Slow Dance

　　放慢你的舞步

　　This poem was written by a terminally ill young girl in a New York hospital and was sent by a medical doctor, Dr. Dennis Shields. Have you ever watched kids

　　On a merry-go-round*

　　Or listened to the rain

　　Slapping on the ground?

　　Ever followed a butterfly's erratic¹ flight?

　　Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

　　You better slow down.

　　Don't dance so fast.

　　Time is short.

　　The music won't last.

　　Do you run through each day

　　on the fly?

　　When you ask "How are you?"

　　Do you hear the reply?

　　When the day is done

　　Do you lie in your bed

　　With the next hundred chores

　　Running through your head?

　　You'd better slow down

　　Don't dance so fast.

　　Time is short.

　　The music won't last.

　　Ever told your child,

　　We'll do it tomorrow?

　　And in your haste,

　　Not seen his sorrow?

　　Ever lost touch,

　　Let a good friendship die

　　Cause you never had time

　　To call and say, "hi"?

　　You'd better slow down.

　　Don't dance so fast.

　　Time is short.

　　The music won't last.

　　When you run so fast to get somewhere

　　You miss half the fun of getting there.

　　When you worry and hurry through your day,

　　It is like an unopened gift……

　　Thrown away.

　　Life is not a race.

　　Do take it slower

　　Hear the music

　　Before the song is over.

　　附记：

　　I got this as an e-mail message on my PC and decided² to send it to the magazine for the millions of readers young and old. I sign my name here just to say "hi"to the little girl, whose name I do not know, with my blessing³ for her recovery.

　　A Chinese professor

　　*merry-go-round:旋转木马