编者感悟
这几天，父爱如山的话题再次被点亮。九寨沟地震中，一位父亲拼尽全力将孩子推出被砸汽车，让大家备受感动和伤感。
对父爱的诠释最令人深刻的，当属朱自清的《背影》虽怯于言表，但那深深的爱都藏在了几句简单的嘱咐和几个朱红的橘子里，也藏在了那蹒跚离去又频频回头的背影中。
时过境迁，岁月流转，但是那些至真至纯的血脉亲情，永不会变。
今编此文，献给为人子女的你。
背 影
[作者] 朱自清
[译文] 张培基
The Sight of Father’s Back
Zhu Ziqing
我与父亲不相见已二年余了，我最不能忘记的是他的背影。那年冬天，祖母死了，父亲的差使也交卸了，正是祸不单行的日子，我从北京到徐州，打算跟着父亲奔丧回家。到了徐州见着父亲，看见满院狼藉的东西，又想起祖母，不禁簌簌地流下眼泪。父亲说：“事已如此，不必难过，好在天无绝人之路！”
It is more than two years since I last saw father, and what I can never
forget is the sight of his back. Misfortunes never come singly. In the
winter of more than two years ago, grandma died and father lost his job. I left Beijing for Xuzhou to join father in hasteninghome to attend
grandma’s funeral. When I met father in Xuzhou, the sight of the
disorderlymess in his courtyard and the thought of grandma started
tears tricklingdown my cheeks. Father said, “Now that things've
come to such a pass, it’s no use crying. Fortunately, Heaven always
leaves one a way out.”
回家变卖典质，父亲还了亏空；又借了钱办了丧事。这些日子，家中光景很是惨淡，一半为了丧事，一半为了父亲的赋闲。丧事完毕，父亲要到南京谋事，我也要回到北京念书，我们便同行。
After arriving home in Yangzhou, father paid off debts by selling or
pawningthings. He also borrowed money to meet the funeral expenses. Between grandma’s funeral and father’s unemployment, our
family was then in reduced circumstances. After the funeral was over,
father was to go to Nanjing to look for a job and I was to return to
Beijing to study, so we started out together.
到南京时，有朋友约去游逛，勾留了一日；第二日上午便须渡江到浦口，下午上车北去。父亲因为事忙，本已说定不送我，叫旅馆里一个熟识的茶房陪我同去。他再三嘱咐茶房，甚是仔细。但他终于不放心，怕茶房不妥贴，颇踌躇了一会。其实那年我已二十岁，北京来往过两三次，是没有甚么要紧的了。他踌躇了一会，终于决定还是自己送我去。我两三回劝他不必去；他只说，“不要紧，他们去不好！”
I spent the first day in Nanjing strollingabout with some friends at their invitation, and wasferryingacross the Yangtse River to Pukou the next morning and thence taking a train for Beijing on the afternoon of the
same day. Father said he was too busy to go and see me off at the
railway station, but would ask a hotel waiter that he knew to accompany me there instead. He urged the waiter again and again to take good
care of me, but still did not quite trust him. He hesitated for quite a
while about what to do. As a matter of fact, nothing would matter at all because I was then twenty and had already traveled on Beijing-Pukou
Railway a couple of times. After some wavering, he finally decided that he himself would accompany me to the station. I repeatedly tried to talk him out of it, but he only said, “Never mind! It won’t do to trust guys
like those hotel boys!”
我们过了江，进了车站。我买票，他忙着照看行李。行李太多了，得向脚夫行些小费，才可过去。他便又忙着和他们讲价钱。我那时真是太聪明过分，总觉得他说话不大漂亮，非得自己插嘴不可。但他终于讲定了价钱；就送我上车。他给我拣定了靠车门的一张椅子；我将他给我做的紫毛大衣铺好坐位。他嘱我路上小心，夜里要警醒些，不要受凉。又嘱托茶房好好照应我。我心里暗笑他的迂；他们只认得钱，托他们直是白托！而且我这样大年纪的人，难道还不能料理自己吗？唉，我现在想想，那时真是太聪明了！
We entered the railway station after crossing the River. While I was at
the booking office buying a ticket, father saw to my luggage. There was quite a bit of luggage and he had to bargain with the porter over the
fee. I was then such a smart aleckthat I frowned upon the way father
was hagglingand was on the verge ofchippingin a few words when
the bargain was finally clinched. Getting on the train with me, he picked me a seat close to the carriage door. I spread on the seat the brownish
fur-lined overcoat he had got tailor made for me. He told me to be
watchfulon the way and be careful not to catch cold at night. he also asked the trainattendantsto take good care of me. Isniggeredat father for being so impractical, for it was utterly useless to entrust me to those attendants, who cared for nothing but money. Besides, it was certainly
no problem for a person of my age to look after himself. Oh, when I
come to think of it, I can see how smartyI was in those days!
我说道，“爸爸，你走吧。”他望车外看了看，说，“我买几个橘子去。你就在此地，不要走动。”我看那边月台的栅栏外有几个卖东西的的等着顾客。走到那边月台，须穿过铁道，须跳下去又爬上去。父亲是一个胖子，走过去自然要费些事。我本来要去的，他不肯，只好让他去。我看见他戴着黑布小帽。穿着黑布大马褂，深青布棉袍，蹒跚在走到铁道边，慢慢探身下去，尚不大难。可是他穿过铁道，要爬上那边月台，就不容易了。他用两手攀着上面，两脚再向上缩；他肥胖的身子向左微倾，显出努力的样子。这时我看见他的的背影，我眼泪很快地流下来了。我赶紧拭干了泪，怕他看见，也怕别人看见。我再向外看时，他已抱了朱红的橘子往回走了。过铁道时，他先将橘子散放在地上，自己慢慢爬下，再抱起橘子走。到这边时，我赶紧去搀他。他和我走到车上，将橘子一股脑儿放在我的皮大衣上。于是扑扑衣上泥土，心里很轻松似的，过了一会说，“我走了；到那边来信！”我望着他走出去。他走了几步，回过头看见我，说，“进去吧，里边没人。”等他的背影混入来来往往的人里，再找不着了，我便进来坐下，我的眼泪又来了。
I said, “Dad, you might leave now.” But he looked out of window and
said, “I'm going to buy you some tangerines. You just stay here. Don't move around.” I caught sight of several vendors waiting for customers outside the railings beyond a platform. But to reach that platform would require crossing the railway track and doing some climbing up and
down. That would be a strenuousjob for father, who was fat. I wanted
to do all that myself, but he stopped me, so I could do nothing but let
him go. I watched him hobble towards the railway track in his black
skullcap, black cloth mandarin jacket and dark blue cotton-padded
cloth long gown. He had little trouble climbing down the railway track,
but it was a lot more difficult for him to climb up that platform after
crossing the railway track. His hands held onto the upper part of the
platform, his legs huddledup and hiscorpulentbody tipped slightly towards the left, obviously making an enormousexertion. While I was
watching him from behind, tears gushedfrom my eyes. I quickly wiped
them away lest he or others should catch me crying. The next moment
when I looked out of the window again, father was already on the way
back, holding bright red tangerinesin both hands. In crossing the
railway track, he first put the tangerines on the ground, climbed down
slowly and then picked them up again. When he came near the train, I
hurried out to help him by the hand. After boarding the train with me,
he laid all the tangerines on my overcoat, and patting the dirt off his
clothes, he looked somewhat relieved and said after a while, “I must be going now. Don’t forget to write me from Beijing!” I gazedafter his
back retreating out of the carriage. After a few steps, he looked back at me and said, “Go back to your seat. Don’t leave your things alone.” I, however, did not go back to my seat until his figure was lost among
crowds of people hurrying to and fro and no longer visible. My eyes
were again wet with tears.
近几年来，父亲和我都是东奔西走，家中的光景是一日不如一日。他少年出外谋生，独力支持，做了许多大事。那知老境却如此颓唐！他触目伤怀，自然不能自己。情郁于中，自然要发之于外；家庭琐屑便往往触他之怒。他待我渐渐不同往日。但最近两年的不见，他终于忘却我的不好，只是惦记着我，惦记着我的儿子。我北来后，他写了一信给我，信中说道，“我身体平安，惟膀子疼痛利害，举箸提笔，诸多不便，大约大去之期不远矣。”我读到此处，在晶莹的泪光中，又看见那肥胖的，青布马褂的背影。唉！我不知何时再能与他相见！
In recent years, both father and I have been living an unsettled life, and
the circumstances of our family going from bad to worse. Father left
home to seek a livelihood when young and did achieve quite a few things all on his own. To think that he should now be so downcast in old age! The discouraging state of affairs filled him with an uncontrollable feeling of deep sorrow, and his pent-up emotion had to find a vent. That is why even mere domestic trivialitieswould often make him angry, and meanwhile he became less and less nice with me. However, the separation of
the last two years has made him more forgiving towards me. He keeps
thinking about me and my son. After I arrived in Beijing, he wrote me a
letter, in which he says. “I’m all right except for a severe pain in my
arm. I even have trouble using chopsticks or writing brushes. Perhaps it won’t be long now before I depart this life.” Through the glistening
tears which these words had brought to my eyes I again saw the back of father’s corpulent form in the dark blue cotton-padded cloth long
gown and the black cloth mandarin jacket. Oh, how I long to see him again.
今日词汇
hasten英 ['heɪsn] 美 ['heɪsn]
v. 催促；赶快；加速
用作动词 (v.)
Please hasten them to send the sample.请催促他们寄来样品。
Do not hasten to bid me adieu.不要告别得那样匆忙。
disorderly英 [dɪs'ɔːdəli] 美 [dɪs'ɔːrdərli]
adj. 无秩序的；乱的；骚动的
用作形容词 (adj.)
The papers lay in a disorderly pile.文件乱七八糟地堆放着。
There is a disorderly heap of clothes in his room.
他屋里有一堆乱七八糟的衣服。
trickling
英 ['trɪklɪŋ] 美 ['trɪklɪŋ]
adj. 滴滴嗒嗒的
Blood was trickling out of a cut near his ear.
血从他耳边的伤口往外滴。
The act or condition of trickling.
滴，滴落或流淌的行为或状态。
pawning
英 [pɔːn] 美 [pɔːn]
n. 典当； 抵押物； 人质； (国际象棋中)卒
vt. 典当； 以 ... 为担保
用作名词 (n.)
He tried by every means to redeem the pawn.他千方百计要赎回典当物。
He had nothing left that he could pawn.他再也没有什么可以典当的东西了。
To make matters worse, Tien is used as a pawn in the battle.
更糟糕的是，天津饭也被抓来当作了人质。
This was sacrificing a pawn to save a rook.
这是丢卒保车。
When promoting a pawn, the player must announce which piece is chosen.当卒走到对方阵营，棋手必须宣告下一步走哪个棋。
用作及物动词 (vt.)
He tried by every means to redeem the pawn.他千方百计要赎回典当物。
A fair pawn never shamed his master.公平的典当从来不使物主丢脸。
strolling
英 ['strəʊlɪŋ] 美 ['stroʊlɪŋ]
adj. 巡回演出的
动词stroll的现在分词形式.
I often see my grandparents strolling happily arm in arm.我常常看见我的爷爷奶奶臂挽着臂愉快地散步。
I often see them strolling happily arm in arm.我经常看到他们幸福地挽臂散步。
ferrying
英 ['feri] 美 ['feri]
n. 渡船；渡口
vt. 摆渡；运输
vi. 摆渡
用作名词 (n.)
There's a good duty-free shop (ie one selling such goods) on the ferry.渡船上有个挺不错的免税商店。
The sway of the ferry made him feel sick.渡船摇摇晃晃，他感到恶心。
We crossed the river by ferry.我们坐渡船过了河。
He went down to the ferry but found the boat on the other side.他到了渡口，却发现渡船在对岸。
We waited at the ferry for two hours.我们在渡口等了两小时.
The ferry hiked the fare to forty cents.渡口把船费提高到40美分。
用作及物动词 (vt.)
Two small boats ferry people back and forth.
两只小船往返为人摆渡。
The old man ferried the travelers across a river.
这位老人用船把旅客摆渡过河。
Please ferry goods to the mainland.请将货物运往大陆。
用作不及物动词 (vi.)
The tourists ferried across to the opposite bank.游客摆渡到对岸。
wavering
英 ['weɪvərɪŋ] 美 ['weɪvərɪŋ]
摇摆的,摇幌的
Our Father doesn't respond to wavering faith.天父不会回应摇摆的信心。
A few wavering Republicans may be convinced by the tough talk.一些左右摇摆的共和党人可以通过苦口婆心的劝告改变立场。
Smart aleck
adj. 自作聪明的
haggling
英 ['hæɡl] 美 ['hæɡl]
vi. 争论；讨价还价
vt. 乱砍
n. 讨价还价；争论
用作不及物动词 (vi.)
It's not worth haggling over a few pence.为几便士争论不休实在不值得。
He preferred to be overcharged than to haggle.他宁愿被”宰”也不愿讨价还价。
用作名词 (n.)
You can haggle with the best of them.能和最厉害的人讨价还价。
In many countries you have to haggle before you buy anything.在许多国家里买东西之前都得讨价还价。
chip in插嘴
Don't try to cut in while others are talking.别人谈话时不要插嘴。
She broke in with some ideas of her own.
她插嘴说了一些自己的看法。
clinched
英 [klɪntʃ] 美 [klɪntʃ]
v. 钉牢；紧抓；扭住对手；最终解决
n. 揪扭；拥抱；固定
用作动词 (v.)
We realize that it is not easy to clinch the medals.大家意识到想夺取奖牌已经不是那么容易了。
Mike Bryan talked about getting the chance to clinch the victory.麦克布莱恩表达了拥抱胜利的喜悦。
The boxers clinch and the referee have to separate them.
拳击手扭抱在一起，裁判让他们分开。
We clinched the agreement with a handshake.我们握手达成协议。
用作名词 (n.)
When the police came the fighters were in a clinch.警察到来时，打架的人正扭成一团。
The two lovers were locked in a clinch.恋人紧紧相拥。
watchful
英 ['wɒtʃfl] 美 ['wɑːtʃfl]
adj. 注意的；警惕的；<古>不眠的；醒的
用作形容词 (adj.)
You must be watchful of your health.你必须注意你的健康。
They were not very watchful of the traffic lights.他们并不很注意红绿灯。
attendants
从业人员
sniggered
英 ['snɪɡə(r)] 美 ['snɪɡər]
v. 暗笑；窃笑
n. 暗笑；窃笑
What are you sniggering at? Haven't you seen people kissing before?你们笑什么? 没见过接吻吗?
Why do I get the feeling that I have been insulted and snigger at?为什么我觉得我受到了侮辱和耻笑？
用作名词 (n.)
Her shabby appearance drew sniggers from the guests.她样子寒酸，客人不禁暗自发笑。
The boss' wife, who was brushing her teeth in the doorway, said with a snigger.于是在门口刷牙的老板娘笑着说道。
smarty
英 ['smɑːtɪ] 美 ['smɑːtɪ]
n. 自作聪明的人
strenuous
英 ['strenjuəs] 美 ['strenjuəs]
adj. 奋发的；费力的；繁重的；积极的
He made strenuous efforts to improve his reading.他奋发努力提高阅读能力。
I'll appreciate your strenuous effort to promote the sale in your market on commission basis.在市场上为我们的产品尽全力促销的话,我将非常感谢您。
Skullcap
英 ['skʌlkæp] 美 ['skʌlkæp]
n. 无边便帽；黄苓
huddle
英 ['hʌdl] 美 ['hʌdl]
n. 杂乱一团；混乱；拥挤
v. 推挤；乱堆；草率了事
用作名词 (n.)
He shouted into the cavernous arena as if he were shouting into a huddle.他对着球场吼叫，似乎他面对的是混乱的人群。
James insisted the Cavs needed to go bigger and broke from the huddle shaking his head in disagreement.詹姆斯不住地摇头表示反对，他坚持认为骑士应该换上大个球员，打破场上的混乱局面。
The track led them to a huddle of barns and outbuildings.那条路把他们带到了一片杂乱拥挤的谷仓和库房。
At the BeiBei plant, women huddle over a conveyor belt in frigid temperatures, gluing rubber sneakers together.在贝贝公司，妇女拥挤在寒冷的传送带周围粘橡胶旅游鞋。
用作动词 (v.)
用作及物动词S ～ pron./n.
The house is very small and cannot huddle all of us.房子太小了,挤不下我们所有的人。
The enemy huddled all the people.敌人让所有的群众都挤在一起。
It is very cold outside, you'd better huddle the little cats.外面很冷,你最好把小猫都聚在一起。
corpulent
英 ['kɔːpjələnt] 美 ['kɔːrpjələnt]
adj. 肥胖的
Sitting behind the window was a corpulent woman with a face of steel.那窗口后面坐着一个面如镔铁的胖妇女。
exertion
英 [ɪɡ'zɜːʃn] 美 [ɪɡ'zɜːrʃn]
n. 努力；发挥；运用
I will check the result of your exertion in the evening.每天晚上，我要检查你努力的结果。
The young monkey, with great exertion, somehow clings to its mother.小猴子会不知何故地用极大的努力去依靠它的母亲。
用作主语
At his age physical exertion was dangerous.以他的年龄过度消耗体力是危险的。
用作动词宾语
Try to avoid physical exertion.尽量避免过度消耗体力。
He finds tennis demanding too much exertion.他发现打网球很费体力。
用作介词宾语
He was so tired after all his exertions, he slept like a baby.一番辛苦后他累极了，睡得像个婴儿。
She succeeded by the exertion of all her skill.
她用尽一切技巧才成功。
I felt that I had been amply repaid for my exertions.我感到我的努力得到了充分的回报。
He reaped a reward from exertions.他的努力得到了报偿。
They failed in spite of their exertions.他们做了许多努力仍然失败了。
Nowadays I seem tired with the least exertion.现在我好像稍一用力就感到疲劳。
Nothing is gained without exertions.凡事不花力气就不会成功。
～ to- v
It took a great deal of exertion to push the car up the hill.把汽车推上山需要花很大的气力。
～ of v -ing
She was hot and breathless from the exertion of cycling uphill.由于用力骑车爬坡，她浑身发热， 喘不过气来。
We were sweating profusely from the exertion of moving the furniture.我们搬动家具大费气力，累得大汗淋漓。
gush
英 [ɡʌʃ] 美 [ɡʌʃ]
v. 迸出；涌出；滔滔不绝地说
n. 涌出
用作动词 (v.)
Oil gushed out from the broken pipe.油从断裂的管道中涌出。
A fountain of water gush from the break fire hydrant.从损坏的消防栓里喷出水来。
In a moment more, the crowd began to gush forth from the doors of the church.过了一会儿，人群便开始从教堂的大门蜂拥而出。
His words gushed out.他的话滔滔不绝。
Her words gush forth when she meets her mother .见到母亲时，她的话滔滔不绝。
用作名词 (n.)
From the cellar grating floated up the flabby gush of porter.隔着地窖的格子窗飘出走了气的黑啤酒味儿。
If you got a deep cut in your arm, there's usually a gush of blood.如果你的胳膊被割了很深的口子,通常会有血涌出。
tangerine
英 [ˌtændʒə'riːn] 美 ['tændʒəriːn]
n. 橘子；橘子树
Give me a segment of a tangerine to taste.给我一瓣柑橘尝一尝。
Dried tangerine peel can be used as (Chinese) medicine.陈皮可以入药。
Cut a branch from a good tangerine.从一棵好橘子树上切下一截树枝。
gaze
英 [ɡeɪz] 美 [ɡeɪz]
vi. 凝视
n. 凝视
用作不及物动词 (vi.)
She sat gazing out of the window.她坐着凝视着窗外。
He gaze ruefully in the mirror at his greying lock.他凝视著镜中自己日见花白的头发，感慨岁月不待人。
She gazed at me in disbelief when I told her the news.我告诉她这消息时，她以怀疑的目光注视著我。
用作名词 (n.)
Your intent gaze made her uncomfortable.你的注目凝视使她感到不自在。
Her steady gaze did not waver.她目不转睛地注视著。
triviality
英 [ˌtrɪvi'æləti] 美 [ˌtrɪvi'æləti]
n. 琐事；平凡；轻浮
Don't waste your time on such triviality.不要把你的时间浪费在这些琐事上。
来自：今日美文朗读（becreader）
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