【佳作共赏/中英文对照】

青春不是年华，而是心境；青春不是桃面、丹唇、柔膝，而是深沉的意志、恢宏的想象、炽热的感情；青春是生命的深泉在涌流。

青春气贯长虹，勇锐盖过怯弱，进取压倒苟安。如此锐气，二十后生有之，六旬男子则更多见。年岁有加，并非垂老；理想丢弃，方堕暮年。岁月悠悠，衰微只及肌肤；热忱抛却，颓唐心至灵魂。忧烦、惶恐、丧失自信，定使心灵扭曲，意气如灰。

无论年届花甲，抑或二八芳龄，心中皆有生命之欢乐，奇迹之诱惑，孩童般天真久盛不衰。

人人心中皆有一台天线，只要你从天上人间接受美好、希望、欢乐、勇气和力量的信号，你无不青春永驻、风华长存。

一旦天线降下，锐气便被冰雪覆盖，玩世不恭、自暴自弃油然而生，即便年方二十，实已垂垂老矣；然则只要竖起天线，捕捉乐观信号，你就有望在八十高龄告别尘寰时仍觉年轻。

YOUTH

——Samuel Ullman

Youthis not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter ofrosycheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor ofthe emotions; it is the freshnessof the deep springs of life.

Youthmeans a tempera-mental predominance of courageover timidity, ofthe appetite for adventure over the love of ease. This oftenexists in aman of 60 more than a boyof 20.Nobodygrows old merely by anumber of years.Wegrow old by deserting ourideals.

Yearsmay wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasmwrinkles the soul. Worry, fear,self-distrust bows the heart and turns thespring back to dust.

Whether60 or 16, there is in every human being’s heart the lure of wonder,theunfailing childlike appetite of what’s next and the joy of the game of living.In the center of your heart and my heart there is awireless station:so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope,cheer, courage and power frommen and from the Infinite, so long are you young.

When theaerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snowsof cynicismand the iceof pessimism, then you are grown old, even at 20, but aslong as your aerialsare up, to catch waves of optimism, there is hope you maydie young at 80.

(这篇短文写于20世纪初，它不足500字，但倾倒了世间为数众多的精英，使他们产生着与日俱增的崇敬乃至膜拜的心情。格拉斯·麦克阿瑟将军生前视《青春》一文为座右铭，不但时常引用，还精心装裱后摆在自己的办公室里。在日本，《青春》一文更是走红，一位外籍日本通曾断言：“任何一个对日本经济活动怀有兴趣的人，都需要了解和运用这篇短文。就连松下电器的创始人松下幸之助几十年来也把《青春》当作他的座右铭。

《青春》的力量无价。欲寻求出类拔萃的、品格卓越的进步，不能不依靠青春的活力，以及由它派生的新鲜认识和实践精神。)