Between the darkness of earth and heaven she was burning fiercely upon adisc of purple sea shot by the blood-red play of gleams; upon a disc of waterglittering and sinister.
A high, clear flame, an immense and lonely flame, ascended from the ocean,and from its summit the black smoke poured continuously at the sky. She burnedfuriously, mournful and imposing like a funeral pile kindled in the night,surround-ed by the sea, watched over by the stars.
A magnificent death had come like a grace, like a gift, like a reward tothat old ship at the end of her laborious days. The surrender of her weary ghostto the keeping of stars and sea was stirring like the sight of a glorioustriumph.
The masts fell just before daybreak, and for a moment there was a burst andturmoil of sparks that seemed to fill with flying fire the night patient andwatchful, the vast night lying silent upon the sea.
No Pains, No Gains
The proverb “No pains, no gains” means that you have to make great effortsif you want to achieve success, for nothing but poverty can be obtained withouteffort.
In history, there have been many famous people of great achievements. Youmay claim that they are geniuses. But behind their successes, they have madegreat efforts in carrying out their tasks. Einstein said “Genius is one percentof inspiration and ninety-nine percent of perspiration.” He had been workinghard for many years before he finally worked out his theory of relativity.Thomas Edison experienced countless failures before he finally invented theelectric bulb. Wang Junxia was able to win the world championship of longdistance race only because she had many years of hard training. Therefore,diligence is the key to success. Doubtless hard work promises fruitful result.Everyone is awarded the right to work hard in order to reach his goal.Apparently, diligence is necessary to success. Happiness is nearly always areward for hard work.
On the other hand, idleness is believed to be the root of all evil. Anyonewho habitually likes idling but desires everything is daydreaming. We should beaware that if we dream away our precious time, when we wake up, it may be toolate for us to achieve anything. So, as college students, we should never stopworking hard so that we will remain successful in the future competitions.
Life is a struggle. I shall never forget the most striking part of HenryWadsworth Longfellow' s poem -- A Psalm of Life: "In the world's blood field ofbattle, In the bivouac of life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle! Be a hero inthe strife!"
Ludwig van Beethoven was a typical "hero in the strife". He was not onlyone of the greatest composers, but also one of the most persevering men. As adeaf man, he went on working with his strong will in the last year of his life,though he was not able to hear his own fine and original music. Another exampleof persistence in struggle is Deng Yaping. She once said that her technique camefrom continuous training, emphasizing the importance of daily practice to aplayer.
As a student, I seem to be in a boat sailiug against the current. I mustmake an effort to forge ahead. A little carelessness will result in being drivenback. Indeed, learning is a struggle against idleness and carelessness.Following the examples of Ludwig van Beethoven and Deng Yaping, I shall takegreat pains to urge myself on, moving steadily forward like a heroic boatman inthe rough sea of knowledge.