All of us have read thrilling stories in which the hero had only a limited and specified time to live. sometimes it was as long as a year; sometimes as short as twenty-four hours. but always we were interested in discovering just how the doomed man chose to spend his last days or his last hours. i speak, of course, of free men who have a choice, not condemned criminals whose sphere of activities is strictly delimited. 我们都读过震撼人心的故事，故事中的主人公只能再活一段很有限的时光，有时长达一年，有时却短如一日。但我们总是想要知道，注定将要离世的人会选择如何度过自己的最后时光。当然，我说的是那些有选择权利的自由人，而不是那些活动范围受到严格限定的死囚。

such stories set us thinking, wondering what we should do under similar circumstances. what events, what experiences, what associations should we crowd inot those last hours as mortal beings? what happiness should we find in reviewing the past, what regrets?

试译：这样的故事令我们深思， 在相似的情况下我们应该怎么办。离别人世的最后时光，什么事情，什么经历，什么联想会涌入我们的脑海呢？回顾过去，我们会发现什么幸福呢，亦或是遗憾呢？

改译：这样的故事让我们思考，在类似的处境下，我们该做些什么？作为终有一死的人，在临终前的几个小时内我们应该做什么事，经历些什么或做哪些联想？回忆往昔，什么使我们开心快乐？什么又使我们悔恨不已？

sometimes i have thought it would be an excellent rule to live each day as if we should die tomorrow. such an attitude would emphasize sharply the values of life. we should live each day with gentleness, vigor, and a keenness of appreciation which are often lost when time stretches before us in the constant panorama of more days and months and years to come. there are those, of course, who would adopt the Epicurean motto of "Eat, drink, and be merry."but most people would be chastened by the certainty of impending death.

试译：有时候，如果我们将活过的每一天当成我们活着的最后一天，我想这是一个绝妙的生活法则。这种态度强调了生活的价值。每一天我们都应活的优雅，充满活力，保有敏锐的欣赏力，我们时常会失去这样的生活，当时间在我们前面延伸，未来更多的时光会到来。当然，有人会相信享乐主义的信条“吃吃喝喝，快快乐乐”。但是，死亡迫近是必然的，大多数人会受到死亡的惩罚。

改译：有时我想，把每天都当做生命中的最后一天来过，也不失为一个极好的生活法则。这种态度会使人格外重视生命的价值。我们每天都应该以优雅的姿态、充沛的精力、抱着感恩之心来生活。但当时间以无休止的日、月和年在我们面前流逝时，我们却常常没有了这种感觉。当然，也有人奉行“吃、喝、享受？的享乐主义信条，但绝大多数人还是会受到即将到来的死亡的惩罚。