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Father and Son
父子
The father supported his family by gathering medicinal herbs in the mountains.
一家人靠采药度日，父亲天天都要爬山去采药。
The mountains were high and filled with danger. However, everyday, rain or shine, the father had to clamber the cliffs and comb every inch of the vegetation.
山大，山险，父亲风中雨中一日日爬，爬过了大半辈子。
The year soon passed, and his son had grown up. The father asked his son to climb the mountains with him. He took out a rope and tied one end of it to his son and the other end to himself. He crawled in front and his son followed. The first time the father took his son to a cliff, he asked the young man, "Do you know the use of the knife at your hip?" "To dig out herbs." "What else?" The son scanned the cliff and the lush vegetation growing over it, and then turned to stare at his father, perplexed. After a good while, he shook his head. "You'll find out later." His father said.
儿子一天天大起来，父亲让儿子也爬山。父亲拿一根绳子，一头拴了儿子，一头拴了自己，父亲在前面爬，儿子在后面爬。第一次爬山的时候，站在悬崖下面，父亲问儿子，你腰里的刀干什么用的？儿子说，到山上挖药用的。父亲说，还有呢？儿子看看前面的悬崖，看看悬崖上郁郁葱葱的树木，又瞪大眼睛看父亲。良久，摇摇头。父亲说，以后你会知道的。
One day, they discovered a raised patch of grass on a precipice. The grass formed a tight circle with something in the center. It must be ginseng, a century-old ginseng plant! The father and his son quickened their upward climb. The father led the way and his son followed. Above them towered the sheer cliff, defying any attempt to reach the spot of the precious plant. Clinging to the rock face with hands and feet, they inched strenuously upward. The father got hold of a clump of brambles; the ginseng was within arm's reach. All of a sudden, the father felt a downward pull at the rope around his waist. So strong was the dragging force that it almost made him lose his grip on the brambles. Then came his son's desperate cry. Looking down he saw the young man dangling on the other end of the rope, swinging back and forth.
一日，父子两看见绝壁上一大片草成坟状隆起，严严密密形成了一个包围圈。是参，是百年老参。父子俩奋力向上爬。父亲爬在前面，儿子爬在后面。没有路，只有陡峭的石壁，几乎无处可攀附手足。父子两一点点往上艰难地移动，父亲抓住了一丛荆棘，离那棵参只有一步之遥了。突然，父亲感觉系在腰间的绳子猛地向下一坠，抓住荆棘的手几乎要脱开。紧接着传来儿子的惊呼。父亲低头看，儿子已经离开了石壁，被绳子吊着腰在半空里悠荡。
The son continued to cry in panic and confusion. "Help! Dad, help!" The voice resounded in the wide valley, leaving a succession of echoes lingering on for quite some time.
儿子的喊声惊惧而又慌乱。儿子喊，父亲，救我呀！儿子的喊声在莽莽苍苍的山间传过去又传过来，传过来又传过去，久久不散。
Making no response to his son, the father concentrated all his strength on continuing his upward climb. He was making his last effort to hold on to the bramble. But as he realized at that very moment, he had grown old: his fingers were growing weaker with every passing second and his grip was about to slacken. "No, I can't give up! I must hold on!" he thought, "The very life of my son depends on it!" His mind was preoccupied with only one single idea: to climb upward, upward. Thankfully his arms eventually reached over the ridge of the cliff, and soon his whole body was up. Now he was able to gradually hoist his son up to his position an inch at a time.
父亲不吭声，父亲只是奋力往上爬。父亲要攀住那棵荆棘。这时候父亲明显地感觉到自己老了。他感觉到自己的十根手指似乎在一点一点地松下去，松下去。可是不能松，父亲对自己说，下面有那根紧绷的绳子呀！父亲什么都不顾，他只是向上，向上。后来他的胳膊攀上去了，再后来，他的整个身子都攀上去了。攀上去的父亲又一点点地把儿子拉了上去。
In his struggle to safety, his waist badly hurt by the rubbing of the knife stuck in his belt, but he didn't give a second thought to it. After that day's ginseng hunt, the father went down with a serious illness, plunging him into a state of obvious decrepitude. However, the ailing father still insisted on going up into the mountains. As usual, they brought a rope with them, one end of which was tied to the father, the other end to his son. The only difference was that they had swapped position, the son leading the way and the father following below. The son tried to dissuade his father from climbing, but the father was persistent, saying he would be worried to death if he let his son take all the risks alone.
在攀上去的过程中，父亲的腰被别在腰上的刀硌了，但父亲没有感觉到。这一次的爬山使父亲大病了一场，然后父亲就明显衰老了。衰老了的父亲仍然要坚持爬山。仍然是一根绳子，一头拴了父亲，一头拴了儿子。不过父亲和儿子换了位置，儿子在上面爬，父亲在下面爬。儿子说父亲老了，不让父亲爬。父亲却坚持要爬，父亲不放心儿子。
Coming to the foot of the mountain, the father repeated his question about the use of the knife. The son again stared at his father as if begging for an answer, but his father was as evasive as before.
站在山脚下，父亲对儿子说，你该知道刀还能干什么用了。儿子瞪大眼睛看父亲，但父亲没有说。
Days went by, and their life continued. One day, they again discovered a big ginseng plant up a cliff, and began to edge toward it with all their might. Just as the son approached the plant, the father's hands slackened and his body fell off the cliff surface, dangling helpless on the rope. Despite having taken firm hold of a clump of brambles, the son still felt an overwhelming downward pull from his father. His father was becoming heavier and heavier and would surely drag him down into the deep valley. "Heavens! What can I do?" the son yelled in panic. The father gave no reply. With much effort, he drew out the knife from his belt and hacked at the rope. Instantly the rope was cut: his knife was indeed very sharp.
一日又一日，风中雨中。一日，父子俩又在一面绝壁上看见一棵很大的山参。父子俩奋力向上爬。在儿子快要爬近山参的时候，爬在下面的父亲手松了，父亲离开了绝壁，在半空里悠悠荡荡。抓住一丛荆棘的儿子感觉到父亲很重很重，很重很重的父亲就要把他拉着坠下山谷了。儿子很惊恐地大声喊，天啊，怎么办呀？父亲不吭声，只是很吃力地 从腰间抽出那把刀，朝绳子砍去。刀很锋利，一刀就把绳子砍断了。
Down fell the father. He fell headlong into the depth of the valley, until he hit a flat rock. After him a length of rope also fell, trembling and twisting upon him like a snake. Both ends of the rope were neatly cut by knives that must indeed have been very sharp.
绳子断了之后，父亲就朝山谷里坠下去。父亲的身子刚刚接触山岩，便有一截绳子也坠下来，落在父亲的身上。绳子在父亲的身上颤颤地抖，似一条长蛇。绳子两端的刀痕都是齐刷刷的，刀快极了。
If the father had been able to see the fallen rope, he would have given a knowing smile: his son had found out how to use his knife. When the father hacked at the rope, his son did the same. The son had finally come to see the true purpose of his knife.
要是父亲能看到他身上颤动的那根绳子，他肯定会笑的——儿子到底明白了刀的用处——当父亲挥刀砍断绳子的时候，儿子也同时挥起了刀。儿子终于明白刀可以做什么用了。
