(单词翻译:单击)
英文原文
I began to order books on gardening. I studied different gardening techniques and types of fertilizers. I did not have many of the materials that the books discussed, but I learned through trial and error. For a time, I attempted to grow peanuts, and used different soils and fertilizers, but finally I gave up. It was one of my few failures.
A garden was one of the few things in prison that one could control. To plant a seed, watch it grow, to tend it and then harvest it, offered a simple but enduring satisfaction. The sense of being the owner of the small patch of earth offered a small taste of freedom.
In some ways, I saw the garden as a metaphor for certain aspects of my life. Leaders must also look after their gardens; they, too, plant seeds, and then watch, cultivate,and harvest the results. Like gardeners, leaders must take responsibility for what they cultivate; they must mind their work, try to drive back enemies, save what can be saved, and eliminate what cannot succeed.
参考译文
我开始订阅有关种菜的书籍，学习各种耕作的技术，了解各类肥料的使用方法。我这里没有书中提到的植物生长所需的肥料，但是我可以反复试验着学习。有一次，我尝试着种花生，用了不同的土壤和肥料，但最终放弃了。这次失败是我少数失败中的一次。
菜园是我在狱中少有的能自主管理的事情。播下种子，观察生长，悉心照料，然后收获，这给我带来了单纯但却持久的欢乐。成为这一方天地的主人的感觉让我体会到了一丝自由的滋味。
从某种意义上说，我认为耕作菜园隐含了生活的某些方面的深刻道理。领导者们必须认真照料自己的菜园；要播种，观察，耕耘，然后才能收获。领导者们必须像园丁一样对他们耕耘的事业负责。他们必须悉心呵护他们的工作，全力击退敌人，挽救能够争取的一切，努力清除影响成功的一切障碍。
