At that time I eagerly absorbed everything I read without a thought of authorship, and even now I cannot be quite sure of the boundary line between my ideas and those I find in books. I suppose that is because so many of my impressions come to me through the medium of others' eyes and ears.
那時,我如饑似渴地汲取我讀到的任何東西,從來就不會對著作本身有什么想法。即使是現在,我也無法完全在我的思想和我讀到的那些書之間劃清界限。我想,這是因為我過多地接受了別人的所見所聞,我只能依靠別人的眼睛“看”世界。
When the story was finished, I read it to my teacher, and I recall now vividly the pleasure I felt in the more beautiful passages, and my annoyance at being interrupted to have the pronunciation of a word corrected. At dinner it was read to the assembled family, who were surprised that I could write so well. Some one asked me if I had read it in a book.
故事一寫完,我就讀給老師聽。至今,我仍然清楚地記得當時的情景——我沉醉其中的樣子,還有被老師糾正單詞讀音時的懊惱之情。晚餐時,我把故事讀給全家人聽。他們驚訝于我寫得如此之好,甚至有人問我這是不是從書里讀到的故事。
This question surprised me very much; for I had not the faintest recollection of having had it read to me. I spoke up and said, "Oh, no, it is my story, and I have written it for Mr. Anagnos."
這讓我也感到非常吃驚,因為我不記得有誰曾為我讀過這樣的故事。我大聲說道:“哦,不,這是我自己的故事,是我為阿納戈諾斯先生寫的故事。”
Accordingly I copied the story and sent it to him for his birthday. It was suggested that I should change the title from "Autumn Leaves" to "The Frost King," which I did. I carried the little story to the post-office myself, feeling as if I were walking on air. I little dreamed how cruelly I should pay for that birthday gift.
于是,我把故事謄寫下來,并且把它作為生日禮物寄給了阿納戈諾斯先生。有人建議我應該把“冰雪之王”這個題目改為“秋天的落葉”,但是我堅持用自己的題目。我親自把這個小故事送到了郵局。一路上,我仿佛覺得自己走在了云層里。我完全沒有料到我為這件生日禮物付出了多么慘痛的代價。
Mr. Anagnos was delighted with "The Frost King," and published it in one of the Perkins Institution reports. This was the pinnacle of my happiness, from which I was in a little while dashed to earth.
阿納戈諾斯先生很欣賞我的《冰雪之王》,他還把故事登在了帕金斯學院的一份刊物上。可以說,這把我推到了快樂的頂點,但是片刻之間,我就從云端直墜地面。