蒲公英
I recall as a young child bringing bouquets of brilliant yellow flowers to my mother.
我想起了孩提時代我把幾束鮮艷的黃色花朵送給媽媽的事。
It didn't matter that the stems felt sticky or that both my parents cursed the presence of these flowers in the lawn.
我記得那些花的華莖很黏,我爸媽當(dāng)時都在埋怨草坪里怎么會長出這些花,但我都沒在意,
I thought they were beautiful!
因為我覺得這些花非常美麗。
And there were so many of them!
而且這美麗的花是那么多!
We spent hours picking the flowers and then popping the blossoms off with a snap of our fingers.
那天我們花了幾個小時拔這些蒲公英,然后再用手把花給掐掉。
But the supply of dandelions never ran out.
不過,草坪里一直都沒少了蒲公英,
My father or brothers would chop off all the heads with the lawn mower at least once a week,but that didn't stop these hardy wonders.
要么爸爸,要么我的兄弟們至少每星期都會用除草機(jī)割蒲公英,但那根本不能阻止這些堅強(qiáng)的小生命繼續(xù)生長。
And for those flowers that escaped the honor of being hand-delivered to my mother or the sharp blades of the lawn mower,there was another level of existence.
而那些無緣被拔掉送到我媽媽那里或是被除草機(jī)鋒利的刀鋒割掉的蒲公英卻以另外一種生命高度存活了下來。
The soft, round puffs of a dandelion gone to seed caused endless giggles and squeals of delight as we unwittingly spread this flower across the yard.
蒲公英那柔軟的圓圓的蓬松的絨球里結(jié)滿了種子,逗得我們不停地又喊又笑,我們無意中把這種花兒播撒到了整個院子里。
As I worked in my garden last week, pulling unwanted weeds out of the space that would become a haven for tomatoes, corn, peas and sunflowers,I again marveled at the flower that some call a weed.
上周,當(dāng)我在花園里拔雜草,給西紅柿,玉米,豌豆和向日葵騰地方的時候,我又驚奇地發(fā)現(xiàn)了這個有人稱之為雜草的花。
And I thought, If only I had the staying power of a dandelion.
我心里想:要是我能有蒲公英這樣的生命力該多好啊。
If only I could stretch my roots so deep and straight that something tugging on my stem couldn't separate me completely from the source that feeds me life.
如果我能像蒲公英一樣深深地,直直地扎根該多好,那樣即便有人用力拽我的莖也不能完全把我和培育我生命的大地分離。
If only I could come back to face the world with a bright, sunshiny face after someone has run me over with a lawnmower or worse,purposely attacked me in an attempt to destroy me.
如果有鋤草機(jī)在我身上碾過或是更糟糕些—有人意圖徹底摧毀我,而我卻能像蒲公英一樣依然微笑著面對這個世界,那該有多好。
If only my foliage was a nutritious source of vitamins that help others grow.
如果我的葉子是營養(yǎng)源,富含維他命,可以幫助他人成長該有多好。
If only I could spread love and encouragement as freely and fully as this flower spreads seeds of itself.
如果,我能像蒲公英自行傳播種子一樣傳播我對他人的愛和鼓舞又該多好。
The lawns at my parents' home are now beautiful green blankets.
現(xiàn)在,我爸媽的草坪是一片美麗的綠色,
The only patches of color come from well-placed, well-controlled flowerbeds.
顏色不同的地方就是那些精心培育的花床了。
Chemicals have managed to kill what human persistence couldn't.
那些人們怎么除都沒除掉的東西已經(jīng)被化學(xué)藥物除掉了。
I hope you and I can be different.
但愿你我能與此不同。
I hope that we can stretch our roots deep enough that the strongest poison can't reach our souls.
但愿我們的根能伸到即便是最猛烈的毒藥也觸及不到的地方。
I hope that we can overcome the poisons of anger, fear, hate, criticism and competitiveness.
但愿我們能抵抗得住憤怒,憎惡,批判還有攀比這些毒物。
I hope that we can see flowers in a world that sees weeds.
但愿,我們能在一個看到種子的世界里看到那美麗的花朵。