雙語 ● 爸爸，父親節(jié)快樂 Happy Father’s Day, Dad
■ 爸爸，父親節(jié)快樂 Happy Father’s Day, Dad
◎ Lynne Wisman
Dear Dad,
親愛的爸爸：
Today I was at the shopping mall and I spent a lot of time reading the Father’s Day cards. They all had a special message that in some way or another reflected how I feel about you. Yet as I selected and read, and selected and read again, it occurred to me that not a single card said what I really want to say to you.
今天我在商場購物的時候，花了好長時間閱讀有關(guān)“父親節(jié)”的賀卡。那些卡片上的文字很特別，也或多或少地表達(dá)出了我對您的感受。我挑選著讀過一次后，又挑選讀了一遍，這才意識到，我想對您說的話，并不是一張賀卡就能表達(dá)出來的。
You’ll soon be 84 years old, Dad, and you and I will have had 55 Father’s Days together. I haven’t always been with you on Father’s Day nor have I been with you for all of your birthdays. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to be with you. I’ve always been with you in my heart but sometimes life gets in the way.
爸爸，很快您就要84歲了，您和我也將度過這第55個“父親節(jié)”。“父親節(jié)”的那天，我總是不能和您在一起，連您過生日的時候我也是這樣。但這并不是因為我不想陪在您身邊。其實，在我心里，我總是和您在一起。不過，有的時候，生活也會有差錯。
You know, Dad, there was a time when we were not only separated by the generation gap but completely polarized by it. You stood on one side of the Great Divide and I on the other, father and daughter split apart by age and experience, opinions, hairstyles, cosmetics[26] , clothing, music,curfews, and boys.
爸爸，您也知道，曾有一段時間，我們父女倆因為代溝不在一起生活， 比如年齡、個人閱歷、觀點(diǎn)、發(fā)型、化妝品、服裝、音樂、作息時間以及男朋友，因為這些，我們的觀點(diǎn)也非常對立。您站在“大分離”的一端，我站在“大分離”的另一端。
The Father-Daughter Duel of ‘54 shifted into high gear when you taught me to drive the old Dodge and I decided I would drive the ‘54 Chevy whether you liked it or not. The police officer who escorted[27] me home after you reported the Chevy stolen late one evening was too young to understand father-daughter politics and too old to have much tolerance for a snotty 16 year old. You were so decent about it, Dad, and I think that was probably what made it the worst night of my life.
那時，您教我學(xué)開那部道奇舊車，可我卻不管您喜不喜歡，執(zhí)意要開雪佛蘭54那輛車。當(dāng)時，我們父女倆關(guān)于雪佛蘭汽車的爭執(zhí)也調(diào)到了最高擋。可那天晚上，您卻報警說雪佛蘭車被盜。之后，一位警官護(hù)送我回家，可他太年輕了，根本不明白我們父女倆之間的政治斗爭，但他也不小了，對一個16歲的流鼻涕的小孩沒有足夠的寬容心。爸爸，您對這件事倒是處理得很體面，可我覺得那是我一生中最糟糕的一個夜晚 。
Our relationship improved immensely when I married a man you liked, and things really turned around when we begin making babies right and left. We didn’t have a television set, you know, and we had to entertain ourselves somehow. I didn’t know what to expect of you and Mom as grandparents but I didn’t have to wait long to find out. Those babies adored you then just as they adore you now. When I see you with all your grandchildren, I know you’ve given them the finest gift a grandparent can give. You’ve given them yourself.
在我嫁給了一個您喜歡的女婿后，我們倆的關(guān)系才緩和了很多。后來，我和您的女婿為了好好生個孩子，就轉(zhuǎn)身離開了，我們之間的那些事情也就結(jié)束了。您也知道，我和您的女婿沒有電視機(jī)，只能自娛自樂。我不知道，作為外公外婆的您和媽媽還有什么可期待的，但是，沒過多久我就找到了答案。過去那些孩子崇拜您，現(xiàn)在他們還像以前那樣愛慕您。當(dāng)我看見您和您的外孫在一起的時候，我知道您已經(jīng)給了他們最好的禮物，您把心都掏給了他們。
Somewhere along the line, the generation gap evaporated[28] . Age separates us now and little else. We agree on most everything, perhaps because we’ve learned there isn’t much worth disagreeing about. However, I would like to mention that fly fishing isn’t all you’ve cracked it up to be, Dad. You can say what you want about wrist action and stance and blah, blah, blah ...
就是這樣，我們之間的代溝慢慢消失了。現(xiàn)在，年齡和其他問題的差異把您和我分開，可我們在大多數(shù)事情上的看法都是一樣的，這可能是因為我們明白了沒什么值得爭辯吧。無論如何，我想提示一下，爸爸，飛蠅釣魚是您最喜歡的一種釣法，關(guān)于手腕動作和站姿您愛怎么說就怎么說，以及那些沒用的話……
I’ve been happily drifting for a lot of years, Dad, and I didn’t see you getting older.
爸爸，雖然我已經(jīng)漂泊了很多年，但我很快樂。然而，我發(fā)現(xiàn)您沒有變老。
I suppose I saw us and our relationship as aging together, rather like a fine wine. Numbers never seemed important. But the oddest thing happened last week. I was at a stop sign and I watched as you turned the corner in your car. It didn’t immediately occur to me that it was you because the man driving looked so elderly and fragile behind the wheel of that huge car. It was rather like a slap in the face delivered from out of nowhere. Perhaps I saw your age for the first time that day. Or maybe I saw my own.
隨著年齡的增長，我認(rèn)為我們之間的關(guān)系慢慢地融洽了很多，像一瓶美酒，越陳越香。家人看起來好像沒有一點(diǎn)意義似的。但是，上周發(fā)生了一件最不尋常的事情。我站在停車標(biāo)志旁，看見您開著車要拐彎?？晌也]有立刻反應(yīng)過來那是您，因為那個男人開著車，又在那部大車的車輪后面，就顯得他歲數(shù)很大、身體也很虛弱的樣子。可我卻感到，仿佛從哪兒飛來一記耳光重重地打在我臉上。也許，那是我第一次“看見”您的年齡。也許，只有我自己看見罷了。
Fifty years ago this spring we planted kohlrabi together in a garden in Charles City, Iowa.
50年前的一個春天，我們在艾奧瓦州查爾斯市的一個花園里，一起栽下苤藍(lán)菜。
I didn’t know then that I would remember that day for the rest of my life. This week, we’ll plant kohlrabi together again, perhaps for the last time but I hope not. I don’t understand why planting kohlrabi with you is so important to me but it is. And the funny thing about it is, well, I don’t know quite how to tell you this, Dad ... I don’t even like kohlrabi ... but I like planting it with you.
當(dāng)時我并不知道，我一輩子也不會忘記那一天。這一周，我們還要在一起栽苤藍(lán)菜，這是第二次。也許這是最后一次，可我并不希望那樣。我不明白為什么和您一起栽苤藍(lán)菜讓我感到很有意義，但對我來說實在是太重要了。而且，有意思的地方是，我不知道該怎么和您說這事，爸爸……我甚至不喜歡苤藍(lán)菜……但是，我喜歡和您一起栽苤藍(lán)菜的感覺。
I guess what I’m trying to say, Dad, is what every son and daughter wants to say to their Dad today. Honoring a Father on Father’s Day is about more than a Dad who brings home a paycheck, shares a dinner table, and attends school functions, graduations, and weddings. It isn’t even so much about kohlrabi, ‘54 Chevrolets, and fly-fishing. It’s more about unconditionally loving children who are snotty and stubborn, who know everything and won’t listen to anyone. It’s about respect and sharing and acceptance and tolerance and giving and taking. It’s about loving someone more than words can say and it’s wishing that it never had to end.
爸爸，我想，我要說的話，就是每個做兒女的今天想要和他們的爸爸說的話。過“父親節(jié)”，尊重一位父親，絕不僅僅是因為爸爸給家里掙多少錢、和家人一起共進(jìn)晚餐、參加學(xué)?；顒?、參加畢業(yè)典禮和婚禮的原因，也不止是一起栽苤藍(lán)菜、開雪佛蘭54車和飛蠅釣魚的事，也不止是您無條件地愛那些流鼻涕又很淘氣，而且什么都懂，就是不聽話的孩子。這就是尊重對方、分享快樂、接納和寬容、給予和接受吧。愛一個人是言語表達(dá)不了的，希望這些永不終止，從未結(jié)束。
I love you, Dad.
我也愛您，爸爸。
