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美丽心灵 The Old Fisherman(2)

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  他第二次来的时候,早上七点刚过就到了。为了答谢我们,他给我们带来了一条很大的鱼,还有一夸脱牡蛎,那是我所见过的最大的牡蛎。他说,他出发之前才把牡蛎去壳,这样能保持肉质鲜美。我知道他乘坐的公共汽车是凌晨四点启程的,那他究竟要多早起床为我们做这些事啊!

  In the years he came to stay overnight with us there was never a time that he did not bring us fish or oysters or vegetables from his garden. Other times we received packages in the mail, always by special delivery; fish and oysters packed in a box of fresh young 17)spinach or 18)kale, every leaf carefully washed. Knowing that he must walk three miles to mail these, and knowing how little money he had made the gifts doubly precious. When I received these little remembrances, I often thought of a comment our next-door neighbor made after he left that first morning.
  接下来的几年里,凡是他来我们家过夜,他没有一次是空手而来的,他总会给我们带一些鱼或牡蛎,或者是他自己种的蔬菜。我们还会不时收到他给我们寄来的包裹,常常还是用特快专递,包裹里有用新鲜菠菜或甘蓝包着的鱼和牡蛎,他甚至已经仔细地把每一片蔬菜叶子都清洗得干干净净。我知道他得走上三英里路(约4.8公里)到邮局邮寄,而且他的收入非常微薄,这使得他的礼物显得弥足珍贵。当我手捧着这些礼轻情意重的包裹时,总会想起他第一次离开我们家时,邻居说的一番话:

  “Did you keep that awful looking man last night? I turned him away! You can lose roomers by 19)putting up such people!”
  “你昨晚让那个恐怖的男人在家里过夜了?我拒绝了他!你如果收留他,会吓跑其他客人的!”

  Maybe we did lose roomers once or twice. But oh! If only they could have known him, perhaps their illnesses would have been easier to bear. I know our family will always be grateful to have known him; from him we learned what it was to accept the bad without complaint.
  也许我们的确有一两次损失了一些客源。但那又怎样!假如他们有机会真正了解他,也许他们会更容易面对自己的病痛。我们一家人都很庆幸有机会认识他,从他身上,我们学会了毫无怨言地接受生命中很糟糕的东西。

  Recently I was visiting a friend who has a greenhouse. As she showed me her flowers, we came to the most beautiful one of all, a 20)golden chrysanthemum, bursting with blooms. But to my great surprise, it was growing in an old 21)dented, rusty 22)bucket. I thought to myself, If this were my plant, I’d put it in the loveliest container I had! My friend changed my mind.
  最近我去探访一个朋友,她带我到她家的温室看花。那里最美丽的是一朵怒放的七彩金叶菊。但令我惊讶的是,这朵花是种在一个锈迹斑斑的烂铁桶里。我想,如果是我,我一定把它种在最漂亮的花盆里!但朋友的话改变了我的看法。

  “I 23)ran short of 24)pots,” she explained, “and knowing how beautiful this one would be, I thought it wouldn’t mind starting out in this old 25)pail. It’s just for a little while, till I can put it out in the garden.”
  “种花的罐子不够,”她解释道,“我知道它以后一定会漂亮得惊人,我想,让它先在这个破桶里呆一会,它不会介意的。仅仅是很短一段时间,然后我就会把它移植到花园里了。”

  She must have wondered why I laughed so delightedly, but I was imagining just such a beautiful moment—in garden, how tall this lovely flower must stand.
  我开怀大笑,朋友一定困惑不已,其实,我是在设想着那美妙的一刻—一株异常美丽的花在花园里傲然怒放着。

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