红杉树智能英语谭刚老师朗读赛珍珠短篇|圣诞节的早晨（上）

本文是中国人民的好朋友，诺贝尔文学奖获得者美国作家赛珍珠女士所写的一个著名短篇，在此父亲节来临之际，呈现给大家：

Christmas Day in the Morning

                     Pearl S. Buck

He woke suddenly and completely. It was four o'clock, the hour at which his father had always called him to get up and help with the milking. Strange how the habits of his youth clung to him still! His father had been dead for thirty years, and yet he still woke at four o'clock in the morning. But this morning, because it was Christmas he did not try to sleep again.

Yet what was the magic of Christmas now? His childhood and youth were long past, and his own children had grown up and gone.

Yesterday his wife had said, "It isn't worthwhile, perhaps-"

 And he had said, "Yes, Alice, even if there are only the two of us, let's have a Christmas of our own.  

Then she had said. "Let's not trim the tree until tomorrow, Robert. I'm tired."

He had agreed, and the tree was still out by the back door.

He lay in his bed in his room. The door to her room was shut because she was a light sleeper. Years ago they had decided to use separate rooms. Neither of them slept as well as they once had. They had married so long that nothing could separate them, actually.

Why did he feel so awake tonight? For it was still night, a clear and starry night. No moon, of course, but the stars were extraordinary! Now that he thought of it, the stars seemed always large and clear before the dawn of Christmas Day.

He slipped back in time, as he did so easily nowadays. He was fifteen year old and still on his father's farm. He loved his father. He had not known it until one day a few days before Christmas when he had overheard what his father was saying to his mother.

 "Mary, I hate to call Rob in the mornings. He's growing so fast, and he needs his sleep. I wish I could manage alone.”

"Well, you can't. Adam. "His mother's voice was brisk. "Besides, he isn't a child any more. It's time he took his turn."

"Yes," his father said slowly, "But I sure do hate to wake him.”

When he heard these words, something in him woke: his father loved him He had never thought of it before, taking for granted the tie of their blood. Now that he knew his father loved him, there would be no more loitering in the mornings and having to be called again. He got up, stumbling blind with sleep, and pulled on his clothes.

And then on the night before Christmas, he lay thinking about the next day. They were poor, and most of the excitement was in the turkey they had raised themselves and in the mince pies his mother made. His sisters sewed presents, and his mother and father always bought something he needed, not only a warm jacket, maybe, but soothing more, such as a book. And he always saved and bought them each something, too.

 He wished, that Christmas he was fifteen, he had a better present for his father instead of the usual tie from the ten-cent store. He lay on his side and looked out of his attic window.

 "Dad," he had once asked when he was a little boy, "What is a stable?"

 "It's just a barn, ”his father had replied. "like ours."

 Then Jesus had been born in a barn, and to a barn the shepherds and the Wise Men had come, bringing their Christmas gifts!

 A thought struck him like a silver dagger. Why should he not give his father a special gift, out there in the barn? He could get up earlier, creep into the barn and get all the milking done. And then when his father went in to start the milking. he'd see it all done.

 He laughed to himself as he gazed at the stars. It was what he would do and he mustn't sleep too soundly.

 He must have waked twenty times, striking match each time to look at his old watch.     （to be continued）

圣诞节的早晨

        赛珍珠

    他猛然彻底醒了过来。四点钟,这个时候他的父亲总是会叫他起床，帮忙挤牛奶。令人奇怪的是，他年轻的时候的习惯任然保留着！他的父亲已经去世三十年了，然而他依旧会在清晨四点钟醒过来。但是因为今天是圣诞节，早晨他不想再睡了。但现在圣诞节还有什么魅力呢？他的童年和青春过去很久了，他自己的孩子都已经长大并离开了他。

    昨天他的妻子说:“圣诞节不值得过的,也许———”

    他说道:“不，值得的，爱丽丝，即使只有我们两个人，我们也要过一个属于我们的圣诞节。”

    然后她说：“罗伯特，我们明天再装饰圣诞树吧。我累了。”

    他同意了，树仍然放在后门外。

    他躺在自己房间的床上。她卧室的门关着，因为她睡觉很轻。很多年前他们就决定分房睡了，他们的睡眠质量大不如前。他们结婚太久了，没什么能把他们分开。

    为什么今晚他会睡不着呢？因为这是一个寂静的夜晚，明朗的繁星之夜，当然没有月亮，但是星星很特别！他一想到这个，便觉得圣诞节黎明前的星星总是看起来很大很明亮。

    他不知不觉地回想起了过去，近来他总是很容易回想过去。那年他15岁,仍然在他父亲的农场。他爱他的父亲，开始并没有感觉。直到圣诞节之前的某一天，当他无意中听到他父亲对他母亲所说的话他才意识到这一点。

    “玛丽，我真的不想在早晨去叫醒罗布。他在长身体，需要睡眠我希望我可以独自应付。”

    “你一个人不行的，亚当。”母亲快速地说：“另外，他不再是个孩子了。他该干活了。”

    “是啊,”他父亲缓慢地说道:“但是我确实不想叫醒他。”

    当听到这番话，他豁然醒悟到：父亲爱他！这他以前从未想到过, 他一直把他们的血缘关系当作理所当然的。既然知道父亲爱他，早上就不能再磨磨蹭蹭的了，也不会再让父亲叫第二遍才起来。他于是起床，睡眼朦胧磕磕碰碰，穿上了他的衣服。在圣诞节前夜，他躺着思考着第二天的事情。他们家很穷，圣诞节最让他们激动的就是吃他们自己养的火鸡和他母亲做的馅饼。他的姐妹们自己缝制礼物，他的父母总是买一些他需要的东西，一件保暖的夹克，或是一本书。他也总是攒钱给他们每个人买东西。

    那年圣诞节他十五岁，他希望送给父亲一份好点的礼物，而不是从便宜的商店买来的普通的领带。他侧躺着，从阁楼的窗户向外看。

   “爸爸,”当他还是小孩子的时候曾经问过,“马厩是什么?”

   “就是牲口棚,”父亲答道,“就像我们家的那个。”

    耶稣就是在马厩里降生的，牧羊人和圣人们都等着他们的圣诞礼物来到马厩!

    一个想法像银色的小刀子触动了他，为什么不在牲口棚送给父亲一件特别的礼物呢？他可以早点起床，悄悄地进牲口棚，把牛奶都挤完然后当父亲进去开始挤牛奶时，就会发现活都干完了。他凝视着星星，暗自笑了。

    他就要这样做，决不能睡得太死。 那天夜里他醒了足有20次，每次醒来都划根火柴看看他那块旧表。（未完待续）