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THE BISHOP'S VALENTINE Andrea Hofer Proudfoot
主教的瓦伦丁 安德烈·霍弗·普劳德福特
You have probably sent and received many valentines. Have you ever wondered how this day came to be, and what its meaning is?
你可能已经收到了很多情人节礼物。你有没有想过这一天是怎么来的，它的意义是什么？
This story will tell you why we celebrate Valentine Day, and what its true spirit is. Once upon a time, a long while ago,
这个故事将告诉你为什么我们要庆祝情人节，它的真正精神是什么。很久以前，
there lived in a far-off country, near the land where St. Valentine had lived, a fine young Bishop.
在一个遥远的国度里，就在圣瓦伦丁曾经住过的地方附近，住着一位年轻漂亮的主教。
This Bishop had heard so many beautiful stories of all the brave, helpful deeds of St. Valentine,
这位主教听过许多关于圣瓦伦丁英勇，帮助他人的事迹，
that he loved St. Valentine very dearly, and wished that he might be like him.
他非常喜欢圣瓦伦丁，希望也能像他一样。
Now as the Bishop kept thinking about St. Valentine and really wanting to be like him, he said to himself one day,
主教一直想着圣瓦伦丁，并特别想成为像他那样的人，有一天他对自己说，
Why don't I do some of the kind, loving acts of St. Valentine if I am really so fond of him? Just then he went out for a walk,
如果我真的如此崇拜他，为什么不做一些圣瓦伦丁做的那些充满爱的行动呢，此时他正在散步，
and as he passed the one who scrubbed the steps, he said: It is a pleasure to walk where it is all so clean as you make it,
他看到了正在擦拭台阶的人，他说台阶让你擦拭得如此干净，我很高兴可以走在上面，
and the worker scrubbed harder than ever as he smiled and bowed a Thank you.
当工人微笑着鞠躬致谢时，他比以往任何时候都更加用力地擦洗。
The Bishop went on, overtaking on the way a market woman resting a moment beside the road with her basket. Good day, my good woman, said the Bishop.
主教继续往前走，途中追赶上了拿着篮子在路边休憩的市场妇女，主教说美好的一天，我善良的女性。
Let me help you on a bit with your basket. And the kindly way in which he said it made the basket seem only half as heavy as it had been before.
我来帮你拿一下篮子。他和蔼可亲地说这句话，使篮子看起来只比以前重了一半。
They parted at the cross-roads, but all the way home, the woman told her neighbors,
他们在十字路口分手了，但一路上她告诉邻居，
the basket never again grew so heavy after the Bishop had smiled and helped her.
主教微笑着帮助她之后，篮子再也没有变得这么重了。
The Bishop had helped many other people in different ways before the little woman reached home to tell her neighbors this,
在小妇人回家告诉邻居们这件事之前，主教用不同的方式帮助了许多其他人，
but when he reached home he had forgotten all about helping them and only remembered the people themselves,
但当他到家时，他已经忘记了帮助过他们，而只记得那些人。
wondering what the dear St. Valentine would do for them were he still here. Suddenly he remembered that St. Valentine's birthday was coming,
不知道亲爱的圣瓦伦丁如果还在这里会为他们做些什么，突然他想起了圣瓦伦丁的生日就要到了，
and he thought, Oh, perhaps I can write some message of love like the ones that he used to send the people.
他想，哦，也许我可以写一些爱的信息，就像他以前给人们送的一样。
So he dipped his goose-quill into the ink and began to write. One message after another he wrote;
于是他把鹅毛笔蘸进墨水里开始写字。他写了一封又一封的信；
forgetting himself, and full of love for God, St. Valentine, and all the people that he longed to help.
忘却了自己，对上帝充满了爱，圣瓦伦丁，以及所有他渴望帮助的人。
