8 Chapter 6 Years at Perkins

Chapter 6 Years at Perkins From Washington, D.C., Annie and Helen made their way by train to Boston. At Perkins, Helen met the now middle-aged Laura Bridgman. The meeting was a disappointment, however. Laura thought that Helen was too much of a tomboy. Helen sat on the floor. Laura did not approve of that. When Helen left, she bent to kiss Laura good-bye and stepped on Laura's toes. Laura cried out in pain. Helen felt like a clumsy schoolgirl. Some people thought that Helen was too loud and laughed too much. But Annie did not agree. She knew that Helen was full of life. Annie

第六章在珀金斯的岁月安妮和海伦从华盛顿特区乘火车去了波士顿。 在珀金斯学院，海伦遇到了现已步入中年的劳拉·布里奇曼。 然而，这次会议令人失望。 劳拉认为海伦太假小子了。 海伦坐在地板上。劳拉不赞成这种做法。 当海伦离开时，她弯下腰和劳拉吻别，却踩到了劳拉的脚趾。 劳拉痛苦地叫了起来。海伦觉得自己像个笨拙的女学生。 有些人认为海伦太大声了，笑得太多了。 但是安妮不同意。她知道海伦充满活力。 安妮

wanted Helen to grab hold of life and not wait quietly for things to happen. Helen spoke at the Perkins commencement. This was an important event. The Boston newspapers ran stories about the school and the children who graduated from it. Important and rich people came to this event. The governor of Massachusetts was there. The band played. Ten boys showed how well they could do arithmetic. Then came Helen.

想让海伦抓住生活，而不是静静地等待事情发生。 海伦在珀金斯毕业典礼上致辞。 这是一个重要的事件。 波士顿的报纸刊登了关于这所学校和从它毕业的孩子们的故事。 重要的和富有的人来参加这个活动。 马萨诸塞州州长也在场。 乐队演奏。十个男孩展示了他们的算术能力。 接着是海伦。

Helen had been sitting patiently on the platform waiting for her turn. She smiled and glowed as she waited. She could feel the crowd's energy. Proudly Helen spelled a poem about birds into Annie's hand. Annie spoke the words as Helen spelled. The audience was spellbound. When the school closed for the summer, Annie and Helen went to Cape Cod. For the first time, Helen went swimming in the ocean. She loved the feel of the cold salt water on her face. Cape Cod was to become Helen's most favorite place.

海伦一直耐心地坐在月台上等着轮到她。 她微笑着，容光焕发地等待着。 她能感觉到人群的活力。 海伦自豪地把一首关于鸟的诗拼写在安妮的手里。 安妮念着海伦拼写的单词。 观众被迷住了。 学校放暑假时，安妮和海伦去了科德角。 海伦第一次去海里游泳。 她喜欢冰冷的海水打在脸上的感觉。 科德角将成为海伦最喜欢的地方。

One day, when Helen was swimming, the strong waves pulled her under. She fought her way to the surface, swallowing water as she struggled. The waves tossed her onto the sand. Helen lay there in terror, not sure what had happened. Annie ran to her and hugged and comforted her. Helen had courage. Two days later, she was back in the ocean, swimming. Helen had only one question. Who, she wanted to know, had filled the ocean with salt!

一天，当海伦在游泳时，巨浪把她卷进了水里。 她挣扎着向水面游去，挣扎着吞下了水。 海浪把她抛到沙滩上。 海伦惊恐地躺在那里，不知道发生了什么事。 安妮跑过去拥抱她，安慰她。 海伦有勇气。两天后，她回到海里游泳。 海伦只有一个问题。 她想知道，是谁用盐填满了海洋!

After Annie and Helen went home to Alabama, lessons and learning again filled their days. As time passed, Annie thought about leaving Alabama. The local people stared at Annie and Helen when they went into town. Annie believed that Helen could learn more by living in the city.

安妮和海伦回到阿拉巴马州的家后，她们的生活又充满了课程和学习。 随着时间的流逝，安妮开始考虑离开阿拉巴马州。 安妮和海伦进城时，当地人盯着她们看。 安妮相信海伦住在城市里能学到更多的东西。

So Annie asked the Kellers to let them both live at Perkins. Reluctantly, they agreed. They knew it was best for Helen. In October, Annie and Helen returned to Perkins. Helen was not enrolled there. She was a guest. But she dove right into the schoolwork. She studied geography, botany (the study of plants), zoology (the study of animals), and arithmetic. Arithmetic was her least favorite subject. Helen's time at Perkins passed quickly. Poetry became her passion. One time Helen visited Oliver Wendell Holmes, the great New England writer. Later, she read his poems to the blind children at Perkins. Helen sent him a letter. She told Holmes that she was sorry he had no little children to play with, but that he seemed happy with his many books. She went on to tell him what she was learning and asked if her little sister could meet him when she visited Helen. Holmes loved her letter. He published it in an important magazine called The Atlantic Monthly. After this honor, Helen began to take her writing more seriously.

所以安妮请求凯勒夫妇让他们俩都住在珀金斯。 他们勉强同意了。他们知道这样对海伦是最好的。 十月，安妮和海伦回到珀金斯。 海伦没有在那里注册。 她是客人。但她还是一头扎进了功课。 她学习地理、植物学(研究植物的学科)、动物学(研究动物的学科)和算术。 算术是她最不喜欢的科目。 海伦在珀金斯的日子过得很快。 诗歌成了她的爱好。 有一次，海伦拜访了伟大的新英格兰作家奥利弗·温德尔·霍姆斯。 后来，她把他的诗读给帕金斯的盲童听。 海伦给他寄了一封信。她告诉福尔摩斯，她很遗憾他没有小孩子可以玩，但他似乎对他的许多书很满意。 她继续告诉他她正在学习的东西，并问她的小妹妹去看海伦时能否见见他。 福尔摩斯喜欢她的信。他在一本重要的杂志《大西洋月刊》上发表了这篇文章。 获得这个荣誉后，海伦开始更加认真地对待她的写作。