Love Needs No Words 大愛無聲
“Can I see my baby?” the happy new mother asked. When the bundle was nestled in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped. The doctor turned quickly and looked out the tall hospital window.
“我能看看我的孩子嗎?”剛剛做了母親的女人高興地問。當(dāng)襁褓被放到她懷里,她拿開擋著孩子小臉的布時(shí),她倒吸了一口涼氣。醫(yī)生快速地轉(zhuǎn)過身去,向外望去。
The baby had been without ears. Time proved that the baby’s hearing was prefect. It was only his appearance that the marred.
孩子天生沒有耳朵。事實(shí)證明他的聽力完全沒有問題。只是容貌有缺陷。
When he rushed home form school one day and flung himself into his mother’s arms. She sighed, knowing that his life was to be a succession of heartbreaks. He blurted out the tragedy, “A boy, a big boy … called me a freak.”
一天,他從學(xué)校飛奔回家,投入媽媽的懷抱。她嘆息著,知道他的一生將有一連串的傷心。他說出了那件讓人心碎的事情:“一個(gè)男孩,大個(gè)子男孩,叫我怪物。”
He grew up, handsome but for his misfortune. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that. He developed a gift, a talent for literature and music.
他長大了,盡管有那個(gè)悲慘命運(yùn),他還是長得很英俊。他人緣很好,如果不是因?yàn)槟莻€(gè)殘疾,他本可以做班長的,他在文學(xué)和音樂方面很有天賦。
The boy’s father had a session with the family physician,“Could you nothing be done?”
男孩的爸爸去問家庭醫(yī)生:“難道真的一點(diǎn)辦法也沒有嗎?”
“I believe I could graft on a pair of outer ears, if they could be gotten.” The doctor declared. They searched for a person who could make such a great sacrifice for the young man.
“辦法是有的。如果能找到一雙合適的外耳,我可以幫他植入。”醫(yī)生說。他們開始尋找看有誰愿意為年輕人做出這樣的犧牲。
Two years went by. One day, his father said to the son, “You’re going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But the identity of the donor is a secret.”
兩年過去了。一天,父親告訴兒子:“孩子,你終于可以做手術(shù)了。媽媽和我找到愿意為你捐耳朵的人了。但是,捐獻(xiàn)者要求身份保密。”
The operation was a brilliant success, and a new person emerged. His talents blossomed into genius. School and college became a series of triumphs. He married and enter the diplomatic service.
手術(shù)非常成功,他脫胎換骨。他的才華宛如鮮花怒放般得到了釋放。學(xué)業(yè)也取得了一連串的成功。后來,他結(jié)了婚,并做了外資官。
He would ask his father:“Who gave me the ears? Who gave me so much? I could never do enough for him or her.”
他問父親:“是誰給了我耳朵?是誰如此地慷慨?我永遠(yuǎn)報(bào)答不盡。”
“ I do not believe you could.” Said the father,“but the agreement was that you are not to know… not yet.”
“我不認(rèn)為你有那個(gè)能力去報(bào)答,”爸爸說,“我們當(dāng)初協(xié)議中規(guī)定你不能知道是誰,至少現(xiàn)在還不能。”
The years kept their profound secret, but the day did come. He stood with his father over his mother’s casket. Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched forth his hand and raised the thick, reddish-brown hair to reveal that the mother had no outer ears.
父親的守口如瓶使這個(gè)秘密保持了許多年,但是,這一天終于還是來了。他和爸爸站在媽媽的棺木前。慢慢地,輕柔地,爸爸伸出手撩起了媽媽那濃密的紅色的頭發(fā),顯露在孩子面前的竟是:媽媽沒有耳朵!
“Mother said she was glad she never got her hair cut,” his father whispered gently, “ and nobody ever thought mother less beautiful, did they?”
“媽媽說她很慶幸自己從來不用去理發(fā),” 爸爸低聲說道,“但沒人會(huì)認(rèn)為你母親因此而減少了一絲一毫的美麗,不是嗎?”