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"Fertile," he laughed as he reached down and picked up a double handful of the soil. "This is the land, son! This is it." Then he smelt the dirt.
“肥沃，”他笑著彎下身捧起了一捧泥土，“這才叫肥沃呢，兒子！這才是真貨色。”說著，他聞了聞那泥土。
"Just like fresh air," he said as he let the dirt run between his fingers. "It's pleasant to touch, too," he added.
“就像新鮮空氣那樣。”他一面說著，一面讓那土從他的指縫間流在地上。“這土摸著都舒服。”他加了句。
"But Dad—" I said.
“可是爸——”我說道。
"I know what you think," he interrupted. "Your mother thinks the same thing. She wonders why I ever climbed to this mountaintop to raise my potatoes, yams and tomatoes! But, Jess," he almost whispered. "Anything grown in new ground like this has a better flavor. Wait until my tomatoes are ripe! You'll never taste sweeter tomatoes in your life!"
“我知道你在想什么。”他打斷了我。“你媽也這么想。她不明白我為什么要爬到山頂去種土豆、甜薯和西紅柿！但是，杰西，”他這時幾乎像在和我耳語，“在這樣新開墾的地里種出來的任何東西，都有特別的風味。等到西紅柿熟了的時候吧，你會發現你這輩子從沒有吃過那么甜的西紅柿！”
"This is the cleanest patch I've ever seen," I exclaimed. "But I still don't see why you took all this trouble. And all against your doctor's orders!"
“這的確是我見過的最干凈的一塊地，”我激動地大聲說道，“但我還是不明白你為什么要去費那個勁，而且還不聽醫囑！”
"Twenty times in my life," he said, "a doctor has told me to go home and be with my family as long as I could. Told me not to work. Not to do anything but to live and enjoy the few days I had left me. But I have cheated death many times! Now, I've reached the years the Good Book allows to a man. Three-score years and ten!"
“我這輩子曾有二十次，”他說道，“醫生跟我說，叫我回家和家人待在一起，能團聚幾天就團聚幾天。叫我不要再工作了。叫我什么都不要干，只要在剩下的幾天時間里盡情地享受。可是每一次我都躲過了死神！我現在已經用盡了《圣經》上說上帝賜給每個人的壽命，我已經整七十歲了！”
He got up from the tree stump where he was sitting and wiped the drops of sweat from his red-wrinkled face.
他從剛才坐著的樹樁上站了起來，用手擦去了他那布滿皺紋的通紅的臉上的汗水。
