双语美文欣赏:生死相依

　　We caught enough fish that morning for lunch. On the way back to the house, Grandpa asked me not to tell Grandma about the swan. She didn't get down to the pond much anymore, and there was no sense in her knowing about it right away。

　　那天上午我们钓了不少鱼供午餐用。回家的路上，外公要我别向外婆提及天鹅的事。她现在不常来池塘这边，没有必要让她马上知道。

　　A few days later, we drove by the pond while doing our morning check on the cows. We found the other swan lying near the same spot we had found the first one. It, too, was dead。

　　几天以后的一个清晨，我们驱车去查看母牛时从池塘边走过。在离第一只天鹅死的地方不远，我们见到另一只天鹅躺在那儿。它也死了。

　　The month of July started with me and Grandpa putting up a new stretch of fence. Then July 12 came. That was the day Grandma passed away. I'd overslept that morning. Grandpa had not knocked on my door, either. It was nearly eight o'clock by the time I could hurriedly dress myself and get down to the kitchen. I saw Dr. Morgan sitting at the kitchen table. He was a neighbor of my grandparents' age, long since retired. He'd come to the house several times before on social calls. I immediately knew something was wrong. This morning, his tattered old black bag was by his feet, and my grandfather was obviously shaken. Grandma had died suddenly that morning of a stroke. By the afternoon, my parents were there. The old house was soon crowded with relatives and Grandpa's friends。

　　七月初我和外公建造了一堵新围栏。七月十二那天，外婆过世了。那天早晨我睡过了头。外公也没有敲我的门。差不多八点了我才匆匆穿好衣服，下楼来到厨房。我见到摩根医生坐在厨房桌子边。他是外公家邻居，和外公差不多年纪，也早就退休了。他曾来过外公家串过几次门。我立刻感到出了事。那天早晨，他脚边放着他那破旧的黑包，外公的身子直发抖。外婆那天早晨突然患中风逝世了。下午我父母来了。那间老屋一下子亲友云集，显得很拥挤。

　　The funeral was held the next day. Grandpa had insisted on having it as soon as possible. On the second day after the funeral, Grandpa announced at the breakfast table, "This is a working farm. We have a lot of things to do. The rest of you should get back to your own lives." Most of the family had already left, but this was Grandpa's way of telling the rest it was time for them to go home. My parents were the last to leave after lunch。

　　第二天举行葬礼。外公坚持尽快举行。葬礼后的第二天，外公在早餐时宣布：“农场要干活，我们有很多事要做。你们剩下的人都请回吧。” 家族大多数人已经走了，而外公就用这种方法告诉剩下的人是回去的时候了。我父母吃过午饭后离开了，他们是最后走的人。

　　Grandpa was not a man who could outwardly express his grief around others, and we all worried about him. There had been talk of his giving up the farm. My parents thought he was too old to live out there alone. He wouldn't hear of it, though. I was proud of the way the old man had stood his ground. The rest of the summer flowed by. We stayed busy working. I thought there was something different about Grandpa but couldn't quite put my finger on it. I started to wonder if he would be better off living with someone after all, but I knew he could not leave the farm。

　　外公不会在人前表现自己的悲痛，我们都为他担忧。已经有人在谈论他要放弃农场。我父母认为他年纪太大，不宜一个人单独住在那儿，但他听不进去。老人家如此坚持我倒为此感到骄傲。夏天剩下的日子像流水似地过去了。每天忙忙碌碌，我感到外公和过去有所不同了，却又说不出一个所以然来。我开始在想是不是还是有人陪着外公一起住更好些，可是我也知道他离不开农场。

　　September was nearing, and part of me did not want to leave. I thought of skipping the fall semester and staying around a few more months. When I mentioned it, grandpa quickly told me that my place was back at college。

　　九月临近了，我有点不想离开。我想秋季这学期不上学，在这儿再呆几个月。我向外公提出这个想法时，外公马上就说我应当返校读书。

　　The day finally came for me to pack my car and leave. I shook his hand and chanced a hug. As I drove down the driveway, I saw him in the rearview mirror. He waved to me and then walked to the pasture gate to start the morning livestock check。

　　终于到了我离开的时候。我把行李装上车，和他握手道别，还偶然拥抱了一下。车子从车道上开走时，我从后视镜里看到他。他向我挥挥手，然后走向牧场门，开始一上午对牲口的巡查。

　　Mom called me at school on a blustery October day to tell me Grandpa had died. A neighbor had stopped by that morning for coffee and found him in the kitchen. He died of a stroke, same as Grandma. At that moment, I understood what he'd clumsily tried to explain to me about the swan on that morning we fished together by the pond。

　　十月的一个刮大风的日子，妈妈打电话到学校里告诉我外公死了。那天早晨邻居上他家喝咖啡时发现他在厨房里。和外婆一样，他也是患中风死的。我这才明白，我和他在池塘钓鱼的那天早晨，为何他设法笨拙地向我解释天鹅之死。