He was ashamed to go on kneeling, ashamed to rise from his knees.
他很害羞跪下禱告。
At last, as it were from his inmost heart, a still, small voice seemed to breathe forth the words of the publican,
終于,好像從內(nèi)心深處,一個(gè)微小的聲音堅(jiān)定地說出了稅官說的那些話,
"God be merciful to me a sinner!" He repeated them over and over, clinging to them as for his life,
“愿上帝憐憫我這個(gè)罪人!”他一遍又一遍地重復(fù)著,緊緊抓住它們不放,
and rose from his knees comforted and humbled, and ready to face the whole world.
然后站了起來,這時(shí)他感到了安慰和謙卑,他已經(jīng)做好面對(duì)整個(gè)世界的準(zhǔn)備了。
It was not needed: two other boys besides Arthur had already followed his example,
他的擔(dān)心是多余的:阿瑟旁邊另兩個(gè)男孩已經(jīng)和他一樣跪了下來,
and he went down to the great school with a glimmering of another lesson in his heart,—the lesson that he who has conquered his own coward spirit has conquered the whole outward world;
他感到又學(xué)到了一課——征服了自己內(nèi)心的懦弱就是征服了世界;
and that other one which the old prophet learned in the cave at Mount Horeb, when he hid his face, and the still, small voice asked,
他也明白了當(dāng)以利亞藏身在基立溪旁的山洞時(shí),為什么會(huì)有一個(gè)堅(jiān)定的聲音問他,
"What doest thou here, Elijah?" —that however we may fancy ourselves alone on the side of good, the King and Lord of men is nowhere without his witnesses;
“你在這里做什么,以利亞?”——不論我們覺得自己在世界上有多孤獨(dú),神靈是看得見的;
for in every society, however seemingly corrupt and godless, there are those who have not bowed the knee to Baal.
一個(gè)不論多么腐敗和不敬神的社會(huì),總有不向邪惡屈服的人。
He found, too, how greatly he had exaggerated the effect to be produced by his act.
他還發(fā)現(xiàn),他是多么夸大了自己行為的影響。
For a few nights there was a sneer or a laugh when he knelt down, but this passed off soon, and one by one all the other boys but three or four followed the lead.
接下來的幾個(gè)晚上,當(dāng)他跪下禱告時(shí)都有一兩聲嘲笑,可是很快就聽不到了。不久,除三四個(gè)男孩以外,其他人一個(gè)個(gè)都和他一樣禱告了。