Dead Poets Society 死亡诗社 （三）

KEATING: No grades at stake , gentlemen. Just take a stroll. There it is.

KEATING: I don't know, but I've been told-

BOYS: I don't know, but I've been told-

KEATING: Doing poetry is old-

BOYS: Doing poetry is old-

KEATING: Left, left, left-right-left. Left, left, left-right-left. Left, halt! Thank you, gentlemen. If you noticed, everyone started off with their own stride, their own pace. Mr. Pitts, taking his time . He knew he'll get there one day. Mr. Cameron, you could see him thinking, "Is this right? It might be right. It might be right. I know that. Maybe not. I don't know." Mr. Overstreet, driven by deeper force. Yes. We know that. All right. Now, I didn't bring them up here to ridicule¹ them. I brought them up here to illustrate² the point of conformity³: the difficulty in maintaining your own beliefs in the face of others. Now, those of you -- I see the look in your eyes like, "I would've walked differently." Well, ask yourselves why you were clapping. Now, we all have a great need for acceptance. But you must trust that your beliefs are unique, your own, even though others may think them odd or unpopular, even though the herd⁴ may go, "That's baaaaad." Robert Frost said, "Two roads diverged⁵ in a wood and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." I want you to find your own walk right now. Your own way of striding, pacing. Any direction. Anything you want. Whether it's proud, whether it's silly, anything. Gentlemen, the courtyard is yours.

KEATING: You don't have to perform. Just make it for yourself. Mr. Dalton? You'll be joining us?

CHARLIE: Exercising the right not to walk. 

KEATING: Thank you, Mr. Dalton. You just illustrated⁶ the point. Swim against the stream.

妙词佳句，活学活用

1. at stake

If something is at stake, it is being risked and might be lost or damaged if you are not successful. 濒临危险，得失攸关。
e.g. The tension was naturally high for a game with so much at stake.
面对一场得失攸关的比赛，压力自然很大。
此外stake一词还有一些其它常用意思，比如作为动词的时候有“以金钱、生命等赌、下注”的意思：
e.g. I'll stake my all on it.
我用我的一切做赌注。

2. take your time

慢慢来，别着急。在日常生活里经常能用到这个句子，而且在一些听力考试的对话部分，我们也经常能听到这个表达。
e.g. Take your time. We still have half an hour before the movie begins.
别着急。电影还有半个小时才开始呢。

3. swim against the stream

逆流而上、反潮流。另一个短语go against the stream也是同样的意思。比如我们可以说一个特立独行的人：He always swims or goes against the stream to show how different he is from others.