評論
打印
"It means what you think you are singing is different from the music." Sister patted my hand. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, dear. You will still be in the pageant. You will be a lip-syncher. You may mouth the words, but no sound must be uttered. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
“就是說你發出來的聲音與你自己想像的不一樣，”她拉著我的手說。“這沒什么值得害羞的，親愛的。你仍然可以參加合唱隊。在演唱時，你做出發音的口型就可以了，但不要發聲。你明白我的意思嗎?”
I understood, all right. I was so ashamed, I didn't go home after school. I took the bus straight to Aunt Dolly's house. She had an answer for everything.Independently single in an era when most women wed, she'd gone on safari, and planned to visit every country in the world. More than anyone else, she would understand that my world had been turned upside down by this terrible thing.
“我明白。”我是如此羞愧，以至于放學后我沒有回家，而是直接坐公共汽車來到了多莉姑姑家。在我眼里，沒有什么事情能夠難得倒她。在那個大多數女性都要嫁人的年代里，她勇敢地選擇獨身生活。她還參加過狩獵遠征隊，并打算環游整個世界。她能理解我的世界是如何被這個可怕的發現搞得翻了天。
Aunt Dolly served me cookies and milk. "What will I do?" I sobbed.
多莉姑姑給我端來餅干和牛奶。“我該怎么辦?”我抽泣著說。
Aunt Dolly dunked her cookie in my milk. She drummed her fingers on the kitchen table as her brow creased in thought. Finally her eyes grew wide. "I've got it!" she said. "I will wear my hat!"
多莉姑姑將她的曲奇餅干浸入我的牛奶里。多莉姑姑的手指在桌上敲著，眉頭皺在一起。最后她眼睛一亮，“有辦法了！我將帽子戴上！”
Her hat? How can a hat help me with being tone-deaf? Aunt Dolly leveled her brown eyes on my face. "Jacquelyn, I'm about to reveal a bit of secret information about angels, but first you must swear that you will never tell a soul."
帽子?它能幫我解決“音盲”這個大問題嗎?她那棕色的眼睛盯著我，“杰奎琳，我得透露一點兒天使的秘密，但首先你得發誓不會告訴任何人。”
"I swear," I whispered.
“我發誓。”我低聲說。
Aunt Dolly took my hand in hers. "When I was in Rome, praying in St. Peter's," she said, "I overheard a conversation in the next pew. It seems that other tone-deaf people also have concerns about God not understanding their silence in song. They were told, in the strictest confidence, of course, that a simple piece of aluminum foil is the answer."
多莉姑姑抓著我的手說：“當我在羅馬圣彼得教堂祈禱時，曾聽到旁邊座位上一個人講話。他也是個音盲，也擔心上帝聽不到他的歌聲。那里的牧師悄悄告訴他，一小塊鋁箔就可以解決這個問題。”
"I don't understand."
“我不明白。”
"You mouth the words," she said. "Your silent words reflect off the foil. Angels capture the words and put them in special pouches they carry up to God."
“你在嘴里默默地念出歌詞，它們會通過鋁箔反射，天使就能捕捉到這些聲音，把它們放到特制的袋子里，然后送給上帝。”
