Watching Me Go 赤子情深 大人們不理解小孩子，他們總是認為孩子太小了，他們小小的腦袋里裝不下什么東西，他們小小的心靈里也不會有太多的想法。但是只要大人們仔細觀察，就會發(fā)現(xiàn)孩子們的“小”中承載著大人們難以想象的深情。 My son Brendan cried his first day of school. Even Mrs. Phillips, a kind, soft-spoken master of the six-year-old mind, could not coax him to a seat. His eyes streamed, his nose ran and he clung to me like a snail on a strawberry. I plucked him off and escaped. 我兒子布蘭登第一天上學哭了，甚至連那位在六歲兒童心目中和藹可親、聲音柔和的菲利普斯老師也不能把他勸誘到座位上去。他淚流滿面，鼻子抽搭著，緊緊抓住我，就象蝸牛附著在草莓上一樣。我猛力地把他扯開，逃走了。 It wasnt that Brendan didnt like school. He just didnt like being apart from me. Wed had some good times, he and I, in those preschool years. We played at the pool. We skated on quiet morning ice. We sampled half the treat tray at weekly neighborhood coffee parties. Now in Grade 1, Brendan was faced with five hours of wondering what I was doing with my day. 倒不是布蘭登不喜歡上學，他只是不想和我分開。我們，他與我，在他上學之前有過一些快樂時光。我們在游泳池嬉戲，在安靜的早晨滑冰，我們也曾把街坊舉辦的每周一次的咖啡派對上饋贈盤中的食物吃掉了一半。而現(xiàn)在上一年級了，布蘭登每天有五小時要琢磨我在干什么。 Brendan always came home for lunch, the only one of his class not to eat at his desk. But once home, fed and hugged, a far-away look of longing would crease his gentle browhe wanted to go back to school to play! So I walked him back, waited with him until he spotted someone he knew, then left. He told me once that he watched me until he couldnt see me anymore, so I always walked fast and never looked back. 布蘭登總是回家吃午飯，他是班上唯一不再教室里吃午飯的學生。可是一旦到了家，吃飽了，也擁抱過我了，他的眉毛就會輕輕地皺起來，臉上露出向往的神色-他想回學校去玩！于是我就走著送他回去，等他看到了認識的人再離開。有一次他告訴我，他會一直目送我，直到看不見為止，于是我便總是走得很快，從不回頭。 One day when I took Brendan back after lunch, he spied a friend, kissed me goodbye, and scampered right off. I went, feeling pleased for him, celebrating his new independence, his entry into the first-grade social loop. ThenI didnt know whyI glanced back. And there he was. The playground buzzed all around him, kids everywhere, and he stood, his chin tucked close, his body held small, his face intent but not sad, blowing me kisses. So brave, so unashamed, so completely loving, Brendan was watching me go. 有一天午飯后，我巴布蘭登送回去時，他看到了一個朋友，就跟我吻別，蹦蹦跳跳地跑開了。我為他感到高興，為他獲得新的獨立而慶祝，慶祝他從此進入了一年級社交圈。但是，我也不知為什么，離開時回頭望了一眼。他就在那兒，操場上到處是孩子，在他周圍嘰嘰喳喳，可他就站在那兒向我飛吻，下巴揚起，身體縮得小小的，臉上的表情很堅決但并不悲傷。布蘭登勇敢地目送我離開，毫不害羞，充滿了萬分愛意。 No book on mothering could have prepared me for that quick, raw glimpse into my childs soul. My mind leaped 15 years ahead to him packing boxes and his dog grown old and him saying, Dry up, Mom. Its not like Im leaving the country. In my mind I tore up the card every mother signs saying shell let her child go when hes ready. I looked at my Brendan, his shirt tucked in, every button done up, his toes just turned in a bit, and I thought, OK, youre six for me forever. With a smile I had to really dig for, I blew him a kiss, turned and walked away. 突如其來地瞥見了兒子毫無遮掩的靈魂深處，我毫無準備，也從來沒有哪本育兒書教過我。我的思緒跳到了十五年后，兒子打好行囊，他的小狗也老了，那時他說：“媽，把眼淚擦擦，我又不是出國。”所有的母親手里都有一張牌，寫著：只要孩子準備好離開，就由他去。在我的腦海中，我把這張牌撕掉了。我看著我的布蘭登，他的襯衫塞在褲子里，紐扣都扣得整整齊齊，兩腳還有點內(nèi)八字，于是就想：“嗯對你我來說永遠是六歲。”我拼命地擠出了一絲微笑，給他一個飛吻，轉身走開了。1. coax v. 勸誘，哄騙 2. pluck vt. 猛力地扯 3. sample vt. 嘗，品嘗 4. crease v. 弄皺 5. scamper v. 奔跑 6. loop n. 環(huán)，圈 7. tuck v. 卷起 8. intent adj. 決心的9. unashamed adj. 無愧的，毫無顧慮的Mothers Hands 母親的手 童年的我們被呵護著，一雙溫柔白皙的手，帶來無私的母愛。恍然間，那雙手已經(jīng)不再溫柔了，甚至有些粗糙，但那雙手依然給我們帶來溫暖。世界上有種最無私的愛，那就是母愛，無論滄海桑田，還是天涯海角，母愛永遠難以割斷。記憶深處的那一雙手，總是母親的手。 Night after night, she came to tuck me in, even long after my childhood years. Following her longstanding custom, shed lean down and push my long hair out of the way, then kiss my forehead.夜復一夜，她總是來幫我把被子掖好，即使我早已不是小孩子了。掖好被子后，她會彎下身來，撥開我的長發(fā)，在我的額頭上吻一下。這是母親長久以來的習慣。 I dont remember when it first started annoying me her hands pushing my hair that way. But it did annoy me, for they felt work-worn and rough against my young skin. Finally, one night, I shouted out at her, Dont do that anymore your hands are too rough! She didnt say anything in reply. But never again did my mother close out my day with that familiar expression of her love. 不記得從何時起，我開始討厭她用手撥開我的頭發(fā)。但我的確討厭她長期操勞、粗糙的手觸摸我細嫩的皮膚。終于，一天晚上，我沖她嚷道：“別再這樣了你的手太粗糙了！”母親什么也沒說。但從此之后，她再也沒有在一天結束的時候用那種熟悉的方式表達她的愛。 Time after time, with the passing years, my thoughts returned to that night. By then I missed my mothers hands, missed her goodnight kiss on my forehead. Sometimes the incident seemed very close, sometimes far away. But always it lurked, in the back of my mind. 時光流逝，許多年之后，我的思緒又回到了那個晚上。那時我想念母親的手，想念她晚上留在我額頭上的親吻。有時這幕情景似乎很近，有時又似乎很遙遠。可它總是潛伏著，時常浮現(xiàn)，出現(xiàn)在我意識中。 Well, the years have passed, and Im not a little girl anymore. Mom is in her mid-seventies, and those hands I once thought to be so rough are still doing things for me and my family. Shes been our doctor, reaching into a medicine cabinet for the remedy to calm a young girls stomach or soothe the boys scraped knee. She cooks the best fried chicken in the world. gets stains out of blue jeans like I never could.一年年過去，我也不再是一個小女孩，母親也有70多歲了。那雙我認為很粗糙的手依然為我和我的家庭操勞著。她是我家的醫(yī)生，去藥櫥給我胃疼的女兒找胃藥或為我兒子擦傷的膝蓋敷藥。她能做出世界上最美味的炸雞能洗掉牛仔褲上那些我永遠都弄不干凈的污點 Now, my own children are grown and gone. Mom no longer has Dad, and on special occasions, I find myself drawn next door to spend the night with her. So it was late on Thanksgiving Eve, as I slept in the bedroom of my youth, a familiar hand hesitantly run across my face to brush the hair from my forehead. Then a kiss, ever so gently, touched my brow. 現(xiàn)在，我的孩子都已經(jīng)長大，離開了家，爸爸也去世了。在一些特別的日子里，我經(jīng)常情不自禁地走到隔壁母親的房間和她一起度過。于是，一次感恩節(jié)前夕的深夜，我睡在年輕時的臥室里，一只熟悉的手有些猶豫地掠過我的臉，撥開我額頭的頭發(fā)，隨后是一個吻，輕輕地印在我的眉毛上。 In my memory, for the thousandth time, I recalled the night my young voice complained, Dont do that anymore your hands are too rough! Catching Moms hand in hand, I blurted out how sorry I was for that night. I thought shed remember, as I did. But Mom didnt know what I was talking about. She had forgotten and forgiven long ago. 在我的記憶中，無數(shù)次回想起年輕時那晚我抱怨的聲音：“別再這樣了你的手太粗糙了！”抓住母親的手，我脫口而出地表示我多么后悔那晚所說的話。我以為她會像我一樣記得這件事情。但媽媽不知道我在說些什么，她已經(jīng)在很久以前就忘了這事，并早就原諒了我。 That night, I fell asleep with a new appreciation for my gentle mother and her caring hands. And the guilt that I had carried around for so long was nowhere to be found. 那晚，我?guī)е鴮厝岬哪赣H和她體貼的雙手的全新認識進入了夢鄉(xiāng)。而我許久以來的負罪感也消失地無影無蹤。1. tuck v.塞進去，（將棉被）蓋好 3. annoy v. 使苦惱，打擾 2. longstanding adj. 長時間的，為時甚久的 4. close out 結束 5. lurk v. 潛藏，埋伏 6. cabinet n. 櫥柜，壁柜7. remedy n. 藥物 8. soothe v. 緩和，安慰 9. scrape v. 擦傷，刮碰 10. stain n. 污點 11. hesitantly adv. 猶豫地Love of a Lifetime 一生之愛 在一生中，我們與許多人擦肩而過，我們總是想著，下一個遇到的人會更適合我，卻任時間流水一般靜靜地流過。要知道，愛是不需要比較的，陪伴一生的人只有一個。此刻，或許你一生的愛正在你的眼前徘徊，請不要再錯過了 Once upon a time a teacher and his student lay down under the big tree near the big grass area. Then suddenly the student asked the teacher. 很久以前，有一位老師和一位學生，兩人躺在一棵大樹下，旁邊是無垠的草地。突然學生問了老師一個問題。Teacher, Im confused, how do we find our soul mate? Can you please help me? “老師，我很困惑，我想知道如何才能找到和我情投意合的伴侶。你能幫幫我嗎？”Silent for a few seconds, the teacher then answered, Well, its a pretty hard and an easy question.老師想了幾秒種，然后說：“嗯，這是一個很難但又很簡單的問題。”The teacher continued, Look that way, there is a lot of grass, why dont you walk there? Please dont walk backwards, just walk straight ahead. On your way, try to find a blade of beautiful grass and pick it up and then give it to me. But just one.老師繼續(xù)說：“往那邊看，那邊是無垠的草地。你何不過去走走，但是不要往回走，一直向前走。當你走路的時候，盡量尋找一棵美麗的草，然后把它拔下拿給我。但是只能拔一顆。”The student said, Well, OK then. wait for me. and walked straight ahead to the grassy field.學生說：“那好吧等著我。”然后徑直向草地走去。A few minutes later the student came back.幾分鐘后，學生回來了。The teacher asked, Well, I dont see a beautiful blade of grass in your hand.老師問到：“我看你手上沒有漂亮的草呀。”The student said, On my journey, I found quite a few beautiful blade of grass, but I thought that I would find a better one, so I didnt pick it. But I didnt realize that I was at the end of the field, and I hadnt picked any because you told me not to go back, so I didnt go back.學生回答說：“我在路上發(fā)現(xiàn)了許多漂亮的草，但是我覺得我會找到更好的，于是就沒有把它拔下來。但我沒有意識到我已經(jīng)走到了草地的盡頭，因為你告訴我不要往回走，所以我一顆也沒有拔。”The teacher said, Thats what will happen in real life.“這就是生活中經(jīng)常發(fā)生的情況。老師說到。What is the message of this story?這則小故事想要告訴我們什么道理呢？In the story, grass is the people around you, the beautiful blade of grass is the people that attract you and the grassy field is time.故事里面的草地就是你周圍的人，美麗的草就是吸引你的人，而草地就是你一生擁有的時間。In looking for your soul mate, please dont always compare and hope that there will be a better one. By doing that, youll waste your lifetime, cause remember Time Never Goes Back.在尋找人生伴侶的時候，請不要總是比較，希望將來會有更好的選擇。如果這樣做的話，你就會浪費一生的時間，因為請記住：時間一去不復返。注釋： 1. soul n. 靈魂，心靈2. mate n. 伴侶 Back Home 回家那些背著行囊漂泊在外的人啊，你可知道家人的擔心和惦念？你經(jīng)歷的孤獨和寒冷是否讓你更加懷念家中的溫暖？推開小門的感覺，廚房里特有的氣息，難道不使你時時掛牽嗎？夕陽西下，倦鳥歸還，離家的人兒，你也該踏上回鄉(xiāng)的路途了A gentle breeze blew through Jennifers hair. The golden red sun was setting. She was on the beach, looking up at the fiery ball. She was amazed by its color, deep red in the middle, softly fading into yellow. She could hear nothing but the waves and the seagulls flying up above in the sky.一陣微風吹過詹妮弗的頭發(fā)，金紅色的太陽即將落山。海灘上的詹妮弗望著那火紅的圓球，不禁驚異于它的顏色：中間是紅彤彤的，向外柔柔地變成黃色。她只能聽到海浪的聲音，還有在天空中高高飛翔的海鷗。The atmosphere relaxed her. After all she had been through, this is what she needed. Its getting late, she thought, I must go home, my parents will be wondering where I am.眼前的景象使她放松下來，出走幾天的經(jīng)歷，讓她感受到這才是她所需要的。她想：“天晚了，我該回家了，父母會惦記我在哪里。”She wondered how her parents would react, when she got home after the three days she was missing. She kept on walking, directing herself to bungalow 163, where she spent every summer holiday. The road was deserted. She walked slowly and silently. Just in a few hundred meters she would have been safe in her house.她在猜想自己離家三天才回來，父母會做出什么反應。她一直走著，徑直走向163號平房，每年暑假，她都是在那兒度過的。一路上空寂無人，她慢慢地、靜靜地走著，再有幾百米就能安全到家了。It was really getting dark now, the sun had set a few minutes before and it was getting cold too. She wished she had her favorite jumper on: it kept her really warm. She imagined having it with her. This thought dissipated when she finally saw her front door. It seemed different. Nobody had taken care of the outside garden for a few days. She was shocked: her father was usually so strict about keeping everything clean and tidy, and now. It all seemed deserted. She couldnt understand what was going on.天色完全黑暗下來，太陽幾分鐘前就落山了，外面越來越冷。她真希望自己穿著最喜歡的那件套頭衫，那該多暖和啊！她想象著自己正穿著它呢。可是一看見她家的前門，這種想法就煙消云散了。眼前的一切有些異樣。外面的花園好幾天沒人照料了，這讓她非常吃驚她父親平時處事嚴謹，每樣東西都要求干凈整潔，而現(xiàn)在呢花園好像一片荒蕪。她不理解發(fā)生了什么事情。She entered the house. First, she went into the kitchen where she saw a note written by her father. It said: Dear Ellen, there is some coffee ready, I went looking. Ellen was her mother but - where was she? On the right side of the hallway was her parents room. She went in. Then she saw her. Her mother, lying on the bed, sleeping. Her face looked so tired, as if she hadnt slept for days. She was really pale. Jenny would have wanted to wake her up but she looked too tired to force her. So Jenny just fell asleep beside her. When Jennifer woke up something was different.she wasnt in her mothers room and she wasnt wearing the old clothes she ran away in. She was in her cozy bed in her pajamas.她進了屋，首先到了廚房，看見父親留的一張字條，寫著：“親愛的埃倫，這是煮好的咖啡，我出去找找。”艾倫就是她的母親，但是母親在哪兒？走廊的右邊是她父母的臥室，她走進去就看見了母親，躺在床上睡著了。母親的面色異常蒼白，看起來是那樣的疲憊，好像多日未眠。詹妮真想把她叫醒，但是母親看起來太累了，真不忍心叫醒她。于是詹妮也躺在她身旁睡了。詹妮弗醒來時發(fā)現(xiàn)有些異樣：她不在母親的房間里了，穿的也不是離家出走時的舊衣服了。她是穿著睡衣躺在自己愜意的床上。It felt so good being back home. Suddenly she heard a voice. Are you feeling better now, dear? You know you got us very, very scared.回家的感覺真好啊。忽然她聽見一個聲音：“親愛的，你現(xiàn)在感覺好點了吧？知道嗎，你讓我們多擔心、多害怕啊！”注釋： 1. fiery adj. 火紅的 2. fade vi. 退色 3. seagull n. 海鷗 4. react vi. 做出反應5. bungalow n. (帶走廊的)平房 6. deserted adj.空無一人的7. jumper n. 套頭衫 8. dissipate v. 消散9. cozy adj. 舒適的 10. pajamas n. 睡衣 11. scared adj.害怕的Family 善待家人我們生活在愛的世界里，我們無時無刻不在感受著我們得到的愛。我們以為愛我們的人可以承受我們的任性，驕傲，無理；以為他們既然愛我們就理應如此。可是，你可曾想過為什么我們可以對一個陌生人彬彬有禮，卻要讓愛我們的人受傷呢？ I bumped into a stranger as he passed by. Oh, excuse me Please, I said. He said, Please excuse me too. I wasnt even watching for you. We were very polite, this stranger and I. We went on our way and we said good-bye. But when we are at home a different story is told.不小心撞到了一位路人，“對不起，請原諒，”我說。“請原諒我，”他說，“我沒有注意到您。”我們兩個陌生人都很禮貌。我們相互道別，繼續(xù)各自的道程。但是，當我們回到家中，對待我們的家人的時候，情況卻不太相同。 Later that day, when I was cooking the evening meal, my daughter stood beside me very still.那天下午，我在準備晚餐，女兒靜靜地站在旁邊。當我轉身的時候，差點兒把她撞倒。 When I turned, I nearly knocked her down. Move out of the way, I said with a frown. She walked away and her little heart was broken. I didnt realize how harshly Id spoken.“別擋路。”我皺著眉頭說道。她走開了，帶著受傷的心靈。我沒有意識到我的話是多么的嚴厲苛刻 While I lay awake, that evening, in bed, Gods still small voice came to me and said, While dealing with a stranger, you use common courtesy, but the children you love, you seem to abuse. Go look on the kitchen floor, youll find some flowers there by the door. Those are the flowers she brought for you. She picked them herself: pink, yellow and blue. She stood quietly not to spoil the surprise, and you never saw the tears in her eyes. 那天晚上，我躺在床上，上帝溫柔的聲音出現(xiàn)在我的耳旁,“對待一個陌生人，你是那樣的有禮貌，但是對于你深愛的孩子，你卻有些粗魯。去廚房看看吧，你會發(fā)現(xiàn)門口放著鮮花。那是她送給你的。她親自采的花，粉的，黃的，藍的。她靜靜地站在那，為的是給你一個驚喜，你沒有看見她眼中的淚滴。” By this time, I felt very small, and now my tears began to fall. I quietly went and knelt by her bed. Wake up, little girl, wake up, I said, Are these the flowers you picked for me? She smiled, I found them, out by the tree. I picked them because theyre pretty like you. I knew youd like them, especially the blue. I said, Daughter, Im sorry for the way I acted today. I shouldnt have yelled at you that way. She said, Oh, Mom, thats okay. I love you anyway. I said, Daughter, I love you too, and I do like the flowers, especially the blue.此時，我感到自己十分渺小，眼淚開始從眼眶中溢出。我悄悄地走到她的床邊，“醒醒，我的女兒，醒醒，”我說道，“這些花兒是你為我采的嗎？”她笑了，“我在那邊的樹下發(fā)現(xiàn)了這些花兒。我摘了這些花兒，因為他們像你一樣漂亮。我知道你會喜歡的，特別是這些藍色的花兒。”我說，“女兒，原諒我今天的行為吧，我不該對你大聲喊。”她說，“沒關系的，媽媽。我愛你！”我說，“女兒，我同樣愛你！我真的很喜歡這些花兒，特別是藍色的。” Are you aware that: If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than to our family an unwise investment indeed.你意識到了嗎：如果我們明天死了，我們工作的公司會很容易地找到其他的人來替代我們。但是 我們的家人會永遠感到失去我們的痛苦。好好想想吧，我們把我們更多的精力投入到了工作中，這是一個多么不明智的投資啊！注釋： 1. bump v. 撞擊2. frown v. 皺眉3. harshly adv. 嚴厲地，苛刻地4. courtesy n. 謙恭，禮貌5. abuse v. 虐待，辱罵6. spoil v. 損壞，寵壞7. investment n. 投資Get a Thorough Understanding of Oneself 徹悟自我人生在世，不可能一直春風得意，事事順心。面對挫折能夠虛懷若谷，大智若愚，保持一種恬淡平和的心境，是徹悟人生的大度。一個人要想保持健康的心境，就需要升華精神，修煉道德，積蓄能量，風趣樂觀。正如馬克思所言：一種美好的心情，比十副良藥更能解除生理上的疲憊和痛楚。 In all ones lifetime it is oneself that one spends the most time being with or dealing with. But it is precisely oneself that one has the least understanding of. When you are going upwards in life you tend to overestimate yourself. When you are going downhill you tend to underestimate yourself. Its likely that you think it wise for yourself to know your place and stay aloof from worldly wearing a mask of cowardice, behind which the flow of sap in your life will be retarded. 人生在世，和自己相處最多，打交道最多，但是人最不了解的也恰恰是自己。當你一帆風順時，往往高估自己；不得志時，又往往低估自己。你可能認為安分守己、與世無爭是明智之舉，而實際上往往被怯懦的面具窒息了自己鮮活的生命。 To get a thorough understanding of oneself is to gain a correct view of oneself and be a sober realistaware of both ones strength and shortage. You may look forward hopefully to the future but be sure not to expect too much, for ideals can never be fully realized. You may be courageous to meet challenges but it should be clear to you where to direct your efforts. 徹悟自己，就是正確認識自己，做一個冷靜的現(xiàn)實主義者，既知道自己的優(yōu)勢，也知道自己的不足。我們可以憧憬人生，但不要期望過高。因為在現(xiàn)實中，理想的實現(xiàn)總是會打折扣的。你可以勇敢地迎接挑戰(zhàn)，但是必須清楚自己努力的方向。 To get a thorough understanding of oneself needs self-appreciation. Whether you liken yourself to a towering tree or a blade of grass, whether you think you are a high mountain or a small stone, you represent a state of nature that has its own reaso