美文欣赏

编者按：

上帝，他赐予我命运并值得我的一切赞美和服务；

家庭，它给我幸福和力量；

祖国，它为我提供一切机会按照自己的良心生活；

棒球，它是一种娱乐和训练，使我健康，使我懂得生活。

这就是我的宗教信仰和人生哲学。

I Call Things As I See Them

by Ralph Pinelli

An umpire has to make instant decision. I've learned to call things as I see them. This helps me make a quick reply to such an important and personal question as my belief. My philosophy of life is simple, with a vital driving force.

I believe in my God, my family, my country, and baseball.

Including baseball may seem out of place in this statement, but I firmly believe that baseball, more than being just a national pastime, is beneficially bound up with American life - certainly with my own. It helped develop me physically as a boy. It taught me teamwork and ability to co-operate with others. Another thing, it taught me to try to play according to the rules of the games. This has helped me throughout life.

My parents came to this country from Italy as poor immigrants. I grew up at a time when even a high-school education was out of reach. My formal education never went beyond the elementary grades. But the lessons I learned at home, at church and on the playground have carried me through.

I believe firmly in higher education. My son was assigned to a baseball contract when he was still in high school but I insisted on a clause permitting him a full four-year college course before starting professional ball.

I believe that even more important than a college education, though, is the good solid practical and religious training in the home and at church. My mother taught me a proper scale of values and trained me to live up to them. I still remember the sand-lot game I had to leave before the final inning so I could get on my Sunday suit and be at church in time for Confirmation.

Experience has proved my belief in the importance of the family. This is where good, useful citizens come from. My wife and I have enjoyed the companionship of some thirty-five years of married life, and we have had the happiness of seeing our two sons grew into manhood and start their own families. We never had the pleasure of having a daughter, but now we happily share three granddaughters and five grandsons. Our happiness with them is a great consolation and comfort against the older years when many a couple grow lonely.

I have found strength and consolation in my church, and I have found peace and help in humble daily prayer when I praise God for His goodness and ask Him to "forgive me my trespasses as I forgive others," and beg His blessings for myself and my family and friends.

So these are the things I believe in:

My God, who has given me a personal destiny and who deserves all praise and service;

My family, who have given me happiness and strength;

My country, which has given me every opportunity to live my life according to my conscience;

And baseball, which has given me healthy recreation and solid training for life.

This is my theology and philosophy of life.

参考译文

有一说一

拉尔夫·皮内利

裁判员必须要迅速做出决定。我已经学会了有一说一。因此，我也能很快地回答有关我的信仰这样重大的问题。我的生活哲学十分简单，但却具有巨大的驱动力。

我信仰我的上帝，我的家庭，我的祖国以及棒球。

把棒球包括在内似乎不太妥当，但我坚信棒球并不只是一项全球性的娱乐活动，它和美国人的生活密切相关并有益于美国人的生活——当然对我的生活来说也是如此。在我还是个孩子的时候，它使我的身体茁壮成长，教我懂得团队精神，能够与他人合作。此外，它还教我懂得遵守比赛规则。这使我终生受益。

我的父母从意大利移民到美国时非常贫穷。在我成长时，他们甚至无力供我上学。我所接受的正规教育仅限于小学，但我在家里、在教堂里以及在运动场上所学到的知识使我能顺利地走到今天。

我坚信高等教育的重要性。当我的儿子还在读中学时，他就有和棒球队签约的机会，但我坚持要在合同上补充一个条款，保证让他先修完大学四年课程后才开始职业球员的生涯。

然而，我相信，还有比大学教育更为重要的事，那就是在家里和教堂里接受良好持续的宗教熏陶和务实的训练。我的母亲教我懂得正确的价值观，并训练我遵循它们而生活。我仍然还记得我在进行业余棒球比赛时不得不在最后一局之前离开，为了能穿上我最好的衣服，按时到教堂参加坚信礼仪式。

人生的经历证实了我的信仰，即家庭非常重要。家庭是培养善良有用公民的摇篮。我和我的妻子相依相伴，共同度过了大约三十五年的婚姻生活，幸福地看到我们的两个儿子长大成人并建立了他们自己的家庭。我们从未享受过有女儿的乐趣，但现在我们却有了三个孙女和五个孙子，感到非常幸福。在许多老年夫妇孤独地生活时，有儿女们相伴的幸福对我们的晚年生活无疑是一种莫大的慰藉。

我在教会里找到了力量和安慰，在每日恭敬的祈祷中我获得了心灵的平静和帮助。我赞美上帝的仁慈，请求他“因为我们饶恕人的过错，也饶恕我的过错”，祈求他赐福给我、我的家人和朋友。

这些就是我所信仰的：

上帝，他赐予我命运并值得我的一切赞美和服务；

家庭，它给我幸福和力量；

祖国，它为我提供一切机会按照自己的良心生活；

棒球，它是一种娱乐和训练，使我健康，使我懂得生活。

这就是我的宗教信仰和人生哲学。

附注：

拉尔夫·皮内利：任全国棒球联盟的裁判已经将近十八年了，他曾在国家队和美国队做了八年球员，还在太平洋海岸队呆了八年。

词汇释义

1.umpire n. 裁判员, 仲裁人 vt. 为...裁决/仲裁 vi. 裁判，仲裁

The umpire showed partiality for that team.
那个裁判偏向那个队。

2.pastime ['pɑ:s.taim] n. 消遣, 娱乐

Gardening is a very rewarding pastime.
园艺劳动是非常有益的消遣。

3.inning n. 一局(棒球)

Jack led off the first inning.
杰克在第一局中第一个击球。

4.companionship n. 交谊, 友谊, 陪伴

Lively companionship shorten the mile.
欢乐同路人, 行程不觉长。

5.trespass n. 非法侵入，罪过，[法]侵害诉讼 v. 非法侵入,侵害，冒犯

Are you familiar with the laws relating to trespass?
你熟悉关于侵入私人领地的法律吗？