One day, while I was playing with my new doll, Miss Sullivan put my big rag doll into my lap also, spelled “d-o-l-l” and tried to make me understand that “d-o-l-l” applied to both. Earlier in the day we had had a tussle over the words “m-u-g” and “w-a-t-e-r.” Miss  Sullivan had tried to impress it upon me that “m-u-g” is mug and that “w-a-t-e-r” is water, but I persisted in confounding the two. In despair she had dropped the subject for the time, only to renew it at the first opportunity. I became impatient at her repeated attempts and, seizing the new doll, I dashed it upon the floor. I was keenly delighted when I felt the fragments of the broken doll at my feet. Neither sorrow nor regret followed my passionate outburst. I had not loved the doll. In the still, dark world in which I lived there was no strong sentiment or tenderness. I felt my teacher sweep the fragments to one side of the hearth, and I had a sense of satisfaction that the cause of my discomfort was removed. She brought me my hat, and I knew I was going out into the warm sunshine. This thought, if a wordless sensation may be called a thought, made me hop and skip with pleasure.

We walked down the path to the well-house, attracted by the fragrance of the honeysuckle with which it was covered. Some one was drawing water and my teacher placed my hand under the spout. As the cool stream gushed over one hand she spelled into the other the word water, first slowly, then rapidly. I stood still, my whole attention fixed upon the motions of her fingers. Suddenly I felt a misty consciousness as of something forgotten — a thrill of returning thought: and somehow the mystery of language was revealed  to me. I knew then that “w-a-t-e-r” meant the wonderful cool something that was flowing over my hand. That living word awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free! There were barriers still, it is true, but barriers that could in time be swept away.

我有生以來最重要的一天，就是安妮·曼斯菲爾德·莎莉文老師來到我身邊的那天。那是1887年3月3日，還差三個月我就七歲了。從這一天起，我將開始全新的生活，一想到這兒，我的心中滿是驚奇。

那個重要日子的午后，我站在走廊上，一聲不吭，滿懷期待。從母親的手勢和其他人忙來忙去的樣子，我隱約感到要有不同尋常的事情發(fā)生。于是，我來到門口，站在臺階上默默地期待著。午后的陽光穿透覆蓋在門廊上的一大片金銀花，灑在我微微仰起的臉上。我的手指不¾意間觸到那熟知的花葉上——南方的花朵綻放著來迎接可愛的春天。我不清楚自己的未來會有什么驚喜和奇跡，憤怒和苦痛折磨了我已有一段時間，這種經(jīng)歷過后，我感到心力交瘁。

朋友，你是否曾在茫茫大霧的情況下，還在海上航行？如同一層可以觸摸到的白色黑暗將你包圍，大船憑借著測深錘和探深繩，緊張憂慮地在大海中探索著上岸的道路。你的心怦怦直跳，期待這將要發(fā)生的一切？在我沒有接受教育之前，我就如同這樣的航船，只不過我既沒有指南針，也沒有探深繩，無法知道距離岸邊還有多遠(yuǎn)。“光明！光明！快給我光明！”我在心靈深處無聲地呼喊。剛好在此時，愛的光明照耀到我的身上。

我聽到有腳步向我走來。本以為是母親，我便馬上伸出雙手。有個人握住了我的手，把我緊緊地?fù)碓趹牙?。她就是讓我領(lǐng)悟世界萬物的人，更重要的是她給予了我愛。

第二天早晨，莎莉文老師把我領(lǐng)到她的房間，然后送給我一個洋娃娃。洋娃娃是珀金斯盲童學(xué)校的小學(xué)生送的，衣服是勞拉·布里奇曼親手制作的。不過，這些都是我后來得知的。我和洋娃娃玩了一會兒后，莎莉文小姐抓住我的手，一筆一畫地慢慢地在我的手掌上寫下了“doll” 這個詞。我立刻對這個手指游戲產(chǎn)生了興趣，跟著去模仿她的動作。當(dāng)我最后成功地拼對這個詞時，我露出孩子般的自豪和喜悅，興奮得滿臉通紅。我立刻跑下樓找到母親，伸出自己的手拼寫“doll” 這個詞讓她看。我當(dāng)時并不知道自己在拼寫單詞，甚至不知道世界上還有文字，我僅僅是用手指模仿莎莉文老師的動作。從那以后，我在懵懵懂懂中，學(xué)會拼寫好些單詞，像“針”、“帽 子”、“杯子”什么的，還有像“坐”、“站”、“行” 這樣的動詞。老師來到我身邊幾個星期后，我才知道原來世間萬物都有名稱。