July 30

"A cup of cold water only." (Matt. 10:42.)

WHAT am I to do? I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good work, therefore, any kindness, or any service I can render to any soul of man or animal, let me do it now. Let me not neglect or defer¹ it, for I shall not pass this way again. --- An Old Quaker Saying.

Give what you have; to someone it may be better than you dare to think.--- Longfellow.

It isn't the thing you do, dear,

It's the thing you leave undone²,

Which gives you the bitter heartache

At the setting of the sun;

The tender word unspoken,

The letter you did not write,

The flower you might have sent, dear,

Are your haunting ghosts at night.

The stone you might have lifted

Out of your brother's way,

The bit of heartsome counsel

You were hurried too much to say;

The loving touch of the hand, dear,

The gentle and winsome³ tone,

That you had no time or thought for,

With troubles enough of your own.

These little acts of kindness,

So easily out of mind,

These chances to be angels,

Which even mortals find-

They come in night and silence,

Each chill reproachful wraith⁴,

When hope is faint and flagging,

And a blight⁵ has dropped on faith.

For life is all too short, dear.

And sorrow is all too great,

To suffer our slow compassion⁶

That tarries until too late.

And it's not the thing you do, dear,

It's the thing you leave undone,

Which gives you the bitter heartache,

At the setting of the sun.

─Adelaide Proctor.

七月三十日

「只……一杯凉水。」（太十:42）

　　我应当怎样作呢？我在这世界的日子非常短少，所以有什么工作、恩惠、服役，我能给人的，让我现在就给吧。让我不再忽视，不再迁延吧； 因为以后我没有机会再经过这条路了。── 贵格会格言

　　把你所有的给人；你所给的，对他也许有出你意外的帮助。── 郎弗罗

1 defer   

vt.推迟，拖延；vi.(to)遵从，听从，服从

参考例句：

• We wish to defer our decision until next week.我们希望推迟到下星期再作出决定。
• We will defer to whatever the committee decides.我们遵从委员会作出的任何决定。

2 undone   

a.未做完的，未完成的

参考例句：

• He left nothing undone that needed attention.所有需要注意的事他都注意到了。

3 winsome   

n.迷人的，漂亮的

参考例句：

• She gave him her best winsome smile.她给了他一个最为迷人的微笑。
• She was a winsome creature.她十分可爱。

4 wraith   

n.幽灵；骨瘦如柴的人

参考例句：

• My only question right now involves the wraith.我唯一的问题是关于幽灵的。
• So,what you're saying is the Ancients actually created the Wraith?照你这么说，实际上是古人创造了幽灵？

5 blight   

n.枯萎病；造成破坏的因素；vt.破坏，摧残

参考例句：

• The apple crop was wiped out by blight.枯萎病使苹果全无收成。
• There is a blight on all his efforts.他的一切努力都遭到挫折。

6 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。