◎ Steve Goodier
Freda Bright says, “Only in opera do people die of love.” It’s true. You really can’t love somebody to death. I’ve known people to die from no love, but I’ve never known anyone to be loved to death. We just can’t love one another enough.
弗雷德·布萊特說(shuō)過(guò):“只有在歌劇中,人們才會(huì)為愛(ài)而死。”這是真的。的確,你不能因?yàn)閻?ài)一個(gè)人而死。我也知道有人死于缺失愛(ài),但我從沒(méi)聽(tīng)說(shuō)過(guò)誰(shuí)因被愛(ài)而死。我們恰好只是彼此之間愛(ài)也愛(ài)不夠。
A heart-warming story tells of a woman who finally decided to ask her boss for a raise in salary. All day she felt nervous and apprehensive. Late in the afternoon she summoned the courage to approach her employer. To her delight, the boss agreed to a raise.
有一個(gè)感人的故事,講一個(gè)女人最終決定向她的老板提出加薪。她一整天都焦慮不安。接近傍晚時(shí),她鼓起勇氣向老板提議。令她高興的是,老板同意給她加薪。
The woman arrived home that evening to a beautiful table set with their best dishes. Candles were softly glowing. Her husband had come home early and prepared a festive meal. She wondered if someone from the office had tipped him off, or ... did he just somehow know that she would not get turned down?
傍晚,女人回到家,發(fā)現(xiàn)漂亮的餐桌上擺滿了豐盛的菜肴。燭光輕輕地?fù)u曳著。她的丈夫提早回家,準(zhǔn)備了一頓慶祝宴。她覺(jué)得很疑惑,難道有人從辦公室里向他通風(fēng)報(bào)信,或者還是……他不知怎么,竟知道她不會(huì)被拒絕?
She found him in the kitchen and told him the good news. They embraced and kissed, then sat down to the wonderful meal. Next to her plate the woman found a beautifully lettered note. It read, “Congratulations, darling! I knew you’d get the raise! These things will tell you how much I love you.”
她在廚房里找到了他,告訴他這個(gè)好消息。他們擁抱親吻,然后坐下來(lái)共享美餐。在她的盤(pán)子旁邊,女人發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個(gè)便條,上面用漂亮的字體寫(xiě)著:“祝賀你,親愛(ài)的!我就知道你會(huì)加薪的!這一切會(huì)告訴你我有多么愛(ài)你。”
Following the supper, her husband went into the kitchen to clean up. She noticed that a second card had fallen from his pocket. Picking it off the floor, she read, “Don’t worry about not getting the raise! You deserve it anyway! These things will tell you how much I love you.”
晚餐后,丈夫到廚房洗碗。她注意到,又有卡片從他的口袋里掉出來(lái)。她從地上撿起卡片,上面寫(xiě)著:“不要因?yàn)闆](méi)有加薪而煩惱!這也是你應(yīng)得的!不管怎樣,這一切會(huì)告訴你我有多么愛(ài)你。”
Someone has said that the measure of love is when you love without measure. What this man feels for his spouse is total acceptance and love, whether she succeeds or fails. His love celebrates her victories and soothes her wounds. He stands with her, no matter what life throws in their direction.
有人曾經(jīng)說(shuō)過(guò),愛(ài)的限度就是無(wú)限度地去愛(ài)。這個(gè)男人給予了她完全的包容和愛(ài),不管她成功與否。他的愛(ài)在她勝利時(shí)為她慶祝,在她失敗時(shí)為她撫平創(chuàng)傷。他與她同在,無(wú)論生活怎樣,他們始終同舟共濟(jì)。
Upon receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Mother Teresa said, “What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.” And love your friends. Love them without measure.
在接受諾貝爾和平獎(jiǎng)時(shí),特蕾莎修女說(shuō):“我們能做些什么來(lái)促進(jìn)世界和平?那就是回家愛(ài)你的家人吧。”還要愛(ài)你的朋友。無(wú)止境地愛(ài)他們。