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文学作品翻译:刘万里-《军嫂》英译

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A Soldier's Wife

Xia, whom I called Sister Xia as a respectful title, became a village schoolteacher, while my brother joined the army and went to Tibet. Now thousands of miles apart, they could exchange their feelings only through letters.
Sister Xia's face would beam with happiness whenever she received a letter from my brother. Her happy beams aroused my curiosity. "Let me read your letter, Sister Xia," I said.
"Little boy, it's grown-ups' stuff. You know nothing about this," she said, flushing.
"I have a girlfriend, too," I told her. "At least I can be counted as a grown-up."
She chuckled. She looked really charming when she chuckled.
Sister's Xia's elementary school was close to my home. When she finished work every day, she went directly to my home, did the laundry for us and helped with our farm work. At that time, my father was paralyzed and my mother was in poor health. It was Sister Xia who helped my family carry through until today.
Sister Xia and my brother had agreed that they would write to each other once a month, but there was this period of three months when she received nothing from him. During that period she looked really fragile. Every time she met me she would ask, "Has your brother written to you?"
I would say no and she would look disappointed.
Sister Xia would go and wait for the postman at the village entrance. When he appeared, she would go up to him, all smiles, and ask, "Is there any mail for me?" He would say no.
She kept asking him in the same way, and that kind of embarrassed him, so he said, "You don't have to wait here. If there is any letter for you, I will send it to you right away."
That day Sister Xia was teaching Wang Wei's "Missing My Brothers in Shandong on September 9;" tears rolled down her cheeks quietly when she was reading "I'm a lonely stranger in a strange place; / I miss my loved ones more on holidays." At this very moment, she saw the postman waving a letter at her outside the window.
Sister Xia's heart pounded as she received the letter. As soon as class was over, she rushed back to her dormitory and locked herself in. When she came out, she looked like a peach blossom, and her students said she was very beautiful.
When she finished work that day, she hurried over to my home to announce breaking news: my brother was coming home for the Chinese New Year. My whole family was soaked in joy. Taking out a pen, Sister Xia drew a circle on the calendar, which I knew was the day my brother was coming home.
New Year was approaching, and Sister Xia was happily busying herself with the holiday shopping, washing the quilt covers and clothes, and so on. New Year was arriving, but my long expected brother was not home yet. On New Year's Eve, it started snowing. Sister Xia stood at the village entrance waiting for my brother until midnight, when she finally turned into a snow-woman.
"Sister Xia," I said, "let's go back. My brother must have received another special task that keeps him from coming."
"I'll wait a little while longer," she said. In the quiet of the night, I could hear the sounds of her tears falling onto the snow.
In the end my brother did not come home. His letter arrived later, explaining that he had received an unexpected assignment. By the time he finished it, it was already New Year's Eve. He still wanted to come home so eagerly that he decided to set out on New Year's Day, but a heavy snowfall buried all the mountain paths, so again he just could not get down the mountains.
My brother said he was coming home for the Chinese New Year every single year, but he never did. Five years passed without our knowing it. Then he became a volunteer instead, but still he never came home. He still had to communicate with Sister Xia through letters.
Later, I was admitted into a military academy after an examination, so I had to say goodbye to Sister Xia.
When I returned home for my first winter vacation, Sister Xia told me, "I'm going to the army. Your brother and I are going to get married. Your brother has picked the date. Are you willing to take me there?" I had long wanted to go to the army for a visit, so I said yes without hesitation.
"We'll set out tomorrow so that we can get there before the snow seals the mountain passes," she said.
Our family members gave us a warm send-off the next day. We first took a train, then changed to a coach, until we got to the Tanggula Mountains. Snow was blackening the sky when we arrived at the foot of the mountains. We were warmly received by the chief, who said my brother was on a mission up on the mountains. Immediately he got a jeep to take us up there, but instantly, the roads all disappeared in the heavy snowfall.
"It's getting dark," said Sister Xia. "It's dangerous to drive ten miles on the mountain roads in such weather."
"But it's your wedding day today," said the senior officer. "How could we let you stay apart?"
"I have been waiting for eight years," said Sister Xia. "Why would I mind another day?"
The best room in the barracks was turned into Sister Xia's wedding chamber. All the soldiers swarmed in to tease the bride and the bridegroom, who was still on the mountains. The senior officer arranged a phone connection for the young couple, with Sister Xia holding a receiver on one end, my brother on the other.
The chief shouted to the receiver at the top "The wedding ceremony now begins! First, the of his voice. bride and the bridegroom kowtow to heaven and earth!"
Sister Xia kowtowed to heaven, then to earth.
"Second, the bride and the bridegroom kowtow to their parents!"
Sister Xia kowtowed to the senior officer, for her new home was the barracks.
"Third, the bride and bridegroom kowtow to each other!"
Sister Xia kowtowed to the top of the Tanggula Mountains.
The senior officer then pushed the speaker button and asked my brother, "What's the first thing you wish to tell the bride right now?"
"I want to thank her for understanding me," said my brother.
"Something more exhilarating than this!" demanded the senior officer.
"I'll love my bride forever!" said my brother.
"Louder!" said the soldiers. "We can' t hear you."
My brother repeated his words. Then I saw fat tears rolling down Sister Xia's cheeks. The senior officer handed the receiver to Sister Xia and said, "Take your time and enjoy your whispering." He swayed his hand and the soldiers soon disappeared.
It was Sister Xia's sleepless night. She did not doze off until daybreak, but just then she heard snow shoveling outside. She got up and opened the window only to see the soldiers shoveling the waist-deep snow off the road. Sister Xia was deeply touched. She felt she was the happiest person in the world. Picking up a shovel, she joined the soldiers. She kept shoveling single-mindedly until blisters appeared on her hands. Her blisters broke, and like flowers, the red blood dropped all over the white snow.
At the other end of the road, with a hung head, my brother was also shoveling the snow. He had been doing it throughout the night and he did not raise his head even when the two teams almost met. At this time, Sister Xia could already see my brother. They were only some thirty meters apart. Sister Xia wanted to call out, but tears streamed down her cheeks instead. Now my brother looked up and caught sight of Sister Xia, too. He saw the red scarf on her head flapping like a flag. It was the silk scarf he had bought for her in high school with the money he had saved penny by penny.
My brother rushed through the snow over to Sister Xia, as she dashed toward him. They flew into each other's arms in the waist-deep snow...

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embarrassed [im'bærəst]

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adj. 尴尬的,局促不安的,拮据的

 
elementary [.elə'mentəri]

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adj. 基本的,初级的,元素的

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charming ['tʃɑ:miŋ]

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adj. 迷人的

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coach [kəutʃ]

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n. 大巴,教练;(火车)客车车厢,四轮马车,经济舱

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senior ['si:njə]

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adj. 年长的,高级的,资深的,地位较高的

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academy [ə'kædəmi]

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n. 学院,学术,学会

 
scarf [skɑ:f]

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n. 围巾

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quilt [kwilt]

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n. 被子,被状物
vt. 缝被,缝制,用垫料

 
announce [ə'nauns]

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vt. 宣布,宣告,声称,预示
vi. 作播音

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beam [bi:m]

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n. 光线,(光线的)束,(横)梁,桁条
vt

 

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