
Our relationship improved immensely when I married a man you liked, and things really turned around when we begin making babies right and left. We didn’t have a television set, you know, and we had to entertain ourselves somehow. I didn’t know what to expect of you and Mom as grandparents but I didn’t have to wait long to find out. Those babies adored you then just as they adore you now. When I see you with all your grandchildren, I know you’ve given them the finest gift a grandparent can give. You’ve given them yourself.
在我嫁了一個您喜歡的女婿后,我們倆之間的關系才緩和了好多。后來,我們為了好好地生個孩子,就離開了,我們之間的那些事情也就結束了。這事您也知道,我們沒有電視機看,我們就只好自娛自樂了。我不知道我還能對作為外公外婆的您和媽媽抱什么期望,但是,不要等到很久我就會找到答案。過去那些孩子熱愛您,現在他們還像以前那樣熱愛您。當我看見您和您的外孫在一起的時候,我知道您都已經給了他們最好的禮物,您把心都掏給他們了。
Somewhere along the line, the generation gap evaporated. Age separates us now and little else. We agree on most everything, perhaps because we’ve learned there isn’t much worth disagreeing about. However, I would like to mention that fly fishing isn’t all you’ve cracked it up to be, Dad. You can say what you want about wrist action and stance and blah, blah, blah
就是這樣,您我之間的代溝慢慢消失了。現在年齡和其它一些問題的差異把您和我分開,可我們在很多事情的上的看法都是一樣的,這可能是因為我們明白了沒有那么多的事情值得我們爭辯吧。然而,我想提示一下的是,爸爸,飛蠅釣魚是您最喜歡的一種釣法,您可以說些您想做的手腕動作,站姿和一些沒有用的話什么的。
I’ve been happily drifting for a lot of years, Dad, and I didn’t see you getting older.
爸爸,雖然我已經漂泊很多年了,但是我很快樂。然而,我卻發現您沒有變老,還是那么年輕。
I suppose I saw us and our relationship as aging together, rather like a fine wine. Numbers never seemed important. But the oddest thing happened last week. I was at a stop sign and I watched as you turned the corner in your car. It didn’t immediately occur to me that it was you because the man driving looked so elderly and fragile behind the wheel of that huge car. It was rather like a slap in the face delivered from out of nowhere. Perhaps I saw your age for the first time that day. Or maybe I saw my own.
隨著年齡的增長,我認為您和我之間的關系慢慢地融洽了好多,就像是一瓶好酒,越陳越香。家人看起來好像沒有一點意義似的,但是,上周發生了一件最奇怪的事情,我站在停車標志旁,看見您開著車要拐彎。可是我并沒有立刻反映到那是爸爸您。因為那個人開著車,又在那部大車的車輪后面,就顯得他歲數很大,身體也很虛弱的樣子。可我卻感到不知道從哪里飛來的一記耳光似的重重地打在我的臉上,也許,那是我第一次“看見”您的年齡,也許,只有我自己看見罷了。