CONVALESCENCE.
痊愈
Thursday, 20th.
周四,二十日
Who could have told me, when I returned from that delightful excursion with my father, that for ten days I should not see the country or the sky again? I have been very ill--in danger of my life. I have heard my mother sobbing--I have seen my father very, very pale, gazing intently at me; and my sister Silvia and my brother talking in a low voice; and the doctor, with his spectacles, who was there every moment, and who said things to me that I did not understand. In truth, I have been on the verge of saying a final farewell to every one. Ah, my poor mother! I passed three or four days at least, of which I recollect almost nothing, as though I had been in a dark and perplexing dream. I thought I beheld at my bedside my kind schoolmistress of the upper primary, who was trying to stifle her cough in her handkerchief in order not to disturb me. In the same manner I confusedly recall my master, who bent over to kiss me, and who pricked my face a little with his beard; and I saw, as in a mist, the red head of Crossi, the golden curls of Derossi, the Calabrian clad in black, all pass by, and Garrone, who brought me a mandarin orange with its leaves, and ran away in haste because his mother is ill.
和父親作了快樂的旅行回來,十天之中,竟不能見天地,這真是做夢也料不到的事情。我在這幾天內,病得幾乎沒有命了。只蒙睛地記得母親曾暖泣,父親曾臉色蒼白地守著我,雪爾維姊姊和弟弟低產談著。戴眼鏡的醫生守在床前,向我說著什么,但我全不明白。只差一些,我已要和這世永別了。其中有三四天什么都茫然,像在做黑暗苦痛的夢!記得我二年級時的女先生曾到床前,把手帕掩住了口咳嗽。我的先生曾彎下上身和我接吻,我臉上被須觸著覺得痛??寺逦鞯募t發,代洛西的金發,以及著黑上衣的格拉勃利亞少年,都好像在云霧中??≡弥粋€帶葉的夏橘來贈我,他因母親有病,記得立刻回去了。
Then I awoke as from a very long dream, and understood that I was better from seeing my father and mother smiling, and hearing Silvia singing softly. Oh, what a sad dream it was! Then I began to improve every day. The little mason came and made me laugh once more for the first time, with his hare's face; and how well he does it, now that his face is somewhat elongated through illness, poor fellow! And Coretti came; and Garoffi came to present me with two tickets in his new lottery of "a penknife with five surprises," which he purchased of a second-hand dealer in the Via Bertola. Then, yesterday, while I was asleep, Precossi came and laid his cheek on my hand without waking me; and as he came from his father's workshop, with his face covered with coal dust, he left a black print on my sleeve, the sight of which caused me great pleasure when I awoke.
等得從長夢中醒來,神志清了,見父親母親在微笑,雪爾維姊姊在低聲唱歌,我才知道自己的病已大好了。啊!真是可悲的噩夢??!從此以后每日轉好。等“小石匠”來裝兔臉給我看,我才開笑臉。那孩子從病以后,臉孔長了許多,兔臉比以前似乎裝得更像了??扇R諦也來了,卡洛斐來時,把他正在經營的小刀的彩票送了我兩條。昨天我睡著的時候,潑來可西來,據說將我的手在自己的頰上觸了一下就去了。他是從鐵工場來的,臉上泊著煤炭,我軸上也因而留下了黑跡。我醒來見著很是快活。