Unit 1 Love新编大学英语第二版第二册课文翻译(2)

[6] Observing this act of love, I would think for the thousandth time, good heavens, why don't nursing homes have double beds for married couples? All their lives they have slept together, but in a nursing home, they're expected to sleep in single beds. Overnight they're deprived of a comfort of a lifetime.

[7] How very foolish such policies are, I would think as I watched Chris reach up and turn off the light above Kate's bed. Then tenderly he would bend, and they would kiss gently. Chris would pat her cheek, and both would smile. He would pull up the side rail on her bed, and only then would he turn and accept his own medication. As I walked into the hall, I could hear Chris say, “Good night, Kate,” and her returning voice, “Good night, Chris,” while the space of an entire room separated their two beds.

[8] I had been off duty two days and when I returned, the first news I heard was, “Chris died yesterday morning.”

[9] “How?”

[10] “A heart attack. It happened quickly.”

[11] “How's Kate?”

[12] “Bad.”

[13] I went into Kate's room. She sat in her chair, motionless, hands in her lap, staring. Taking her hands in mine, I said, “Kate, it's Phyllis.”

[14] Her eyes never shifted; she only stared. I placed my hand under her chin and slowly turned her head so she had to look at me.

[15] “Kate, I just found out about Chris. I'm so sorry.”

[16] At the word “Chris”, her eyes came back to life. She looked at me, puzzled, as though wondering how I had suddenly appeared. “ Kate, it's me, Phyllis. I'm so sorry about Chris.”

[17] Recognition and sadness flooded her face. Tears welled up and slid down her cheeks. “Chris is gone,” she whispered.

[18] “I know,” I said. “I know.”

[19] We pampered Kate for a while, letting her eat in her room, surrounding her with special attention. Then gradually the staff worked her back into the old schedule. Often, as I went past her room, I would observe Kate sitting in her chair, scrapbooks on her lap, gazing sadly at pictures of Chris.

[20] Bedtime was the worst part of the day for Kate. Although she was allowed to move from her bed to Chris's bed, and although the staff chatted and laughed with her as they tucked her in for the night, still Kate remained silent and sadly withdrawn. Passing her room an hour after she had been tucked in, I'd find her wide awake, staring at the ceiling.

[21] The weeks passed, and bedtime wasn't any better. She seemed so restless, so insecure. Why? I wondered. Why this time of day more than the other hours?

[22] Then one night as I walked into her room, only to find the same wide-awake Kate, I said impulsively, “Kate, could it be you miss your good-night kiss?” Bending down, I kissed her wrinkled cheek.

[23] It was as though I had opened the floodgates. Tears ran down her face; her hands gripped mine. “Chris always kissed me good-night,” she cried.

[24] “I know,” I whispered.

[25] “ I miss him so, all those years he kissed me good-night.” She paused while I wiped the tears. “ I just can't seem to go to sleep without his kiss.”

[26] She looked up at me, her eyes full of tears. “Oh, thank you for giving me a kiss.”

[27] A small smile turned up the corners of her mouth. “You know,” she said confidentially, “Chris used to sing me a song.”

[28] “He did?”

[29] “Yes,”—her white head nodded—“and I lie here at night and think about it.”

[30] “How did it go?”

[31] Kate smiled, held my hand and cleared her throat. Then her voice, small with age but still melodious, lifted softly in song: So kiss me, my sweet, and so let us part. And when I grow too old to dream, That kiss will live in my heart.

献给凯特的吻

1 作为晚间护土，每天下午我值班的时候，都要走过养老院的过道，在每个门口停下来看一看，聊一聊。经常，凯特和克里斯两个人腿上放着大大的剪贴本，他们看着相片，缅怀往事。凯特很骄傲地向我展示逝去岁月的相片：克里斯——高个，金黄色头发，潇洒，而凯特是美丽的，黑头发，爱笑。两个年轻的恋人穿越时间隧道灿烂地笑着。他们现在坐在那儿，光线洒在他们白发苍苍的头上，他们那饱经沧桑而布满皱纹的的脸上荡漾着对往事的回忆的笑容，一切的往事都被照相机摄下并永久性地保留在了剪贴簿上，这时候他们看起来真可爱。 2 年轻人对爱情的了解少得可怜，我常常这样想。然而对于这样珍贵的东西却以为他们才拥有专利权，那真是太可笑了。爱情真正意味着什么，老年人知道；年轻人只能猜测。 3 凯特和克里斯总是在一起——在食堂、休息厅，沿着长廊和草坪漫步，总在一起，总是拉着手。我们这些工作人员吃晚饭的时候，有时凯特和克里斯正慢慢地走过餐厅门口。这时话题就会转向对这一对老夫妇的讨论，关于他们的爱和忠诚执著，以及他们之一去世了另一个会怎么样。我们知道克里斯是强者，凯特总是依靠着他。

4 如果克里斯先去世，凯特会怎么过生活？我们常常在想这一问题。

5 像往常一样，到了上床睡觉的时候，我就把晚上的药拿给凯特，她就坐在她的椅子里，穿着睡衣和拖鞋，等着我的到来。在我和克里斯的注视下，凯特吃下药，然后克里斯帮她从椅子上扶到床上，给她那瘦弱的身上盖好被子。

6 看到这一爱的举动，我又一次地想（尽管已经想过上千次了），天哪，养老院为什么不给那些老年夫妇提供双人床？整个一生中他们都睡在一起，但是到了养老院，却要他们睡单人床。一夜之间他们就被剥夺了一生的安慰。

7 这种政策真愚蠢，当我看着克里斯手伸上去，关上凯特床头的电灯时常常会这样想。然后克里斯弯下腰，两人轻轻亲吻。他拍拍她的脸颊，他们微笑着。他总是把她床边上的横档拉上以后，然后才转过身去拿自己的药。当我走到过道上的时候，我能听见克里斯说：“晚安，凯特”以及她回答的声音“晚安，克里斯；”他们的两张床在房间的两边，中间隔着整个房间。

8 我有两天休班，当我回来时，我听到的第一个消息是：“克里斯昨天上午去世了。” 9 “怎么回事？”

10 “心脏病，突发。”

11 “凯特怎么样？”

12 “不好。”

13 我走进凯特的房间。她坐在椅子上，一动不动，手放在膝上，目光呆滞。我握着她的

双手说，“凯特，我是菲丽丝。”

14 她的眼睛一动不动，只是呆呆地瞪着。我用手托着她的下巴，让她慢慢转过头来，好让她看着 …… 此处隐藏：4397字，全部文档内容请下载后查看。喜欢就下载吧 ……