书城英文图书不畏将来,不念过往(中英)
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第3章 早安和梦想一起醒来(3)

第五颗豌豆说:“我想到能为别人带来欢乐的地方去。”

小男孩把它装进气枪里并说道:“你很体贴!”他扣动扳机,这颗豌豆就飞到了一个窗台上的花盆里。花盆的主人很贫困,这位母亲有一个生病的女儿,她已经病了很多年。这位女孩身体非常虚弱,看起来十分可怜。

这天,妈妈外出工作。在阳光下,小姑娘躺在阳台上的花盆边。小嫩芽舒展着自己的叶子,看起来似乎在跳舞,并告诉小姑娘:“你的病会好的!”

当妈妈晚上回来时,小姑娘说:“妈妈,我发现了一颗小嫩苗。”

妈妈说:“噢,那是一颗豌豆苗。你今天感觉怎么样啊?”

小姑娘说:“我感觉好多了!在阳光下,我感受到了温暖和舒适。我很快就会好起来。”

妈妈高兴地说:“我希望我的女儿就像这颗豌豆苗一样茁壮成长!”于是,妈妈在盆里插了一根小竹竿,并用绳子固定,以便豌豆苗能顺着盘绕生长。

从此以后,小姑娘每天都躺在豌豆苗旁Grandpa’s Garden

爷爷的花园

Early in the spring,about amonth before my grandpa’s stroke,I began walking for an hour everyafternoon. Some days I would walkfour blocks south to see Grandmaa n d G r a n d p a . A t e i g h t y - s i x ,Grandpa was still quite a gardener,so I always watched for his earliestblooms and each new wave ofspring flowers.

I was especially interested inflowers that year because I was planningto landscape my own yard and I was eagerto get Grandpa’s advice. I thought I knew pretty much what I wanted - a yard full of bushesand plants that would bloom from May till November.

It was right after the first rush of purple violets in the lawns and the sudden blaze offorsythia that spring that Grandpa had a stroke. It left him without speech and with nomovement on his left side. The whole family rallied to Grandpa. We all spent many hours byhis side. Some days his eyes were eloquent - laughing at our reported mishaps,listeningalertly,revealing painful awareness of his inability to care for himself. There were days,too,when he slept most of the time,overcome with the weight of hisapproaching death.

As the months passed,I watchedthe growing earth with Grandpa’seyes. Each time I was with him,Igave him a garden report. He listened,gripping my hand with the surestrength and calm he had alwayshad. But he could not answer myquestions. The new flowers wouldblaze,peak,fade,and die before Iknew their names.

Grandpa’s illness held him through the spring and on,week by week,through summer. Ibegan spending hours at the local nursery,studying and choosing seeds and plants. It gave mespecial joy to buy plants I had seen in Grandpa’s garden and give them humble starts in myown garden. I discovered Sweet William,which I had admired for years in Grandpa’s gardenwithout knowing its name. And I planted it in his honor.

As I waited and watched in the garden and by Grandpa’s side,some quiet truths emerged.

I realized that Grandpa loved flowers that were always bloom; he kept a full bed of roses inhis garden. But I noticed that Grandpa left plenty of room for the brief highlights. Not everynook of his garden was constantly in bloom. There was always a treasured surprise tuckedsomewhere.

I came to see,too,that Grandpa’s garden mirrored his life. He was a hard worker whounderstood the law of the harvest. But along with his hard work,Grandpa knew how toenjoy each season,each change. We often teased him about his life history. He had writtentwo paragraphs summarizing fifty years of work,and a full nine pages about every trip andvacation he’d ever taken.

In July,Grandpa worsened. One hot afternoon arrived when no one else was at hisbedside. He was glad to have me there,and reached out his hand to pull me close.

I told Grandpa what I had learned - that few flowers last from April to November. Some014 不畏将来,不念过往of the most beautiful bloom for only a month at most. To really enjoy a garden,you have toplant corners and drifts and rows of flowers that will bloom and grace the garden,each in itsown season.

His eyes listened to every word. Then,another discovery: “If I want a garden like yours,Grandpa,I’m going to have to work.” His grin laughed at me,and his eyes teased me.

“Grandpa,in your life right now the chrysanthemum are in bloom. Chrysanthemums androses.” Tears clouded both our eyes. Neither of us feared this last flower of fall,but the waitfor spring seemed longest in November.

It was the end of August when Grandpa died,the end of summer. As we were choosingflowers from the florist for Grandpa’s funeral,I slipped away to Grandpa’s garden and walkedwith my memories of columbine and Sweet William. Only the tall lavender and white phloxwere in bloom now,and some baby’s breath in another corner.

On impulse,I cut the prettiest strands of phlox and baby’s breath and made one morearrangement for the funeral. When they saw it,friends and family all smiled to see Grandpa’sflowers there. We all felt how much Grandpa would have liked that.

The October after Grandpa’s death,I planted tulip and daffodil bulbs,snowdrops,crocuses,and bluebells. Each bulb was a comfort to me,a love sent to Grandpa,a promise ofspring.

虽然爷爷走了,但他留下了满园春光,而我在爷爷的花园里找到了永恒的春天。

早春时节,大约在爷爷中风前的一个月,我开始每天下午散步一个小时。有时,我会步行向南穿过四个街区去看望爷爷奶奶。八十六岁的爷爷仍然是一个杰出的花匠,因此我总是守候着他园中最早盛开的花,以及一片又一片春的花海。

那年,我打算把自己的小院美化一下,因此对花尤为感兴趣,并且我期望能够得到爷爷的指导。我觉得自己所需要的是-满院子花草树木,从五月到十一月都有鲜花绽放。

就在那个春天,就在草坪里第一丛紫罗兰和连翘突然盛开之时,爷爷得了中风。

疾病使他不能说话,身体的左半部分也不能动弹。家里所有人都来看望爷爷,我们都长时间陪在他身边。有时,他眼睛很有神-笑我们所汇报来的烦恼,机警地听我们说话,对于自己不能料理自己他表现出痛苦的情绪。有时候,他一整天都处在睡眠的状态,与随时可能到来的死亡作着较量。

几个月过去了,我在爷爷的指导下照料着园子里生长的植物。每次我和他在一起,我都要向他汇报一下花园的情况。他听着,平静而有力地握着我的手。然而,他无法回答我的问题。因此,那些新花从绽放、枯萎、凋谢,直到死亡,我都不知道它们的名字。

从春季开始,爷爷就一直深受疾病的折磨,一周又一周,一直持续到夏季。我开始在当地的苗圃里待上几个小时,学习如何选择种子和植株。我买了些曾在爷爷的花园里见过的植物,小心翼翼种在我自己的花园里,这能给我带来很特别的欢乐。我发现了美洲石竹,以前在爷爷的花园里见到过,喜欢多年但一直不知道它的名字。为了纪念爷爷,我种下了它。

在我照料花园等着花开,守护在爷爷身边的日子里,我发现了一些被忽略掉的事实。我知道爷爷深爱着那些繁盛的花草,在他的花园里,他种了一苗圃的玫瑰。不过,我发现爷爷留了很多空地方,只为了能够让光线照进来。他的花园里并不是每个角落都有花延续性地开放,总有一个接一个的宝贵的惊喜从某个地方冒出来。

我也发现爷爷的花园是他一生的真实写照。他是一个勤劳的工人,他理解收获的法则。但除了辛勤劳动,他又是一个知道如何享受四季和变化的人,我们经常拿他的人生经历开玩笑。他写了两段文字概述了他五十年的工作。其中,足足有九页文字记载的是016 不畏将来,不念过往他曾经的旅行和假期。

七月,爷爷的病情恶化了。有一天下午天气很炎热,没有其他人在爷爷床边。

他很高兴有我在那陪着他。他伸出手拉我靠近。

我把我所学到的告诉了爷爷-很少有花能从五月开到十一月,最美的花期通常最多只有一个月。为了让花园看起来赏心悦目,你必须按照每种花各自的开花时节,在每个角落都种上各种花,各种花相继开放,花园就被装扮得非常漂亮。

从他的眼神看出,他在认真地倾听着我的每句话。然后,我跟爷爷说我的另一个发现:“爷爷,如果我想拥有一个和你一样的花园,我还得下功夫。”他咧开嘴对着我笑,眼神似乎也在笑我。

“爷爷,你生命中,菊花正在开放,菊花和玫瑰花正开得艳丽咧。”我们俩的眼里都盈满了泪花,我们都不害怕最后一朵花凋谢,但在十一月等待春天未免有点太长了。

八月底,夏季即将过去的时候,爷爷走了。当大家在花店为爷爷的葬礼选择葬花时,我悄悄溜到爷爷的花园。带着那些对着耧斗菜和美洲石竹的回忆走着。现在只有薰衣草和白色夹竹桃在开花,另一个角落里还开放着一些满天星。

心血来潮,我把最漂亮的几束夹竹桃和满天星剪了下来,给爷爷的葬礼增添了一分色彩。看到这些爷爷园子里的花,亲友们都露出了微笑。我们都知道爷爷一定会很喜欢那些花儿的。

在爷爷去世后的十月,我种了一些郁金香、水仙、雪花莲、番红花及蓝铃花。

每一个花苞对我来说都是一种安慰,都是给爷爷的一份爱,都是春天的一份承诺。