經(jīng)典英語(yǔ)散文:兩個(gè)人的早餐 Just Two For Breakfast

When my husband and I celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary at our favorite restaurant, Lenny, the piano player, asked, "How did you do it?"

當(dāng)我和丈夫在我們最喜歡的飯館慶祝結(jié)婚38周年紀(jì)念日時(shí)，那個(gè)彈鋼琴的萊尼過(guò)來(lái)問(wèn)道：“你們是怎么過(guò)過(guò)來(lái)的?”

I knew there was no simple answer, but as the weekend approached, I wondered if one reason might be our ritual of breakfast in bed every Saturday and Sunday.

我知道，對(duì)于這個(gè)問(wèn)題無(wú)法簡(jiǎn)簡(jiǎn)單單地來(lái)回答。但隨著周末一天天的臨近，我開始在想：或許其中的一個(gè)原因就是我們每逢星期六和星期天都在床上吃早餐。

It all started with the breakfast tray my mother gave us as a wedding gift. It had a glass top and slatted wooden side pockets for the morning paper e kind you used to see in the movies. Mother loved her movies, and although she rarely had breakfast in bed, she held high hopes for her daughter. My adoring bridegroom took the message to heart.

一切都是從那個(gè)早餐托盤開始的，我媽把它作為結(jié)婚禮物送給我們。盤面是玻璃的，兩邊各有一個(gè)細(xì)長(zhǎng)的木制側(cè)袋用來(lái)放晨報(bào)——就像過(guò)去常常在電影中見到的那樣。我媽很喜歡那些電影，盡管她自己很少在床上用早餐，卻非常希望女兒能這樣。深愛著我的新郎把我母親的話牢記在心里。

Feeling guilty, I suggested we take turns. Despite grumblings -- "hate crumbs in my bed" ---Sunday morning found my spouse eagerly awaiting his tray. Soon these weekend breakfasts became such a part of our lives that I never even thought about them. I only knew we treasured this separate, blissful time read, relax, forget the things we should remember.

出于心里感覺有些愧疚，我提議由我們兩個(gè)輪流準(zhǔn)備早餐。星期天早上，雖然他嘴里嘟嘟囔囔地抱怨著——“我討厭飯?jiān)酱采稀?rdquo;——但我還是見到丈夫在急切地等候他的早餐。周末早餐不久就成為我們生活中的一部分，習(xí)以為常也就不去想它了。我只知道我倆都很珍視這段與其他時(shí)間有別的幸福時(shí)光——看看報(bào)、放松一下自己，忘記那些本該記在心里的事情。

Sifting through the years, I recalled how our weekends changed,but that we still preserved the ritual. We started our family (as new parents, we slept after breakfast more than we read), but we always found our way back to where we started, just two for breakfast, one on Saturday and one on Sunday.

細(xì)想逝去的歲月，我回憶起我們周末生活的諸多變化，但這個(gè)老習(xí)慣卻依舊保留下來(lái)。我們建立起了這個(gè)家庭(初為父母時(shí)，早飯后的時(shí)間我們多半是睡一會(huì)兒，而不是閱讀)，但是我們總能夠找到歸路，返回起點(diǎn)——只是兩個(gè)人的早餐，星期六一次，星期天一次。

When we had more time, my tray became more festive. First it was fruit slices placed in geometric pattern; then came flowers from our garden metimes just one blossom sprouting from a grapefruit half. This arranger of mine had developed a flair for decorating, using everything from amaryllis to the buds of a maple tree. My husband said my cooking inspired him. Mother would have approved. Perhaps it was the Saturday when the big strawberry wore a daisy hat that I began to think, how can I top this? One dark winter night I woke with a vision of a snowman on a tray. That Sunday I scooped a handful of snow and in no time had my man made. With a flourish I put a miniature pinecone on his head.

當(dāng)我們有了更多的時(shí)間，我的早餐托盤上就變得更加具有喜慶色彩。開始時(shí)是以幾何圖形排列的水果片，隨后便是從自家花園里摘來(lái)的鮮花——有時(shí)候只是一朵，開在一半的葡萄柚當(dāng)中。沒(méi)想到這竟激發(fā)出我在裝飾、點(diǎn)綴方面的天賦，各種各樣的東西，從孤挺花到楓樹的葉芽，都成為我手下的裝飾材料。丈夫說(shuō)我做的早餐啟發(fā)了他，媽媽也會(huì)贊同他的說(shuō)法?；蛟S是在那個(gè)星期六，在一個(gè)大草莓上放一個(gè)雛菊做帽子之后，我開始在想：我怎么才能夠超過(guò)它?在一個(gè)漆黑的冬夜，我從夢(mèng)中醒來(lái)，眼前仿佛看到有一個(gè)雪人站在托盤上。就在那個(gè)星期天，我鏟來(lái)了一捧雪，很快就做好了一個(gè)雪人。我輕輕地把一個(gè)微型松果按在雪人的頭上。

As I delivered the tray, complete with a nicely frozen snowman, I waited for a reaction. There was none but as I headed down the stairs I heard a whoop of laughter and then, "You've won! Yes, sir, you've won the prize!"

我端著早餐上樓，盤面上放著那個(gè)凍結(jié)實(shí)的小雪人，我期待著他的反應(yīng)——什么也沒(méi)有——但就在我下樓時(shí)，我聽到他放聲大笑起來(lái)，緊接著，他說(shuō)道：“你贏了!毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)，你得獎(jiǎng)了!”