A man had a little daughter — an only and much-loved child. He lived for her — she was his life. So when she became ill, he, like a man possessed, moved heaven and earth to bring about her restoration to health.
His best efforts, however, proved unavailing and the child died. The father became a bitter recluse , shutting himself away from his many friends and refusing every activity that might restore his poise and bring him back to his normal self. But one night he had a dream.
He was in Heaven, witnessing a grand pageant of all little child angels. They were marching in a line passing by the Great White Throne. Every white-robed angelic child carried a candle. He noticed that one child's candle was not lighted. Then he saw that the child with the dark candle was his own little girl. Rushing to her, he seized her in his arms, caressed her tenderly, and then asked, “How is it, darling, that your candle alone is unlighted?” “Daddy, they often relight it, but your tears always put it out.”
Just then he awoke from his dream. The lesson was crystal clear, and its effects were immediate. From that hour on he was not a recluse, but mingled freely and cheerfully with his former friends and associates. No longer would his darling's candle be extinguished by his useless tears.
一个男人有一个年幼的女儿，他深爱着这唯一的女儿，为她而活，女儿就是他的生命。所以，女儿生病的时候，他疯了似的，想方设法想让孩子康复。
然而，再怎么努力也没能见效，孩子还是死了。这位父亲痛苦至极，封闭自我，和朋友们断绝了往来，拒绝参加任何活动，不愿找回平静、恢复自我。然而一天晚上，他做了一个梦。
他到了天堂，看到所有小天使正在举行一场盛会。他们列队行进，路过大白宝座。每个小天使都穿着白色礼服，手举一支蜡烛。他注意到一个孩子的蜡烛是熄灭的。然后他认出那个蜡烛熄灭的孩子就是自己的女儿。他快速跑到她身旁，紧紧抱住她，温柔地抚摸她，然后问道：“怎么回事呢？宝贝，为什么只有你的蜡烛没有点亮呢？”“爸爸，他们时不时会给我重新点亮蜡烛，但你的眼泪总把烛火浇灭。”
就在这时，他从梦中醒来，其中的道理很清晰且收效及时。从那一刻起，他走出了自我封闭，自由开心地回到了从前的朋友和同事们中间。宝贝女儿的蜡烛再也不会被他无谓的泪水浇灭了。
-restoration [ˌrestəˈreɪʃn] n. 恢复
-recluse [rɪˈkluːs] n. 隐居者；隐士
-pageant [ˈpædʒənt] n. 盛会；露天表演
-caress [kəˈres] v. 爱抚；怜爱
“大白宝座”(the Great White Throne)语出《圣经启示录》，指上帝的宝座。千禧年时，上帝在此对死者根据其生前的行为进行审判。另外，今位于美国犹他州西南的宰恩(又称锡安)国家公园(Zion National Park)内，有一处同名的山峰。1916年9月，犹他州奥格登市(Ogden)卫理公会(Methodist)的教士费雷德里克·瓦伊宁·费希尔(Frederick Vining Fisher)看到一块高6744英尺的灰白巨石，十分震惊，当即表示：“这是美国的杰作。孩子们，我一辈子都在找这样的地方，可没想到真让我找到了。这座山就是一个大白宝座。”山峰因此而得名。