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These were the keys which unlocked the treasures of the antediluvian world for me.
对我而言，这些知识犹如开启上古世界宝藏的一把把钥匙。
With trembling fingers I listened to Miss Sullivan's descriptions of the terrible beasts, with uncouth, unpronounceable names,
伴随着颤抖的手指，我“听”苏立文小姐讲述猛兽的故事。这些凶残、叫不出名字的野兽，
which once went tramping through the primeval forests, tearing down the branches of gigantic trees for food,
曾经穿梭在广袤的原始森林里，它们折断巨树的枝桠用来果腹。
and died in the dismal swamps of an unknown age.
最终，在一个古老的未知年代，这些猛兽消亡在昏暗的沼泽之中。
For a long time these strange creatures haunted my dreams,
当时，这些古怪的生物常常萦绕在我的梦境里。
and this gloomy period formed a somber background to the joyous Now, filled with sunshine and roses and echoing with the gentle beat of my pony's hoof.
如今，我的世界充满了阳光和盛开的玫瑰，小马驹的蹄子发出轻柔的节拍声，同快乐的生活相比，这段阴郁的记忆变成了留在心底的前尘往事。
Another time a beautiful shell was given me,
还有一次，有人给了我一个美丽的螺壳，
and with a child's surprise and delight I learned how a tiny mollusk had built the lustrous coil for his dwelling place,
伴随着一个小孩子的惊喜和好奇，我了解到了一个微小的软体动物是如何在它们的栖息地建造环形洞穴的。
and how on still nights, when there is no breeze stirring the waves, the Nautilus sails on the blue waters of the Indian Ocean in his "ship of pearl."
我还知道了它们在晚上活动的情形，夜间，不会有风卷起波浪，在“珍珠船”的搭载下，鹦鹉螺会航行在印度洋的蓝色海面上。
After I had learned a great many interesting things about the life and habits of the children of the sea
我学习了很多关于海洋生物习性的知识，这些知识趣味无穷。
how in the midst of dashing waves the little polyps build the beautiful coral isles of the Pacific,
比如，在涌动的波浪之中，微小的珊瑚虫是如何在太平洋上建造美丽的珊瑚岛的；
and the foraminifera have made the chalk-hills of many a land—my teacher read me "The Chambered Nautilus,"
有孔虫类又是如何形成陆地上的石灰岩山体的。我的老师为我读《背着房间的鹦鹉螺》，
and showed me that the shell-building process of the mollusks is symbolical of the development of the mind.
并且告诉我，可以把软体动物外壳的形成过程，视做一种心智发展的象征。
Just as the wonder-working mantle of the Nautilus changes the material it absorbs from the water and makes it a part of itself,
就是说，鹦鹉螺身上的罩子是神奇工作的结果，它把从海水中吸收的物质转化成了它身体的一部分。
so the bits of knowledge one gathers undergo a similar change and become pearls of thought.
同样，人类汲取知识也要经过类似的转化过程，直至知识变成“思想的珍珠”。
