第6章 认识大自然

I RECALL many incidents of the summer of 1887 that followed my soul's sudden awakening. I did nothing but explore with my hands and learn the name of every object that I touched; and the more I handled things and learned their names and uses, the more joyous and confident grew my sense of kinship with the rest of the world.

When the time of daisies and buttercups came Miss Sullivan took me by the hand across the fields, where men were preparing the earth for the seed, to the banks of the Tennessee River, and there, sitting on the warm grass, I had my first lessons in the beneficence of nature. I learned how the sun and the rain make to grow out of the ground every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, how birds build their nests and live and thrive from land to land, how the squirrel, the deer, the lion and every other creature finds food and shelter. As my knowledge of things grew I felt more and more the delight of the world I was in.

Long before I learned to do a sum in arithmetic or describe the shape of the earth, Miss Sullivan had taught me to find beauty in the fragrant woods, in every blade of grass, and in the curves and dimples of my baby sister's hand. She linked my earliest thoughts with nature, and made me feel that“birds and flowers and I were happy peers.”

But about this time I had an experience which taught me that nature is not always kind.

One day my teacher and I were returning from a long ramble. The morning had been fine, but it was growing warm and sultry when at last we turned our faces homeward. Two or three times we stopped to rest under a tree by the wayside. Our last halt was was under a wild cherry tree a short distance from the house. The shade was grateful, and the tree was so easy to climb that with my teacher's assistance I was able to scramble to a seat in the branches. It was so cool up in the tree that Miss Sullivan proposed that we have our luncheon there. I promised to keep still while she went to the house to fetch it.

Suddenly a change passed over the tree. All the sun's warmth left the air. I knew the sky was black, because all the heat, which meant light to me, had died out of the atmosphere. A strange odour came up from the earth. I knew it, it was the odour that always precedes a thunderstorm, and a nameless fear clutched at my heart. I felt absolutely alone, cut off from my friends and the firm earth. The immense, the unknown, enfolded me. I remained still and expectant; a chilling terror crept over me. I longed for my teacher's return; but above all things I wanted to get down from that tree.

There was a moment of sinister silence, then a multitudinous stirring of the leaves. A shiver ran through the tree, and the wind sent forth a blast that would have knocked me off had I not clung to the branch with might and main. The tree swayed and strained. The small twigs snapped and fell about me in showers. A wild impulse to jump seized me, but terror held me fast. I crouched down in the fork of the tree. The branches lashed about me. I felt the intermittent jarring that came now and then, as if something heavy had fallen and the shock had traveled up till it reached the limb I sat on. It worked my suspense up to the highest point, and just as I was thinking the tree and I should fall together, my teacher seized my hand and helped me down. I clung to her, trembling with joy to feel the earth under my feet once more. I had learned a new lesson-that nature“wages open war against her children, and under softest touch hides treacherous claws.”

After this experience it was a long time before I climbed another tree. The mere thought filled me with terror. It was the sweet allurement of the mimosa tree in full bloom that finally overcame my fears.

One beautiful spring morning when I was alone in the summer-house, reading, I became aware of a wonderful subtle fragrance in the air. I started up and instinctively stretched out my hands. It seemed as if the spirit of spring had passed through the summer-house.“What is it?”I asked, and the next minute I recognized the odour of the mimosa blossoms. I felt my way to the end of the garden, knowing that the mimosa tree was near the fence, at the turn of the path.

Yes, there it was, all quivering in the warm sunshine, its blossom-laden branches almost touching the long grass. Was there ever anything so exquisitely beautiful in the world before! Its delicate blossoms shrank from the slightest earthly touch;it seemed as if a tree of paradise had been transplanted to earth. I made my way through a shower of petals to the great trunk and for one minute stood irresolute;then, putting my foot in the broad space between the forked branches, I pulled myself up into the tree.

I had some difficulty in holding on, for the branches were very large and the bark hurt my hands. But I had a delicious sense that I was doing something unusual and wonderful, so I kept on climbing higher and higher, until I reached a little seat which somebody had built there so long ago that it had grown part of the tree itself. I sat there for a long, long time, feeling like a fairy on a rosy cloud. After that I spent many happy hours in my tree of paradise, thinking fair thoughts and dreaming bright dreams.

1887年夏天，我的灵魂渐渐苏醒，许多往事至今记忆犹新。我整天用手去探摸我所接触到的每一件东西，并记住它们的名称。我摸到的东西越多，对它们的名字和用途了解得越细，我内心的愉悦与满足感及其对外部世界的渴望也越来越强烈。

当繁花似锦的夏季来临时，莎莉文老师牵着我的手，穿过田野（人们正在那里耕耘播种），来到田纳西河的岸边。我们坐在河边温软的草地上，开始学习人生的新课程，我也明白了大自然对人类的恩惠。我懂得了阳光雨露如何使树木茁壮成长，使粮食得到丰收；我懂得了鸟儿如何筑巢，如何生殖繁衍，又如何随着季节的变化而迁徙；我还懂得了松鼠、鹿和狮子等各种动物如何觅食，如何栖息。当我了解的事情越多，我就越感到我所生活的世界的美好。

在我学会做算术和画地球的形状之前，莎莉文老师先教会我从那粗壮的树木、那细嫩的草叶以及我妹妹的那双小手中去领略美的存在。她把对我的启蒙同大自然联系起来，使我认识到鸟儿、鲜花和人都是平等的伙伴。

但是，在这期间我所经历的一件事，却让我发现大自然并不总是那么慈爱可亲。

一天，老师和我散步到了一个较远的地方之后正往回走，本来早上天气很好的，但现在天气变得闷热起来，我们有好几次不得不停在路边的树下休息。我们最后一次停在离家不远的一棵野樱桃树下歇息。这棵树枝繁叶茂，而且很好攀登，莎莉文老师用手一托，我就上了树，找个枝杈坐了下来。树上是如此的凉快，于是莎莉文老师提议我们就在这儿吃午餐。我答应她一定安静地待在那里，等她回去把饭取过来。

忽然间，天气陡变，太阳的温暖完全消失了，我知道天空布满了乌云，因为那对我来说意味着光明的热气从大气中消失了。一种奇怪的味道从泥土中散发出来，我知道这是暴风雨即将来临的征兆。我感到一种莫名的恐惧。我感觉到了孤独，感觉到自己被和朋友、坚实的大地割裂开来。巨大的恐惧很快包围了我。我一动不动地坐在那里等待，一阵恐惧袭来，心中盼望莎莉文老师快快回来。但我最希望的是从那棵树上下来。

一阵沉寂之后，树叶哗啦啦齐声作响，一阵狂风扫过，树身猛烈地摇动起来，差点儿将我从树上刮下来，幸亏我抱住了树枝。树摇晃得越来越厉害，落叶和折断的小树枝就像雨点般打向我。虽然我急得想从树上跳下来，但恐惧很快就控制了我，我吓得丝毫不敢动弹。我蜷缩在大树的树杈处。树枝不断地抽打着我，风儿在耳边呼啸。我觉得大地在一阵一阵地震动，像有什么沉重的东西掉到了地上，这震动由下而上传到了我坐着的树枝上。我恐惧之极，就在我觉得仿佛要和大树一同走向毁灭之际，这时莎莉文老师恰好赶来了。她抓住我的手，将我扶下树。我紧紧抱着她，为自己又一次接触到坚实的大地而狂喜不已。我又学到了新的一课，那就是：“大自然有时也会向她的孩子们开战，在她那最温柔美丽的外表之下，还隐藏着利爪！”

经过这次惊险的经历之后，我很长一段时间不敢爬树，甚至一想到爬树我就害怕得浑身发抖。直到有一天，当我面对那繁花满枝、香味扑鼻的含羞树的诱惑时，才战胜了这种恐惧心理。

那是春天一个美丽的早晨，我独自坐在凉亭里看书，感觉到空气中有一股奇妙的香气迎面扑来。我站起身来，决定去看看。这种香味就像是“春之神”穿过凉亭。“那是什么？”我问，马上就明白那是含羞树的花香。于是我摸索着走到花园的尽头，含羞树就长在篱边小路的拐弯处。

含羞树的花朵在温暖的阳光下飞舞，开满花朵的树枝快要垂到青草上了。世上还有比这更美妙的事物吗？那些美丽的花儿只要轻轻一碰，就会敏感地卷起来，这仿佛就是从天堂移栽下凡的灵树。我穿过如雨般飘落的花瓣，走近大树，在愣了片刻之后，我就把脚伸到枝丫的空处，两手抓住枝干，开始往上爬。

由于树干太粗了，我几乎抱不住它，而且已经剥离的树皮还把我的手擦破了。尽管如此，我还是有一种美妙的感觉：我正在做一件不同寻常的、奇妙的事。因此，我不断地往上爬，直到爬上一个舒适的座位。这个座位是很早以前有人在树上做的小椅子，日久天长，它就成了树的一部分。我在上面呆了许久，感觉自己就像是在天空中凌云飞翔的仙女。从那以后，我在这棵“天堂树”上度过了许多快乐的时光，尽情地思考，美妙地梦想。