精美英文欣赏:天底下最真挚的爱情(下)

When he confessed losing some of our savings¹ in the stock market, I gave him a hug and said, "It's okay. It's only money."

而当他坦白承认用我们的一点积蓄炒股亏了钱时，我紧紧抱住他安慰说：“没关系，钱财乃身外之物。”

There is sensitivity. Last week he walked through the door with that look that tells me it's been a tough day. After he spent some time with the kids, I asked him what happened.

我们都是性情中人。上周，他回家进门的时候，我从他的神情看得出，他过了艰难的一天。他和孩子们玩了一会儿后，我问他发生了什么事。

He told me about a 60-year-old woman who'd had a stroke. He wept as he recalled the woman's husband standing² beside her bed, caressing³ her hand. How was he going to tell this husband of 40 years that his wife would probably never recover?

他告诉我一个六十岁的老太太患了中风。当回想起病人的丈夫站在她的床边爱抚着她的手的时候，他流泪了。他怎么忍心告诉和病人相处了四十年的丈夫，他妻子可能将永远无法康复！

I shed a few tears myself. Because of the medical crisis. Because there were still people who have been married 40 years. Because my husband is still moved and concerned after years of hospital rooms and dying patients.

我也流下了眼泪，因为那可怕的病，因为这世上还有婚姻维持了四十年的人，还因为我的丈夫这么多年来在医院目睹过无数垂死的病人后还有感动和怜悯之心！

There is faith. Last Tuesday a friend came over and confessed her fear that her husband is losing his courageous⁴ battle with cancer.

我们都有坚定的信念。上周四一个朋友到我家，向我表露了她对于她丈夫逐渐失去和癌症搏斗的勇气的忧虑。

On Wednesday I went to lunch with a friend who is struggling to reshape her life after divorce. On Thursday a neighbor called to talk about the frightening effects of Alzheimer's disease on her father-in-law's personality.

周三，我和一个朋友吃午饭，她正努力重建离婚后的生活。周四，一个邻居致电告诉我，可怕的老性痴呆症困扰着她公公。

On Friday a childhood friend called long-distance to tell me her father had died. I hung up the phone and thought, This is too much heartache for one week. Through my tears, as I went out to run some errands, I noticed the boisterous⁵ orange blossoms of the gladiolus outside my window.

周五，一个儿时的玩伴打长途电话告诉我，她的父亲去世了。我把电话放下，心想怎么一周内接连发生那么多让人揪心的悲剧。泪眼模糊的我走出门外准备做点什么，这时我发现窗外橙色的剑兰花竞相开放。

I heard the delighted laughter of my son and his friend as they played. I caught sight of a wedding party emerging from a neighbor's house. The bride, dressed in satin and lace, tossed her bouquet⁶ to her cheering friends. That night, I told my husband about these events. We helped each other acknowledge the cycles of life and that the joys counter the sorrows. It was enough to keep us going.

耳边传来儿子和伙伴们玩耍时的欢声笑语，邻居正在举行婚宴，新娘子穿着缎和花边修饰的婚纱，将花球抛向欢呼雀跃的朋友们中。那夜，我把这一切都告诉了丈夫，我们互相安慰，明白人生轮回，悲欢离合总相随。我们就这样相濡以沫地生活下去。

Finally, there is knowing. I know Scott will throw his laundry just shy of the hamper⁷ every night; he'll be late to most appointments and eat the last chocolate in the box.

最后一个原因是，我们相知相识。我知道斯科特每晚都会把换洗的衣服扔向洗衣篓，却总是扔不进去；我知道他在大部分约会中都会迟到，因此会被罚吃掉最后剩下的一块巧克力。

He knows that I sleep with a pillow over my head; I'll lock us out of the house at a regular basis, and I will also eat the last chocolate.

他知道我睡觉的时候喜欢用枕头蒙头，每隔一段时间我会忘记带钥匙，我们因此而进不了家门，然后我也会自觉吃掉最后一块巧克力。

I guess our love lasts because it is comfortable. No, the sky is not bluer: it's just a familiar hue⁸. We don't feel particularly young: we've experienced too much that has contributed to our growth and wisdom, taking its toll⁹ on our bodies, and created our memories.

我想，是舒适的感觉让我们的爱延续。天空并没有变得更蓝，它还是昨天我们熟悉的颜色；我们也不再感觉年轻：我们已经历了太多，而这些经历让我们成长，变得理性，为我们增值，并构成了我们的回忆。

I hope we've got what it takes to make our love last. As a bride, I had Scott's wedding band engraved¹⁰ with Robert Browning's line "Grow old along with me!" We're following those instructions.

我希望我们已经得到延续爱情的秘诀。我们结婚的时候，斯科特给我的戒指上刻着罗伯特·布朗宁的诗词“一直陪我直到老吧！”我们一直都恪守着这誓言。

1 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 caressing   

爱抚的，表现爱情的，亲切的

参考例句：

• The spring wind is gentle and caressing. 春风和畅。
• He sat silent still caressing Tartar, who slobbered with exceeding affection. 他不声不响地坐在那里，不断抚摸着鞑靼，它由于获得超常的爱抚而不淌口水。

4 courageous   

adj.勇敢的，有胆量的

参考例句：

• We all honour courageous people.我们都尊重勇敢的人。
• He was roused to action by courageous words.豪言壮语促使他奋起行动。

5 boisterous   

adj.喧闹的，欢闹的

参考例句：

• I don't condescend to boisterous displays of it.我并不屈就于它热热闹闹的外表。
• The children tended to gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous play.孩子们经常是先静静地聚集在一起，不一会就开始吵吵嚷嚷戏耍开了。

6 bouquet   

n.花束，酒香

参考例句：

• This wine has a rich bouquet.这种葡萄酒有浓郁的香气。
• Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。

7 hamper   

vt.妨碍，束缚，限制；n.(有盖的)大篮子

参考例句：

• There are some apples in a picnic hamper.在野餐用的大篮子里有许多苹果。
• The emergence of such problems seriously hamper the development of enterprises.这些问题的出现严重阻碍了企业的发展。

8 hue   

n.色度；色调；样子

参考例句：

• The diamond shone with every hue under the sun.金刚石在阳光下放出五颜六色的光芒。
• The same hue will look different in different light.同一颜色在不同的光线下看起来会有所不同。

9 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

10 engraved   

v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中）

参考例句：

• The silver cup was engraved with his name. 银杯上刻有他的名字。
• It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back. 此件雕刻精美，背面有花饰图案。 来自《简明英汉词典》