英语美文 - All that is beautiful （上）
第一篇：a grain of sand
一粒沙子
william blake/威廉.布莱克
to see a world in a grain of sand,
and a heaven in a wild fllower,
hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
and eternity in an hour.
从一粒沙子看到一个世界，
从一朵野花看到一个天堂，
把握在你手心里的就是无限，
永恒也就消融于一个时辰。

第二篇：love your life
热爱生活
henry david thoreau/享利.大卫.梭罗
however mean your life is,meet it and live it ;do not shun it and call it hard names.it is not so bad as you are.it looks poorest when you are richest.the fault-finder will find faults in paradise.love your life,poor as it is.you may perhaps have some pleasant,thrilling,glorious hourss,even in a poor-house.the setting sun is reflected from the windows of the alms-house as brightly as from the rich man's abode;the snow melts before its door as early in the spring.i do not see but a quiet mind may live as contentedly there,and have as cheering thoughts,as in a palace.the town's poor seem to me often to live the most independent lives of any.may be they are simply great enough to receive without misgiving.most think that they are above being supported by the town;but it often happens that they are not above supporting themselves by dishonest means.which should be more disreputable.cultivate poverty like a garden herb,like sage.do not trouble yourself much to get new things,whether clothes or friends,turn the old,return to them.things do not change;we change.sell your clothes and keep your thoughts.

不论你的生活如何卑贱，你要面对它生活，不要躲避它，更别用恶言咒骂它。它不像你那样坏。你最富有的时候，倒是看似最穷。爱找缺点的人就是到天堂里也能找到缺点。你要爱你的生活，尽管它贫穷。甚至在一个济贫院里，你也还有愉快、高兴、光荣的时候。夕阳反射在济贫院的窗上，像身在富户人家窗上一样光亮；在那门前，积雪同在早春融化。我只看到，一个从容的人，在哪里也像在皇宫中一样，生活得心满意足而富有愉快的思想。城镇中的穷人，我看，倒往往是过着最独立不羁的生活。也许因为他们很伟大，所以受之无愧。大多数人以为他们是超然的，不靠城镇来支援他们；可是事实上他们是往往利用了不正当的手段来对付生活，他们是毫不超脱的，毋宁是不体面的。视贫穷如园中之花而像圣人一样耕植它吧！不要找新的花样，无论是新的朋友或新的衣服，来麻烦你自己。找旧的，回到那里去。万物不变，是我们在变。你的衣服可以卖掉，但要保留你的思想。

第三篇
the pure.the bright,the beautiful, 一切纯洁的,辉煌的,美丽的,
that stirred our hearts in youth, 强烈地震撼着我们年轻的心灵的,
the impulses to wordless prayer, 推动着我们做无言的祷告的,
the dreams of love and truth; 让我们梦想着爱与真理的;
the longing after something's lost, 在失去后为之感到珍惜的,
the spirit's yearning cry, 使灵魂深切地呼喊着的,
the striving after better hopes- 为了更美好的梦想而奋斗着的-
these things can never die. 这些美好不会消逝。

the timid hand stretched forth to aid 羞怯地伸出援助的手，
a brother in his need, 在你的弟兄需要的时候，
a kindly word in grief's dark hour 伤恸、困难的时候，一句亲切的话
that proves a friend indeed ; 就足以证明朋友的真心；
the plea for mercy softly breathed, 轻声地乞求怜悯，
when justice threatens nigh, 在审判临近的时候，
the sorrow of a contrite heart- 懊悔的心有一种伤感--
these things shall never die. 这些美好不会消逝。

let nothing pass for every hand 在人间传递温情
must find some work to do ; 尽你所能地去做；
lose not a chance to waken love- 别错失去了唤醒爱的良机-----
be firm,and just ,and true; 为人要坚定，正直，忠诚；
so shall a light that cannot fade 因此上方照耀着你的那道光芒
beam on thee from on high. 就不会消失。
and angel voices say to thee---你将听到天使的声音在说-----
these things shall never die. 这些美好不会消逝。

第四篇
think it over……好好想想……

today we have higher buildings and wider highways,but shorter temperaments and narrower points of view;
今天我们拥有了更高层的楼宇以及更宽阔的公路，但是我们的性情却更为急躁，眼光也更加狭隘；

we spend more,but enjoy less;
我们消耗的更多，享受到的却更少；

we have bigger houses,but smaller famillies;
我们的住房更大了，但我们的家庭却更小了；

we have more compromises,but less time;
我们妥协更多，时间更少；

we have more knowledge,but less judgment;
我们拥有了更多的知识，可判断力却更差了；

we have more medicines,but less health;
我们有了更多的药品，但健康状况却更不如意；

we have multiplied out possessions,but reduced out values;
我们拥有的财富倍增，但其价值却减少了；

we talk much,we love only a little,and we hate too much;
我们说的多了，爱的却少了，我们的仇恨也更多了；

we reached the moon and came back,but we find it troublesome to cross our own street and meet our neighbors;
我们可以往返月球，但却难以迈出一步去亲近我们的左邻右舍；

we have conquered the outer space,but not our inner space;
我们可以征服外太空，却征服不了我们的内心；

we have highter income,but less morals;
我们的收入增加了，但我们的道德却少了；

these are times with more liberty,but less joy;
我们的时代更加自由了，但我们拥有的快乐时光却越来越少；

we have much more food,but less nutrition;
我们有了更多的食物，但所能得到的营养却越来越少了；

these are the days in which it takes two salaries for each home,but divorces increase;
现在每个家庭都可以有双份收入，但离婚的现象越来越多了；

these are times of finer houses,but more broken homes;
现在的住房越来越精致，但我们也有了更多破碎的家庭；

that's why i propose,that as of today;
这就是我为什么要说，让我们从今天开始；

you do not keep anything for a special occasion.because every day that you live is a special occasion.
不要将你的东西为了某一个特别的时刻而预留着，因为你生活的每一天都是那么特别；

search for knowledge,read more ,sit on your porch and admire the view without paying attention to your needs;
寻找更我的知识，多读一些书，坐在你家的前廊里，以赞美的眼光去享受眼前的风景，不要带上任何功利的想法；

spend more time with your family and friends,eat your favorite foods,visit the places you love;
花多点时间和朋友与家人在一起，吃你爱吃的食物，去你想去的地方；

life is a chain of moments of enjoyment;not only about survival;
生活是一串串的快乐时光；我们不仅仅是为了生存而生存；

use your crystal goblets.do not save your best perfume,and use it every time you feel you want it.
举起你的水晶酒杯吧。不要吝啬洒上你最好的香水，你想用的时候就享用吧！

remove from your vocabulary phrases like"one of these days"or "someday";
从你的词汇库中移去所谓的“有那么一天”或者“某一天”；

let's write that letter we thought of writing "one of these days"!
曾打算“有那么一天”去写的信，就在今天吧！

let's tell our families and friends how much we love them;
告诉家人和朋友，我们是多么地爱他们；

do not delay anything that adds laughter and joy to your life;
不要延迟任何可以给你的生活带来欢笑与快乐的事情；

every day,every hour,and every minute is special;
每一天、每一小时、每一分钟都是那么特别；

and you don't know if it will be your last.
你无从知道这是否最后刻。

" is no better than "Here"

Many people believe that they will be happy once they arrive at some specific goal they set for themselves. However, more often than not, once you arrive " there" you will still feel dissatisfied, and move your " there" vision to yet another point in the future. By always chasing after another "there," you are never really appreciating what you already have right "here." It is important for human beings to keep soberminded about the age-old drive to look beyond the place where you now stand. On one hand, your life is enhanced by your dreams and aspirations. On the other hand, these drives can pull you farther and farther from your enjoyment of your life right now. By learning the lessons of gratitude and abundance, you can bring yourself closer to fulfilling the challenge of living in the present.

Gratitude To be grateful means you are thankful for and appreciative of what you have and where you are on your path right now. Gratitude fills your heart with the joyful feeling and allows you to fully appreciate everything that arises on your path. As you strive to keep your focus on the present moment, you can experience the full wonder of "here."

There are many ways to cultivate gratitude. Here are just a few suggestions you may wish to try:

1. Imagine what your life would be like if you lost all that you had. This will most surely remind you of how much you do appreciate it.

2. Make a list each day of all that you are grateful for, so that you can stay conscious daily of your blessings. Do this especially when you are feeling as though you have nothing to feel grateful for. Or spend a few minutes before you go to sleep giving thanks for all that you have.

3. Spend time offering assistance to those who are less fortunate than you, so that you may gain perspective.

However you choose to learn gratitude is irrelevant. What really matters is that you create a space in your consciousness for appreciation for all that you have right now, so that you may live more joyously in your present moment.

Abundance One of the most common human fears is scarcity. Many people are afraid of not having enough of what they need or want, and so they are always striving to get to a point when they would finally have enough.

Alan and Linda always dreamed of living "the good life." Both from poor working-class families, they married young and set out to fulfill their mutual goal of becoming wealthy. They both worked very hard for years, amassing a small fortune, so they could move from their two-bedroom home to a palatial seven-bedroom home in the most upscale neighborhood. They focused their energies on accumulating all the things they believed signified abundance: membership in the local exclusive country club, luxury cars, designer clothing, and high-class society friends. No matter how much they accumulated, however, it never seemed to be enough. They were unable to erase the deep fear of scarcity both had acquired in childhood. They needed to learn the lesson of abundance. Then the stock market crashed in 1987, and Alan and Linda lost a considerable amount of money. A bizarre but costly lawsuit depleted another huge portion of their savings. One thing led to another, and they found themselves in a financial disaster. Assets needed to be sold, and eventually they lost the country club membership, the cars, and the house. It took several years and much hard work for Alan and Linda to land on their feet, and though they now live a life far from extravagant, they have taken stock of their lives and feel quite blessed. Only now, as they assess what they have left -- a solid, loving marriage, their health, a dependable income, and good friends -- do they realize that true abundance comes not from amassing, but rather from appreciating.

Scarcity consciousness arises as a result of the "hole-in-the-soul syndrome." This is when we attempt to fill the gaps in our inner lives with things from the outside world. But like puzzle pieces, you can't fit something in where it does not naturally belong. No amount of external objects, affection, love, or attention can ever fill an inner void. We already have enough, so we should revel in our own interior abundance.

彼岸无尽头，知足才常乐

许多人都相信，一旦他们达到了自己所设定的某个特定目标，他们就会开心、快乐。然而事实往往是，当你到达彼岸时，你还是不知足、不满意，而且又有了新的彼岸--新的幻想和憧憬。由于你总是疲于追逐一个又一个的彼岸，你从未真正欣赏、珍惜你已经拥有的一切。不安于现状的欲望人皆有之，由来已久，但重要的是要对它保持清醒的头脑。一方面，你的生活因为梦想和渴望而更加精彩。另一方面，这些欲望又使你越来越不懂得珍惜和享受现在拥有的生活。假如你能懂得感恩，学会知足，你就接近实现生活在现实中提出的要求。

感恩之心感恩是指你感激、珍惜自己当前所拥有的一切以及所处的人生境遇。心存感恩，你的心灵就充满愉悦，你就能真正领会人生路上的种种体验。如果你努力把眼光锁定在此时此刻，你就能感受它的美妙之处。

感恩之心需要经常加强。许多方法可以培育感恩之心，你不妨试试以下几种：

1．设想如果你失去了你现在所拥有的一切，你的生活将会怎么样。它肯定会使你回想起原来你是多么喜欢和珍视这一切。

2．每天都列出那些值得你感激的事物，那样你就能时时刻刻意识到自己的幸运。每天都要这么做，尤其是当你觉得好像没有什么可感激的时候。另外你也可以每天临睡前花几分钟感恩自己所拥有的一切。

3．花时间帮助那些没有你那么幸运的人，这样你也许会对生活有正确的认识。

其实，你选择何种方法去学会感恩，这无关紧要，真正重要的是你应该有意识地努力去欣赏和珍视你现在所拥有的一切，这样你就可以更快乐地享受你目前的生活。

知足常乐贫穷是人类最普遍的恐惧之一。许多人担心自己的所需所求不够，所以他们总是孜孜以求有朝一日能心满意足，别无他求。

艾伦和琳达都来自贫苦的工人家庭，都一直梦想着过上"好日子"。他们早早地成了家，然后就开始为他们共同的致富目标奋斗。他们拼命工作了好几年，终于积攒了一笔钱，从两居室搬到了一套坐落在最高档街区的富丽堂皇的七居室大房子。此后，他们费尽心思去积聚那些他们认为是代表富足的东西：当地惟一的一家乡村俱乐部的会员资格、豪华汽车、名牌服装，以及上流社会的朋友。但是，不论他们积聚了多少，似乎永远难以满足。他们俩谁都无法消除小时侯对贫穷的刻骨铭心的恐惧。其实，他们就需要学会知足常乐这一课。1987年，股市遭受重创，艾伦和琳达损失惨重。祸不单行，一场莫名其妙的昂贵的官司又耗尽了他们的一大笔积蓄，这一切使他们陷入了经济困境。他们不得不变卖家产，最后他们丢掉了乡村俱乐部的会员资格，失去了汽车和房子。艾伦和琳达努力奋斗了好几年才从困境中走出来。现在他们的生活毫不奢华，但是他们是自己生活的主宰，幸福而又知足。只有在这时，他们才掂量着那些尚未失去的东西，如稳固相爱的婚姻、健康的身体、可靠的收入、真正的朋友等等，他们终于认识到，真正的富足不是来自财富的积聚，而是来自对所拥有的一切的珍视。

贫穷感可以归因于"精神空虚综合症"，即我们试图用身外之物来填补内心的空缺。但是，就像拼图游戏一样，你不能把本来不属于那个地方的东西硬塞进去。任何身外之物、情感、关爱和关注都无法填补内心的空虚。我们拥有的已经足够，因此我们应该满足于内心世界的丰富与充实。