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THE BISHOP'S VALENTINE Andrea Hofer Proudfoot
主教的瓦倫丁 安德烈·霍弗·普勞德福特
You have probably sent and received many valentines. Have you ever wondered how this day came to be, and what its meaning is?
你可能已經收到了很多情人節禮物。你有沒有想過這一天是怎么來的，它的意義是什么？
This story will tell you why we celebrate Valentine Day, and what its true spirit is. Once upon a time, a long while ago,
這個故事將告訴你為什么我們要慶祝情人節，它的真正精神是什么。很久以前，
there lived in a far-off country, near the land where St. Valentine had lived, a fine young Bishop.
在一個遙遠的國度里，就在圣瓦倫丁曾經住過的地方附近，住著一位年輕漂亮的主教。
This Bishop had heard so many beautiful stories of all the brave, helpful deeds of St. Valentine,
這位主教聽過許多關于圣瓦倫丁英勇，幫助他人的事跡，
that he loved St. Valentine very dearly, and wished that he might be like him.
他非常喜歡圣瓦倫丁，希望也能像他一樣。
Now as the Bishop kept thinking about St. Valentine and really wanting to be like him, he said to himself one day,
主教一直想著圣瓦倫丁，并特別想成為像他那樣的人，有一天他對自己說，
Why don't I do some of the kind, loving acts of St. Valentine if I am really so fond of him? Just then he went out for a walk,
如果我真的如此崇拜他，為什么不做一些圣瓦倫丁做的那些充滿愛的行動呢，此時他正在散步，
and as he passed the one who scrubbed the steps, he said: It is a pleasure to walk where it is all so clean as you make it,
他看到了正在擦拭臺階的人，他說臺階讓你擦拭得如此干凈，我很高興可以走在上面，
and the worker scrubbed harder than ever as he smiled and bowed a Thank you.
當工人微笑著鞠躬致謝時，他比以往任何時候都更加用力地擦洗。
The Bishop went on, overtaking on the way a market woman resting a moment beside the road with her basket. Good day, my good woman, said the Bishop.
主教繼續往前走，途中追趕上了拿著籃子在路邊休憩的市場婦女，主教說美好的一天，我善良的女性。
Let me help you on a bit with your basket. And the kindly way in which he said it made the basket seem only half as heavy as it had been before.
我來幫你拿一下籃子。他和藹可親地說這句話，使籃子看起來只比以前重了一半。
They parted at the cross-roads, but all the way home, the woman told her neighbors,
他們在十字路口分手了，但一路上她告訴鄰居，
the basket never again grew so heavy after the Bishop had smiled and helped her.
主教微笑著幫助她之后，籃子再也沒有變得這么重了。
The Bishop had helped many other people in different ways before the little woman reached home to tell her neighbors this,
在小婦人回家告訴鄰居們這件事之前，主教用不同的方式幫助了許多其他人，
but when he reached home he had forgotten all about helping them and only remembered the people themselves,
但當他到家時，他已經忘記了幫助過他們，而只記得那些人。
wondering what the dear St. Valentine would do for them were he still here. Suddenly he remembered that St. Valentine's birthday was coming,
不知道親愛的圣瓦倫丁如果還在這里會為他們做些什么，突然他想起了圣瓦倫丁的生日就要到了，
and he thought, Oh, perhaps I can write some message of love like the ones that he used to send the people.
他想，哦，也許我可以寫一些愛的信息，就像他以前給人們送的一樣。
So he dipped his goose-quill into the ink and began to write. One message after another he wrote;
于是他把鵝毛筆蘸進墨水里開始寫字。他寫了一封又一封的信；
forgetting himself, and full of love for God, St. Valentine, and all the people that he longed to help.
忘卻了自己，對上帝充滿了愛，圣瓦倫丁，以及所有他渴望幫助的人。
