獻(xiàn)你一束花

A Bouquet of Flowers for You

馮驥才

Feng Jicai

鮮花，理應(yīng)呈送給凱旋歸來的英雄。難道獻(xiàn)給這黯淡無關(guān)的失敗者？

Flowers should be presented to winners who have returned home with flying colors after competitions. Why should they be given to this disgraced loser?

她一直垂著頭。前四天，她從平衡木上打著旋兒跌在墊子上時(shí)，就把美麗而神氣的頭垂下來。現(xiàn)在她回國(guó)了，走入首都機(jī)場(chǎng)的大廳，簡(jiǎn)直要把腦袋藏進(jìn)領(lǐng)口里去。她怕見前來歡迎的人們，怕記者問什么，怕姐姐和姐夫來迎接她，甚至怕見到機(jī)場(chǎng)那個(gè)熱情的女服務(wù)員——她的崇拜者，每次出國(guó)經(jīng)過這里，都跑來幫著她提包兒……有什么臉來見人，大敗而歸！

Since she fell on the mattress from the horizontal bar four days before while doing a somersault, she had kept her beautiful and once proud head bent. Now she was back at the Capital Airport from abroad. Upon entering the lobby, she wished she could hide her head under her collar. She was ashamed to face the people who had come to welcome her right at the airport, to be interviewed by the reporters, or to meet her sister and brother-in-law. She was even afraid to see the warm-hearted stewardess—one of her admirers. Each time she went abroad from the airport, this stewardess would rush up to help her with her luggage. What a shame that she had absolutely failed!

這次世界性比賽，她完全有把握登上平衡木和高低杠“女王”的寶座，國(guó)內(nèi)外的行家都這么估計(jì)，但她的表演把這些希望的燈全都關(guān)上了。

Before she set off for the International Gymnastics Championships, she was fully confident of winning the World Titles for horizontal bar and uneven bars, and gym experts both at home and abroad had so expected. But her poor performance had shamefully shattered all of their expectations.

兩年前，她第一次出國(guó)參加比賽，夾在許多名揚(yáng)海外的姑娘們中間，不受人注意，心里反而沒負(fù)擔(dān)，出人意料拿了兩項(xiàng)冠軍。回國(guó)時(shí)，就在這機(jī)場(chǎng)大廳里，她受到空前熱烈的迎接。許多只手朝她伸來，許多攝影機(jī)鏡頭對(duì)準(zhǔn)她，一個(gè)戴眼鏡的記者死死糾纏著問：“你最喜歡什么？”她不知如何作答，抬眼看見一束花，便說：“花！”于是就有幾十束花朝她塞來，多得抱不住。兩年來多次出國(guó)比賽，她胸前掛著一個(gè)又一個(gè)亮晃晃的獎(jiǎng)牌回來，迎接她的是笑臉、花和攝影機(jī)雪亮的閃光。是不是這就加重她的思想負(fù)擔(dān)？愈贏就愈怕輸，成績(jī)的包袱比失敗的包袱更重。精神可以克服肉體的痛苦，肉體無法擺脫開精神的壓力。這次她在平衡木上稍稍感覺自己有些不穩(wěn)，內(nèi)心立刻變得慌亂而不能自制。她失敗了，并且跟著在下面其他項(xiàng)目的比賽中一塌糊涂地垮下來……

Two years before, she had gone abroad to take part in an international competition for the first time. Among so many girls who had already won fame abroad, she attracted little attention. Yet because her mind was kept free of her anxiety about failure, she unexpectedly won two World Titles. When she returned home that year, she was given an enthusiastic welcome in the same lobby. Many hands stretched out to her, many camera lenses focused on her. A reporter in glasses kept pestering her with the question: “What do you like best?” She was wondering how to respond when she caught sight of a bouquet of flowers. Then she said, “Flowers!” Following her remarks, bunches of flowers were at once presented out to her, too many for her to hold. During the past two years, she had participated in many international competitions and brought back one shining medal after another. What she got in return was all smiles, flowers and camera flashes. Was it because of this that she became preoccupied with winning? The more she won, the more obsessed she was with the fear of losing. So her mind was in fact more burdened with success than with failure. The mind could control physical pains but could not free itself from mental strain easily. This time when she was a little off balance on the horizontal bar, she became so worried that she lost self-control and fell off. This failure was followed by several more in other events.

本來她怕見人，走在隊(duì)伍最后，可是當(dāng)她發(fā)現(xiàn)很少有人招呼她，攝影記者也好像有意避開她時(shí)，她感到冷落，加重了心中的沮喪和愧疚，縱使她有回天之力，一時(shí)也難補(bǔ)償，她茫然了。是呵，誰愿意與失敗者站在一起？

Afterwards in order to avoid people at the airport, she trailed along behind the team. When she found that very few people greeted her and reporters seemed to shun her, she felt hurt and deserted and became more humiliated and shamed of herself. However hard she tried, she couldn’t turn the tide; she was a complete failure. Indeed, who would side with a failure?

忽然她發(fā)現(xiàn)一雙腳停在她眼前。誰？她一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)向上看，深藍(lán)色的服裝，長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的腿，銅衣扣，無檐帽下一張潔白嫻靜的臉兒。原來是機(jī)場(chǎng)那女服務(wù)員，正背著雙手，含笑對(duì)她說：“我在電視里看見了你們比賽，知道你今天回來，特意來迎接你。”

All of a sudden, she saw a pair of shoes in front of her. Who could it be? She raised her bent head slowly and saw a navy blue suit, long legs, brass buttons and then a clear fair face under a brimless cap. Before her stood the stewardess with her hands behind her back, speaking with a smile, “I watched your performance on the television. I knew you would come home today. So I am here especially to welcome you.”

“我真糟！”她趕緊垂下頭。

“I did very poorly.” She lowered her head again.

“不，你同樣用盡汗水和力量。”

“No. You did your best.”

“我是失敗者。”

“But I failed.”

“誰都不能避免失敗。我相信，失敗和勝利對(duì)于你同樣重要。讓失敗屬于過去，勝利才屬于未來。”女服務(wù)員的聲音柔和又肯定。

“Nobody can avoid failure. I believe failure is as important to you as success. Failure belongs to the past, and victory is the future.” The stewardess’s voice came gentle but firm.

她聽了這話，重新抬起頭來。只見女服務(wù)員把背在身后的手向前一伸，一大束五彩繽紛的花捧到她的面前。濃郁的香氣竟化作一股奇異的力量注入她的身體。她頓時(shí)熱淚滿面。

Hearing these words, the girl raised her head. The stewardess held out her hands from behind her back with a big bouquet of colorful flowers, and presented it to the girl. The strong fragrance seemed to turn into a magic, powerful current that went through her body. She was moved to tears.

怎么？花，理應(yīng)呈送給凱旋歸來的英雄，難道也要獻(xiàn)給這黯淡無光的失敗者？

Flowers are usually given to victorious heroes. Why to this disgraced loser?

(喬萍、瞿淑蓉、宋洪瑋 編著)

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