Swans Mate for Life--Hal Torrance
天鹅之侣 生死相依

The end of my sophomore year was approaching. Mom called me at the dorm one muggy evening during the last week of May. My summer break would be spent with grandma and grandpa, helping out around their farm. The arrangement made good sense to all the family. I wasn't fully convinced of that myself but figured it was just one summer. Next year would be my little brother's turn.

大学二年级就快结束了。 五月最后一个星期一个闷热的晚上,母亲打电话到我宿舍来，想让我去外公外婆那儿度暑假，帮他们搞搞农场的活。她说这样安排对全家都有好处。 我听了并不十分心服，但想想不过是一个夏天而已。 明年就该轮上我小弟去了。

I packed my car after my last exam and said my good-byes until the fall. My friends would keep until then. Most of them were going home for the summer any-way.

最后一场考试考完我将打好的行装放进车里，跟大家告别时说秋天见。我的朋友们到那时才能见到，他们多数人也要回家度暑。

The farm was about a three-hour drive from school. My grandparents were both in their seventies, and I knew they really needed the help around the farm. Getting in the hay would be something grandpa couldn't do by himself. He also needed help with repairs to the barns and a host of other chores.

从学校到农场开车去约三个小时。 我的外公外婆都七十多岁了。我知道他们农场确实也需要个帮手。 把干草收进来外公一个人是干不了的。他也需要人帮他修理谷仓以及干其他许多经常要干的零活。

I arrived late that afternoon. Grandma had fixed more food than the three of us could possibly eat. She doted over me entirely too much. I figured all the attention would taper off once she got used to having me around, but it didn't. Grandpa wanted to bring me up to date on literally everything. By the time I settled in for bed that night, I'd decided things would be okay. After all, it was just for one summer.

那天下午我到得晚，外婆做了许多吃的，我们三人根本就吃不完。外婆疼我疼得过分了。我想等我呆久了，她习惯了，就不会这样操心了，可情况并非如此。外公想让我了解一切，什么都不漏地和我讲。 晚上到了睡觉的时候，我认为一切都会很顺利，不会有什么问题。毕竟，只是一个夏天而已。

The next morning, Grandpa fixed breakfast for the two of us. He told me Grandma had tired herself out yesterday and was going to rest in bed a little longer. I made a mental note to myself to not ask her to do things for me while I was there. I was there to help, not be a burden.

第二天早晨，外公为我们俩准备了早餐。 他对我说外婆昨天累伤了，今天要多睡一会儿。 我心里记住在这儿的日子里千万不要她再为我操劳了。 我是来帮忙的，不是要成为负担的。

Grandpa surprised me that morning. Once we were out of the house, he seemed more in his own element. The farm was his domain. Despite his age, there was confidence in the way he moved about the place. He didn't seem like the same person who had fallen asleep last night on the couch before the six o'clock news was finished. As we walked the pastures getting a close-up look at the livestock, Grandpa seemed to know each cow. And there were nearly two hundred of them!
We didn't do much real work that first day, but I gained a sense of appreciation for what Grandpa had done all those years before I was even born. He wasn't an educated man, but he had raised and provided for four children on this farm. I was impressed by that.

那天上午，外公让我吃了一惊。我们一离开家，他看上去就颇为得意。农场就是他的领地。尽管年纪大了，他走到哪儿都信心十足的样子. 他好像完全换了一个人，不像昨晚那样，六点钟的新闻还没有播完他就在躺椅上睡着了。我们走过牧场去查看放牧的牲畜，外公似乎认得每一头母牛。牧场的牲口差不多有二百多头呢！第一天我们没有干多少活，但我对外公这么多年所干的事情，甚至我出生前干过的事情，开始有点认识了。他没有念过书，但就在这农场上他养育了四个子女，这一点使我印象很深。