As I looked round Oxford today, I couldn’t help but be aware of the majesty and grandeur of this great institution, not to mention the brilliance of the great and gifted minds that have roamed these streets for centuries. The walls of Oxford have not only housed the greatest philosophical and scientific geniuses—they have also ushered forth some of the most cherished creators of children’s literature, from Tolkien to Lewis. Today I was allowed to hobble into the dining hall in Christ Church to see Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland immortalized in the stained glass windows. And even one of my own fellow Americans, the beloved Dr Seuss graced these halls and then went on to leave his mark on the imaginations of millions of children throughout the world.
今天我參觀牛津大學,不禁被這座偉大建筑的宏偉壯觀吸引,更不用說這里云集了幾個世紀以來的精英才俊們了,他們的睿智綻放著炫耀光芒。牛津不僅匯聚了最出色的哲學和科學英才,還培養出了從托爾金到劉易斯等眾多極富愛心的兒童文學家。今天,我有幸參觀了路易斯卡羅爾創作的《愛麗絲漫游仙境》,它被雕刻在基督堂餐廳已經褪了色的彩色玻璃窗上。我甚至還發現我的一位美國同胞——受人敬愛的蘇斯博士——也為此增色,啟發著全世界千萬兒童的想象力。
I suppose I should start by listing my qualifications to speak before you this evening.
今晚,我想先從我有幸能在這里講話的原因開始。
Friends, I do not claim to have the academic expertise of other speakers who have addressed this hall, just as they could lay little claim at being adept at the moonwalk~and you know, Einstein in particular was really terrible at that. But I do have a claim to having experienced more places and cultures than most people will ever see. Human knowledge consists not only of libraries ofparchment and ink~it is also comprised of the volumes of knowledge that are written on the human heart, chiseled on the human soul, and engraved on the human psyche. And friends, I have encountered so much in this relatively short life of mine that I still cannot believe I am only 42. I often tell Shmuley that in soul years I,m sure that I,m at least 80-and tonight I even walk like I,m 80.
朋友們,正如其他一些來牛津演講的演講者不擅長月球漫步一樣,我也并不具備他們所擁有的學術專業知識,而且你們都知道愛因斯坦是學識方面的權威。但我可以說,比起大多數人,我游歷了更多的地方,也經歷了更多不同的文化。人類文明不僅僅包括圖書館中紙墨記載的那一部分,還包括記錄在人們內心的,鐫刻進人們靈魂的,銘記在人類精神中的那一部分。而且,朋友們,在我相對短暫的生命里我經歷了這么多之后,我真的難以相信自己只有42歲。我經常對施慕禮說,我的心 理年齡肯定至少有80了,今晚我甚至像個80歲老人一樣走路。