书城外语每一次相遇都是奇迹
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第20章 UnderstandingofLife领悟生命(4)

He has been gone many years now, but I think of him often. I wonder if he sensed my reluctance to be seen with him during our walks. If he did, I am sorry I never told him how sorry I was, how unworthy I was, how I regretted it. I think of him when I complain about trifles, when I am envious of another‘s good fortune, when I don’t have a“good heart”.

他从不说自己可怜,也从不嫉妒别人的幸运和健全。他想从别人身上寻找的是一颗善良的心,当他得到时,便觉得人家对他足够好。

参考翻译(佚名)

在我成长过程中,让我感到尴尬的就是让别人看到我与父亲在一起。他不仅脚跛得厉害,而且身材矮小。当我们一起走路时,他总是挽着我的胳膊以保持平衡。这时,别人就盯着我们看。对于这种讨厌的关注,我无地自容。即使他注意到了这些或者为此烦恼,也从未表现出来。

想协调好我们的步伐很难--他总是慢慢腾腾,我则是极不耐烦--因为这,我们路上很少说话。但是,出发时,他总是说:“你走你的,我设法跟上你。”

我们通常往返于从家到他上班乘坐的地铁站之间的那段路。他带病上班,而且风雨无阻。他几乎从未缺过一天班,虽然别人不能做到,他也要设法去上班。对他来说,这是很件自豪的事。

当地上被冰雪覆盖的时候,即使别人帮他,他也没法走路了。这时候,我或我的姐妹们就用儿童雪橇拉着他穿过纽约市布鲁克林区的街道直到地铁站口。一到那儿,他就可以抓住扶手,一直走到底下的台阶,那里暖和些,地面上没有冰。在曼哈顿,地铁站就在他办公楼的地下。在他下班的路上,我们在布鲁克林接他,他就没必要再到外面去了。

现在一想起这件事,我就惊叹,一个成年男人要经受这种侮辱和压力,需要多大的勇气啊!叹服他怎样做到不痛苦不抱怨。

他从不说自己可怜,也从不嫉妒别人的幸运和健全。他想从别人身上寻找的是一颗“善良的心”,当他得到时,便觉得人家对他足够好。

现在我已经成年了,我相信有无善良之心是我们对一个人进行评价的恰当标准,即使我仍然不十分了解什么是“善良之心”。但是,我知道,有段时间我自己没有。

虽然父亲不能从事很多活动,他仍然试图通过某种方式参与。当地一个棒球队缺少经理时,他使其继续运作。他是一个知识渊博的棒球迷,而且还经常带我去埃贝茨棒球场观看布鲁克林道奇棒球队的比赛。他喜欢参加舞会和派对,即使坐在一旁观看,他也很开心。值得一提的是,在一次举行的沙滩派对上,爆发了打斗,每个人都在推推搡搡。他不愿意坐着旁观,但是在柔软的沙滩上,没有帮助他站不起来。失望中,他开始大喊:“谁敢坐在我旁边,我就打谁!”没人应战。但是第二天,人们跟他开玩笑说比赛还没开始,拳击手就佯装跌倒,这还是第一次看到。现在,我知道了他间接地通过我,他唯一的儿子来参与一些事情。我打棒球时(打得很差),他也在“打球”。我参加海军,他也“参加”了。当我休假回家时,他就带我参观他的办公室。向他的同事介绍我说:“这是我的儿子,但也是我。如果我也是个健全的人,我也能做到这一点。”这些话他从来没有大声说过。

他已经去世好多年了,但是,我却经常想起他。我不知道他是否意识到我不愿和他走在一起被别人看到。假如他知道这一切,我感到很遗憾,因为我从未告诉过他我有多愧疚、多可耻、多悔恨。每当我为琐事而抱怨时,为他人的好运而妒忌时,为自己没有一颗善良之心时,我就会想起我的父亲。

No Matter What Happens, I‘ll Always Be There for You!

无论发生什么事,我都会在你身旁

Anonymous

In 1989, an 8.2 earthquake almost flattened America, killing over 30, 000 people in less than four minutes. In the midst of utter devastation and chaos, a father left his wife safely at home and rushed to the school where his son was supposed to be, only to discover that the building was as flat as a pancake.

After the unforgettably initial shock, he remembered the promise he had made to his son,“No matter what happens, I’ll always be there for you!”And tears began to fill his eyes. As he looked at the pile of ruins that once was the school, it looked hopeless, but he kept remembering his commitment to his son.

He began to direct his attention towards where he walked his son to class at school each morning. Remembering his son‘s classroom would be in the back right corner of the building, he rushed there and started digging through the ruins.

As he was digging, other helpless parents arrived, clutching their hearts, saying,“My son!”“My daughter!”Other well meaning parents tried to pull him off what was left of the school, saying,“It’s too late! They‘re all dead! You can’t help!”“Go home! Come on, face reality, there‘s nothing you can do!”To each parent he responded with one line, “Are you going to help me now?”And then he continued to dig for his son, stone by stone.

The fire chief showed up and tried to pull him off the school’s ruins saying,“Fires are breaking out, explosions are happening everywhere. You‘re in danger. We’ll take care of it. Go home.”To which this loving, caring American father asked,“Are you going to help me now?” The police came and said,“You‘re angry, anxious and it’s over. You‘re endangering others. Go home. We’ll handle it!”To which he replied,“Are you going to help me now?”No one helped. Courageouslyhe went on alone because he needed to know for himself“, or is he dead?”

Is my boy alive

He dug for 8 hours... 12 hours... 24 hours... 36 hours... then, in the 38th hour, he pulled back a large stone and heard his son‘s voice. He screamed his son’s name,“Armand!”He heard back,“Dad? It‘s me, Dad! I told the other kids not to worry. I told myself that if you were alive, you’d save me and when you saved me, they‘d be saved. You promised, no matter what happens, I’ll always be there for you! You did it, Dad!”

“What‘s going on in there? How is it?”the father asked.

“There are 14 of us left out of 33, Dad. We’re scared, hungry, thirsty and thankful you are here. When the building collapsed, it made a triangle, and it saved us.”

“Come out, boy!”

“No, Dad! Let the other kids out first, because I know you‘ll get me! No matter what happens, I know you’ll always be there for me!”

父亲的爱和坚持是生命的延续。

参考翻译(佚名)

发生在1989年的一次8.2级地震,几乎将美国夷为平地,在不到四分钟的时间内,有三万多人丧生。在极度混乱中,一位父亲在家中安顿好妻子后,便冲到了儿子的学校,然而眼前的校园已是一片废墟。

这触目惊心的一幕,让他回想起曾经对儿子的承诺:“无论发生什么事,我都会在你身旁。”想到这些,他的双眼不禁湿润了。眼见曾经的校园已成一片废墟,一切看起来都叫人绝望,但对儿子的承诺始终回荡在他的脑海中。

他把注意力集中到每天早晨送儿子上学的那条路上,印象中儿子的教室就在那幢楼后面的右侧角落处,他冲过去,开始在碎石瓦砾中挖掘搜索。

这时,其他家长也都赶到了现场,他们无助地、撕心裂肺地哭叫着:“我的儿子啊!”“我的女儿啊!”有些善良的家长试图劝这位父亲离开现场:“晚了!他们去了!你也无能为力!”“回去吧!要面对现实,你这样做无济于事!”面对同为父母的人们的劝慰,这位父亲始终只回答一句话:“你们愿意帮我吗?”然后便继续他的挖掘,一块石头一块石头地移走。

消防队长来了,他也劝这位父亲撤离现场,并对他说:“火灾正在发生,爆炸也随时随地有可能发生,这里太危险,让我们来处理,你还是回家去吧!”对此,这位善良慈爱的父亲只是回答:“你们愿意帮我吗?”

警察也赶到了现场,劝他说:“你现在又气又急,该醒醒了!你现在危及他人。回去吧,我们会处理好这儿的一切。”这位父亲依旧回答:“你愿意帮我吗?”人们都无动于衷,而他仍然一个人勇气十足地挖着,因为他自己要知道“我的儿子是死了还是活着?”

他挖了8个小时……12个小时……24个小时……36个小时……在第38个小时的时候,他搬开了一块大石头,听到了儿子的声音,他兴奋地叫着儿子的名字:“阿曼德!”儿子回答道:“是爸爸吗?我是阿曼德,爸爸!我告诉其他小朋友不要担心。我告诉自己,如果您活着的话,就一定会来救我,你救我的同时,他们也就会得救的。您答应过我,无论发生什么事,您都会在我身边,您真的做到了,爸爸!”

“里面情况怎样?”父亲问。

“爸爸,我们33个同学,只有14个还活着。我们都好怕,又饿又渴,还好有您在这儿。教学楼坍塌形成的三角形洞,救了我们。”

“出来吧,孩子!”

“不,爸爸!让其他同学先出去,因为我知道您会等着我!不论发生什么事,您都会等我!”

My Forever Valentine 我永远的情人节

Anonymous

The traditional holidays in our house when I was a child were spent timing elaborate meals around football games. My father tried to make pleasant chit-chat and eat as much as he could during halftime. At Christmas, he found time to have a cup or two of holiday cheer, and do his holly-shaped bow tie. But he didn‘t truly shine until Valentine’s Day.

I don‘t know whether it was because work at the office slowed during February or because the football season was over. But Valentine’s Day was the time my father chose to show his love for the special people in his life. Over the years I fondly thought of him as my“Valentine Man”.