Cord
纽带
Edna O'Brien
埃德娜•奧布莱恩
Everything was ready, the suitcase closed, her black velvet coat carefully brushed, and a list pinned to the wall reminding her husband when to feed the hens and turkeys. She was setting out on a visit to her daughter Claire in London, just like any mother, except that her daughter was different: she'd lost her faith, and she mixed with queer people and wrote poems.
—切都准备好了,手提箱也关上了,她的黑色天鹅绒大衣已仔细地刷过一遍,给丈夫留下的注意事项的清单也已钉在墙上,提醒他什么时候喂母鸡与火鸡。她像所有母亲一样,就要出发去看望自己在伦敦的女儿克莱尔,但和其他母亲不一样的是,她的女儿与众不同:她已经失去自己的信仰,和一些奇怪的人来往,她还写诗。
"The turkeys are the most important," she said to her husband, thinking faraway to the following Christmas, to the turkeys she would sell, and the plumper ones she would give as gifts.
“最重要的是要照料好火鸡,”她对丈夫说,心里想着遥远的圣诞节,想到那些她要出售的火鸡,而那些肥一点的,她是要当作礼物送人的。
"I hope you have a safe flight," he said. She'd never flown before.
“一路平安,”他说。她以前从没有乘坐过飞机。
"All Irish planes are blessed, they never crash," she said, believing totally in the God that created her, sent her this husband, and this daughter.
“所有爱尔兰的飞机都有上帝的保佑,从来没有出过事,”她说道。她完全相信创造了她并把她的丈夫和女儿赐给了她的上帝。