從前有對(duì)夫婦經(jīng)常去英國(guó)一間漂亮的商店里買東西。他們倆都喜歡古董和陶器，尤其喜愛(ài)茶杯。今年是他們結(jié)婚二十五周年紀(jì)念。

有一天，這對(duì)夫婦在這家漂亮的商店里看到了一個(gè)精美的茶杯，便問(wèn)道：“我們可以看看那個(gè)茶杯嗎？我們還沒(méi)見(jiàn)過(guò)這么漂亮的茶杯呢?！迸陠T把茶杯遞給他們。就在這時(shí)，這個(gè)茶杯竟然開(kāi)口說(shuō)起話來(lái)。

“你們可不知道，”它說(shuō)?！捌鸪跷也⒉皇且粋€(gè)茶杯。有一段時(shí)間我曾經(jīng)只是紅色的黏土。造我的陶匠拿起我，把我卷起來(lái)，一次又一次地拍打我，直到把我折騰得喊了出來(lái)：‘別折磨我了！可他只是笑了笑，說(shuō)：‘還沒(méi)好呢?！?/p>

“然后我被放到了一個(gè)轉(zhuǎn)輪上，突然我就旋轉(zhuǎn)起來(lái)了，一圈又一圈。‘停下！我頭都暈了！我尖叫起來(lái)。但工匠只是點(diǎn)點(diǎn)頭，說(shuō)：‘還沒(méi)好呢?！?/p>

“后來(lái)他把我放進(jìn)烤爐里。我還從來(lái)沒(méi)經(jīng)受過(guò)那樣的高溫。真不明白他為什么要用火燒我。我大叫大嚷，不斷拍打爐子的門。從爐門的縫隙里我能看見(jiàn)他，我能從他的唇形讀出他正一邊搖頭一邊說(shuō)：‘還沒(méi)好呢。”

“最后門終于開(kāi)了，他把我放到架子上，讓我冷卻?！?，這回好多了。我說(shuō)。隨后陶匠用筆刷為我全身都上了釉彩。那股氣味實(shí)在是太可怕了，我覺(jué)得自己馬上就要窒息了?！Ｏ?！住手！我又喊了起來(lái)。而他只是點(diǎn)點(diǎn)頭，說(shuō)：‘還沒(méi)好呢?！?/p>

“突然，他又把我放進(jìn)烤爐里，但這次可不像第一次那樣，這里的溫度是第一次的兩倍，我知道我會(huì)窒息而死。于是我又是哀求，又是懇請(qǐng)，又哭又叫?？晌乙恢倍寄軓臓t口看見(jiàn)他點(diǎn)著頭說(shuō)：‘還沒(méi)好呢?！?/p>

“我知道沒(méi)有希望了，這關(guān)我是熬不過(guò)去了，我已經(jīng)準(zhǔn)備放棄。這時(shí)爐門打開(kāi)了，他把我取出來(lái)，放到架子上。一個(gè)小時(shí)后，他遞給我一面鏡子，說(shuō)：‘看看自己吧。我便朝鏡子里看。我說(shuō)：‘那不是我。那不可能是我！太美了！我竟然這么美！”

“‘我想你記住，陶匠說(shuō)，‘我知道揉你拍你會(huì)使你疼痛，但要是我不管你，你就會(huì)變干變硬。我知道在轉(zhuǎn)輪上旋轉(zhuǎn)會(huì)讓你頭暈?zāi)垦?，但要是我不這么做，你就會(huì)潰散得不成樣子。我知道讓你在烤爐里燒，你會(huì)覺(jué)得很辛苦，很熱很難受，但要是我不把你放進(jìn)去，你就會(huì)爆裂。我也知道在給你全身上釉彩時(shí)的氣味很難聞，但要是我沒(méi)有那么做，你永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)變硬，你的生命也永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)有光彩。而假如我不把你再次放回到烤爐里，你的生命就會(huì)因?yàn)橛捕炔粔蚨舱邸，F(xiàn)在你終于是一件成品了，就如同我一開(kāi)始打造你時(shí)心中所想象的一樣美?！?/p>

There was a couple who used to go to England to shop in the beautiful stores. They both liked antiques1 and pottery and especially teacups. This was their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary2.

One day in this beautiful shop they saw a beautiful teacup. They said， “May we see that？ Weve never seen one quite so beautiful.” As the lady handed it to them， suddenly the teacup spoke.

“You dont understand，” it said. “I havent always been a teacup. There was a time when I was red and I was clay. My master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over and I yelled out 3， ‘Let me alone. But he only smiled， ‘Not yet.”

“Then I was placed on a spinning wheel4， and suddenly I was spun5 around and around and around. ‘Stop it！ Im getting dizzy6！ I screamed. But the master only nodded and said， ‘Not yet.”

“Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I wondered why he wanted to burn me， and I yelled and knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook his head， ‘Not yet.”

“Finally the door opened， he put me on the shelf， and I began to cool. ‘There， thats better， I said. And he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes7 were horrible. I thought I would gag8. ‘Stop it！ Stop it！ I cried. He only nodded， ‘Not yet.”

“Then suddenly he put me back into the oven， not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate9. I begged. I pleaded10. I screamed. I cried. All the time I could see him through the opening nodding his head saying， ‘Not yet.”

“Then I knew there wasnt any hope. I would never make it. I was ready to give up. But the door opened and he took me out and placed me on the shelf. One hour later he handed me a mirror and said， ‘Look at yourself. And I did. I said， ‘Thats not me. That couldnt be me. Its beautiful. Im beautiful！”

“‘I want you to remember then， he said， ‘I know it hurts to be rolled and patted， but if I had left you alone， youd have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel， but if I had stopped， you would have crumbled11. I knew it hurt and was hot and disagreeable12 in the oven， but if I hadnt put you there， you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over， but if I hadnt done that， you never would have hardened； you would not have had any color in your life. And if I hadnt put you back in that second oven， you wouldnt survive13 for very long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. You are what I had in mind when I first began with you.”

·注釋

1、antique n.古物，古董

2、anniversary n.周年紀(jì)念

3、yell out 呼喊

4、spinning wheel 紡車

5、spin v.旋轉(zhuǎn)

6、dizzy a.暈眩的，昏亂的

7、fume n.（濃烈或難聞的）煙，氣體

8、gag v.窒息，作嘔

9、suffocate v.被悶死，窒息

10、plead v.懇求

11、crumble v.弄碎，粉碎

12、disagreeable a.不愉快的，厭惡的

13、survive v.幸存，生還