For nearly five decades he gazed out of his Sydney home overlooking the Pacific Ocean, inspired by one of Australia's most picturesque views. But it was not just a love for the sea that drew him to the dramatic panorama.
近五十年來，里奇一直從自己悉尼的家眺望著太平洋，從這里可以欣賞到澳大利亞最如詩如畫般的景致。然而，他會(huì)選擇定居在這片夢(mèng)幻而壯闊的地區(qū)，卻并不是出于對(duì)大海的熱愛。

Don Ritchie's window-watching had a far greater purpose. Since l964 he has saved at least 160 lives, though some say the true figure is much higher. Mr Ritchie, who died this week at the age of 86, was known as the Angel of the Gap, a title earned for persuading people not to throw themselves off the notorious Australian suicide spot.
唐·里奇隔窗眺望的不只是美景，而是一個(gè)更偉大的目標(biāo)——生命。自1964年起，他已經(jīng)拯救了超過160名自殺者——更有人說遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)不止這個(gè)數(shù)字。多年來，他因?yàn)閯褡鑱淼桨拇罄麃嗊@個(gè)“自殺圣地”的人們而被親切地稱為“峽谷天使”。然而，人間天使未能永生，本周唐·里奇逝世，享年86歲。

Like Beachy Head on the Sussex coast, the sheer cliffs at the mouth of Sydney harbour have long acted as a magnet to those who have lost all hope. But thanks to his calm voice and sympathetic manner, Mr Ritchie offered a helping hand to the desperate by engaging them in conversation on the cliff-top in their hour of need.
正如薩塞克斯的比奇角一樣，悉尼港河口的峭壁也是無數(shù)對(duì)生活完全喪失了信心的自殺者的首選。然而，幸好有里奇在。他用鎮(zhèn)定的嗓音和溫暖的方式和命懸一線的自殺者交談，從而伸出救援之手。

A modest man who did not court celebrity or praise, Mr Ritchie would spot would-be suicides from his home and slowly walk across the road to them. At the cliff-edge he would simply smile and ask them, "Can I help you in some way?" More often than not the quiet approach worked, though on some occasions he risked his own life by physically restraining the more determined from making their final leap.
不為名利，不求褒獎(jiǎng)，里奇始終從家里觀察著懸崖，一旦發(fā)現(xiàn)意欲自殺的人，他就會(huì)穩(wěn)步走過去微笑著問“有什么我能幫你的嗎？”，這往往比什么都不說有用。雖然時(shí)不時(shí)還是有人打定主意要縱身一躍，但千鈞一發(fā)之際他總是冒著生命危險(xiǎn)去拉住自殺者。

Afterwards he would invite them back to his home for a cup of tea and a chat and occasionally they would return years later to thank him for saving their life. One survivor gave him a painting of an angel with the rays of the sun and the simple message: "An angel who walks amongst us."
把自殺者從懸崖上勸下來之后，里奇會(huì)請(qǐng)他們來家里坐坐，喝杯茶聊聊天。有時(shí)許多年過去，那些曾被他救過的人還會(huì)回來感謝他當(dāng)年的勸阻。一位幸存者送給里奇一幅畫，畫上是一個(gè)閃耀著太陽光環(huán)的天使，旁邊配著簡(jiǎn)單的一句：“我們身邊的天使?！?/div>

"My ambition has always been to just get them away from the edge, to buy them time, to give them the opportunity to reflect and give them the chance to realise that things might look better the next morning," he once confided."You just can't sit there and watch them," he added. "You've got to try and save them."
“我只是想把要自殺的人從懸崖上勸下來，讓他們有時(shí)間也有機(jī)會(huì)再好好想想，說不定就能想通一切都會(huì)好起來的。”里奇曾這樣吐露心聲。“我就是沒辦法坐視人們輕生，”他補(bǔ)充道，“總要有人去試著挽回他們的心意?！?/div>

Mr Ritchie's daughter, Sue, said her father enjoyed his ocean view, but was equally determined to watch out for troubled souls. He once said an offer of help "was all that was needed to turn people around and he would say not to underestimate the power of a kind word and a smile," she told the Sydney Morning Herald.
里奇的女兒蘇曾說過父親非常喜歡海景，但更篤定要幫助那些輕生的靈魂?！案赣H曾說簡(jiǎn)單的一句話就能夠使人回心轉(zhuǎn)意，永遠(yuǎn)不要低估善意語言和溫暖微笑的力量?！痹诮邮芟つ嵯闰?qū)晨報(bào)采訪時(shí)，她回憶道。

He was "a great mixture of strength and compassion... an everyday person who did an extraordinary thing for many people that saved their lives, without any want of recognition," she added.
“父親富有勇氣和同情心。他只是一個(gè)平凡的人，卻拯救了這么多人的性命。這是件高尚的舉動(dòng)，而他卻不求任何回報(bào)?！?/div>

Mr Ritchie was a seaman in the Royal Australian Navy during the Second World War and witnessed the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay in 1945. Back in Sydney he worked in the insurance industry. He would later tell friends of the people he had saved: "I was a salesman for most of my life and I sold them life."
里奇曾在二戰(zhàn)期間效力于澳大利亞皇家海軍，并于1945年在東京灣見證了日本投降。戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)結(jié)束后，他回到悉尼從事保險(xiǎn)推銷工作。里奇曾這樣跟幸存者的朋友說，“我做了大半輩子的保險(xiǎn)推銷員，而我賣給他們的是生命?！?/div>