今天，小天将为大家分享一篇自己非常喜欢的英语散文《Youth》，这篇散文很优美，也很有名，它的作者是塞缪尔·厄尔曼。

作者名片

塞缪尔·厄尔曼(1840.4.13-1924.3.21)是一名出生在德国的美国作家。儿时随家人移居美利坚，参加过南北战争，之后定居伯明翰，经营五金杂货，年逾70开始写作，著作有知名散文《青春》等。

谨以此文，献给正值青春的莘莘学子！

YOUTH

Samuel Ullman

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind;

It is not a matter ofrosy1cheeks, red lips and supple knees;

It is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, avigor2of the emotions;

It is the freshness of the deep springs of life.

Youth means atemperamental3predominance4of courage overtimidity5, of theappetite6for adventure over the love of ease.

This often exists in a man of sixty more than a boy of twenty.

Nobody grows oldmerely7by a number of years.

We grow old by deserting our ideals.

Years maywrinkle8the skin, but to give upenthusiasm9wrinkles the soul.

Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.

Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being’s heart thelure10of wonders, the unfailing child-like appetite of what’s next, and the joy of the game of living.

In the center of your heart and my heart there is awireless11station;

So long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from theinfinite12, so long are you young.

When the aerials13 are down, and your spirit is covered with snows ofcynicism14and the ice ofpessimism15, then you’ve grown old, even at twenty, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch the waves ofoptimism16, there is hope you may die young at eighty.

词汇积累：

1. rosy /’rəʊzɪ/ 蔷薇色的，玫瑰红色的；美好的；乐观的；涨红脸的；

2. vigor/’vɪgə/ 活力；精力

3. temperamental /,temp(ə)rə’ment(ə)l/ 喜怒无常的；性情的；易兴奋的

4. predominance /prɪ’dɒmɪnəns/ 优越；卓越

5. timidity/tɪ’mɪdətɪ/ 胆怯，胆小；羞怯

6. appetite /’æpɪtaɪt/ 食欲；嗜好

7. merely /’mɪəlɪ/ 仅仅，只不过；只是

8. wrinkle /’rɪŋkl/ 起皱纹

9. enthusiasm/ɪnˈθju:zɪæzəm/ 热心，热忱英文唯美句子很短励志，热情

10. lure/l(j)ʊə/ 诱惑；饵；诱惑物

11. wireless /ˈwʌɪəlɪs/ 无线的；无线电的

12. infinite /’ɪnfɪnət/ 无限的，无穷的；无数的；极大的

13. aerials/’ɛrɪəl/ 天线

14. cynicism /’sɪnɪsɪz(ə)m/ 玩世不恭，愤世嫉俗；犬儒主义；冷嘲热讽

15. pessimism /’pesɪmɪz(ə)m/ 悲观英文唯美句子很短励志，悲观情绪；厌世主义

16. optimism /’ɒptɪmɪz(ə)m/ 乐观；乐观主义

接下来，我们来看一下中文翻译的不同版本吧！

《青春》青春

王佐良译

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，炙热的感情；

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，二十后生而有之，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，颓废必致灵魂。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

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