第8章 沐浴知识的阳光

THE next important step in my education was learning to read.

As soon as I could spell a few words my teacher gave me slips of cardboard on which were printed words in raised letters. I quickly learned that each printed word stood for an object, an act, or a quality. I had a frame in which I could arrange the words in little sentences; but before I ever put sentences in the frame I used to make them in objects. I found the slips of paper which represented, for example,“doll”,“is”,“on”,“bed”and placed each name on its object; then I put my doll on the bed with the words is, on, bed arranged beside the doll, thus making a sentence out of the words, and at the same time carrying out the idea of the sentence with the things themselves.

One day, Miss Sullivan tells me, I pinned the word girl on my pinafore and stood in the wardrobe. On the shelf I arranged the words, is, in, wardrobe. Nothing delighted me so much as this game. My teacher and I played it for hours at a time. Often everything in the room was arranged in object sentences.

From the printed slip it was but a step to the printed book. I took my“Reader for Beginners”and hunted for the words I knew; when I found them my joy was like that of a game of hide-and-seek. Thus I began to read. Of the time when I began to read connected stories I shall speak later.

For a long time I had no regular lessons. Even when I studied most earnestly it seemed more like play than work. Everything Miss Sullivan taught me she illustrated by a beautiful story or a poem. Whenever anything delighted or interested me she talked it over with me just as if she were a little girl herself. What many children think of with dread, as a painful plodding through grammar, hard sums and harder definitions, is to-day one of my most precious memories.

I cannot explain the peculiar sympathy Miss Sullivan had with my pleasures and desires. Perhaps it was the result of long association with the blind. Added to this she had a wonderful faculty for description. She went quickly over uninteresting details, and never nagged me with questions to see if I remembered the day-before-yesterday's lesson. She introduced dry technicalities of science little by little, making every subject so real that I could not help remembering what she taught.

We read and studied out of doors, preferring the sunlit woods to the house. All my early lessons have in them the breath of the woods-the fine, resinous odour of pine needles, blended with the perfume of wild grapes. Seated in the gracious shade of a wild tulip tree, I learned to think that everything has a lesson and a suggestion.“The loveliness of things taught me all their use.”Indeed, everything that could hum, or buzz, or sing, or bloom, had a part in my education-noisy- throated frogs, katydids and crickets held in my hand until, forgetting their embarrassment, they trilled their reedy note, little downy chickens and wild-flowers, the dogwood blossoms, meadow-violets and budding fruit trees. I felt the bursting cotton-bolls and fingered their soft fiber and fuzzy seeds; I felt the low soughing of the wind through the cornstalks, the silky rustling of the long leaves, and the indignant snort of my pony, as we caught him in the pasture and put the bit in his mouth-ah me! how well I remember the spicy, clovery smell of his breath!

Sometimes I rose at dawn and stole into the garden while the heavy dew lay on the grass and flowers. Few know what joy it is to feel the roses pressing softly into the hand, or the beautiful motion of the lilies as they sway in the morning breeze. Sometimes I caught an insect in the flower I was plucking, and I felt the faint noise of a pair of wings rubbed together in a sudden terror, as the little creature became aware of a pressure from without.

Another favourite haunt of mine was the orchard, where the fruit ripened early in July. The large, downy peaches would reach themselves into my hand, and as the joyous breezes flew about the trees the apples tumbled at my feet. Oh, the delight with which I gathered up the fruit in my pinafore, pressed my face against the smooth cheeks of the apples, still warm from the sun, and skipped back to the house!

Our favourite walk was to Keller's Landing, an old tumble-down lumber-wharf on the Tennessee River, used during the Civil War to land soldiers. There we spent many happy hours and played at learning geography. I built dams of pebbles, made islands and lakes, and dug river-beds, all for fun, and never dreamed that I was learning a lesson.

I listened with increasing wonder to Miss Sullivan's descriptions of the great round world with its burning mountains, buried cities, moving rivers of ice, and many other things as strange. She made raised maps in clay, so that I could feel the mountain ridges and valleys, and follow with my fingers the devious course of rivers. I liked this, too; but the division of the earth into zones and poles confused and teased my mind. The illustrative strings and the orange stick representing the poles seemed so real that even to this day the mere mention of temperate zone suggests a series of twine circles; and I believe that if any one should set about it he could convince me that white bears actually climb the North Pole.

Arithmetic seems to have been the only study I did not like. From the first I was not interested in the science of numbers. Miss Sullivan tried to teach me to count by stringing beads in groups, and by arranging kindergarten straws I learned to add and subtract. I never had patience to arrange more than five or six groups at a time. When I had accomplished this my conscience was at rest for the day, and I went out quickly to find my playmates.

In this same leisurely manner I studied zoology and botany. Once a gentleman, whose name I have forgotten, sent me a collection of fossils-tiny mollusk shells beautifully marked, and bits of sandstone with the print of birds’claws, and a lovely fern in bas-relief. These were the keys which unlocked the treasures of the antediluvian world for me. With trembling fingers I listened to Miss Sullivan's descriptions of the terrible beasts, with uncouth, unpronounceable names, which once went tramping through the primeval forests, tearing down the branches of gigantic trees for food, and died in the dismal swamps of an unknown age. For a long time these strange creatures haunted my dreams, and this gloomy period formed a somber background to the joyous Now, filled with sunshine and roses and echoing with the gentle beat of my pony's hoof.

Another time a beautiful shell was given me, and with a child's surprise and delight I learned how a tiny mollusk had built the lustrous coil for his dwelling place, and how on still nights, when there is no breeze stirring the waves, the Nautilus sails on the blue waters of the Indian Ocean in his“ship of pearl.”After I had learned a great many interesting things about the life and habits of the children of the sea-how in the midst of dashing waves the little polyps build the beautiful coral isles of the Pacific, and the foraminifera have made the chalk-hills of many a land-my teacher read me“The Chambered Nautilus,”and showed me that the shell-building process of the mollusks is symbolical of the development of the mind. Just as the wonder-working mantle of the Nautilus changes the material it absorbs from the water and makes it a part of itself, so the bits of knowledge one gathers undergo a similar change and become pearls of thought.

Again, it was the growth of a plant that furnished the text for a lesson. We bought a lily and set it in a sunny window. Very soon the green, pointed buds showed signs of opening.The slender, fingerlike leaves on the outside opened slowly, reluctant, I thought, to reveal the loveliness they hid; once having made a start, however, the opening process went on rapidly, but in order and systematically. There was always one bud larger and more beautiful than the rest, which pushed her outer covering back with more pomp, as if the beauty in soft, silky robes knew that she was the lily-queen by right divine, while her more timid sisters doffed their green hoods shyly, until the whole plant was one nodding bough of loveliness and fragrance.

Once there were eleven tadpoles in a glass globe set in a window full of plants. I remember the eagerness with which I made discoveries about them. It was great fun to plunge my hand into the bowl and feel the tadpoles frisk about, and to let them slip and slide between my fingers. One day a more ambitious fellow leaped beyond the edge of the bowl and fell on the floor, where I found him to all appearance more dead than alive. The only sign of life was a slight wriggling of his tail. But no sooner had he returned to his element than he darted to the bottom, swimming round and round in joyous activity. He had made his leap, he had seen the great world, and was content to stay in his pretty glass house under the big fuchsia tree until he attained the dignity of froghood. Then he went to live in the leafy pool at the end of the garden, where he made the summer nights musical with his quaint love-song.

Thus I learned from life itself. At the beginning I was only a little mass of possibilities. It was my teacher who unfolded and developed them. When she came, everything about me breathed of love and joy and was full of meaning. She has never since let pass an opportunity to point out the beauty that is in everything, nor has she ceased trying in thought and action and example to make my life sweet and useful.

It was my teacher's genius, her quick sympathy, her loving tact which made the first years of my education so beautiful. It was because she seized the right moment to impart knowledge that made it so pleasant and acceptable to me. She realized that a child's mind is like a shallow brook which ripples and dances merrily over the stony course of its education and reflects here a flower, there a bush, yonder a fleecy cloud; and she attempted to guide my mind on its way,knowing that like a brook it should be fed by mountain streams and hidden springs, until it broadened out into a deep river, capable of reflecting in its placid surface, billowy hills, the luminous shadows of trees and the blue heavens, as well as the sweet face of a little flower.

Any teacher can take a child to the classroom, but not every teacher can make him learn. He will not work joyously unless he feels that liberty is his, whether he is busy or at rest; he must feel the flush of victory and the heart-sinking of disappointment before he takes with a will the tasks distasteful to him and resolves to dance his way bravely through a dull routine of textbooks.

My teacher is so near to me that I scarcely think of myself apart from her. How much of my delight in all beautiful things is innate, and how much is due to her influence, I can never tell. I feel that her being is inseparable from my own, and that the footsteps of my life are in hers. All the best of me belongs to her-there is not a talent, or an aspiration or a joy in me that has not been awakened by her loving touch.

我接受教育的第二个阶段是学习阅读。

就在我刚能拼写几个字后，莎莉文老师就给我一些硬纸片，每张纸片上都有由凸起的字母组成的单词。很快我就知道每一个突起的词都代表一种物体、一种行为或一种特性。我有一个纸板框，可以用这些单词在上面摆出短句子。但我在用这些硬纸片排列短句之前，仍然习惯于用实物来表达句子。例如，我会先找出上面写有“娃娃”、“是”、“在……上”和“床”的硬纸片，把每个硬纸片放在有关的物体上，然后再把娃娃放在床上，在旁边摆上写有“是”、“在……上”和“床”的卡片，这样既用词造了一个句子，又用与之相关的物体表达了句子的内容。

一天，莎莉文老师让我把“girl”（女孩）这个词别在围裙上，然后站在衣柜里，把“is”（是）、“in”（在……里）、“wardrobe”（衣柜）这几个词放在框架上，后来这竟然成为我最喜欢的一种游戏。我和老师有时一玩就是几个小时，屋子里所有的东西都被我们摆成了各种含义不同的句子。

拼卡游戏是我进入阅读的初级阶段。不久，我开始拿起“启蒙读本”，找寻那些我已经认识的字。一旦找到自己认识的字，我就高兴得像玩捉迷藏一样兴奋不已。就这样，开启了我的阅读进程，当时我只是阅读一些我后面将会提到的故事。

相当长的一段时间，我没有上过正规的课程。即使是我非常认真地学，依然像是在玩游戏，而不像在上课。莎莉文老师无论教我什么，都会用一些美丽的故事和动人的诗篇来解释。一旦发现我感兴趣，就不断与我讨论，好像她自己也变成了一个小女孩。一般孩子们最讨厌的事，如学语法、做数学题、名词解释等，在她的耐心指导下，我做起来都兴趣盎然。这些都成了我记忆深处最华美的乐章。

我至今都不能理解莎莉文老师对我的快乐和愿望所表现出来的特有的耐心，也许是和盲人长期接触，加上她特有的描述事物的独特技巧吧！那些枯燥无味的细节，她一带而过，使我根本感觉不到乏味和单调；她也从来不会责备我是否忘了昨天还是前天教的功课。说来也怪，在她的解释下，那些本来枯燥无味的专业术语变得生动逼真起来，我也就自然而然地记住了她讲的内容。

我们经常坐在屋外面，在阳光照耀的树林里看书和学习。在这里，我早期所学到的东西饱含着森林的气息，带着树脂的松香味，混杂着野葡萄的芬芳。坐在浓郁的树荫下，世界万物都会给我以教育和启迪。实际上，那些嗡嗡作响、低声鸣叫、婉转歌唱或开花吐香的自然万物，都是我学习的对象。我常常将青蛙、蚂蚱和蟋蟀捂在手心里，当它们忘记了被人捉住的命运后，又会像在草丛中那样欢鸣起来。还有毛茸茸的小鸡、绽开的野花、木棉、河边的紫罗兰和刚发芽的果树。我能感觉到棉花那滑腻的纤维和毛茸茸的棉籽，感觉到微风吹过玉米秸秆发出的响声，玉米叶子互相摩擦发出来的沙沙声，以及被我们在牧场捉住并套上嚼子的小马发出来的愤怒的嘶鸣声，这些都成为我记忆中最美丽的一道风景！

有时候，在东方刚刚露出鱼肚白的时候，我就会悄悄爬起来，溜进花园里，行走在露珠覆压的花草丛中。谁能体会到把玫瑰花轻柔地握在手心里的无限乐趣？谁又能知道百合花在徐徐晨风中摇曳的美丽身姿呢？采摘鲜花的时候，有时就会无意中抓到钻在花里面的昆虫，我能感觉到它们恐惧地想振翅飞走却又无处可逃，只好徒劳地煽动几下翅膀来反抗。

除了喜欢在花园中漫步之外，最惬意的事情莫过于流连于果园里。每年7月初便有果子成熟了。毛茸茸的大桃子几乎会垂落到手中。伴随阵阵微风，熟透了的苹果会掉在地上。这时候，我会撑开围裙，把落到脚旁的苹果捡起来，然后把脸贴在苹果上，滑滑的，暖暖的，雀跃着跑回家！

我们最喜欢去凯勒码头，那是田纳西河边一个荒芜破败的码头，是在南北战争时期为了部队登陆而修建的。我们经常在那里一待就是好几个小时，一边玩一边学习地理知识。我还经常用鹅卵石造堤建岛、筑湖开河，虽然这只是在做游戏，却不知不觉地学到了许多知识。

莎莉文老师还向我描述了我们这个又大又圆的地球，地球上的火山、被掩埋在地下的城市、不断移动的冰河以及其他许许多多的奇闻轶事，都引起了我强烈的好奇心。老师还用黏土给我做了一个立体的地图，我可以用手摸到凸出来的山脊、凹下去的山谷和蜿蜒曲折的河流。我很喜欢这些，不过我的头脑里总是分不清赤道和两极。为了更形象地描述地球，莎莉文老师用一根根线代表经纬线，用一根树枝代表贯穿南北极的地轴，这一切是如此的形象逼真，以至于只要有人提起气温带，我就会想象出许多一连串编织而成的圆圈。我想，假如有人骗我说白熊会爬上北极的柱子，我想我会相信的。

数学好像是我唯一不喜欢的功课，我从一开始就对数字不感兴趣。莎莉文老师曾用线串上珠子来教我数数，或摆弄草棍学习加减法，但是每次总是不到五六个题，我就变得不耐烦了。每天做完几道数学题之后，我就认为自己完成任务了，然后就跑出去找伙伴们玩耍。

我也是用这种做游戏的方式学习动物和植物知识的。记得有一次，有一位我已经忘记其姓名的先生寄给我一些化石。化石中有带着美丽花纹的贝壳、有鸟爪印的砂岩以及像浮雕一样的蕨类植物。这些化石打开了我的心扉，向我展现了远古时代的珍宝。我常常惊恐地听莎莉文老师描述一些名字古怪而恐怖的野兽，它们曾在原始森林中游荡，撕断大树的枝叶当食物，最后又悄无声息地死在沼泽地里。有很长一段时间，我老是梦见这些怪兽，那阴暗可怕的地质时期同现在形成了鲜明的对照。现在的人们多么快乐啊！阳光照耀大地，百花争芳斗艳，田野中回荡着我那匹小马悦耳的蹄声。

还有一次，有人送给我一个美丽的贝壳。老师就给我讲小小的软体动物是如何为自己建造这么色彩斑斓的住所的，又是如何乘着它的“珍珠船”欣赏印度洋迷人夜色的。孩子般的好奇使我听得津津有味。在我知道了许多有关海洋生物生活习惯的有趣知识，知道了小巧的珊瑚虫如何在太平洋汹涌的波涛中建筑自己的家园，灵活的有孔小虫如何在岸上堆起一座座小山之后，老师为我读了《驮着房子的鹦鹉螺》，从中我知道了软体动物的造壳过程和人的大脑发展过程一样。鹦鹉螺可以用奇妙的套膜把从海水中吸收的物质转换成身体的一部分，而人类不也正是将从外界吸收到的各种知识转化为智慧，使之成为一颗颗思想的珍珠吗？

同样，植物的生长也让我学到了很多。我们买了一株百合花，放在阳光充足的窗台上。眨眼间，一个个嫩绿、尖尖的花蕾伸展出来。花蕾外边包着纤细的叶子，叶子慢慢地张开，好像极不情愿让人窥见里面的花朵。可一旦绽了头，花朵张开的速度就加快了，当然是快而不乱。不可思议的是，这些绽放的花朵中一定会有一朵最大最美丽的，它要比其他蓓蕾更显雍容华贵，似乎故意让躲在柔软、光滑的外衣里面的花朵知道自己是尊贵的花王。当其他的姐妹们羞答答地褪下绿色的头巾后，百合花的整个枝头挂满了怒放的花朵，芬芳袭人。

家里曾经有一个球形玻璃鱼缸，摆放在满是花盆的窗台上。鱼缸中养了11只蝌蚪。我现在还能回想起发现这些蝌蚪时的快乐来，我兴奋地把手伸进鱼缸里，享受蝌蚪在手指间游动的快慰。一天，一个胆大的家伙竟然从鱼缸中蹦出来，掉在地板上，等我发现时已经半死不活了，只有那尾巴的微弱摆动还证明它一息尚存。可当我一把它放回水里时，它马上来了精神，飞快地潜入缸底，一圈一圈地游起来。它曾经跳出鱼缸，见过了世面，现在却心甘情愿地待在这倒挂金钟花下的玻璃房子里，直到变成神气活现的青蛙。那时，它就会跳进花园那头满是绿树的池塘中，在那里用它那优雅的情歌将夏夜变成音乐的世界。

我就这样从生命本身汲取知识。起初，我只是一块有可能雕琢的顽石，正是我的老师发现并开发了我的智慧。她的到来，使我的生命充满了爱和欢乐，我的一切都充满了意义。她从不放过任何一个机会，向我指出隐藏在一切事物里面的美，她每时每刻都在动脑筋、想办法，使我的生活变得甜蜜而更有意义。

正是我的老师的天才、敏锐的同情心和爱的机智，使得我第一年的学习变得如此美丽。由于她抓住了适当的时机向我传授知识，所以学习成了一件愉快而易于接受的事情。她认识到孩子的心灵就像弯曲的溪水，沿着河床千回百转，一会儿在这里映出花朵，一会儿在那里映出灌木，一会儿又在另一个地方映出朵朵轻云，佳境美景连绵不绝。她用尽心思朝着这条路引导我，因为她明白，孩子的心灵和小溪一样，还需要山涧泉水来补充，直到它汇集成长江大河，在那平如镜面的河水上映出连绵起伏的山峰，映出灿烂耀眼的树影和蓝天，映出花朵的美丽面庞。

任何一个老师都可以把孩子领进教室，但并不是每个老师都能使孩子热爱学习。无论孩子是忙着还是闲着，除非让他感到知识是他自己的，否则他不会心甘情愿地学习。要让孩子体会到成功的喜悦和失败的沮丧，他才能勇敢地接受任务、迎接挑战，用自己的智慧解决问题，而不是呆板地死读书。

我的老师与我是如此的相亲相爱，我很少想到将自己和她分开来。我永远也分不清，我对所有美好事物的喜爱，有多少是自己内心固有的，有多少是来自她的影响。我感到她已经成为我生活中不可分割的一部分，我沿着她的足迹向前。我生命中所有美好的东西都属于她，我的才能、抱负和欢乐，全都是由她的爱点化而成。