英语翻译: 黄金时代 (王小波)
Source: Zhihu
(prepared by: alexcwlin; edited by: Adam Lam)
a.   alexcwlin/Adam Lam;
b.   Nine-out-of-ten

那一天我二十一岁， 在我一生的黄金时代。
a.   On that particular day, I was twenty-one years old. That was the golden era of my life.
b.   I was twenty-one that day, in my golden age.

我有好多奢望。
a.   I had many unrealistic aspirations.
b.   I had many wild dreams.

我想爱，想吃，还想再一瞬间变成天上半明半暗的云。
a.   I wanted to love, to eat, and to become sky’s translucent cloud in the blink of an eye.
b.   I’d like to love, to eat, and also to be half dark clouds in the sky.

后来我才知道，生活就是个缓慢受锤的过程，
a.   It wasn’t until later that I realized life was a process of going through the mill. 
b.   Later it dawned on me that life was a process of being battered slowly.

人一天天老下去，奢望也一天天消失，
a.   A man gets old, and his aspirations slowly are compromised.
b.   As we grow older, dreams get shattered as well.

最后变得像挨了锤的牛一样。
a.   At the end, he becomes a mere beat-up and worn-out ox.
b.   And in the end, just like a killed bull.

可是我过二十一岁生日时没有预见到这一点。
a.   But I didn’t anticipate all these on my 21st birthday.
b.   Unluckily, I was not aware of this on my 21th birthday.

我觉得自己会永远生猛下去，什么也锤不了我。
a.   I felt I would remain vibrant forever, and nothing could bring me down.
b.   I thought that I will be energetic forever, and nothing can beat me down.