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When Dad played his fiddle, the world became a bright star. To him violin was an instrument of faith, hope and charity. At least a thousand times, my mother said, “Your papa would play his fiddle if the world was about to blow up.”
每當爸爸拉起小提琴,世界就變成一顆閃亮的星星。對爸爸來說,小提琴是一種能帶來信念、希望和善意的樂器。“即使世界下一秒就要灰飛湮滅,你爸爸還是會拉他的小提琴。”這樣的話,媽媽曾說過不下一千次。
And once Dad came about as close to that as could ever be possible.
有一回,爸爸幾近要面臨那可能發生的一幕。
Everything on Nubbin Ridge—and on a majority of the small farms in Texas—was built around cotton as the money crop. But in the early years of the century, the 3)boll weevil began 4)devastating the cotton farms in the south.
紐賓山,以及德克薩斯州大部分的小農場的一切,都是建立在棉花這種經濟作物上的。然而在上世紀初期,棉鈴象甲開始侵嗜美國南部的棉花農場。
And in May of 1910 folks all over the nation were in a space-age state of 5)turmoil over 6)Halley's Comet. There were all sorts of frightening stories about the comet, the main one being that the world would pass through its tail, said to be millions of miles long.
1910年5月,全美國人民都籠罩在一片對哈雷彗星的恐慌之下,如處于太空時代般躁動不安。關于彗星聳人聽聞的說法云云種種,傳得最厲害的就是地球將穿過彗星的彗尾——據說彗尾長達數百萬英里。
Between the threats of comet and weevils, the farmers were running low on optimism. One night, the farmers gathered at our farm to discuss what to do. When everyone had found seats, Will Bowen suggested, “Charley, how about getting down your fiddle and 7)bow and giving us a little music?”
面對著彗星和棉鈴象甲的雙重威脅,農場主們都一籌莫展。一天晚上,農場主們聚集在我們的農場商量大計。當大家紛紛落座,威爾·鮑溫建議:“查理,把你的小提琴和琴弓拿出來,給大伙來點兒音樂怎么樣?”
“Aw, I don't think anybody'd want to hear me saw the 8)gourd tonight,” Dad replied.
“噢,我覺得今晚沒人想聽我拉那葫蘆吧。”爸爸回應說。
“Come on, Mr. Nordyke,” one of the younger women urged, “why don't you play for us.”
“來吧,諾達克先生,”一個年輕婦女催促說,“你就給我們拉一把吧。”
