4. In painting, Churchill had discovered a companion with whom he was to walk for the greater part of the years that remained to him. After the war, painting would offer deep solace when, in 1921, the death of the mother was followed two months later by the loss of his and Clementine’s beloved three-year-old daughter, Marigold. Battered by grief, Winston took refuge at the home of friends in Scotland, finding comfort in his painting. He wrote to Clementine: “I went out and painted a beautiful river in the afternoon light with crimson and golden hills in the background. Alas I keep feeling the hurt of the Duckadilly (Marigold’s pet name).”
5. Historians have called the decade after 1929, when the Conservative government fell and Winston was out of office, his wilderness years. Politically he may have been wandering in barren places, a lonely fighter trying to awaken Britain to the menace of Hitler, but artistically that wilderness bore abundant fruit. During these years he often painted in the South of France. Of the 500-odd canvases extant, roughly 250 date from 1930 to 1939. Painting remained a joy to Churchill to the end of his life. “Happy are the painters,” he had written in his book Painting as a Pastime, “for they shall not be lonely. Light and color, peace and hope, will keep them company to the end of the day.”
6. And so it was for my father.
1. 我的父亲，温斯顿?丘吉尔，在他四十多岁时开始迷恋上绘画，当时环境异常恶劣。那是在1915年，任海军大臣的他，积极投身于达达尼尔海峡的一场战役中，这场战役本可以缩短那段血雨腥风的世界大战。但由于遭受失败，伤亡惨重，丘吉尔于公于私都付出了代价。他被从海军部调离，实则坐起了冷板凳。 在灾难的折磨下，他的妻子克莱门廷说：“我想他会痛苦而死，”——他携家带口来到萨利郡的一处乡间静居霍?华姆。在那儿，丘吉尔后来回忆道，“是绘画中的冥思拯救了我！”
2. 一天他在花园散步时，偶然看到他的弟媳在用水彩作画。他观察了几分钟，然后向她借了画笔并一试身手。他的专注仿佛给他施了魔法！丘吉尔很快就决定试试去画油画。看到他从阴暗的忧郁思中解脱出来，克莱门廷非常开心，她赶忙去买所有能买到的颜料。
3. 然而，迈出下一步似乎有些困难，因为丘吉尔看到一块新画布的洁白无暇时感到无所适从和为难。他先从天空画起，非常谨慎地在调色板上加入一点儿蓝色调，然后以万分的小心，在这块被蓄意冒犯的雪白的防护板上点上豌豆大的一笔。这时，传来一阵驾驶机动车的马达声。约翰?拉威利先生才华出众的太太从这辆车中姗然而下。“在画画呀！”她高声说着，“可你还在犹豫什么呢？给我那支笔——那支头号的。”只见松油飞溅，她在蓝白颜料间挥毫泼墨，在调色板上龙飞凤舞，接着在吓得发皱的油画布上用力东戳西捣几下蓝色。那时，约翰?拉威利——丘吉尔的邻居，也是一位有名的画家—正教丘吉尔学画。后来提及他的这位特殊的学生时，拉威利说：“倘若他选择绘画而不是从政，我相信他会是位绘画大师的。”
4. 在绘画中，丘吉尔找到了能陪他度过余生大部分时光的知已。战后，在1921年，母亲刚去世两个月，他和克莱门廷就失去了他们深爱着的三岁女儿玛丽戈尔德，这时作画给了他一些安慰。在痛苦的打击下，温斯顿来到苏格兰朋友们的家中以求得安慰，用绘画来解脱自己。他在给克莱门廷的信中说：“我出外画了一条夕阳下美丽的溪流，背后映衬着晚霞的群山。唉，达克迪莉（玛丽戈尔德的昵称）使我的苦痛总是挥之不去。”
5. 史学家把1929年后的十年，也就是保守党政府垮台而温斯顿下台的时间，称为他的荒凉岁月。政治上，他一直在举步维艰的处境中徘徊，是一个孤独的勇士在努力唤起受到希特勒威胁的国人，但在艺术上他在那荒凉岁月却硕果累累。这些年他经常在法国南部作画。在现存的500多张油画中，大约250张是1930至1939年间的作品。 绘画给丘吉尔带来了乐趣直到他的人生尽头。在他所著的《画中的消遣》里说：“画家其乐融融，因为他们不会孤独。光与色，和平与希望，会始终伴随他们。”
6. 我父亲就是这样一个人。
The Joys Of Writing写作的乐趣
1. The fortunate people in the world—the only really fortunate people in the world，in my mind—are those whose work is also their pleasure. The classis not a large one，not nearly so large as it is often represented to be；and authors are perhaps one of the most important elements in its composition. They enjoy in this respect at least a real harmony of life. To my mind，to be able to make your work your pleasure is the one class distinction in the world worth striving for；and I do not wonder that others are inclined to envy those happy human beings who find their livelihood in the gay effusions of their fancy，to whom every hour of labor is an hour of enjoyment，to whom repose—however necessary—is a tiresome interlude. And even a holiday is almost deprivation. Whether a man writes well or ill，has much to say or little，if he cares about writing at all，he will appreciate the pleasures of composition. To sit at one’s table on a sunny morning，with four clear hours of uninterruptible security，plenty of nice white paper，and a Squeezer pen that is true happiness. The complete absorption of the mind upon an agreeable occupation what more is there than that to desire？What does it matter what happens outside？The House of Commons may do what it likes，and so may the House of Lords. The heathen may rage furiously in every part of the globe. The bottom may be knocked clean out of the American market. Consols may fall and suffragettes may rise. Never mind，for four hours，at any rate，we will draw ourselves from a common，ill-governed，and disorderly world，and with the key of fancy unlock that cupboard where all the good things of the infinite are put away.
