英语是世界上最流行的语言，也是所有语言中使用最广泛的语言，学好英语有利于我们对外交流,小编整理了一些英文散文，下面小编就和大家分享，来欣赏一下吧。
英语散文：Good and Evil(善恶之辨)
John Milton/约翰·弥尔顿(1608~1674)，17世纪英国杰出的文学家，出生清教徒家庭，自幼爱好文学，博览经典著作与欧陆各国文学，代表作《失乐园》、《复乐园》。
Good and evil we know in the field of this World grow up together almost inseparable; and the knowledge of good is so involved and interwoven with the knowledge of evil and in so many cunning resemblances hardly to be discerned, that those confused seeds which were imposed on Psyche as an incessant labour to cull out and sort asunder were not more intermixed. It was from out the rind of one apple tasted that the knowledge of good and evil as two twins cleaving together leapt forth into the World. And perhaps this is that doom which Adam fell into of knowing good and evil, that is to say of knowing good by evil. As therefore the state of man now is, what wisdom can there be to choose, what continence to forbeare, without the knowledge of evil? He that can apprehend and consider vice with all her baits and seeming pleasures, and yet abstain, and yet distinguish, and yet prefer that which is truly better, he is the true warfaring Christian. I cannot praise a fugitive and cloistered virtue, unexercised and unbreathed, that never sallies out and sees her adversary, but sinks out of the race, where that immotal garland is tobe run for not without dust and heat. Assuredly we bring not innocence into the world, we bring impurity much rather: that which purifies us is trial, and trial is by what is contrary…
我们所认识的善与恶在这个尘世的范围内总是相伴生长，密不可分的;而善与恶的知识又是这样的错综纠缠，且惯以形容酷肖的面目出现，这中间的纷纭程度，较之作为长期苦役而罚使塞娥不停分拣的混杂败种，可能更有过之。谁能料到，善与恶的知识这对紧紧相依的孪生兄弟便是从一只吃过的苹果之中，破皮跃入这个世界的。这或许也即是昔年亚当曾经坠入其间的那个劫数——明善恶之辨，或曰，藉恶以知善。因此，既然人类已成为今天这种情形，试问离开对恶的知识，智慧将何得而选择，坚忍又何从而施行?那种能将罪恶及其一切诱饵与声色之乐一并擒拿在手，细加审视，而仍能知所趋避，而仍能明辨是非，而仍能择善而从的人，这种人方不愧为真正善战的基 督徒。至于那种于德无所施，于行无所表的逋逃隐遁性的道德，那种从未有冲杀应敌之劳，而只是临阵一逃了事的道德，我委实不敢赞一词;须知不朽之花环是很少可以不备极艰苦而后得到的。显然，我们所携入这个世界的并非纯真一片，我们所带来的倒无虑是种.种之不洁;致我们于纯洁者是考验，而考验则必借相反的事物……
For as in a body, when the blood is fresh, the spirits pure and vigorous not only to vital but to rational faculties and those in the acutest and the pertest operations of wit and subtlety, it argues in what good plight and constitution the body is, so when the cheerfulness of the people is so sprightly up, as that it has not only wherewith to guard well its own freedom and safety but to spare, and to bestow upon the solidest and sublimest points of controversy and new invention, it betokens us not degenerated, nor drooping to a fatal decay, but casting of fthe old and wrinkled skin of corruption to outlive these pangs and wax young again, entering the glorious ways of Truth and prosperous virtue destined to become great and honourable in these latter ages. Methinks I see in my mind a noble and puissant Nation rousing herself like a strong man after sleep, and shaking her invincible locks. Methinks I see her as an Eagle mewing her mighty youth, and kindling her undazzled eyes at the full midday beam, purging and unscaling her long abused sight at the fountain itself of heavenly radiance, while the whole noise of timorous and flocking birds, with those also that love the twilight, flutter about, amazed at what she means, and in their envious gabble would prognosticate a year of sects and schisms.
正像在躯体方面，当一个人的血液鲜活，各个基本器官与心智官能中的元气精 液纯洁健旺，而这些官能又复于其机敏活泼的运用中恣骋其心智的巧慧的时候，往往可以说明这个躯体的状况与组织异常良好那样，同理，当一个民族心情欢快，意气欣欣，非但能绰有余裕地去保障其自身的自由与安全，且能以余力兼及种.种坚实而崇高的争议与发明，这也会向我们表明了它没有倒退，没有陷入一蹶不振的地步，而是脱掉了衰朽腐 败的陈皱表皮，经历了阵痛而重获青春，从此步入足以垂懿范于今兹的真理与盛德的光辉坦途。我觉得，我在自己的心中仿佛瞥见了一个崇高而勇武的国家，好像一个强有力者那样，正从其沉酣之中振身而起，风鬓凛然。我觉得，我仿佛瞥见它是一头苍鹰，正在挣脱着它幼时的健翮，它那目不稍瞬的双睛因睁对中午的炎阳而被燃得火红，继而将它的久被欺诓的目光疾扫而下，俯瞰荡漾着天上光辉的清泉本身，而这时无数怯懦群居的小鸟，还有那些性喜昏暗时分的鸟类，却正在一片鼓噪，上下翻飞，对苍鹰的行径诧怪不已;而众鸟的这种恶毒的唧唧喳喳将预示着未来一年的派派系系。
英语散文：何必以心跳定生死?
why Measure Life in Heartbeats?
Hemingway once wrote that courage is grace under pressure. But I wouldrather think with the 18th-century Italian dramatist, Vittorio Alfieri, that"often the test of courage is not to die but t0 1ive." For living with cancerengenders more than pressure; it begets terror. To live with it, to face up toit-that's courage.
Hope is our most effective "drug" in treating cancer. There is almost nocancer (at any stage) that cannot be treated. By instilling hope in a patient,we can help develop a positive; combative attitude to his disease. Illogical,unproven? Perhaps. But many doaors believe that this must become a partof cancer therapy if the therapy is to be effective.
I have had the joy of two beautiful and wonderful wives, the happiness ofparenthood and the love of eight children. My work was constantly chal-lenging and fulfilling. I have always loved music and books, ballet and thetheater. I was addicted to fitness, tennis, golf, curling, hunting and fishing.
Good food and wine graced my table. My home was a warm and happyplace.
But when I became aware of my imminent mortality, my attitudes changed.
There was real meaning to the words, "This is the first day of the rest ofyour life." There was a heightened awareness of each sunny day, the beautyof flowers, the song of a bird. How often do we reflect on the joy of breath.
ing easily, of swallowing without effort and discomfort, of walking withoutpain, of a complete and peaceful night's sleep?
After I became ill, I embarked upon many things I had been putting offbefore. I read the books Ihad set aside for retirement and wrote one myself,entitled TheArt of Surgery. My wife Madeleine and I took more holidays.
We played tennis regularly and curled avidly; we took the boys fishing. WhenI review these past few years, it seems in many ways that I have lived alifetime since I acquired cancer. On my last holiday in the Bahamas, as Iwalked along the beach feeling the gentle waves wash over my feet, I felt apart of tlie universe, even if only a minuscule one,like a grain of sand on thebeach.
Although I had to restrict the size of my practice, I felt closer empathy withmy patients. When I walked into the Intensive Care Unit there was an awe-some feeling knowing I, too, had been a patient there. It was a special satis-faction to comfort my patients with cancer, knowing that it is possible toenjoy life after the anguish of that diagnosis. It gave me a warm feeling tosee the sparkle in one patient's eyes-a man with a totallaryngectomy-when I asked if he would enjoy a cold beer and went to get him one.
If one realizes that our time on this earth is but a tiny fraction of that withinthe cosmos, then life calculated in years may not be as important as wethink. Why measure life in heartbeats? When life is so dependent on such anunreliable function as the beating of the heart, then it is fragile indeed. Theonly thing that one can depend upon with absolute certainty is death.
I believe that death may be the most important part of life. I believe that lifeis infinitesinially brief in relation to the immensity of eternity. I believe,because of my religious faith, that I shall "return to the Father"in an afterlifethat is beyond description. I believe that though my life was short in years, itwas fullin experience, joy, love and accomplishment; that my owriimmor-tality will reside in the memories of my loved ones left behind, mother,brother, wife, children, dear friends. I believe that I will die with loved onesclose by and, one hopes, achieve that great gift of God-ileath in peace, andwith dignity.
何必以心跳定生死?
海明威曾经写过，勇气就是临危不惧。不过，我更赞同18世纪意大利戏剧家维多利奥·阿尔菲利的观点：“对勇气的考验往往不是去死，而是要活。”身患癌症，不仅带来痛苦，而且引起恐惧。抱病生活，并敢于正视这一现实，这就是勇气。
希望是我们治疗癌症最有效的“药物”。几乎没有任何癌症(无论发展到哪一期)是不能医治的。把希望灌输到病人心里，我们就可以帮助他树立起积极与疾病作斗争的观念。也许此话不合逻辑，言之无据，是吗?然而，许多医生认为，要想使疗法有效，这必须成为癌症治疗的一部分。
我有幸先后拥有两位美丽贤惠的妻子所带来的欢欣，体验过为人之父的乐趣，并得到八个子女的爱。过去，我的工作一直富有挑战性，令人有成就感。我一向喜欢听音乐和读书，酷爱芭蕾舞和戏剧。我曾经醉心于健身运动、网球、高尔夫球、冰上溜石、打猎和垂钓。我的餐桌摆满美酒佳肴。我的家温馨而又幸福。
可是，当我知道自己大限将至时，生活态度就变了。“这是您余生的开始。”这句话对我有了实实在在的含义。对每一个晴天丽日，对鸟语花香，我的感触倍加强烈。平日呼吸轻松，吞食自如，走路毫不费劲，一夜安寝到天明，我们几曾回味过其中的乐趣?
患病后，我着手做以前搁置下来的许多事情。我阅读了本来留到退休后才读的书，而且还写了一本题为《外科术》的书。我与夫人马德琳度假更加频繁。我们经常去打网球，劲头十足地在冰上溜石，还带儿子们去钓鱼。回顾过去几年，从许多方面来看，自从得了癌症以后，我似乎已经活了一辈子。上次到巴哈马度假期间，我沿着海滩漫步，海浪轻轻抚揉着我的双脚，此时此刻我蓦然觉得自己与整个宇宙融为一体，尽管我微不足道，就像海滩上的一粒沙子。
虽然我不得不限制自己的医务工作量，我感到与病人更加心灵相通。当我走进特别护理室时，一种敬畏之感油然而生，因为我知道自己也曾是这里的病人。我明白，在经历了被确诊为癌症的极度痛苦之后，仍有可能享受生活，因此，安慰癌症患者成了一种特别的乐事。一位病人做了喉部切除手术，我问他是否想喝冻啤酒，而且为他拿来了一杯，这时我看到他眼里闪现出了火花，一股暖流顿时涌上我的心头。
倘若人们意识到人生在世只不过是宇宙的时间长河中转瞬即逝的一刹那，那么以岁月计算的生命就不会像我们所想的那样重要了。何必以心跳来定生死呢?当生命依赖于心跳这样一种不可靠的功能时，它的确脆弱不堪。而只有死亡才是人们可以绝对依赖的。
我认为死亡可能是人生中最重要的一环。我认为与那漫长的永生相比，生命是极其短暂的。基于我的宗教信仰，我相信在我身后那难以描绘的时光里，我将回归圣父。我相信，我的生命以年月计算，虽然是短暂的，但经历丰富，充满了欢乐、爱情和成就;我将永远活在我所爱的人，即我的母亲、兄弟、儿女和密友的记忆中。我相信，在弥留之际，我的亲朋好友将陪伴在我身旁：我希望得到上帝的恩赐——带着尊严，安详地告别人间。
英语散文：The Song of the River(河之歌)
The Song of the River
河之歌
W.S Maugham
毛姆
You hear it all along the river. You hear it, loud and strong, from the rowers as they urge the junk with its high stern, the mast lashed alongside, down the swift running stream. You hear it from the trackers, a more breathless chant, as they pull desperately against the current, half a dozen of them perhaps if they are taking up wupan, a couple of hundred if they are hauling a splendid junk, its square sail set, over a rapid.
沿河上下都可以听见那歌声。它响亮而有力，那是船夫，他们划着木船顺流向下，船尾翘得很高，桅杆系在船边。它也可能是比较急促的号子，那是纤夫，他们拉纤逆流而上。如果拉的是小木船，也许就只五六个人;如果拉的是扬着横帆的大船过急滩，那就要200来人。
On the junk, a man stands amidships beating a drum incessantly to guide their efforts, and they pull with all their strength, like men possessed, bent double; and sometimes in the extremity of their travail they craw on the ground, on all fours, like the beasts of the field. They strain, strain fiercely, against the pitiless might of the stream.
船中央站着一个汉子不停地击鼓助威，引导他们加劲。于是他们使出全部力量，像着了魔似的，腰弯成两折，有时力量用到极限就全身趴在地上匍匐前进，像田里的牲口。
The leader goes up and down the line and when he sees one who is not putting all his will into the task he brings down his split bamboo on the naked back. Each one must do his utmost or the labour of all is vain. And still they sing a vehement, eager chant, the chant of the turbulent waters.
领头的在纤绳前后跑来跑去，见到有人没有全力以赴，竹板就打在他光着的背上。每个人都必须竭尽全力，否则就要前功尽弃。就这样他们还是唱着激昂而热切的号子，那汹涌澎湃的河水号子。
I do not know words can describe what there is in it of effort. It serves to express the straining heart, the breaking muscles, and at the same time the indomitable spirit of man which overcomes the pitiless force of nature. Though the rope may part and the great junk swing back, in the end the rapid will be passed; and at the close of the weary day there is the hearty meal...
我不知道词语怎样能描写出其中所包括的拼搏，它表现的是绷紧的心弦，几乎要断裂的筋肉，同时也表现了人类克服无情的自然力的顽强精神。他们使劲，拼命使劲，对抗着水流无情的威力。虽然绳子可能扯断，大船可能倒退，但最终险滩必将通过，在筋疲力尽的一天结束时可以痛快地吃上一顿饱饭…..
But the most agonizing song is the song of the coolies who bring the great bales from the junk up the steep steps to the town wall. Up and down they go, endlessly, and endless as their toil rises their rhythmic cry. He, aw --ah, oh. They are barefoot and naked to the waist. The sweat pours down their faces and their song is a groan of pain.
然而最令人难受的却是苦力的歌，他们背负着船上卸下的大包，沿着陡坡爬上城墙。他们不停地上上下下，随着无尽的劳动响起有节奏的喊声：嗨，呦——嗬，嗨。他们赤着脚，光着背，汗水不断地从脸上流下。
It is a sigh of despair. It is heart-rending. It is hardly human. It is the cry of souls in infinite distress, only just musical, and that last note is the ultimate sob of humanity. Life is too hard, too cruel, and this is the final despairing protest. That is the song of the river.
他们的歌是痛苦的.失望的叹息，听来令人心碎，简直不像是人的声音。它是灵魂在无尽悲戚中的呼喊，只不过有着音乐的节奏而已。那终了的一声简直就是人性泯灭的低泣。生活太艰难、太残酷，这喊声正是最后绝望的.这就是河之歌。
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