If you had caught me straight out of college in the halls of the Vermont State House
如果你在我本科刚毕业后在佛蒙特州议会大楼里遇到我
where I was a lobbyist in training and asked me what I was going to do with my life,
那时我还正在参加说客培训,并同时问我我的人生理想是什么
I would have told you that I'd just passed the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi,
我会告诉你我刚通过了汉语水平考试
the Chinese equivalency exam, and I was going to go study law in Beijing,
(The Chinese Equivalency Exam),而且我准备去北京进修法律
and I was going to improve U.S.-China relations through top-down policy changes and judicial system reforms.
我要自上而下地修订政策及改革司法系统以来改善中美关系
I had a plan, and I never ever thought it would have anything to do with the banjo.
我是有个计划,但是我没想到它会和班卓琴扯上什么关系,就是这玩意儿
Little did I know what a huge impact it would have on me one night
我真没想到它将在某个晚上对我造成如此巨大的影响
when I was at a party and I heard a sound coming out of a record player in the corner of a room.
当时我正在一个派对,我听见从房间角落里的录音机传来得声音
And it was Doc Watson singing and playing "Shady Grove."
那是多克·沃森弹唱的《林荫》
Shady Grove, my little love. Shady Grove, my darlin'
树林荫荫啊,我的小爱人。树林荫荫啊,我的小亲亲
Shady Grove, my little love. Going back to Harlan
树林荫荫啊,我的小爱人。让我们一起回哈兰
That sound was just so beautiful, the sound of Doc's voice and the rippling groove of the banjo.
那声音真是太美了,多克的嗓音和荡漾的班卓琴声
And after being totally and completely obsessed with the mammoth richness and history of Chinese culture,
在完全彻底沉迷于悠久厚重、浩浩汤汤的中国历史与文化这么久以后
it was like this total relief to hear something so truly American and so truly awesome.
听到这种地道的美国风格,也是地道的一流音乐,实在是对我的一种解脱