LESSON 43

SPEAK GENTLY

请轻声说话

1．Speak gently; it is better far

To rule by love than fear:

Speak gently; let no harsh words mar^〔1〕

The good we might do here.

2．Speak gently to the little child;

Its love be sure to gain;

Teach it in accents^〔2〕 soft and mild;

It may not long remain.

3．Speak gently to the aged one;

Grieve not the careworn heart:

The sands of life are nearly run;

Let such in peace depart.

4．Speak gently, kindly, to the poor;

Let no harsh tone be heard;

They have enough they must endure^〔3〕,

Without an unkind word.

5．Speak gently to the erring^〔4〕; know

They must have toiled in vain;

Perhaps unkindness made them so;

Oh, win them back again.

6．Speak gently: ’t is a little thing

Dropped in the heart's deep well;

The good, the joy, which it may bring,

Eternity^〔5〕 shall tell.

(George Washington Langford)

【中文阅读】

1．请轻声说话，

爱的力量胜于恐惧的统治；

请轻声说话，

勿让刺耳之语成为美德的瑕疵。

2．请对小朋友轻声说话，

无疑你将得到他们的爱；

教导的音调宜温柔文雅，

否则爱就不再存留。

3．请对长者轻声说话，

饱经忧患的心不应再感悲伤；

生命的沙漏即将停下，

让他们平静离场。

4．请对穷苦之人轻声和蔼说话，

不让他们听到严苛的音调；

他们忍受的苦难已够巨大，

即使一个刻薄的字眼也不曾听到。

即使没有无情的话语，

他们要忍受的苦难也已够多。

5．请向做过错事的人轻声说话，

要知道他们必定经历过徒劳的挣扎；

也许就是无情的对待让他们把过错犯下，

噢，把他们再争取回来吧。

6．请轻声说话，

这微不足道却能深入人心，

它可能激发美德，创造欢乐，

直到永恒不竭不尽。

（乔治·华盛顿·兰福德）

注释

〔1〕Mar, injure, hurt.

〔2〕Accents, language, tones.

〔3〕Endure, bear, suffer.

〔4〕Erring, sinning.

〔5〕Eternity, the endless hereafter, the future.