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Christmas Day in the Morning
圣誕節的早晨
Pearl S. Buck
賽珍珠
He woke suddenly and completely. It was four o'clock, the hour at which his father had always called him to get up and help with the milking. Strange how the habits of his youth clung to him still! His father had been dead for thirty years, and he still woke at four o'clock in the morning. But this morning, because it was Christmas, he did not try to sleep again.
他猛然徹底醒了過來。四點鐘，以前這個時候他的父親總是會叫他起床，幫忙擠牛奶。令人奇怪的是，他年輕時的習慣仍然保留著！他的父親已經去世三十年了，然而他仍然會在清晨四點鐘醒過來。但是因為今天是圣誕節，他不想再睡了。
Yet what was the magic of Christmas now? His childhood and youth were long past, and his own children had grown up and gone.
然而，現在圣誕節還有什么魅力呢？他的童年和青春已經逝去很久了，他自己的孩子都已經長大并離開了他。
Yesterday his wife had said, "It isn't worthwhile, perhaps—"
昨天他的妻子說：“圣誕不值得過的，也許……”
And he had said, "Yes, Alice, even if there are only the two of us, let's have a Christmas of our own."
他說道：“不，值得的，艾麗絲，即使只有我們兩個人，我們也要過一個屬于我們的圣誕節。”
Then she had said, "Let's not trim the tree until tomorrow, Robert. I'm tired."
然后她說：“羅伯特，我們明天再裝飾圣誕樹吧。我累了。”
He had agreed, and the tree was still out by the back door.
他同意了，樹仍然放在外面，在后門旁。
He lay in his bed in his room. The door to her room was shut because she was a light sleeper. Years ago they had decided to use separate rooms. Neither of them slept as well as they once had. They had been married so long that nothing could really separate them.
他躺在自己房間的床上。她房間的門關著，因為她的睡眠很輕。多年前他們就決定分房睡。他倆睡眠質量都不如從前了。結婚這么久，久到沒有什么能真正把他們分開。
Why did he feel so awake tonight? For it was still night, a clear and starry night.
為什么今晚他會睡不著呢？因為這是一個寂靜的夜晚，明朗的繁星之夜。
