索帆），看着她在阳光里泛着红光，左右摆动着，上下颠簸着，令人心旷神怡。她比现世凡人的生命更有生命力。
人们会以为她就要用一种陌生的语言开口说话，活演奏一首乐曲来抒发大海的豪情和太阳的辉煌。她时起时伏朝我们驶来，忽而高高纵起，忽而往下坠落，一会儿露出吃水线下面的测深铅锤，然后猛扎下去，水雾飞花淹没了锚链孔。船头向前倾垂，然后船身向上穿越，阳光正好照进船楼的天井；光线在船身上明灭闪烁；当她随浪涌起的时候，便抖掉全身的海水。我们站在船上的人没有一个不为快帆的美所打动。
我想，如果快帆船离我们再近一点，他们准会欢呼起来；可是，事实上，我们升船旗对她做出回应，确定了我们的位置，核准了经纬仪，降下了各种色彩旗，然后站开。在我整理降下的旗子，准备把它们放回旗柜时，我一直盯着她，足有好几分钟。这时老水手一瘸一拐地朝我走来，吐了一口唾沫，斩钉截铁地说：“这是世间一大美景。那真是一块玉米地，一个领着孩子的女人。她是美和力的化身，你愿意摘下一个天帆戴在你的脖子上吗？”
我随便答应了他一句，继续看着她，直至她漂亮的棱角、精确的船身，连同她精美的各个细部变得模糊时，太阳正照着她的下风处凯旋高升，身披金色盔甲的勇士的舵轮拨打起羽毛状的水云。
The Rose罗斯
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being. She said, “Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?” I laughed and enthusiastically responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze.
“Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked. She jokingly replied, “ I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel.” “No, seriously?” I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me. After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this “time machine” as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed up her from the other students. She was living it up. At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, “I’m sorry I’m so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whisky is killing me! I’ll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.” As we laughed she cleared her throat and began: “We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success.”
“You have to laugh and find humor every day.”
“You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it!”
“There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change.”
“Have no regrets. The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.”
She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Rose.” She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.
At the year’s end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.
Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s never too late to be all you can possibly be.
Remember, growing older is mandatory, growing up is optional.
开学的第一天教授做了自我介绍，他还要求我们去结识某位我们还不认识的人。就在我站起来四处张望时，一只手轻轻地搭在了我的肩上。我转过身一看，一位满脸皱纹个子矮小的老太太正冲着我微笑。这微笑使她浑身光彩照人。她说：“嘿，帅小伙儿，我叫罗斯，今年87岁。我可以拥抱你吗？”我笑了起来，热情地答道： “当然可以啦！”她紧紧地拥抱了我。
“你为什么在这么年轻而天真的年龄上大学？”我问。她开玩笑地回答说：“我要在此遇到一个有钱的丈夫，结婚，生几个孩子，然后退休，去旅游。”“真的吗？不对吧？”我问她。我很想知道，她这么大年纪，是什么促使她接受这样的挑战呢。
“我一直梦想接受大学教育。而现在我如愿以偿了！”她告诉我说。课后我们一同到学生活动楼，共饮了一杯巧克力泡沫牛奶。我们一下子就成了朋友。在此后的三个月中，我们每天都一起离开课堂，聊起来没完没了。在她向我传授她的智慧和经验时，我总是着了迷似地倾听这个“时间机器”。