5.Christmas Day in the Morning(1744)

Passage Five

Pearl S. Buck, a U.S. writer who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1938, is famous for her book "The Good Earth." She was raised by missionary parents in China and married an American. Buck lived in China for nearly 40 years and wrote about a Chinese family in her famous novel.

1938年获得诺贝尔文学奖的美国作家赛珍珠的代表作是《大地》。她在中国由传教士父母抚养长大，并嫁给了一个美国人。赛珍珠在中国生活了近40年，在她著名的小说中描写了一个中国家庭。

Christmas Day in the Morning

Pearl S. Buck

【1】He woke suddenly and completely. It was four o'clock, the hour at which his father had always called him to get up and help with the milking. Strange how the habits of his youth clung to him still! His father had been dead for thirty years, and he still woke at four o'clock in the morning. But this morning, because it was Christmas, he did not try to sleep again.

【2】Yet what was the magic of Christmas now? His childhood and youth were long past, and his own children had grown up and gone. Yesterday his wife had said, "It isn't worthwhile, perhaps," and he had said, "Yes, Alice, even if there are only the two of us, let's have a Christmas of our own." Then she had said, "Let's not trim the tree until tomorrow, Robert. I'm tired." He had agreed, and the tree was still out by the back door.

【3】He lay in his bed in his room. The door to her room was shut because she was a light sleeper. Years ago they had decided to use separate rooms. Neither of them slept as well as they once had. They had been married so long that nothing could really separate them.

【4】Why did he feel so awake tonight? For it was still night, a clear and starry night. No moon, of course, but the stars were extraordinary! Now that he thought of it, the stars seemed always large and clear before the dawn of Christmas Day.

【5】He slipped back in time, as he did so easily nowadays. He was fifteen years old and still on his father's farm. He loved his father. He had not known it until one day a few days before Christmas, when he had overheard what his father was saying to his mother. "Mary, I hate to call Rob in the mornings.

【6】He's growing so fast, and he needs his sleep. I wish I could manage alone." "Well, you can't," his mother's voice was brisk. "Besides, he isn't a child anymore. It's time he took his turn." "Yes," his father said slowly, "but I sure hate to wake him."

【7】When he heard these words, something in him woke: his father loved him! He had never thought of it before, taking for granted the tie of their blood. Now that he knew his father loved him, there would be no more loitering in the mornings and having to be called again. He got up, stumbling blind with sleep, and pulled on his clothes.

【8】And then on the night before Christmas, he lay thinking about the next day. They were poor, and most of the excitement was in the turkey they had raised themselves and in the mince pies his mother made. His sisters sewed presents, and his mother and father always bought something he needed, a warm jacket, maybe, or a book. And he always saved and bought them each something, too.

【9】He wished, that Christmas he was fifteen, he had a better present for his father instead of the usual tie from the ten-cent store. He lay on his side and looked out of his attic window. "Dad," he had once asked when he was a little boy, "what is a stable?" "It's just a barn," his father had replied, "like ours." Then Jesus had been born in a barn, and to a barn the shepherds and the Wise Men had come, bringing their Christmas gifts!

【10】A thought struck him like a silver dagger: Why should he not give his father a special gift, out there in the barn? He could get up earlier, creep into the barn and get all the milking done. And then when his father went in to start the milking, he'd see it all done.

【11】He laughed to himself as he gazed at the stars. It was what he would do, and he mustn't sleep too soundly. He must have woken twenty times, striking a match each time to look at his old watch.

【12】At a quarter to three, he got up and crept downstairs, careful of the creaky boards, and let himself out. A big star hung low over the roof, a reddish gold. The cows looked at him, sleepy and surprised. It was early for them, too. But they accepted him calmly, and he fetched some hay for each cow and then got the milking pail and the big milk cans.

【13】He had never milked all alone before, but it seemed almost easy. He smiled and milked steadily, two strong streams rushing into the pail, frothing and fragrant. The cows were behaving well, as though they knew it was Christmas. The task went more easily than he had ever known it to before. Milking for once was not a chore. It was a gift to his father.

【14】When he finished, the two milk cans were full. He covered them and closed the milk-house door carefully, making sure of the latch. He put the stool in its place by the door and hung up the cleaned milk pail. Then he went out of the barn and barred the door behind him.

【15】Back in his room, he had only a minute to pull off his clothes and jump into bed, before he heard his father get up. He put the covers over his head to silence his quick breathing.

【16】The door opened. "Rob!" his father called. "We have to get up, son, even if it is Christmas." "Aw-right," he said sleepily. "I'll go on out," his father said. "I'll get things started." The door closed, and he lay still, laughing to himself. In just a few minutes, his father would know. His dancing heart was ready to jump from his body.

【17】The minutes were endless—ten, fifteen, he did not know how many—and he heard his father's footsteps again. The door opened. "Rob!" "Yes, Dad—" "You son of a—" His father was laughing, a queer sobbing sort of a laugh. "Thought you'd fool me, did you?" His father was standing beside his bed, feeling for him, pulling away the cover. "It's for Christmas, Dad!" He found his father and clutched him in a great hug.

【18】He felt his father's arms go around him. It was dark, and they could not see each other's faces. "Son, I thank you. Nobody ever did a nicer thing." "Oh, Dad, I want you to know—I do want to be good!" The words broke from him of their own will. He did not know what to say. His heart was bursting with love. "Well, I reckon I can go back to sleep," his father said after a moment. "No, listen—the little ones are waking up. Come to think of it, son, I've never seen you children when you first saw the Christmas tree. I was always in the barn. Come on!"

【19】Robert pulled on his clothes again, and they went to the Christmas tree, and soon the sun was creeping up to where the star had been. Oh, what a Christmas morning, and how his heart had nearly burst with shyness and pride as his father told his mother about how he, Rob, had got up all by himself. "The best Christmas gift I ever had, and I'll remember it, son, every year on Christmas morning, as long as I live."

【20】They had both remembered it, and now that his father was dead, he remembered it alone: that blessed Christmas dawn when, along with the cows in the barn, he had made his first gift of true love.

【21】Outside the window now, the stars slowly faded. He got out of bed and put on his slippers and bathrobe and went softly downstairs. He brought in the tree, and carefully began to trim it. It was done very soon. He then went to his library and brought the little box that contained his special gift to his wife, a diamond brooch, not large, but dainty in design. But he was not satisfied. He wanted to tell her—to tell her how much he loved her.

【22】How fortunate that he had been able to love! Ah, that was the true joy of life, the ability to love! For he was quite sure some people were genuinely unable to love anyone. But love was alive in him; it still was. It occurred to him suddenly that it was alive because long ago it had been born in him when he knew his father loved him. That was it: Love alone could waken love.

【23】And this morning, this blessed Christmas morning, he would give it to his beloved wife. He could write it down in a letter for her to read and keep forever. He went to his desk and began: My dearest love...

【24】When it was finished, he sealed it and tied it on the tree. He put out the light and went tiptoeing up the stairs. The stars in the sky were gone, and the first rays of the sun were gleaming in the east, such a happy, happy Christmas!

第五课

圣诞节的早晨

【1】他突然完全醒了。这时是四点钟，他父亲总是在这个时候叫他起来帮忙挤牛奶。奇怪的是，他年轻时的习惯至今还保留着!他的父亲已经去世三十年了，他仍然在早晨四点钟醒来。但是今天早上，因为是圣诞节，他不想再睡了。

【2】现在圣诞节的魔力是什么呢?他的童年和青年时代早已过去，他自己的孩子也已长大成人，走了。昨天他的妻子说:“也许不值得。”他说:“好吧，爱丽丝，即使只有我们两个人，我们也要过一个我们自己的圣诞节。”然后她说:“罗伯特，我们明天再修剪圣诞树吧。我累了。”他答应了，那棵树还在后门旁边。

【3】他躺在房间的床上。她房间的门是关着的，因为她睡得浅。几年前，他们决定分开使用房间。他们俩都没有以前睡得好。他们结婚这么久，没有什么能真正把他们分开。

【4】他今晚为什么这么清醒?因为那还是夜晚，一个晴朗的、满天星斗的夜晚。当然没有月亮，但是星星很特别!现在他想到了这一点，在圣诞节的黎明前，星星似乎总是又大又亮。

【5】他在时间上倒退了，就像他现在很容易做的那样。他15岁，还在他父亲的农场里。他爱他的父亲。直到圣诞节前几天的一天，当他无意中听到父亲对母亲说的话时，他才知道这一点。“玛丽，我讨厌早上给罗布打电话。

【6】他长得这么快，他需要睡眠。我真希望我能独自应付。”“嗯，你不能，”他母亲的声音轻快。“再说，他已经不是孩子了。该轮到他了。”“是的，”他父亲慢慢地说，“但我确实不愿意叫醒他。”

【7】当他听到这些话时，他内心的某种东西苏醒了:他的父亲爱他!他以前从来没有想到这一点，认为他们的血缘关系是理所当然的。既然他知道他的父亲爱他，他就不会再在早上闲逛，也不会再被召唤了。他睡眼惺忪，跌跌撞撞地站起来，穿上衣服。

【8】然后在圣诞节前夜，他躺在床上想着第二天的事。他们很穷，最令人兴奋的是他们自己养的火鸡和他母亲做的肉馅饼。他的姐妹们缝制礼物，他的父母总是给他买一些他需要的东西，一件暖和的夹克，或者一本书。他总是攒钱给他们每个人买东西。

【9】在他15岁那年的圣诞节，他希望能给父亲买一份更好的礼物，而不是从10美分商店买来的普通领带。他侧身躺下，从阁楼的窗户往外看。“爸爸，”当他还是个小男孩的时候，他曾经问过，“马厩是什么?”“那只是个谷仓，”他父亲回答说，“和我们家的一样。”耶稣出生在一个谷仓里，牧羊人和智者带着他们的圣诞礼物来到了谷仓!

【10】一个念头像一把银匕首一样刺痛了他:他为什么不给谷仓里的父亲一份特别的礼物呢?他可以早起，爬进谷仓，把所有的牛奶都挤完。然后，当他的父亲进去开始挤奶时，他会看到一切都完成了。

【11】他凝视着星星，暗自发笑。这是他要做的事，他不能睡得太熟。他大概醒了二十次，每次都划一根火柴看看他的旧表。

【12】差一刻三点，他站起身来，蹑手蹑脚地走下楼，小心翼翼地踩着吱吱作响的木板，然后走了出去。一颗大星星低低地悬挂在屋顶上，呈淡红色的金色。奶牛们看着他，困倦而惊讶。对他们来说也太早了。但他们平静地接受了他，他给每头牛拿了一些干草，然后拿了挤奶桶和大牛奶罐。

【13】他以前从来没有一个人挤过牛奶，但这似乎很容易。他微笑着，稳稳地挤着牛奶，两股水流涌进桶里，冒着泡沫，散发着香味。奶牛表现得很好，好像它们知道今天是圣诞节似的。这项任务比他以前所知道的要容易得多。这一次挤牛奶并不是一件苦差事。这是给他父亲的礼物。

【14】当他完成时，两个牛奶罐都满了。他盖上了被子，小心地关上了牛奶房的门，并检查了门闩。他把凳子放到门边的原处，把洗干净的牛奶桶挂起来。然后他走出谷仓，闩上了身后的门。

【15】回到房间后，他只有一分钟的时间脱下衣服跳到床上，就听到他父亲起床了。他把被子盖在头上，使他急促的呼吸安静下来。

【16】门开了。“罗伯!”他的父亲喊道。“孩子，即使是圣诞节，我们也得起床。”“好吧。”他困倦地说。“我要出去，”他父亲说。“我来开始吧。”门关上了，他静静地躺着，暗自发笑。几分钟后，他的父亲就会知道。他那颗跳动的心快要跳出来了。

【17】时间过得没完没了，十分钟，十五分钟，他不知道是多少分钟，他又听到了父亲的脚步声。门开了。“罗伯!”“是的，爸爸”“你这个...”他父亲笑了，一种奇怪的抽泣般的笑。“你以为你能骗过我，是不是?”他的父亲站在床边，为他摸索着，拉开被子。“这是圣诞节的礼物，爸爸!”他找到了父亲，紧紧地抱住了他。

【18】他感到父亲的双臂环绕着他。天很黑，他们看不见彼此的脸。“儿子，谢谢你。没有人做过比这更好的事了。”“哦，爸爸，我想让你知道,我真的想做好人!”这些话是他自己说出来的。他不知道说什么好。他的心里充满了爱。“好了，我想我可以回去睡觉了。”父亲过了一会儿说。“不，听着,小家伙们醒了。我想起来了，孩子，我从来没见过你们这些孩子第一次看到圣诞树的时候。我总是在谷仓里。来吧!”

【19】罗伯特重新穿上衣服，他们走到圣诞树前，不久太阳就爬到了星星所在的地方。啊，多么美好的圣诞节的早晨啊!当他的父亲告诉他的母亲他罗布是如何独自起床的时候，他的心几乎被羞怯和骄傲炸裂了。“这是我收到过的最好的圣诞礼物，儿子，只要我还活着，每年圣诞节的早晨，我都会记得的。”

【20】他们都记得这件事，现在他的父亲去世了，他独自记得:那个神圣的圣诞节黎明，他和牲口棚里的奶牛一起，做出了他的第一份真爱的礼物。

【21】现在窗外的星星慢慢地消失了。他下了床，穿上拖鞋和浴袍，轻轻地走下了楼。他把树搬进来，小心翼翼地开始修剪。很快就完成了。然后他去了书房，拿出一个小盒子，里面装着他送给妻子的特别礼物，一枚钻石胸针，不大，但设计精致。但他并不满足。他想告诉她，告诉她他有多爱她。

【22】他能去爱是多么幸运啊!啊，这才是生活的真正乐趣，能够去爱!因为他很确定有些人是真的不会去爱任何人。但爱在他心中是鲜活的;它仍然是。他突然想到，这是因为很久以前，当他知道父亲爱他的时候，这种爱就在他心中产生了。就是这样:只有爱才能唤醒爱。

【23】今天早晨，这个幸福的圣诞节早晨，他要把它送给他深爱的妻子。他可以把它写在一封信里，让她永远阅读和保存。他走到桌前，开始说:我最亲爱的……

【24】完成后，他把它封好，绑在树上。他熄了灯，踮着脚尖上了楼。天上的星星不见了，太阳的第一缕光芒在东方闪烁，多么幸福、快乐的圣诞节啊!