She said she had started to play in church where she and her grandmother had to walk over tow miles,
她說(shuō),她開(kāi)始在教堂里彈琴,她和奶奶要走兩英里去那家教堂。
and that she then played in school, had won many awards and a music scholarship.
后來(lái),她在學(xué)校里彈琴,獲得許多獎(jiǎng)并一項(xiàng)音樂(lè)獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金。
She had married an attorney in Memphis and he had bought her that beautiful grand piano she was playing.
她嫁了一位孟菲斯的律師,先生給她買(mǎi)了那架她正在彈的,漂亮的平臺(tái)鋼琴。
Something else entered my mind. Elise, I asked, it's a little dark in here. What color is that piano?
我想起了另外一件事。艾麗絲, 我問(wèn)她,這里有點(diǎn)兒暗。那架鋼琴是什么顏色的?
It's red mahogany, she said, Why? I couldn't speak.
是一架紅木的,她說(shuō),為什么?我一時(shí)語(yǔ)塞。
Did she understand the significance of the red mahogany?
她懂得這紅木的意義嗎?
The unbelievable audacity of her grandmother insisting on a red mahogany piano
她奶奶那令人難以置信的勇氣,
when no one in his right mind would have sold her a piano of any kind? I think not.
當(dāng)沒(méi)有一個(gè)人在處于正常思維情況下肯賣(mài)給她任何一架鋼琴的時(shí)候,她卻堅(jiān)持要一架紅木的?我不認(rèn)為她懂。
And then the marvelous accomplishment of that beautiful, terribly underprivileged child in the feedsack dress?
我想她也不知道當(dāng)年那個(gè)穿著布袋裝,美麗的,窮困潦倒的小女孩,現(xiàn)在取得了如此非凡成就的背后有她奶奶的艱辛支持。
No, I'm sure she didn't understand that either. But I did, and my throat tightened.
她不知道,但是,我懂。我的喉嚨哽咽了。
Finally, I found my voice. I just wondered, I said.
最后,我終于能說(shuō)話了。我剛才想……
I'm proud of you, but I have to go to my room.
我為你驕傲……不過(guò),我得進(jìn)我的房間了。
And I did have to go to my room, because men don't like to be seen crying in public.
我的確得回我的房間去了,因?yàn)槟腥瞬辉敢獗蝗丝吹皆诠_(kāi)場(chǎng)合流淚。