无论是身处学校还是步入社会，许多人都写过美文吧？一篇美文是建立在真挚情感的基础上的。文字表达的是内心的感受，是真情实感的自然流露，为了帮助大家更好的了解美文，以下是小编收集整理的英语美文欣赏，欢迎大家
英语美文欣赏15篇【精华】
无论是身处学校还是步入社会，许多人都写过美文吧？一篇美文是建立在真挚情感的基础上的。文字表达的是内心的感受，是真情实感的自然流露，为了帮助大家更好的了解美文，以下是小编收集整理的英语美文欣赏，欢迎大家分享。
Three centuries later, shortly before the birth of Christ, Egypt was still ruled by a living goddess, Cleopatra, a Greek descended from one of Alexander's generals. She looked back to the Golden Age of Alexander's world empire and was determined to do even better herself.
Alexander died at the age of 32. By the time Cleopatra was 23, she had gone ever further than Alexander making her entrance into Rome as Queen of Egypt and consort of Julius Caesar, the most powerful man in the world.
These were complex times. To keep your throne, you had to be adaptable, ruthless, intelligent and a great politician. Cleopatra had all these traits which is why history has provided us with lots of interpretations of Cleopatra. Renaissance poets saw her as a heroine dying for love. And painters alluded to her eroticism in their bare breasted portrayals of the dying queen. Hollywood reinforced the image of Cleopatra as a vamp starting with Theda Bara's seductive portrayal in 1917.
But who was the real Cleopatra? What did she really look like?
We're in Berlin because this is the best portrait of Cleopatra in the world. There are very few ancient sculptures that are existing. So this is probably as close as we're ever going to get to how she really looked. She's rather plain looking, isn't she? Look at her hair. It's tied up in a simple bun. It's a classical Greek hairstyle. It's practical but not exactly designed to captivate a Roman general.
We know from ancient sources that her hair was a reddish color, wavy. But look at her nose. It's a little bit too long and hooked at the end. And her mouth, is not exactly sensual. She's not wearing any jewelry. There are no earrings, no necklace. This is not the portrait of a femme fatale.
The ancient sources tell us she was intelligent, witty, charming, a linguist and along with this, she had a tremendous determination. It was this amazing combination of abilities that made Cleopatra the most famous woman in history. It wasn't her beauty.
Women in Egypt had always been powerful: Queen Hatshepsut, Nefertiti and now Cleopatra. But during the era of the Ptolemy's, the role of Greek women had changed. They gained an identity apart from that of their husbands or families. Women participated in the arts and civic life and marriage became a union of two people, not just two houses. The portraits of the women of this period show strong inpiduals looking back at you with confidence. They're almost haunting. Women would not have this power again until the 20th century. Cleopatra was well educated, strong minded with ideas of her own and a female.
As a intellectual, Cleopatra would have been heartbroken: when during fighting between Egyptians and Caesar's Roman troops, there occurred one of the greatest tragedies of the ancient world - the burning of the library of Alexandria. It's sad to think about what was lost in the fire at Alexandria. There are the missing manuscripts of Aristotle and Plato. They were probably there. There was an entire room with editions of Homer. Maybe even there were early manuscripts of the Old Testament, which could probably help settle Biblical questions today.
Cleopatra was eventually able to replace 200,000 of the manuscripts. Books were very important to her. It's ironic that today everybody knows her for her beauty, but it was her intelligence that was most important asset she had.
Time is running out for my friend. While we are sitting at lunch she casually mentions she and her husband are thinking of starting a family. "We're taking a survey,"she says, half-joking. "Do you think I should have a baby?"
"It will change your life," I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral2. "I know,"she says, "no more sleeping in on weekends, no more spontaneous3 holidays..."
But that's not what I mean at all. I look at my friend, trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes. I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional4 wound so raw5 that she will be vulnerable6 forever.
I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without thinking: "What if that had been MY child?" That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her. That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die. I look at her carefully manicured7 nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated8 she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive9 level of a bear protecting her cub10.
I feel I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed11 by motherhood. She might arrange for child care, but one day she will be going into an important business meeting, and she will think her baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of discipline12 to keep from running home, just to make sure her child is all right.
I want my friend to know that every decision will no longer be routine. That a five-year-old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's at a restaurant will become a major dilemma. The issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester13 may be lurking14 in the lavatory15. However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess16 herself constantly17 as a mother.
Looking at my attractive friend, I want to assure her that eventually18 she will shed the added weight19 of pregnancy20, but she will never feel the same about herself. That her own life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. She would give it up in a moment to save her offspring21, but will also begin to hope for more years—not to accomplish her own dreams—but to watch her children accomplish theirs.
I want to describe to my friend the exhilaration22 of seeing your child learn to hit a ball. I want to capture23 for her the belly laugh24 of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog for the first time. I want her to taste the joy that is so real it hurts.
My friend's look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. "You'll never regret it," I say finally. Then, squeezing25 my friend's hand, I offer a prayer for her and me and all of the mere mortal women who stumble26 their way into this holiest of callings.
A good book may be among the best of friends.(a good book is like our best friend) It is the same today that it always was, and it will never change. It is the most patient and cheerful of companions. It does not turn its back upon us (abandon) in times of adversity or distress.(in times of misfortunes or poverty) It always receives us with the same kindness，amusing and instructing us in youth, and comforting and consoling us in age.(in old age)
一本好书就像是一个最好的朋友。它始终不渝，过去如此，现在仍然如此，将来也永远不变。它是最有耐心、最令人愉快的伴侣。在我们穷愁潦倒、临危遭难的时候，它也不会抛弃我们，对我们总是一往情深。在我们年轻时，好书陶冶我们的性情，增长我们的知识；到我们年老时，它又给我们以安慰和勉励。
Men often discover their affinity (close relationship) to each other by the love they have each for a book --- just as two persons sometimes discover a friend by the admiration which both have for a third. There is an old proverb, “Love me, and love my dog.” But there is more wisdom in this:” Love me, love my book.” The book is a truer and higher bond of union. (uniting force) Men can think, feel, and sympathize (share the feelings or ideas of another) with each other through their favorite author. They live in him together, and he (lives) in them. ---they can find their opinions from books, in reverse, the ideas of the author influence them too.
人们常常因为同爱一本书而结为知己，就像有时两个人因为敬慕同一个人而交为朋友一样。古谚说：“爱屋及乌”。但是，“爱我及书”这句话却有更深的哲理。书是更为坚实而高尚的情谊纽带。人们可以通过共同爱好的作家沟通思想感情，彼此息息相通。他们的思想共同在的著述里得到体现，而的思想反过来又化为他们的思想。
“Books,” said Hazlitt,“Wind into the heart; the poet‘s verse slides in the current of our blood. We read them when young, we remember them when old. We feel that it has happened to ourselves. They are to be very cheap and good. We breathe but the air of books.”
哈兹利特曾经说过：“书潜移默化人们的内心，诗歌熏陶人们的气质品性。少小所习，老大不忘，恍如身历其事。书籍价廉物美，不啻我们呼吸的空气。”
A good book is often the best urn (a vase with foot and round body, especially as anciently for storing ashes of the dead. 有腳之圓形缸，古時以此缸盛人屍體之骨殖。) of a life enshrining (inclosing or preserving as in shrine. 保而藏之（如帝王駕崩，高僧圓寂之後，藏其遺骸於神龕中）.) the best that life could think out; for the world of a man‘s life is, for the most part, but the world of his thoughts. Thus the best books are treasuries (a place where valuable things are kept. ) of good words, the golden (precious, excellent) thoughts, which, remembered and cherished, become our constant companions and comforters (a thing that gives comfort). “They are never alone,” said Sir Philip Sidney, “that are accompanied by noble thoughts.”
好书常如最精美的宝器，珍藏着人的.一生思想的精华。人生的境界，主要就在于他思想的境界。所以，最好的书是金玉良言的宝库，若将其中的崇高思想铭记于心，就成为我们忠实的伴侣和永恒的慰籍。菲利普·悉尼爵士说得好：“有高尚思想作伴的人永不孤独。”
The good and true thought may in times of temptation (lure) be as an angel of mercy purifying and guarding the soul. It also enshrines the germs of action, for good words almost always inspire to good works.
当我们面临诱惑的时候，优美纯真的思想会像仁慈的天使一样，纯洁并保卫我们的灵魂。优美纯真的思想也蕴育着行动的胚芽，因为金玉良言几乎总会启发善行。
Books possess an essence of immortality (the nature of endless life). They are by far the most lasting products of human effort. Temples and statues decay (rot), but books survive. Time is of no account (of no importance ) with great thoughts, which are as fresh today as when they first passed through their author‘s minds, ages ago. What was then said and thought still speaks to us as vividly as ever from the printed page. The only effect of time has been to sift out (make sth bad away) the bad products; for nothing in literature can long survive but what is really good.
书籍具有不朽的本质，是人类勤奋努力的最为持久的产物。寺庙会倒坍，神像会朽烂，而书却经久长存。对于伟大的思想来说，时间是无关重要的。多少年代前初次闪现在脑海里的伟大思想今天依然清新如故。他们当时的言论和思想刊于书页，如今依然那么生动感人。时间唯一的作用是淘汰不好的作品，因为只有真正的佳作才能经世长存。
Books introduce us into the best society they bring us into the presence of the greatest minds that have ever lived. We hear what they said and did; we see them as if they were really alive; we sympathize with them, enjoy with them, grieve with them; their experience becomes ours, and we feel as if we were in a measure (in some degree ) actors with them in the scenes which they describe.
书籍引导我们与最优秀的人物为伍，使我们置身历代伟人巨匠之间，如闻其声，如观其行，如见其人。同他们情感交融，悲喜与共。他们的感受成为我们自己的感受，我们觉得有点象是在所描绘的人生舞台上跟他们一起粉墨登场了。
The great and good do not die even in this world. Embalmed (Spring embalms the woods and fields.春天使森林和田野吐露芬芳。) in books, their spirits walk abroad. The book is a living voice. It is an intellect to which one still listens. Hence we ever remain under the influence of the great men of old. The imperial intellects of the world are as much alive now as they were ages ago.
即使在人世间，伟大杰出的人物，也是永生不灭的，他们的精神载入书册，传之四海。书是人们至今仍在聆听的智慧之声，永远充满着活力。所以，我们永远都是在受着历代伟人的影响。多少世纪以前的盖世英才，如今仍同当年一样，显示着强大的生命力。
People born in the autumn live longer than those born in the spring and are less likely to fall chronically ill when they are older, according to an Austrian scientist. Using census data for more than one million people in Austria, Denmark and Australia, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in the northern German town of Rostock found the month of birth was related to life expectancy over the age of 50. Seasonal differences in what mothers ate during pregnancy, and infections occurring at different times of the year could both have an impact on the health of a new-born baby and could influence its life expectancy in older age. "A mother giving birth in spring spends the last phase of her pregnancy in winter, when she will eat less vitamins than in summer," said Gabriele Doblhammer, one of a team of scientists who carried out the research. "When she stops breast-feeding and starts giving her baby normal food, it’s in the hot weeks of summer when babies are prone to infections of the digestive system." In Austria, adults born in autumn (October-December) lived about seven months longer than those born in spring (April-June), and in Denmark adults with birthdays in autumn outlived those born in spring by about four months. In the southern hemisphere, the picture was similar. Adults born in the Australian autumn - the European spring - lived about four months longer than those born in the Australian spring. The study focused on people born at the beginning of the 20th century, using death certificates and census data. Although nutrition at all times of the year has improved since then, the seasonal pattern persists, Doblhammer said.
编辑点评：两情若在久长时，又岂怕没房子住？答曰：还是怕的……哦，现实永远和我们过不去，但是无所畏惧的恋人们也会选择抗争到底！这个世界总不会不给相爱的.人一点容身之地的吧？
两情若在久长时，又岂怕没房子住？
Eternal love between us two, Shall withstand the HOUSE apart.
二人は本当に愛し合っていたら、マンションなんか気にするもんか。
人间木有狠心王母浩淼银河，却有的是为现实折腰的苦情恋人。生活全靠自己打拼，要加油哦！
小编表示感动：有情饮水饱，不是每个人都能做到啊。当爱情迎头撞上不解风情的冰冷现实，多少人能真的坚持到最后呢？在这个美好的节日，还是叮嘱大家一句，hold fast to love，for when love dies，life is a broken-winged bird，that can never fly (看多少人能猜出这几句话的原版~)
于是再次代表天下有情人谴责skyrocketing的房价……（背景音：部落虎！连房子都买不起还想跟我约会……）
英语美文 最幸福的时刻
In Life We Are Happiest When…
生活中,我们最幸福时
A man and his girlfriend were married. It was a large celebration.
一个男人和他的女朋友结婚，举行了一场盛大的结婚庆典。
All of their friends and family came to see the lovely ceremony and to partake of the festivities and celebrations. All had a wonderful time.
所有的朋友和家人都来到结婚典礼上参加欢宴和庆祝活动。大家都过得很开心。
The bride was gorgeous in her white wedding gown and the groom was very dashing in his black tuxedo. Everyone could tell that the love they had for each other was true.
穿着白色婚纱的`新娘漂亮迷人，穿着黑色礼服的新郎英俊潇洒。每个人都能看出他们彼此的爱是真诚的。
A few months later, the wife came to the husband with a proposal, "I read in a magazine, a while ago, about how we can strengthen our marriage," she offered. "Each of us will write a list of the things that we find a bit annoying with the other person. Then, we can talk about how we can fix them together and make our lives happier together."
几个月后，妻子走近丈夫提议说：“我刚才在杂志上看到一篇文章，说的是怎样巩固婚姻。”她说：“我们两个人都各自把对方的小毛病列在一张纸上，然后我们商量一下怎样解决，以便使我们的生活更幸福。”
The husband agreed. So each of them went to a separate room in the house and thought of the things that annoyed them about the other. They thought about this question for the rest of the day and wrote down what they came up with.
丈夫同意了。于是他们各自走向不同的房间去想对方的缺点。那一天余下的时间里，他们都在思考这个问题，并且把他们想到的都写下来。
The next morning, at the breakfast table, they decided that they would go over their lists.
第二天早上，吃早饭的时候，他们决定谈谈彼此的缺点。
"I'll start," offered the wife. She took out her list. It had many items on it, enough to fill 3 pages. In fact, as she started reading the list of the little annoyances, she noticed that tears were starting to appear in her husband's eyes.
“我先开始吧。”妻子说。她拿出她的单子，上面列举了很多条，事实上，足足写满了三页。当她开始念的时候，她注意到丈夫眼里含着泪花。
"What's wrong?" she asked. "Nothing," the husband replied, "keep reading your list."
“怎么啦?”她问。“没什么，”丈夫答道，“继续念吧。”
The wife continued to read until she had read all three pages to her husband. She neatly placed her list on the table and folded her hands over the top of it.
妻子又接着念。整整三页都念完之后她把单子整齐地放在桌上，两手交叉放在上面。
"Now, you read your list and then we'll talk about the things on both of our lists," she said happily.
“现在该你念了，然后我们谈谈所列举的缺点。”她高兴地说。
Quietly the husband stated, "I don't have anything on my list. I think that you are perfect the way that you are. I don't want you to change anything for me. You are lovely and wonderful and I wouldn't want to try and change anything about you."
丈夫平静地说：“我什么也没写，我觉得像你这样就很完美了，我不想让你为我改变什么。你很可爱迷人，我不想让你改变。”
The wife, touched by his honesty and the depth of his love for her and his acceptance of her, turned her head and wept.
妻子被丈夫的诚实和对她深深的爱和接纳感动了，她转过头去哭起来。
In life, there are enough times when we are disappointed, depressed and annoyed. We don't really have to go looking for them. We have a wonderful world that is full of beauty, light and promise. Why waste time in this world looking for the bad, disappointing or annoying when we can look around us, and see the wondrous things before us?
生命中我们有很多的失望、沮丧和烦恼，我们根本不需要寻找。我们美妙的世界充满了美丽、光明、希望。但是，当我们放眼四周时，为什么浪费时间寻找不快、失望和烦恼，而看不到我们面前的美好事物呢？
Dear son...
孩子…..
The day that you see me old and I am already not, have patience and try to understand me …
哪天你看到我日渐老去,身体也渐渐不行,请耐着性子试着了解我……
If I get dirty when eating… if I can not dress… have patience.
Remember the hours I spent teaching it to you.
如果我吃的脏兮兮,如果我不会穿衣服……
有耐性一点……
你记得我曾花多久时间教你这些事吗?
If, when I speak to you, I repeat the same things thousand and one
times… do not interrupt me… listen to me
如果,当我一再重复述说
同样的事情…不要打断我,听我说….
When you were small, I had to read to you thousand and one times the same story until you get to sleep…
When I do not want to have a shower, neither shame me nor scold me…
你小时候,我必须一遍又一遍的读着同样的故事,直到你静静睡着……..
当我不想洗澡,不要羞辱我也不要责骂我……
Remember when I had to chase you with thousand excuses I invented, in order that you wanted to bath…
When yousee my ignorance on new technologies… give me the necessary time and not look at me with your
mocking smile…
你记得小时后我曾编出多少理由,只为了哄你洗澡…..
当你看到我对新科技的无知,给我一点时间,不要挂着嘲弄的微笑看着我
I taught you how to do so many things… to eat good, to dress well… to confront life…
我曾教了你多少事情啊….如何好好的吃,好好的穿…
如何面对你的'生命……
When at some moment I lose the memory or the thread of our
conversation… let me have the necessary time to remember… and if I cannot do it,
do not become nervous… as the most important thing is not my
conversation but surely to be with you and to have you listening to me…
如果交谈中我忽然失忆不知所云,给我一点时间回想…
如果我还是无能为力,
请不要紧张…..
对我而言重要的不是对话,而是能跟你在一起,和你的倾听…..
If ever I do not want to eat, do not force me. I know well when I need
to and when not.
当我不想吃东西时,不要勉强我.
我清楚知道该什么时候进食
When my tired legs do not allow me walk...
当我的腿不听使唤….
… give me your hand… the same way I did when you gave your first steps.
扶我一把….
如同我曾扶着你踏出你人生的第一步….
And when someday I say to you that I do not want to live any more…
that I want to die… do not get angry… some day you will understand…
当哪天我告诉你不想再活下去了….请不要生气….
总有一天你会了解…
Try to understand that my age is not lived but survived.
试着了解我已是风烛残年,来日可数.
Some day you will discover that, despite my mistakes, I always wanted
the best thing for you and that I tried to prepare the way for you..
有一天你会发现,
即使我有许多过错,我总是尽我所能要给你最好的…
当我靠近你时不要觉得感伤,生气或无奈
You must not feel sad, angry or impotent for seeing me near you. You
must be next to me, try to understand me and to help me as I did it when
you started living.
Help me to walk… help me to end my way with love and patience. I will
pay you by a smile and by the immense love I have had always for you.
你要紧挨着我,如同我当初帮着你展开人生一样的
了解我,帮我….
扶我一把,用爱跟耐心帮我走完人生…
我将用微笑和我始终不变无边无际的爱来回报你
I love you son…
我爱你孩子
Your father
你的父亲
Many people think that when they become rich and successful，happiness will naturally follow.Let me tell you that nothing is further from the truth.The world is full of very rich peoplewho are as miserable as if they were living in hell.We have read stories about movie stars who committed suicide or died from drugs.Quite clearly，money is not the only answer to all problems.Wealth obtained through dishonest means does not bring happiness.Lottery winnings do not bring happiness.Gamble winnings do not bring happiness.To my mind，the secret to happiness lies in your successful work，There is no use sayingin your contribution towards others’ happinessand in your wealth you have earned through your own honest effort.If you obtain wealth through luck or dishonest means，you will know that it is ill earned money.If you get your money by taking advantage of others or by hurting others，you will not be happy with it.You will think you are a base person.Long—term happiness is based on honesty，productive work，contribution，and self—esteem.Happiness is not an end； it is a process.It is a continuous process of honest，productive workwhich makes a real contribution to othersand makes you feel you are a useful，worthy person.As Dr.Wayne wrote，“There is no way to happiness.Happiness is the way.”There is no use saying“Some day when I achieve these goals，when I get a car，build a house and own my own business，then I will be really happy.”Life just does not work that way.If you wait for certain things to happenand depend on external circumstances of life to make you happy，you will always feel unfulfilled.There will always be something missing.
Tall Corn
Jim Carlton sat by his kitchen window. He gazed across the hot afternoon at the corn that grew like a rising hedge around his single-story Iowa farmhouse. This year"s crop had jumped up tall and early. Now, only the corn that crowded around the edge of the home site was visible from the house.
His wife, Sue, stood at the sink washing fresh-picked carrots with a dribble of cold water. She eyed the sky uneasily as she worked, willing a cloud to appear. It had been twenty-seven days since the last rainfall, and that, to use Jim"s words, had been hardly enough to knock the fuzz off a dandelion.
Jim sighed, looking at the blank, blue sky. "It"s been too long. We"re going to start losing corn pretty soon. And there"s not a dang thing anyone can do about it except look for clouds and watch the leaves go soft..." He paused. "But then, I guess worrying doesn"t help any. Just makes you see things worse than they really are."
Sue Carlton, a strong-looking woman in her early forties, set the carrots in the sink and dried her hands. She walked over to her husband who sat in a wheelchair, one leg extended forward. A month ago, Jim had been repairing the roof of the barn when a board gave way. Along with shattered bones, the X rays had shown damage to his spine. Just how much damage, and whether Jim would ever walk again, the doctors couldn"t yet say.
Sue perched on the arm of a chair and stroked the side of Jim"s neck. "I reckon you"re right about worrying," she said. She looked down at him. "Sometimes I think the drought"s harder on the farmers than it is on the crops."
She looked out the window at her garden. They had talked about letting part of the vegetable garden go dry, or selling some of the animals, but so far there seemed to be enough well water for their own use. There just wasn"t enough for three hundred acres of corn.
She bent down and kissed his head. "We"ll be okay," she said quietly.
The days rolled on and on, same after same like crystal-clear beads on a string; early heat, dry winds and spotless skies of beautiful heartbreaking blue. Leaf edges began to brown and curl on the corn that hedged the Carltons" yard.
One day in mid-July, Jim called to his wife as she came in from the garden. He told her he had just been on the phone with their neighbor Pappy Dickson. Pappy"s crop was failing; he couldn"t see any ears at all and even the stalks were turning brown.
"Pappy says he"s going to start plowing his corn under if it doesn"t rain by the end of the week," Jim said in a worried voice.
"Plowing it in?" Sue stared at Jim.
"Sounds like it. I think the worry must be getting to him. What he says is impossible. We all planted the same seed at about the same time, and it looks to me like the corn"s holding up pretty good."
A few days later, Sue returned from a trip to town. Jim heard the screen door slap behind her but didn"t call a greeting. She came into the room, her eyes questioning. Jim was sitting there as cool as a handful of rose petals, a big smile on his face. She set down her packages.
"Don"t tell me," she said. "There"s a rainstorm coming!"
"Better than that! Doc Henderson called, says the new X rays look good, real good - a lot better than he expected." Jim paused and his smile grew wider. "He figures I could be walking by September."
"Walking...?" She looked straight into her husband"s eyes. "He figures you"ll be able to walk?" She reached down and held his face in both hands. "That"s the best news you could have given me!" she said, laughing. She jumped up and twirled a few times around the room, hugging herself with happiness.
"Better than a rainstorm?"
"Oh, honey! A hundred times better," she laughed and fell into a chair beside him.
"You know," he said, reaching out and touching her arm, "a month ago I couldn"t believe how our life was going. I figured maybe we were praying in the wrong direction or something. Then along comes the good news, and suddenly the drought hardly seems worth worrying about."
"Well, that"s good. Then I don"t need to keep sneaking out at night to water." Sue lifted her head and looked in Jim"s eyes.
"The garden?"
"The garden and all the corn you can see from this house."
"Corn?" Jim stared at her.
"What else could I do?" Sue smiled. "You said it yourself, worrying doesn"t help any. It just makes you see things worse than they really are."
I used to watch her from my kitchen window, she seemed so small as she muscled her way through the crowd of boys on the playground. The school was across the street from our home and I would often watch the kids as they played during recess. A sea of children, and yet to me, she stood out from them all. I remember the first day I saw her playing basketball. I watched in wonder as she ran circles around the other kids. She managed to shoot jump shots just over their heads and into the net. The boys always tried to stop her but no one could. I began to notice her at other times, basketball in hand, playing alone. She would practice dribbling and shooting over and over again, sometimes until dark. One day I asked her why she practiced so much. She looked directly in my eyes and without a moment of hesitation she said, “I want to go to college. The only way I can go is if I get a scholarship. I like basketball. I decided that if I were good enough, I would get a scholarship. I am going to play college basketball. I want to be the best. My Daddy told me if the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count.” Then she smiled and ran towards the court to recap the routine I had seen over and over again. Well, I had to give it to her—she was determined. I watched her through those junior high years and into high school. Every week, she led her varsity team to victory.
One day in her senior year, I saw her sitting in the grass, head cradled in her arms. I walked across the street and sat down in the cool grass beside her. Quietly I asked what was wrong. “Oh, nothing,” came a soft reply. “I am just too short.” The coach told her that at 5’5” she would probably never get to play for a top ranked team— much less offered a scholarship—so she should stop dreaming about college. She was heartbroken and I felt my own throat tighten as I sensed her disappointment. I asked her if she had talked to her dad about it yet. She lifted her head from her hands and told me that her father said those coaches were wrong. They just did not understand the power of a dream. He told her that if she really wanted to play for a good college, if she truly wanted a scholarship, that nothing could stop her except one thing — her own attitude. He told her again, “If the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count.” The next year, as she and her team went to the Northern California Championship game, she was seen by a college recruiter. She was indeed offered a scholarship, a full ride, to a Division 1, NCAA women’s basketball team. She was going to get the college education that she had dreamed of and worked toward for all those years.
What makes you happy all the time? What do you do when you feel like having a bad day?
什么能让你一直拥有幸福感?在你觉得一天过得很糟时，你会做什么让自己开心起来?
下面是8位网友的分享，在读这篇文章的你，又是什么能让你拥有最大的幸福感?
David Leonhardt
Being at peace with myself, just knowing that I am doing , thinking how lucky I am for the incredible bounty I was born into…it’s not one thing, it’s an attitude.
内心的平静，知道自己在做什么，心怀感激我能降临到这个世界上是多大的运气，这不是一件事，这是一种生活态度。
Jennifer Walpole
Books. Books always make me happy when I’m having a bad day. And, while I do enjoy e-books, I love the print versions. There is something intensely satisfying about actually turning the page of a book. I like all genres of books; my favorites are sci-fi and adventure. I also turn to music to bolster my happiness. Josh Groban is a favorite. Most of the time, I have music playing in the background as I’m working. The most simplistic thing that I do when I need to feel happy is count my blessings; even when it seems like the world is crashing down, there is always something to be thankful for.
书籍。心情不好的时候书永远能让我快乐起来。虽然我也喜欢电子书，但相比而言，纸质的更好。当你翻动书页的时候会有一种前所未有的满足感。我喜欢各种题材的书籍，最爱的是科幻和冒险类。我也会听音乐来获得幸福感，最爱的音乐人是美国歌手乔诗·葛洛班。大多数时候，我都会把音乐开着当成工作的背景。当我需要感知幸福时，最简单的莫过于数数我到底拥有些什么，哪怕我的世界一团糟，也总还会有值得我去感激的事情啊。
Nikola Gjakovski
Knowing that today I’m closer to my goal than yesterday brings me happiness. The things that make me a better person than I was yesterday, the virtues that we sshare between us. Also the small things such as hearing someone snort when they laugh, seeing people do good deeds, when I nail a performance I was nervous about, when my pet chooses to sleep next to me at night, when I see old couples still in love, eating a watermelon on a hot summer day, licking the spoon after baking, summer evening walks, realizing I’ve finished all my work for the day and lot of others. Minimize your satisfaction of happiness, but never minimize your goals and attainments. We all strive for happiness but only few find it.
知道今天比昨天更接近目标能让我开心。那些让今天的我比昨天更好的事情，那些我们彼此分享的美德。还有一些小事：比如听到别人扑哧一笑的声音 ，看到别人做好事，为一次表演紧张到无法自拔，或者是宠物晚上睡在我旁边，看到老年伴侣依然相亲相爱，炎热的夏季夜晚吃一个大西瓜，烘烤完舔一舔勺子，夏季傍晚的散步，意识到我已经完成了自己一天的工作顺带帮别人完成了不少。把你对幸福感的满意度降到最低，但不要降低你的目标和成就。我们都在追求幸福，却只有很少人能真正找寻到。
Ieva Salina
The life itself. Moments when you feel everything is connected. that you are a creator. You have choice what to be, how to feel, what to think and say. Being in nature where everything is in harmony and step by step create harmony within and around. Those little moments which are filled with faith, love, joy and success gives strength and encourage to move forward, to your goals. Everything and anything is possible.
生活本身。当你发现每件事都有着千丝万缕的联系的瞬间，你就是生活的创造者。你有选择去做什么、如何去感知、去思考什么和说什么的权利。当周围的一切都处在和谐之中不妨顺其自然，一步一步去创造内部和外在的和谐。那些充满了信念、爱、欢乐和成功的小瞬间，给予你力量促进你继续向着目标迈进。一切皆有可能。
Kara Spain
What makes me most happy is what comes from within myself or simply being me without false pretenses. It is a byproduct of living my purpose; being a writer, loving my family, and helping those in need when fate brings them along. That is who I am naturally, and when I cede to those things I feel most happy and alive as a human being.
真正让我开心是内心存在的一些东西或者是简简单单做自己毫不伪装。这是活出我自己的目标的副产品，当一个作家，爱我的家庭，帮助那些被命运捉弄需要帮助的人们。我本就如此，当做到这些便会更加开心更有存在感。
Chris Haigh
The big stuff that brings me happiness are things like taking slow but steady steps towards goals, dreams, and ambitions that I want to achieve and feel ever more confident and hopeful in achieving.
最能让我开心的莫过于朝着目标梦想和野心一步一步稳定的前进，同时感到越来越有信心和希望。
I have to be honest, though; sometimes happiness really is about the little things we do and we have. It doesn’t have to be big, but if they make you happy, on a small but regular basis, then that makes them no less valid as sources of happiness. For me, it’s silly little things like gelato in the sun or reading books inside while it’s raining outside, or afternoon naps, or writing a great to-do list or playing with my dog.
然而我必须承认，很多时候幸福本身是那些我们做的和拥有的小事情。不需要多么的巨大，但如果能让你开心，哪怕是再小不过再日常的小事，那么也要把这当成是幸福的源泉。对于我来说，一些看起来傻傻的小事，比如阳光下吃冰淇淋，雨天窝在家看书，下午打盹，列一个要待办清单，或是和狗狗玩耍，都是如此幸福。
Happiness is a choice and a goal and anyway you choose to achieve it is valid and something you should striving to fill your life with.
幸福感是选择和目标，是你选择来努力充实生活的事情。
robbie hyman
Believe it or not, gratitude makes me happy.
不管你信不信，感恩能让我幸福。
Sounds counterintuitive, doesn’t it? Seems like it should work in exactly the opposite direction. First we get happy, then we can be grateful about it.
听起来不那么靠谱，好像完全弄反了。直觉上应该是我们先幸福，再来心怀感恩。
The more time during your day you can spend being grateful about the things and the people and the experiences and the luck you have in your life, the happier you’ll be. I promise. I also promise that if you try, really try, to think about all of the reasons you have to be grateful today, right now, you’ll find an astonishingly long list.
每天你对事物或人以及生活中拥有的经历和好运感恩越多，你就越开心。我保证是这样。我还可以保证如果你试了，真正地尝试了，想了一下今天你应该感恩的所有理由，那么现在，你就会发现有很长很长的清单了。
I remember my first condo. Tiny place, but it was all mine. And I’m not sure where I got the idea to do this, but I made a point — from the day I moved in — to walk into every room in the place, just to take a few seconds to reflect on the fact that I actually owned this room… and this one… that one too.
我记得我第一个公寓。非常小，但真的.是我的。我也不太清楚什么时候有了这样的想法，但就是这样——从我搬进去的那天开始，走到每一个房间，花几秒钟去回顾这个事实我真的拥有了这房间，还有这个，还有那个。
Like I said, tiny place, so walking into each room wasn’t exactly a major physical task. But it worked. Because I made feeling grateful for that condo a part of my daily routine, I was a lot happier about it than I suspect most people are about their homes — even if they’re a lot bigger than that condo was.
就如我说的，因为是小地方，所以去到每一个房间也不是啥大体力活。但真的很有用。我开始感恩，有这样一个公寓归我所有，似乎我比其他人对家的满意度幸福感更强——哪怕他们的房子比我的公寓大很多。
Find gratitude to find happiness. It works. In that order. I promise.
先感恩再幸福。真的很有效，就遵循这个顺序吧，相信我没错。
Royale Scuderi
A genuine smile, a comforting hug, a kind word, the comforts of home, real and deep affection are all triggers for happiness, or at least for happy moments. But what truly brings me happiness is a contentment that comes from inside that I matter to those around me, that I’m contributing something to the world. I think for me, happiness comes both from within and from without; it’s a connection to other people, and a sense that all is OK, even in the midst of the uncertainty that surrounds us, that life is still hopeful and good and joyous.
礼貌的微笑，安慰的拥抱，善意的言语，舒适的家，真实深沉的情感都是幸福的源泉，或至少能带来快乐的瞬间。但真正能让我开心的是来自于内心的满足，那种我对周围的人很重要、我对这个世界有着一定的贡献的满足感。我想对于我来说，幸福感来自内外，这是和别人的一种联系，一种感知，什么都可以，哪怕是包围着我们的不确定性，生活仍然充满希望好事和快乐。
Happiness may be more than anything an attitude or more accurately a mindset, a willingness to look for the good in life and to fully embrace and appreciate it when you find it.
幸福也许不仅仅是态度或者一种意识存在，而是一种意愿，你希望能在生活中找到美好，充分的去拥抱和感激你所找到的一切。
How a Simple Idea Became a Huge Business
我怎样白手起家
要是我有个水晶球能窥见未来，我会怎么样呢?许多人一遇到障碍就打退堂鼓，但我不会这样。我一旦有了目标，就必然锲而不舍，全力以赴。我相信人生中充满机会，但我们往往不懂得把握。
By Howard Schultz
霍华德·舒尔茨
[1]When I was a child growing up in public-housing projects in Canarsie, Brooklyn, I remember lying in bed at night thinking: what if I had a crystal ball and could see the future? But I quickly shut out the thought. I realized I didn 8217;t know what I wanted to do with my life. All I knew was I had to get out of the projects, get out of Brooklyn.
[1]小时候我住在纽约市布鲁克林区卡纳西的房租低廉的住宅区，有一天夜里躺在床上思量：要是我有个水晶球能窥见未来，我会怎么样呢?不过我迅即抛开了这个念头。我知道自己在人生路上仍然漫无目标，只知道必须设法离开这里，离开布鲁克林。
[2]I was fortunate to go to college, but I didn 8217;t know what to do next. I had no mentor to help me sort out my options . My main goal was to escape the struggles my working-class parents lived with every day.
[2]后来我有幸上了大学，却不知道下一步该怎么走，也没有人替我指点迷津。我的父母都是工人阶级，每天都必须操劳，而我当时最大的愿望就是不步他们的后尘。
[3]Eventually I discovered I had a talent for sales, and was hired by a Swedish housewares corporation. By age 28, I was vice president in charge of sales in the United States. I had an excellent salary and a co-op apartment in New York City, and was happily married to a beautiful woman, Sheri. My parents couldn 8217;t believe I had come so far so fast. The life I was leading was beyond their best dreams for me.
[3]我发现自己善于推销，便进入了一家瑞典人开的家庭用品公司工作。我表现出色，28岁就晋升为主管国内销售的副总裁，薪金优厚。我买了套住宅，又娶了如花似玉的妻子 8211;雪瑞，生活舒适愉快。连我的父母都不敢相信我会如此飞黄腾达。他们从未梦想过我能过上这样的生活。
[4]Most people would be satisfied with all this. But I was getting antsy . I wanted to be in charge of my own destiny . It was around this time, in the early 1980s, that I became aware of a strange phenomenon. A little retailer in Seattle was placing large orders for a drip coffee maker: a simple plastic cone set on a thermos . The company, Starbucks Coffee and Tea, had only four small stores, yet it was buying our product in quantities larger than Macy 8217;s was. Why was Seattle so taken with this coffee maker when the rest of the country was using electric coffee makers?
[4]一般人有了如此成就，也许会志得意满，我却还想更上一层楼，决意要主宰自己的命运。就在这个时候(80年代初期)，一个奇特现象引起了我的`注意。西雅图有家经营零售业的小公司向我们订购滴滤式咖啡壶。这家公司名叫 8221;明星咖啡连锁公司 8221;，只有4家小店，向我们买这种产品的数量却超过百货业巨擘梅西公司。当时美国各地普通使用电气咖啡壶。何以此器具在西雅图那么受欢迎?
[5]I had to find out, so I went to Seattle.
[5]为了查明原委，我前往西雅图。
[6]Fresh Approach
[6]浓郁香气扑鼻而来
My grandparents believed you were either honest or you weren't. There was no in between. They had a simple motto hanging on their living-room wall: Life is like a field of newly fallen snow; where I choose to walk every step will show. They didn't have to talk about it--they demonstratedthe motto by the way they lived. They understood instinctively that integrity means having a personal standard of morality and ethics that does not sell out to expediency and that is not relative to the situation at hand. Integrity is an inner standard for judging your behavior.Unfortunately, integrity is in short supply today--and getting scarcer. But it is the real bottom line in every area of society.And it is something we must demand of ourselves.
A good test for this value is to look at what I call the Integrity Trial, which consists of three key principles: Stand firmly for your convictions in the face of personal pressure.
When you know you're right, you can't back down. Always give others credit that is rightfully theirs. Don't be afraid of those who might have a better idea or who might even be smarter than you are. Be honest and open about who you really are. People who lack genuine core values rely on external factors--their looks or status---in order to feel good about themselves. Inevitably they will do everything they can to preserve this facade,but they will do very little to develop their inner value and personal growth.
So be yourself. Don't engage in a personal cover-up of areas that are unpleasing in your life. When it's tough, do it tough. In other words, face reality and be adult in your responses to life's challenges.
Self-respect and a clear conscience are powerful components of integrity and are the basis for enriching your relationships with others.
Integrity means you do what you do because it's right and not just fashionable or politically correct. A life of principle, of not succumbing to the seductive sirens of an easy morality,will always win the day. My grandparents taught me that.
2．The Necktie through Thick and Thin
From hat to shoes，men's clothes are useful．Only one piece of clothing is worn just for decoration．It is the necktie，or cravat．The necktie is left over from the time when men wore ruffles，ribbons，and tassels．
Beau Brummel was an Englishman of the early 1800's．He was famous for his fancy clothes．The story is told that he used to invite guests just to watch him knot his white cravat．
Now，perhaps，even the necktie is going out of style．It has been getting smaller and smaller for hundreds of years．It started out as a piece of lace and turned into a silk bow．Then it became a triangle that was tied around the neck．Now many neckties are no wider than a piece of string．
2．领带的沧桑
人的衣物，从帽子到鞋，都有实用价值。唯有一样完全是为了装饰，那就是领带，或者叫“克拉瓦特”。领带是人们从佩戴饰边、缎带和帽穗的时代遗留下来的。
博·布伦美是19世纪初叶的一位英国人，因穿着的花哨而出名。传说他常邀请客人专程去观看他给自己白色的领带打结。
现在，也许连领带也快不时髦了。几百年来，领带变得越来越小。当初，它只不过是一段带子，后来变成丝制的蝴蝶结，以后又演变为缠在脖子上的三角形饰物。现在许多领带的宽度只不过相当于一根绳子的粗细罢了。
异国的阳光其实并不遥远
What day is it today? Is it Tuesday or Thursday? This thought raced through her mind as she sat back with her studentsgoing over the lesson that never seemed to end. Didn’t I just do this yesterday? Or was it a year ago? Hell, everything seemed to jumble together anymore. "Miss Smith
can I go to the bathroom?" Jorge asked, as he proceeded to jump from one foot to another, holding himself. How many times have I heard this? She wondered as she abruptly said, "Yes" and watched as he raced out of the room.
Sitting at the table she gazed at her students while thinking of what she would do after work. Maybe I’ll go to the gym or stop at the market for something to eat tonight. Mechanically she continued with her lesson on the short letter "a" with her students. "The letter "a" makes what sound?" "a, a, a", the students sang together going through the empty motions. The clock dragged away the minutes teasing her with the tediousness of the day.
Won’t it end? She thought as the phone rang out its morse code for her room. Sighing she stood up and walked through the maze of students desks to get to the phone. Picking up the receiver the other voice seemed a hundred miles away. Oh, how I wish I were anywhere but here. Here mind wandered to the hot exotic beach of Cabo, Mexico, where she had spent her last summer break. She still remembered the cool breezes that caressed her skin as she lay on the gritty sand.
"Miss Smith did you hear me?" the secretary annoyingly asked her. "Oh, sorry. What did you say?" "Can you send Carla to the office?" the secretary impatiently asked. "Oh, course" she replied as she hung up the phone. She turned from the phone and yelled out Carla’s name. Carla, who was one of the many who always seemed so needy that were in her class this year. Carla looked up from her desk, her hair hanging like a matted displaced doll. Her face was lined with dirt that gave her the appearance of one of those munchkins from the Wizard of Oz. "You need to go to the office", she said while Carla slowly rose from her desk. "Why do I have to go?" whined Carla. "It’s between you and the office—just go up" she hastily turned her back as Carla walked out of the room. Like having free school uniforms is the answer. It would be nice if just once someone called saying something nice or thanking me for all the endless crap I have to deal with. With a sigh she walked back to her other students who were clustered at the back table patiently waiting her return.
The rest of the afternoon blurred into one long endless repetition. Finally the bell rang as a relief. As she led her students out the door they walked behind her as baby chicks returning to their fold. She noticed that their mother hens clucked to them behind the iron gate. As she proceeded to walk down the corridor, the air, which rose with the musical tingle of Spanish coloring everything that touched it, greeted her. She watched with a touch of envy as the children left her to return to those homes that probably were filled with laughter and warmth while she would once again return to the same endless march of boredom.
"Senora, un momento por favor" She turned her head and noticed the small shriveled man, his brown face lined with a map to places only he knew. "Thanks for helping my grandson Julio to read" the gentleman said in his faltering broken English. She immediately thought of Julio, who once as unreachable as a hardened walnut, slowly cracked opened to reveal the eager child inside. She thought of the inner struggle Julio must have had as he tried to make sense of the foreign letters and the sudden joy when he had unbroken the mysterious code. Was the grandfather the same? She looked up at this elderly gentleman, probably his grandfather, and quickly recognized the sameness of the two. "Gracias Senora" a weathered hand came out and firmly grasped hers with warmth that radiated from his soul to hers. Just as abruptly he removed his hand and left her. As he walked away she thought of that exotic sun and realized maybe it was closer to her than she thought.
今天是星期几？星期二还是星期三？她和学生进行那似乎永无休止的复习，课间休息时，这个念头在她脑子里转了好几圈。我是不是昨天才做完？或者那已是去年的事了？该死，好像什么事都搅到一块儿来了。“史密斯小姐，我可以去一下洗手间吗？”乔治正要迈腿，又停下问道。我是第几次听到这个了？她想着这个问题，随即说道：“去吧”，看着他跑出了教室。
她坐在桌边，眼睛盯着学生，脑子里却在想，下了班该去哪里。也许该去健身，或者去市场买点东西晚上吃。她机械地上着课，给学生讲字母“a”。“‘a’怎么念？”“a, a, a”学生们齐声干巴巴地念着。时钟一分分过去，似乎在嘲笑她这沉闷的一天。
该结束了吧？她正想着，教室的电话响了。她叹了一口气，站起身来，穿过学生的课桌去接电话。拿起话筒，那一端的声音似乎从100英里以外传来。天，要是身处异地该多好！。她神游到了充满异国情调的墨西哥卡波海滩，去年暑假她就是在那儿度过的。她仍记得慵懒地躺在沙滩上，任习习凉风亲吻自己的肌肤。
“史密斯小姐，你在听我说话吗？”秘书有点生气地问道。“哦，对不起，你刚才说什么？”“叫卡拉到我办公室来一下。”秘书更不耐烦了。“哦，好的。”她边说边挂了电话。她转过身来叫着卡拉的名字。卡拉是今年她班上许多贫困学生之一。卡拉抬起头，松散的头发像一篷乱草。满脸泥垢的她看起来像《绿野仙踪》里的芒虚金。“你去一趟办公室。”当卡拉慢慢抬起头的时候，她说道。“为什么要我去？”卡拉嗫嚅道。“去了就知道。快去吧。”她随即转过身，卡拉出去了。她是去领免费的校服的。如果能有人打电话来，说些好听的话或者感谢我做的这些讨厌的工作就好了。她叹了口气，回到后排那一群正耐心等着她的学生。
整个下午都在不断重复着这不尽的单调。最后，救命的钟声终于敲响了。她带着学生走出了教室，就像母鸡带着小鸡回窝似的。她看到学生的妈妈正在铁门后热切等待着他们。当她穿过走廊的时候，那带着西班牙音乐气息的空气迎面扑来。她羡慕地看着孩子们离开她，回到充满欢笑和温暖的家，而自己却不得不再次回到这无尽的单调与无聊之中。
“您好，夫人，打扰你几分钟。”她转过头看到一个窘迫的.男人，棕色的脸上布满了皱纹。“谢谢您对我孙子胡里奥的帮助。”他用蹩脚的英语说道。她立即想起了胡里奥，曾经外表看来那么不可接近，后来慢慢地敞开了一个孩子热切的内心世界。胡里奥一定暗暗努力想学好外文，并且每次进步都能令他欣喜不已。这位祖父也是这样吗？她抬头看着这位也许是胡里奥祖父的老人家，很快就意识到他们两人之间的共通之处。“谢谢您，夫人。”他伸出一只饱经风霜的手，紧紧握住她，他的热情深深地感染了她。他很快又缩回了手，走开了。当他离开时，她想到了异国的阳光，而且明白，异国的阳光其实并不遥远。
Long, long ago, there was a good and honest man,whose name was Yohyo.He lived in a small village and worked as a woodcutter.
One cold day in winter, when deep snow lay on the ground, Yohyo was returning home from his work in the forest. Over his shouider he carrid a sack of wood1, and as it was near evening and it was getting very cold, he hurried on across the snow-coverd fields. Suddenly he saw something black lying in the snow-something that moved and cried. He stopped, and putting down his sack, he went to see what it was. As he got near, the object in the snow cried again, and he could see that it was a crane-a large and beautiful bird with long legs.
When the crane saw Yohyo coming closer, it struggled to rise and he could see that one of its wings was hurt.
“You pour thing!” he cried. “Come2, let me help you. If you stay out here in the snow, you will die.”
The crane stopped struggling and let Yohyo pick it up3. Gently and carefully, he stroked the crane’s feathers, and carrying it under one arm, he set off for home again.
Yohyo was a kind man with a gentle heart and he felt sorry for the beautiful crane4. He looked after it until it was well again, and then he set it free to fly off into the sky.
One night, afew days later, Yohyo heard someone knocking ant the door. When he opened the door, he found a women standing in the snow. By the light of his lamp, Yohyo could see that she was young and beautiful, and shaking with cold. Yohyo stared at her in surprise.
“I have lost my way in the snow,” she said, in a sweet and gentle voice. “My I come into your house and stay for the night?”
“Yes, yes, of course! Come in at once, out of the snow,” cried Yohyo.
He build up the fire again with fresh wood, and brought the young woman rice an hot soup. Her name was Otsu and she was as king and gentle as Yohyo homself.
The next day there was a storm and so Otsu stayed on at the house and Yohyo grew to love her. Otsu, also, loved him for his gentle heart, and soon they were married.
Yohyo and Otsu were happy together, although Yohyo earned only a little money and they were very poor. One night, just before New Year’ Eve, they were sitting together as usual, when Otsu noticed that her husband was worrying about something.
“My dear husband,” she said. “What are you worrying about? Please tell me.”
“Well…” sighed Yohyo. “It is nearly New Year’ Eve, but I cannot make any preparation for the feast because I have no money. I have not even enough money to buy rice and cakes. How I wish I had some money…”
Otsu listened to him silently.
“Yohyo, I will weave for you,” she said. “You can take the cloth that I weave5 and sell it at the market to earn some money.”
“But, please do not look into the other room, while I am working, promise me that you will not look in?”
Yohyo promised, and Otsu went into the other room and began to weave some cloth. She was working for hours ang Yohyo get tired of waiting, but he was patient. At last Otsu came out with a piece of beautiful cloth in her hands. It was the most beautiful cloth that Yohyo had ever seen.
The next morning he set off to the market in the town, and sold the piece of cloth for a lot of maney. Yohyo had never had so much money in his life. He was very excited and he bought many things with it. Soon, in his excitement, he had spent all the money, so he went home and asked Otsu to weave another piece of cloth. So greedy did he become, that he did not notice that the more she worked, the thinner Otsu became. However, as she loved Yoho very much, she wove new cloth for him every time he asked for it.
One day Yohyo asked for some cloth once again, and Otsu said, as usual, “I will weave for you but remember your promise-don’t look into the other room while I am working.”
Yohyo promised and sat down to wait but he soon got tierd of waiting for her. He could hear the sound of weaving, and he began to ask himself why he could not look in at Otsu, while she was working. Once he began to have doubts he could not stop himself from looking in.
He thought, “Otsu won’t be angry with me if I look in only for a moment.”
Finally, he could wait no longer. He crept to the entrance of the other room and looked in. Otsu was not there at all! Instead, he saw a very thin crane which wass pulling off its feathers and weaving them into the cloth. Yohyorecognised it as the very same crane whose life he saved so many months ago.
He crept away again and sat thinking quietly. He felt very anxious-what would Otsu do, now that he knew her secret?
At last the sound of weaving stopped, and Otsu came out of the roomwith two pieces of cloth in her hands.
“Yohyo,” she said, sadly. “You have broken your promise to me. Now that you know that I am a crane, I cannot stay here any longer. Take these pieces of cloth, sell one, and keep the other. Perhaps it will remind you of me.”
“Please Otsu, don’t leave me,” cried Yohyo. “How can I manage to live without you? I love you!”
But Otsu only smiled gently and shook her head.
“No, Yohyo,” she said.”I came here to reply you for your kindness to me, and I stayed for love of your gentle heart. But since I have been weaving for you, you have changed and become greedy and hard.”
“I must go, goodbye.”
“Don’t go, please, Otsu!” cried poor Yohyo. “Don’t leave me alone! I won’t tell your secret. Iwon’t ask you for any more cloth. Don’t go!”
Otsu just smiled sadly again and waving goodbye, she stepped out of the door. At once she changed into a crane and opening her beautiful wings, she flew up into the sky. As Yohyo watched in despair, she rose higher and higher into the sky, until she could be seen no more.
Then there was only the sound of Yohyo’ voice calling,”Otsu! Otsu!…”
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