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Half a Day-- Naguib Mahfous (埃及作家)
I walked alongside my father, clutching his right hand. All my clothes were new: the black shoes, the green school uniform, and the red cap. They did not make me happy, however, as this was the day I was to be thrown into school for the first time.
My mother stood at the window watching our progress, and I turned towards her from time to time, hoping she would help. We walked along a street lined with gardens, and fields planted with crops: pears, and date palms.
"Why school ?" I asked my father. "What have I done ?"
"I'm not punishing you, " he said, laughing. "School's not a punishment. It's a place that makes useful men out of boys. Don' t you want to be useful like your brothers?"
走在父親身邊，緊緊攀著他的右手。身上的衣裳全是嶄新的：黑色的小皮鞋，綠色的校服，還有紅色的帽子。這一切絲毫不能使我開心起來，因為，這是我被扔進學校的第 一天。
媽媽站在窗邊看著我們步步前行，我一次又一次轉(zhuǎn)過身來期盼著媽媽的幫助。
“為什么要這樣？”我問我的父親。“我做錯了什么嗎？”
“我不是懲罰你。”他笑著說“去上學校并不是懲罰。這是一個能把你從男孩變成有用之人的地方，你不想變得象你的兄長一樣，做個真正的男人嗎？”
I was not convinced. I did not believe there was really any good to be had in tearing me away from my home and throwing me into the huge, high-walled building.
When we arrived at the gate we could see the courtyard, vast and full of boys and girls. "Go in by yourself, " said my father, "and join them. Put a smile on your face and be a good example to others. "
I hesitated and clung to his hand, but he gently pushed me from him. "Be a man, " he said. "Today you truly begin life. You will find me waiting for you when it's time to leave. "
I took a few steps. Then the faces of the boys and girls came into view. I did not know a single one of them, and none of them knew me. I felt I was a stranger who had lost his way. But then some boys began to glance at me in curiosity, and one of them came over and asked, "Who brought you?"
"My father, " I whispered.
"My father's dead, " he said simply.
我沒有被說動。我可不相信把我從家中牽走然后扔進高墻深院的建筑有什么好的。
當我們到達學校的大門，我看見了大操場，那兒滿是男孩和女孩。“自己走進去。”父親告訴我“融入他們之中，面帶微笑面對一切，這也是給他們作個榜樣。”
我猶豫著不愿松開父親的手，但他輕輕的推開我的小手。“象個男人一樣”他說“今天你的人生真正開始了。你離開時我會在這兒等你。
我走了幾步，到處都是男孩女孩的陌生面孔，我一個也不認識……他們中也沒人認識我……我感到自己就象迷路的旅行者。接著一些孩子開始好奇的打量我，
其中一個走上前來問：“誰帶你來的？”
“我爸爸”我回答道。
“我的爸爸死了”他平淡地說。
