Lesson Eight The Kindness of Strangers
Mike Mclntyre
1. One summer I was driving from my home town of Tahoe City, Calif, to New Orleans. In the middle of the desert, I came upon a young man standing by the roadside. He had his thumb out and held a gas can in his other hand. I drove right by him. There was a time in the country when you' d be considered a jerk if you passed by somebody in need. Now you are a fool for helping. With gangs, drug addicts, murderers, rapists, thieves lurking everywhere, \"I don't want to get involved\" has become a national motto.
2. Several states later I was still thinking about the hitchhiker. Leaving him stranded in the desert did not bother me so much. What bothered me was how easily I had reached the decision. I never even lifted my foot off the accelerator.
3. Does anyone stop any more? I wondered. I recalled Blanche DuBois's famous line: \"I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.\" Could anyone rely on the kindness of strangers these days? One way to test this would be for a person to journey from coast to coast without any money, relying solely on the good will of his fellow Americans. What kind of Americans would he find? Who would feed him, shelter him, carry him down the road?
4. The idea intrigued me.
5. The week I turned 37, I realized that I had never taken a gamble in my life. So I decided to travel from the Pacific to the Atlantic without a penny. It would be a cashless journey through the land of the almighty dollar. I would only accept offers of rides, food and a place to rest my head. My final destination would be Cape Fear in North Carolina, a
symbol of all the fears I'd have to conquer during the trip.
6. I rose early on September 6, 1994, and headed for the Golden Gate Bridge with a 50-pound pack on my back and a sign displaying my destination to passing vehicles: \"America.\"
7. For six weeks I hitched 82 rides and covered 4223 miles across 14 states. As I traveled, folks were always warning me about someplace else. In Montana they told me to watch out for the cowboys in Wyoming, In Nebraska they said people would not be as nice in Iowa. Yet I was treated with kindness everywhere I went. I was amazed by people's readiness to help a stranger, even when it seemed to run contrary to their own best interests.
8. One day in Nebraska a car pulled to the road shoulder. When I reached the window, I saw two little old ladies dressed in their Sunday finest.\" I know you're not supposed to pick up hitchhikers, but it's so far between towns out here, you feel bad passing a person,\" said the driver, who introduced herself as Vi. I didn't know whether to kiss them or scold them for stopping. This woman was telling me she'd rather risk her life than feel bad about passing a stranger on the side of the road.
9. Once when I was hitchhiking unsuccessfully in the rain, a trucker pulled over, locking his brakes so hard he skidded on the grass shoulder. The driver told me he was once robbed at knifepoint by a hitchhiker. \"But I hate to see a man stand out in the rain,\" he added. \"People don't have no heart anymore.\"
10. I found, however, that people were generally compassionate. Hearing I had no money and would take none, people bought me food or shared whatever they happened
to have with them. Those who had the least to give often gave the most. In Oregon a house painter named Mike noted the chilly weather and asked if I had a coat. When he learned that I had \"a light one,\" he drove me to his house, and handed me a big green army-style jacket. A lumber-mill worker named Tim invited me to a simple dinner with his family in their shabby house. Then he offered me his tent. I refused, knowing it was probably one of the family's most valuable possessions. But Tim was determined that I have it, and finally I agreed to take it.
11. I was grateful to all the people I met for their rides, their food, their shelter, and their gifts. But what I found most touching was the fact that they all did it as a matter of course.
12. One day I walked into the chamber of commerce in Jamestown, Tenn. to find out about camping in the area. The executive director, Baxter Wilson, 59, handed me a brochure for a local campground. Seeing that it cost $12, I replied, \"No, that's all right. I'll try something else.\" Then he saw my backpack. \"Most people around here will let you pitch a tent on their land, if that's what you want,\" he said. Now we're talking, I thought. \"Any particular direction?\" I asked. \"Tell you what. I've got a big farm about ten miles south of here. If you're here at 5:30, you can ride with me.\"
13. I accepted, and we drove out to a magnificent country house. Suddenly I realized he'd invited me to spend the night in his home. His wife, Carol, a seventh-grade science teacher, was cooking a pot roast when we walked into the kitchen. Baxter explained that local folks were \"mountain stay-at-home people\" who rarely entertained in their house. \"When we do,\" he said, \"it's usually kin.\" This revelation made my night there all the more special.
14. The next morning when I came downstairs, Carol asked if I'd come to their school and talk to her class about my trip. I agreed, and before long had been scheduled to talk to every class in the school. The kids were attentive and kept asking all kinds of questions: Where were people the kindest? How many pairs of shoes did you have? Did anybody try to run you over? Did you fall in love with someone? What were you most afraid of?
15. Although I hadn't planned it this way, I discovered that a patriotic tone ran through the talks I gave that afternoon. I told the students how my faith in America had been renewed. I told them how proud I was to live in a country where people were still willing to help. I told them that the question I had had in mind when I planned this journey was now clearly answered. In spite of everything, you can still depend on the kindness of strangers.
第八课 陌生人的仁慈
1 一个夏天，我正驱车从我的家乡加利福尼亚州的塔霍湖市前往新奥尔良。行驶到沙漠中部时，我遇到了一个正站在路边的年轻人。他竖起拇指请求搭车，另一只手里握着一个汽油罐。我径直从他身边开了过去。在这个国家曾经有一个时期，如果你对一个需要帮助的人置之不理，那你就被认为是一个愚蠢的人。但现在，你帮助了别人，你就是一个愚蠢的人。由于到处隐藏着歹徒、吸毒成瘾者、强奸犯和小偷，“我不想惹麻烦”就成了民族的箴言
2 驶过了几个州后，我仍然在想着那个搭便车的旅行者。把他束手无策留在沙漠并没有让我太烦扰。让我烦扰的是，我是多么轻易的就下了这个决定。我甚至都没有把脚从加速器上抬起来。
3 还会有人再停下来么？我很想知道。我想起布兰奇-杜包尔斯的著名的台词“我总是非常依赖陌生人的仁慈”。如今还会有人依赖陌生人的仁慈检验此事的一个方法就是让一个人不带钱，
只依靠美国同胞的好心，从一个海岸到另一个海岸去旅行。他将发现什么样的美国人呢？谁将会给他食物、提供住处、载他一路？
4 这个想法激起我的好奇心。
5 在我步入37岁的那周，我意识到在我的一生中还从未冒过险。因此我决定身无分文的从太平洋到大西洋旅行。在这个金钱万能的国家，这将会是一次不花钱的旅行。我将只接受别人提供的搭车、食物以及休息场所。我最终的目的地将是被卡罗莱纳周的恐怖角，这是我整个旅行要克服的所有恐惧的一个象征。
6 1994年9月6日，我早早的起了床，动身前往金门桥。我背上背了50镑重的行李和一个向过往的车辆展示我此行目的地的标牌“美国”。
7 六周的时间，我免费搭车82次，穿越了14个省4223英里。当我旅行时，人们总是提醒我关于其他地方的事情。在蒙大拿州，他们告诉我要提防怀俄明州的牛仔。在内布拉斯加州，他们说艾奥瓦州的人不像他们那么友好。然而，我所到之处受到的是善意的款待。我对于人们欣然帮助一个陌生人而感到吃惊，甚至当这些行为与他们自己的利益背道而驰的时候。
8 在内布拉斯加州，一辆汽车驶向路的边缘。当我靠近车窗户时，我看见两个身着节日盛装的身材矮小的老妇人。“我知道我们不应该拉免费搭车的旅行者，但是这里距离前后两个镇太远了，对人置之不理感觉挺糟糕。”司机说，她向我自我介绍叫做维。我不知道是否应该为停车而亲吻她们或是责备她们。这个妇人一直告诉我说，她宁愿冒生命危险也不愿意对一个路边的陌生人置之不理而感到不安。
9 当我在雨周搭不到车时，一个卡车司机把车开到路边，由于刹车过猛，车子在草地上打滑。这个司机告诉我，他曾经被一位搭车者持刀抢劫过。“但是我不愿意看到一个人站在雨中，”他接着说。“人们不要在冷酷无情了”。
10 然而，我发现人们通常还是富有同情心的。一听说我身无分文，却也不会拿别人的钱，人们给我买食物，或是与他们分享他们碰巧带着的东西。那些拥有最少的人给予最多。在俄勒冈州，一个叫麦克的建筑油漆工注意到了寒冷的天气，并问我是否有大衣。当知道我只有“一件单薄的外套”时，他开车把我带到他家，并递给我一件大大的军用夹克衫。一个名叫提姆的锯木厂工人邀请我在他们破旧的房屋里与他的家人共进晚餐。他把他的帐篷给了我。知道这个帐篷可能是他们家中最值钱的财产之一，我拒绝了他的好意。但是提姆决心把他给我，我最终同意拿了它。
11 我感谢所有我遇到的人，感谢他们的搭载、他们的食物、他们提供的住处和他们送的礼物。但是我发现最另我感动的是他们做这些事时都认为是理所当然的。
12 我走进田纳西州詹姆斯顿的商会去查一下露营的地方。该商会的执行理事59岁的巴克斯特-威尔逊，递给我一本有关当地露营场所的小册子。考虑到他要花费12美圆，我回答说，“不用了。我在试试其他办法。”然后他看到了我的背包。“如果你愿意的话，这儿附近的大多数人都会让你在他们的土地上搭帐篷。”他说到。我认为他的话有理。“有具体的方向么？”我问道。“听我说，距离这儿往南十英里处我有一个大的农场。如果你五点半在这儿的话，你可以搭我的车。”
13 我接受了他的好意，我们开车来到了一所豪华的乡村房屋。我突然明白他是在邀请我在他家过夜。当我走进厨房的时候，他的妻子卡罗尔，一为七年级的理科教师，正在做炖肉。巴克斯特解释说当地人是“山区居家人”，他们很少在他们家里招待客人。“当我们在家里招待客人时”，他说，“那通常是亲属。”这个意外的发现让我呆在那儿的整个晚上更加特别。
14 第二天早上当我下楼的时候，卡罗尔问是否我愿意去她们的学校，并和她班上的学生谈谈关于我旅行的事情。我同意了，而且不久之后我就被安排和学校每个班级的学生谈话。孩子们很专心，而且还一直问各种各样的问题：哪儿的人最友善？你有多少双鞋？有人试图撞你么？你恋爱了么？你最担心的是什么？
15 尽管我没有做过这样的准备，我发现一种爱国气氛贯穿着那天下午的谈话。我告诉学生们
我对美国的信任是如何恢复的。我告诉他们生活在这样一个人们仍然愿意帮助别人的国家我是多么的自豪。我告诉他们当我计划这次旅行时心中的疑问现在被清楚的解答了。不管发生什么事情，你仍然可以依靠陌生人的仁慈。
Lesson Nine After Twenty Years
O. Henry
1. The policeman on the beat moved up the avenue impressively. The
impressiveness was normal and not for show, for spectators were few. The time was barely ten o'clock at night, but chilly gusts of wind with a taste of rain in them had almost emptied the streets.
2. Trying doors as he went, swinging his club with many clever movements, turning now and then to cast his watchful eye down the peaceful street, the officer, with his strongly built form and slight air of superiority, made a fine picture of a guardian of the peace. The area was one that kept early hours. Now and then you might see the lights of a cigar store or of an all-night lunch counter; but the majority of the doors belonged to business places that had long since been closed.
3. When about midway of a certain block, the policeman suddenly slowed his walk. In the doorway of a darkened hardware store a man leaned, with an unlighted cigar in his mouth. As the policeman walked up to him, the man spoke up quickly.
4. \"It's all right, officer,\" he said, confidently. \"I'm just waiting for a friend. It's an appointment made twenty years ago. Sounds a little funny to you, doesn't it? Well, I'll explain if you'd like to make certain it's all straight. About that long ago there used to be a restaurant where this store stands — 'Big Joe' Brady's restaurant.\"
5. \"Until five years ago,\" said the policeman. \"It was torn down then.\"
6. The man in the doorway struck a match and lit his cigar. The light showed a pale, square-jawed face with keen eyes, and a little white scar near his right eyebrow. His tiepin was a large diamond, oddly set.
7. \"Twenty years ago tonight,\" said the man, \"I dined here at 'Big Joe' Brady's with Jimmy Wells, my best friend, and the finest man in the world. He and I were brought up here in New York, just like two brothers, together. I was eighteen and Jimmy was twenty. The next morning I was to start for the West to make my fortune. You couldn't have dragged Jimmy out of New York; he thought it was the only place on earth. Well, we agreed that night that we would meet here again exactly twenty years from that date and time, no matter what our conditions might be or from what distance we might have to come. We figured that in twenty years each of us ought to have our fate worked out and our fortunes made, whatever they were going to be.\"
8. \"It sounds pretty interesting,\" said the policeman. \"Rather a long time between meetings, though, it seems to me. Haven't you heard from your friend since you left?\"
9. \"Well, yes, for a time we wrote,\" said the other. \" But after a year or two we lost track of each other. You see, the West is a pretty big place, and I kept running around over it pretty lively. But I know Jimmy will meet me here if he's alive, for he always was the truest, best old friend in the world. He'll never forget. I came a thousand miles to stand in this door tonight, and it's worth it if my old partner turns up.\"
10. The waiting man pulled out a handsome watch, the lids of it set with small diamonds.
11. \"Three minutes to ten,\" he announced. \"It was exactly ten o'clock when we parted here at the restaurant door.\"
12. \"Did pretty well out West, didn't you?\" asked the policeman.
13. \"You're right! I hope Jimmy has done half as well. He was a kind of slow man, though, good fellow as he was. I've had to compete with some of the sharpest brains going to get my money. A man gets stuck in New York. It takes the West to make a man really keen.\"
14. The policeman swung his club and took a step or two.
15. \"I'll be on my way. Hope your friend comes around all right. Are you going to leave immediately?\"
16. \"I should say not!\" said the other. \"I'll give him half an hour at least. If Jimmy is alive on earth he'll be here by that time. So long, officer.\"
17. \"Good night, sir,\" said the policeman, passing on along his beat.
18. There was now a fine, cold rain falling, and the wind had risen to a steady blow. The few foot passengers in that quarter hurried dismally and silently along with coat collars turned high and pocketed hands. And in the door of the hardware store the man who had come a thousand miles to fill an appointment, with the friend of his youth, smoked his cigar and waited.
19. About twenty minutes he waited, and then a tall man in a long overcoat, with collar turned up to his ears, hurried across from the opposite side of the street. He went
directly to the waiting man.
20. \"Is that you, Bob?\" he asked, doubtfully.
21. \"Is that you, Jimmy Wells?\" cried the man in the door. iwaiyu
22. \"Bless my heart! \"exclaimed the new arrival, grasping both the other's hands with his own. \"It's Bob, sure as fate. I was certain I'd find you here if you were still in existence. Well, well, well! — twenty years is a long time. The old restaurant's gone, Bob; I wish it had lasted, so we could have had another dinner there. How has the West treated you, old man?\"
23. \"It has given me everything I asked it for. You've changed lot, Jimmy. I never thought you would get so tall.\"
24. \"Oh, I grew a bit after I was twenty.\"
25. \"Doing well in New York, Jimmy?\"
26. \"Moderately. I have a position in one of the city departments. Come on, Bob; we'll go around to a place I know of, and have a good long talk about old times.\"
27. The two men started up the street, arm in arm. The man from the West, full of pride at his success, was beginning to outline the history of his career. The other, hidden in his overcoat, listened with interest.
28. At the corner stood a chemist's, brilliant with electric lights. When they came into this brightness each of them turned simultaneously to gaze upon the other's face.
29. The man from the West stopped suddenly and released his arm.
30. \"You're not Jimmy Wells,\" he said sharply. \"Twenty years is a long time, but not long enough to change the size of a man's nose.\"
31. \"It sometimes changes a good man into a bad one,\" said the tall man. \"You've been under arrest for ten minutes, 'Silky' Bob. Chicago thinks you may have come over our way and telegraphs us she wants to have a chat with you. Going quietly, are you? That's sensible. Now, before we go on to the station here's a note I was asked to hand to you. You may read it here at the window. It's from Policeman Wells.\"
32. The man from the West unfolded the little piece of paper handed to him. His hand was steady when he began to read, but it trembled a little by the time he had finished. The note was short.
33. Bob: I was at the appointed place on time. When you struck the match to light your cigar, I saw it was the face of the man wanted in Chicago. Somehow I couldn't do it myself, so I went around and got a plain clothes man to do the job.
第九课 二十年后
1 正在巡逻的警察精神抖擞的沿着大街走着。他这样引人注目并不奇怪，并不是为了招摇，因为此时大街上根本没有什么观众。时间还不到晚上十点钟，但夹带着雨意的冷风几乎清空了整个街道。
2 警察边走边检查门是否关好了，他十分灵巧的不停转动着警棍，眼光还不时投向平静的街道。他那魁梧的身材，配上卓越不凡的气势，就是一副治安维持者的形象。那个地区的人晚上休息的很早。你偶尔还能看到一家雪茄店或是昼夜营业的饭店还亮着灯，但是绝大多数店铺都已经关
门了。
3 在一个街区的半路上，警察忽然放慢了脚步。在一家已经关门的五金商店的门廊里，一个男子倚在那里，嘴里叼着一只未点燃的雪茄。当警察朝他走去时，男人赶忙毫不犹豫的说。
4 “没事的，长官，”他坦然的说。“我只是在等一个朋友，这是二十年前就定好的约会。听起来有点荒唐，是吧？哦，如果你想弄明白事情的真相，我就说给你听。大约二十年前，在这家五金商店所在的位置曾经是一家餐馆----‘大乔’布雷迪餐馆。”
5 “那家餐馆五年前还在，”警察说道。“后来就被拆除了。”
6 门廊里的人划着火柴，点着了烟。火光映出了一张苍白的、方正下巴的脸，一双锐利的眼睛，右边眉毛附近还有一小道泛白的疤痕。他的领带夹上镶着一颗大钻石，镶的十分奇怪。
7 “二十年前的这个晚上，”男子说，“我和吉米-威尔斯在大乔布雷迪餐馆共进晚餐，他是我最好的朋友，也是世界上最好的人。我和他一起在纽约长大，亲如手足，当年，我18岁，吉米20岁。第二天早晨，我就要动身去西部赚钱去了。吉米是无论如何也不会离开纽约的。他认为这是世界上最好的地方。那天晚上我们定好，就在20年后的同一天，同一时间，我们都要在这里碰面，不管我们的情况如何，也不管我们相隔多远。我们觉得不管怎样，20年后我们的命运也该有一个好结果了，该发财的也已经发财了。”
8 “听起来有点意思，”警察说道。“尽管在我看来，你们两次见面的时间间隔太长了点。自从你离开后，你和你的朋友还有联系么？”
9 “哦，有的，有一段时间我们相互通信，”那男子说。“可是一两年后我们就失去了联系。你知道，西部是个大地方，而我又忙着东奔西跑。不过我知道，如果吉米还活着，他就会来这儿和我见面的。因为他一直是世界上最忠诚、最好的老朋友。他绝不会忘记的。今晚我千里迢迢来到这个门前等他，只要我的老伙计露面，所有这一切都是值得的。”
10 这位等人男子掏出一块漂亮的怀表，表盖上镶嵌着许多小钻石。
11 “差3分钟十点，”他说。“我们当时在餐馆的门口分开时正好是十但钟。”
12 “在西部游荡的不错，是吧？”警察问道。
13 “那是当然了！我希望吉米的情况能赶上我的一半就好了。虽然他是个好人，但他是个迟钝的人。为了赚钱，我不得不和那些头脑最机灵的人较量。在纽约，人不免墨守成规。但在西部，确实会让人变得机灵。”
14 警察转了转警棍，走了一两步。
15 “我要接着巡逻了。希望你的朋友如约而至。你要马上走么？”
16 “不会的！”那个男子说。“我至少会再等他半个小时。如果吉米还活在世上，到那时他一定会来的。再见，长官。”
17 “晚安，先生，”警察说道，沿着他要巡逻的街道走去。
18 此时天上下起了冰冷的细雨，刮起阵阵寒风。街道上寥寥无几的行人竖起高高的领子，双手插进衣带，阴沉着脸默默赶路。从前里之外赶来与年轻时的朋友见面的那个男子仍然站在五金商店门廊里，抽着雪茄等候着。
19 他大约等了20分钟，这时一个身着长大衣，衣领竖到耳朵的高大男人，匆匆的从街道对面走来。他径直朝那个等候的男子走去。
20 “是你么，鲍勃？”他迟疑的问道。
21 “是你么，吉米-威尔斯？”门廊里的人叫道。
22 “我的天啊！”来的人惊叫着，抓住了对方的手。“没错，你是鲍勃。我就知道如果你还活着，我就会在这里见到你的。哎呀，20年可不短。这个老餐馆已经没了，鲍勃。真希望它还在，那么我们就又可以在这里吃晚餐了。老朋友，你在西部过的怎么样？”
23 “它给了我所想要的一切。你变了很多啊，吉米。我没想到你长这么高了。”
24 “哦，20岁后我长高了一点。”
25 “在纽约过的还不错吧，吉米？”
26 “马马虎虎，我在市政部门谋了个职位。来吧，鲍勃，我知道个地方，我们可以去那儿叙叙旧。”
27 两个人手挽手朝街上走去。西部来的男子充满了成功的骄傲，开始描述自己的创业史。另一个人缩在大衣里，饶有兴趣的听着。
28 街角处有家药店，灯火通明。当他们来到亮处时，两个人不约而同的盯着对方的脸。
29 西部来的男人突然停下脚步，抽出自己的手臂。
30 “你不是吉米-威尔斯，”他厉声说道。“20年的时间不短，但也不足以改变一个人的鼻子的大小。”
31 “但有时他却能把一个好人变成坏人，”高个子男人说。“你十分钟前已经被捕了，‘滑头’鲍勃。芝加哥警方已经察觉到你可能到我们这里了，发电报告诉我们说想和你谈谈。乖乖和我走吧。这才是明智的。现在，在我们去警察局之前，有人让我 给你捎张字条。可以站在窗边看。这是威尔
斯警官写给你的。”
32 西部来的男人打开了交给他的那张字条。当他开始读时，他的手还拿的稳，但是当他读完时，他的手微微颤抖。纸条内容很短。
33 鲍勃，我准时到了约定的地点。当时你划着火柴点着雪茄的时候，我看到那正是芝加哥警方通缉的那张脸。不管怎么样，我自己下不了手，所以我找了个便衣来完成这个任务。
10 Mandela's Garden
Nelson Mandela
1. In early 1977, the authorities announced the end of manual labor and arranged some type of work for us to do in the courtyard, so we could spend our days in our section. The end of manual labor was liberating. I could now spend the day reading, writing letters, discussing issues with my comrades, or preparing legal documents. The free time also allowed me to pursue what became two of my favorite hobbies on Robben Island: gardening and tennis.
2. To survive in prison, one must develop ways to take satisfaction in one's daily life. One can feel fulfilled by washing one's clothes so that they are particularly clean, by sweeping a hallway so that it is empty of dust, by organizing one's cell to save as much space as possible. Just as one takes pride in important tasks outside of prison, one can find the same pride in doing small things inside prison.
3. \"Almost from the beginning of my sentence on Robben Island, I asked the authorities for permission to start a garden in the courtyard. For years, they refused without offering a reason. But eventually they gave in, and we were able to cut out a small
garden on a narrow patch of earth against the far wall.
4. The soil in the courtyard was dry and rocky. The courtyard had been constructed over a garbage dump, and in order to start my garden, I had to remove a great many rocks to allow the plants room to grow. At the time, some of my comrades joked that I was a miner at heart, for I spent my days in a wasteland and my free time digging in the courtyard.
5. The authorities supplied me with seeds. I at first planted tomatoes, chilies, and onions—hardy plants that did not require rich earth or constant care. The early harvests were poor, but they soon improved. The authorities did not regret giving permission, for once the garden began to flourish, I often provided the warders with some of my best tomatoes and onions.
6. While I have always enjoyed gardening, it was not until I was behind bars that I was able to tend my own garden. My first experience in the garden was at Fort Hare where, as part of the university's manual labor requirement, I worked in one of my professors' gardens and enjoyed the contact with the soil as an alternative to my intellectual labors. Once I was in Johannesburg studying and then working, I had neither the time nor the space to start a garden.
7. I began to order books on gardening. I studied different gardening techniques and types of fertilizers. I did not have many of the materials that the books discussed, but I learned through trial and error. For a time, I attempted to grow peanuts, and used different soils and fertilizers, but finally I gave up. It was one of my few failures.
8. A garden was one of the few things in prison that one could control. To plant a
seed, watch it grow, to tend it and then harvest it, offered a simple but enduring
satisfaction. The sense of being the owner of the small patch of earth offered a small taste of freedom.
9. In some ways, I saw the garden as a metaphor for certain aspects of my life. Leaders must also look after their gardens; they, too, plant seeds, and then watch, cultivate, and harvest the results. Like gardeners, leaders must take responsibility for what they cultivate; they must mind their work, try to drive back enemies, save what can be saved, and eliminate what cannot succeed.
10. I wrote Winnie two letters about a particularly beautiful tomato plant, how I made it grow from a tender seedling to a strong plant that produced deep red fruit. But then, either through some mistake or lack of care, the plant began to wither and decline, and nothing I did would bring it back to health. When it finally died, I removed the roots from the soil, washed them, and buried them in a corner of the garden.
11. I told her this small story at great length. I do not know what she read into that letter, but when I wrote it I had a mixture of feelings: I did not want our relationship to go the way of that plant, and yet I felt that I had been unable to nourish many of the most important relationships in my life. Sometimes there is nothing one can do to save something that must die.
第十课 曼德拉的菜园
1 1977年初，当局宣布解除集体劳动，给我们安排了一些院内的工作，因此我们可以在自己的这片区域里打发时间了。结束了体力劳动就像解放了一样。现在我每天可以读书、谢辛和我的狱友讨论问题，或者准备法律文件。时间上的自由还得以让我继续从事在罗本岛上培养起来的两
大爱好：园艺和网球。
2 为了在狱中生存，你必须使自己在日常生活中得到满足。你可以通过把衣服洗的特别干净，把门前过道打扫得一尘不染，或把自己的牢房整理出尽可能大的空间这些方法使自己感到充实。同一个在监狱外的人为自己完成重要任务而感到骄傲一样，监狱的人也可以完成未完成一件小事而同样感到自豪。
3 几乎刚在罗本岛被判刑时起，我就向当局提出申请，我在院子里开垦一块菜园。多年来，他们没有给出任何原因，却一直拒绝我的请求。但最终他们让步了，这样我们能够在远处墙根下一块狭长的地面上划出小片面积的地方做菜园。
4 院子里的土壤很干，而且石头很多。这个院子在建起来之前是个垃圾场，因此为了开辟这个园子，我的清除掉大量的石头，给植物留出生长的空间。当时，一些狱友开玩笑说我骨子里是个矿工，整天呆在一片荒地里，把自己的空闲时间都花费在挖院子里的地了。
5 狱方给我提供了种子。开始时，我种了番茄、辣椒和洋葱——都是些不需要肥沃的土壤或经常照料的生命力很强的植物。早期的收成不好，但很快状况就有了改善。狱方不会后悔允许我开辟菜园种菜的，因为菜园的蔬菜长的好起来后，我就经常给看守们一些最好的番茄和洋葱。
6 虽然我一直喜爱园艺，但直到入狱后我才得到一片属于自己的菜园。在园艺方面的第一次经历是在海尔堡，那是大学时作为体力劳动要求的一部分，我在一位教授家的院子里干活，在那里我享受着脑力劳动之余和土地之间的接触。但自从我到约翰内斯堡学习并工作以后，就在没有时间和没有地方种菜了。
7 我开始订阅一些关于园艺方面的书籍。从中学习了不同的园艺技术和不同种类的肥料。书中提及的许多材料我都没有，但经历了尝试和失败以后，我学到了很多东西。我曾用不同的土壤和化肥来试着种花生，但最终都失败了。这是我很少的几次失败之中的一次。
8 菜园是一个人在监狱中所能控制的仅有的几件事情之一。播下种子，看着它生长，照料它，然后收获果实，这一过程是人得到一种简单却持久的满足感。作为一小片土地的主人是我感到一丝的自由。
9 在某些方面，我把这个菜园当作自己一些侧面生活的暗喻。领袖人物也必须照料他们的菜园；我们也一样要播种，然后看管、培育、收获果实。像园丁一样，领袖人物也必须为他们培育的一切负有责任；他们必须致力于自己的工作，努力击退敌人，挽救所能挽救的一切，并去除不能获得成功的事情。
10 在写给温妮的两封信中我讲述了一株非常美丽的番茄，告诉她我是怎样把它从一颗娇嫩的幼苗培育成杰出深红色果实的强壮的植物。但是后来，也许是因为出了什莫错，也许是因为缺少养料，这棵番茄开始枯萎、凋谢，而我不论做什莫都无法挽回它了。当它最终死去的时候，我把它的根从土中挖了出来，洗干净后埋在菜园的一角。我用了很长的篇幅给她讲这样的一个小故事。至于她从信中体会到了什莫言外之意，我不得而知，但我当时是怀着非常复杂的心情来写这封信的：我不希望我们的关系向那株植物一样结束，然而我感觉到我已不能维持我生活中许多最为重要的关系，有时，一个注定要死去的东西任凭你如何去设法挽救都是徒劳的。
Lesson Twenlve Christmas Day in the Morning
Pearl S. Buck
1. He woke suddenly and completely. It was four o'clock, the hour at which his father had always called him to get up and help with the milking. Strange how the habits of his youth clung to him still! His father had been dead for thirty years, and yet he still woke at four o'clock in the morning. But this morning, because it was Christmas, he did not try to sleep again.
2. Yet what was the magic of Christmas now? His childhood and youth were long
past, and his own children had grown up and gone.
3. Yesterday his wife had said, \"It isn't worthwhile, perhaps— \"
4. And he had said, \"Yes, Alice, even if there are only the two of us, let's have a Christmas of our own.\"
5. Then she had said, \"Let's not trim the tree until tomorrow, Robert. I'm tired.\"
6. He had agreed, and the tree was still out by the back door.
7. He lay in his bed in his room.
8. Why did he feel so awake tonight? For it was still night, a clear and starry night. No moon, of course, but the stars were extraordinary! Now that he thought of it, the stars seemed always large and clear before the dawn of Christmas Day.
9. He slipped back in time, as he did so easily nowadays. He was fifteen years old and still on his father's farm. He loved his father. He had not known it until one day a few days before Christmas, when he had overheard what his father was saying to his mother.
10. \"Mary, I hate to call Rob in the mornings. He's growing so fast, and he needs his sleep. I wish I could manage alone.\"
11. \"Well, you can't, Adam.\" His mother's voice was brisk, \"Besides, he isn't a child any more. It's time he took his turn.\"
12. \"Yes,\" his father said slowly, \"But I sure do hate to wake him.\"
13. When he heard these words, something in him woke: his father loved him! He had never thought of it before, taking for granted the tie of their blood. Now that he knew his father loved him, there would be no more loitering in the mornings and having to be called again. He got up, stumbling blind with sleep, and pulled on his clothes.
14. And then on the night before Christmas, he lay thinking about the next day. They were poor, and most of the excitement was in the turkey they had raised themselves and in the mince pies his mother made. His sisters sewed presents, and his mother and father always bought something he needed, a warm jacket, maybe, or a book. And he always saved and bought them each something, too.
15. He wished, that Christmas he was fifteen, he had a better present for his father instead of the usual tie from the ten-cent store. He lay on his side and looked out of his attic window.
16. \"Dad,\" he had once asked when he was a little boy, \"What is a stable?\"
17. \"It's just a barn,\" his father had replied, \"like ours.\"
18. Then Jesus had been born in a barn, and to a barn the shepherds and the Wise Men had come, bringing their Christmas gifts!
19. A thought struck him like a silver dagger. Why should he not give his father a special gift, out there in the barn? He could get up earlier, creep into the barn and get all the milking done. And then when his father went in to start the milking, he'd see it all done.
20. He laughed to himself as he gazed at the stars. It was what he would do, and he mustn't sleep too soundly.
21. He must have waked twenty times, striking a match each time to look at his old watch.
22. At a quarter to three, he got up and crept downstairs, careful of the creaky boards, and let himself out. A big star hung low over the roof, a reddish gold. The cows looked at him, sleepy and surprised. It was early for them, too.
23. But they accepted him calmly and he brought some hay for each cow and then got the milking pail and the big milk cans.
24. He had never milked all alone before, but it seemed almost easy. He smiled and milked steadily, two strong streams rushing into the pail, frothing and fragrant. The cows were behaving well, as though they knew it was Christmas.
25. The task went more easily than he had ever known it to before. Milking for once was not a chore. It was a gift to his father. He finished, the two milk cans were full, and he covered them and closed the milk-house door carefully, making sure of the latch. He put the stool in its place by the door and hung up the clean milk pail. Then he went out of the barn and barred the door behind him.
26. Back in his room he had only a minute to pull off his clothes and jump into bed, before he heard his father get up. He put the covers over his head to silence his quick breathing. The door opened.
27. \"Rob! \" his father called. \"We have to get up, son, even if it is Christmas.\"
28. \"Aw-right,\" he said sleepily.
29. \"I'll go on out,\" his father said. \"I'll get things started.\"
30. The door closed and he lay still, laughing to himself. In just a few minutes his father would know. His dancing heart was ready to jump from his body.
31. The minutes were endless—ten, fifteen, he did not know how many—and he heard his father's footsteps again. The door opened.
32. \"Rob!\"
33. \"Yes, Dad—\"
34. \"You son of a—\" His father was laughing, a queer sobbing sort of a laugh. \"Thought you'd fool me, did you?\" His father was standing beside his bed, feeling for him, pulling away the cover.
35. He found his father and clutched him in a great hug. He felt his father's arms go around him. It was dark, and they could not see each other's faces.
36. \"Son, I thank you. Nobody ever did a nicer thing—\"
37. \"It's for Christmas, Dad!\"
38. He did not know what to say. His heart was bursting with love.
39. \"Well. I guess I can go back to sleep,\" his father said after a moment. \"No, come to think of it, son, I've never seen you children when you first saw the Christmas tree. I was always in the barn. Come on!\"
40. He pulled on his clothes again, and they went down to the Christmas tree, and soon the sun was creeping up to where the star had been. Oh, what a Christmas morning, and how his heart had nearly burst again with shyness and pride as his father told his mother about how he, Rob, had got up all by himself.
41. \"The best Christmas gift I ever had, and I'll remember it, son, every year on Christmas morning, as long as I live.\"
42. They had both remembered it, and now that his father was dead he remembered it alone: that blessed Christmas dawn when, along with the cows in the barn, he had made his first gift of true love. Outside the window now the stars slowly faded. He got out of bed and put on his slippers and bathrobe and went softly downstairs. He brought in the tree, and carefully began to trim it. It was done very soon. He then went to his library and brought the little box that contained his special gift to his wife, a diamond brooch, not large, but beautiful in design. But he was not satisfied. He wanted to tell her—to tell her how much he loved her.
43. How fortunate that he had been able to love! Ah, that was the true joy of life, the ability to love! For he was quite sure that some people were genuinely unable to love anyone. But love was alive in him; it still was.
44. It occurred to him suddenly that it was alive because long ago it had been born in him when he knew his father loved him. That was it: love alone could waken love.
45. And this morning, this blessed Christmas morning, he would give it to his beloved wife. He could write it down in a letter for her to read and keep forever. He went to his desk and began: My dearest love.
46. When it was finished, he sealed it and tied it on the tree. He put out the light and went tiptoing up the stairs. The stars in the sky were gone, and the first rays of the sun were gleaming in the east, such a happy, happy Christmas!
第十二课 圣诞节的早上
1 他猛然彻底醒了过来。四点钟，这个时候他的父亲总是会叫他起床，帮忙挤牛奶。令人奇怪的是，他年轻的时候的习惯任然保留着！他的父亲已经趋势三十年了，然而他任然会在清晨四点钟醒过来。但是因为今天是圣诞节，早晨他不想再睡了。
2 然而，现在圣诞节还有什么魅力呢？他的童年和青春过去很久了，他自己的孩子都已经长大并离开了他。
3 昨天他懂得妻子说：“圣诞节不值得过的，也许……”
4 他说道：“不，值得的，爱丽丝，即使只有我们两个人，我们也要过一个属于我们的圣诞节。”
5 然后她说：“罗伯特，我们明天再装饰圣诞树吧。我累了。”
6 他同意了，树任然放在外面，在后门旁。
7 他躺在自己房间的床上。
8 为什么今晚他会睡不着呢？因为这是一个寂静的夜晚，明朗的繁星之夜，当然没有月亮，但是星星很特别！他一想到这个，便觉得圣诞节黎明前的星星总是看起来很大很明亮。
9 他不知不觉地回想起了过去，进来他总是很容易回想过去。那年他15岁，任然在他父
亲的农场。他爱他的父亲。直到圣诞节之前的某一天，当他无意中听到他父亲对他母亲所说的话他才意识到这一点。
10 “玛丽，我真的不想在早晨去叫醒罗布。他在长身体，需要睡眠。我希望我可以独自应付。”
11 “你一个人不行的，亚当。”母亲尖声叫地说，“另外，他不再是个孩子了。他该干活了。”
12 “是啊，”他父亲缓慢地说道：“但是我确实不想叫醒他。”
13 当听到这番话，他豁然醒悟到：父亲爱他！这他以前从未想到过，把他们的血缘关系当作理所当然的。既然知道父亲爱他，早上就不能再磨蹭，也不再让父亲叫起来。他于是起床，睡眼朦胧，磕磕碰碰，床上了他的衣服。
14 然后，在圣诞节前夜，他躺着思考着第二天的事情。他们家很穷，圣诞节最让他们激动的就是吃他们自己养的火鸡和他母亲做的馅饼。他的姐妹们自己缝制礼物，他的父母总是买一些他需要的东西，一件保暖的夹克，或是一本书。他也总是攒钱给他们每个人买东西。
15 那年圣诞节他十五岁，他希望送给父亲一份好点的礼物，而不是从便宜的商店买来的普通的领带。他侧躺着，从阁楼的窗户向外看。
16 “爸爸，”当他还是小孩子的时候曾经问过，“马厩是什么？”
17 “就是牲口棚，”父亲答道,“就像我们家的那个。”
18 耶稣就是在马厩里降生的，牧羊人和圣人们都呆着他们的圣诞礼物来到马厩！
19 一个想法想银色的匕首触动了他，为什么不在牲口棚送给父亲意见特别的礼物？他可以
早点起床，悄悄溜进牲口棚，把牛奶都挤完。然后当父亲进去开始挤牛奶时，就会发现活都干完了。他凝视着星星，暗自笑了。他就要这样做，决不能睡得太死。
20 他醒了足有20次，每次醒来都划根火柴看看他那块旧表。
21 差一刻钟三点，他起了床，悄悄下了楼，小心翼翼地不让地板发出吱吱的声音，然后走了出去。一颗很大的星星低悬在屋顶上空，发出淡红色的金光。奶牛瞅瞅他，睡意未尽，有些吃惊。对它们来说,时间太早了。
22 但是它们平静地接受了他。他给每头牛都拿来干草，然后拿来奶桶和大奶罐。
23 他以前从未独自挤过奶，但是似乎这也相当容易。他笑了，不停地挤着奶，两股强劲的奶汁冲入奶桶，溅起了泡沫，散发出芳香。奶牛表现得也不错，好像它们知道那天是圣诞节。
24 这活儿干起来比他以前所知道的要更容易.第一次挤奶并非难事.这是他给父亲的礼物.他把活儿干完了,两只奶罐全满了,他把它们盖好了,小心翼翼的关上奶房的门,并确定是否闩好.他把凳子放在门边的原处,又把干净的奶桶灌好,然后走出牲口棚,闩上门.
25 回到他的房间，他立刻脱下衣服跳上床，因为他听到父亲起床了。他用被子蒙上头以掩饰他急促的呼吸声。门开了。
26 “罗布”父亲喊道。“该起床了，孩子，即使今天是圣诞节。”
27 “好——吧，”他带着困意答道。
28 “我先走了。”父亲说。“我先去干着。”
29 门关上了，他安静地躺着，暗自发笑。几分钟后父亲就会知道了。他那颗狂跳的心跳快
要蹦出来了。时间一直在过去——10分钟、15分钟，他也不知道过了多少分钟——他又再次听到父亲的脚步声。门开了。
30 “罗布！”
31 “嗯，爸爸——”
32 “你这个——”父亲笑了，一种奇妙的带点儿哽咽的笑。“你以为你能骗我，是吗？”父亲站在床边，一边去摸他，一边掀开了被子。
33 他摸到父亲，紧紧地抱住他。他感到父亲的双臂也抱住额他。天色漆黑，他们看不到彼此的脸。
34 “孩子，谢谢你。没有人做过比这更好的事——”
35 “爸爸，这是圣诞礼物！”
36 他不知道说什么好。他的心里充满着爱。
37 “嗯。我想我可以回去睡觉了，”父亲过了会说道。“不，想起来了，孩子，我还从未在你们看着圣诞树前见到你们呢。我总是在牲口棚里。来吧！”
38 他又穿上衣服，和父亲一起来到圣诞树前，不久太阳便升起在原来那颗星星的位置。啊，多么美好的圣诞节的早晨啊！当父亲告诉母亲罗布是怎样独自起来的时候，他心里再次充满了害羞与自豪。
39 “这是我收到的最好的圣诞礼物。孩子，我会记住它的。只要我活着，每年圣诞节早晨我都会记起它。”
40 他和父亲一直都记得这件事，现在他父亲已经去世，他独自记得此事：那个幸福的圣诞节黎明，与奶牛在牲口棚里，他创造出表达自己真挚的爱的第一件礼物。现在窗外的星星逐渐消失了。他下了床，穿上拖鞋和浴衣，轻轻地下了楼。他把圣诞树拿进屋里，开始仔细地装饰。很快就弄好了。然后他去书房取来一只小盒子，里面装着他送给妻子的一份特别礼物——一枚钻石胸针。胸针不大，但是设计得很精美。可他并不满意。他想告诉她——告诉她他是多么爱她。
41 他能够爱他人是多么幸运啊！啊，能够爱他人才是人生真正的快乐！因为他确信有些人不能真正爱任何人。但他内心充满了爱，而且依然如故。
42 他突然想起，他之所以在心中充满爱，是因为在很久以前父亲对他的爱唤起了他心中的爱。是啊，爱本身能唤起爱。
43 这个早晨，这个幸福的圣诞节的早晨，他将把爱献给他的亲爱的妻子。他将把这份爱写在信中以便她阅读并永久保存。他走到桌前开始写道：我最亲爱的。
44 当信写完后，他把信封好，把它系在圣诞树上。他关上灯，踮着脚尖走上楼。天上的星星已经消失，东方露出第一缕阳光。多么幸福的一个圣诞节啊！
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