《祖母》，1845 年

Grandmother, 1845

祖母年纪很大了，她满脸皱纹，头发全白了；但她的眼睛就像两颗星星，当她看着你时，眼神里透着温和、慈祥的神情，这让你感觉很舒服。

Grandmother is very old, her face is wrinkled, and her hair is quite white; but her eyes are like two stars, and they have a mild, gentle expression in them when they look at you, which does you good.

她穿着一件质地厚重、华丽的丝绸连衣裙，上面绣着大朵的花；她走动时，裙子会沙沙作响。

She wears a dress of heavy, rich silk, with large flowers worked on it; and it rustles when she moves.

而且她能讲出最精彩的故事。

And then she can tell the most wonderful stories.

祖母懂得很多事情，因为她比父亲和母亲的年纪都大 —— 这是肯定的。

Grandmother knows a great deal, for she was alive before father and mother — that’s quite certain.

她有一本带大银扣的赞美诗集，她经常在里面阅读；在书页间，夹着一朵玫瑰，已经完全扁平且干枯了；它不像插在花瓶里的那些玫瑰那么漂亮，但她却对着它笑得非常开心，甚至眼里还涌出了泪水。

She has a hymn-book with large silver clasps, in which she often reads; and in the book, between the leaves, lies a rose, quite flat and dry; it is not so pretty as the roses which are standing in the glass, and yet she smiles at it most pleasantly, and tears even e into her eyes.

“我不明白祖母为什么要那样看着旧书里的那朵枯萎的花？

你知道吗？”

“I wonder why grandmother looks at the withered flower in the old book that way?

do you know?”

哎呀，当祖母的泪水滴落在玫瑰上，她正看着它的时候，玫瑰复活了，它的芬芳弥漫了整个房间；墙壁像在雾中一样消失了，她周围全是一片郁郁葱葱的树林，夏天的时候，阳光透过茂密的枝叶洒下来；而祖母呢，她又变年轻了，成了一位迷人的少女，像玫瑰一样清新，有着圆圆的、红润的脸颊，一头金黄、光亮的卷发，身材美丽又优雅；但那双眼睛，那温和、圣洁的眼睛，还是原来的样子 —— 它们一直留在祖母身上。

why, when grandmother’s tears fall upon the rose, and she is looking at it, the rose revives, and fills the room with its fragrance; the walls vanish as in a mist, and all around her is the glorious green wood, where in summer the sunlight streams through thick foliage; and grandmother, why she is young again, a charming maiden, fresh as a rose, with round, rosy cheeks, fair, bright ringlets, and a figure pretty and graceful; but the eyes, those mild, saintly eyes, are the same, — they have been left to grandmother.

在她身边坐着一个年轻男子，又高又壮；他送给她一朵玫瑰，她笑了。

At her side sits a young man, tall and strong; he gives her a rose and she smiles.

祖母现在可不能那样笑了。

Grandmother cannot smile like that now.

是的，她正对着那天的回忆微笑，也想起了过去的许多思绪和往事；但那个英俊的年轻人已经不在了，玫瑰也在那本旧书里枯萎了，祖母又坐在那儿，变回了一位老妇人，低头看着书中那朵枯萎的玫瑰。

Yes, she is smiling at the memory of that day, and many thoughts and recollections of the past; but the handsome young man is gone, and the rose has withered in the old book, and grandmother is sitting there, again an old woman, looking down upon the withered rose in the book.

祖母现在已经去世了。

Grandmother is dead now.

她之前一直坐在扶手椅里，给我们讲了一个长长的、美妙的故事；讲完后，她说她累了，便把头往后仰靠去睡一会儿。

She had been sitting in her arm-chair, telling us a long, beautiful tale; and when it was finished, she said she was tired, and leaned her head back to sleep awhile.

我们能听到她睡着时轻柔的呼吸声；呼吸声渐渐变得更轻柔、更平静了，她的脸上洋溢着幸福与安详。

we could hear her gentle breathing as she slept; gradually it became quieter and calmer, and on her countenance beamed happiness and peace.

就好像被一缕阳光照亮了一样。