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The sense of being the owner of the small patch of earth offered a small taste of freedom.
作為一小片土地的主人我感受到一絲自由。
In some ways, I saw the garden as a metaphor for certain aspects of my life. Leaders must also look after their gardens; they, too, plant seeds, and then watch, cultivate, and harvest the results. Like gardeners, leaders must take responsibility for what they cultivate; they must mind their work, try to drive back enemies, save what can be saved, and eliminate what can not succeed.
在某些方面，我把這個菜園當作自己生活中某些方面的寫照。領袖人物也必須照料他們的菜園；他們也一樣要播種，然后看管、培育、收獲果實。像園丁一樣，領袖們也必須為他們培育的一切負上責任；他們必須致力于自己的工作，努力擊退敵人，挽救所能挽救的一切，并去除不能取得成功的事情。
I wrote Winnie two letters about a particularly beautiful tomato plant, how I made it grow from a tender seedling to a strong plant that produced deep red fruit. But then, either through some mistake or lack of care, the plant began to wither and decline and nothing I did would bring it back to health. When it finally died, I removed the roots from the soil, washed them, and buried them in a corner of the garden.
在寫給溫妮的兩封信中我講述了一株非常美麗的番茄，告訴她我是怎樣把它從一 棵嬌嫩的幼苗培養成結出深紅色果實的強壯的植物。但是后來，也許是因為出了什么錯，也許是因為缺少照料，這棵番茄開始枯萎、凋謝，而我無論做什么都無法挽救它了。當它最終死去的時候，我把它的根從土中挖了出來，洗干凈后埋在了菜園的一角。
I told her this small story at great length. I do not know what she read into that letter, but when I wrote it I had a mixture of feelings. I did not want our relationship to go the way of that plant, and yet I felt that I had been unable to nourish many of the most important relationships in my life. Sometimes there is nothing one can do to save something that must die.
我用了很長的篇幅給她講了這個小故事。至于她從那封信中體會到了什么言外之意，我不得而知，但我當時是懷著非常復雜的心情來寫這封信的。我不希望我們之間的關系像那株植物一樣枯萎了，然而我感覺到我已不能維持我生活中許多最為重要的關系。有時，注定要逝去的東西任憑你怎么設法挽救都是徒勞的。
