Our relationship improved immensely when I married a man you liked, and things really turned around when we begin making babies right and left. We didn’t have a television set, you know, and we had to entertain ourselves somehow. I didn’t know what to expect of you and Mom as grandparents but I didn’t have to wait long to find out. Those babies adored you then just as they adore you now. When I see you with all your grandchildren, I know you’ve given them the finest gift a grandparent can give. You’ve given them yourself.
在我嫁了一个您喜欢的女婿后,我们俩之间的关系才缓和了好多。后来,我们为了好好地生个孩子,就离开了,我们之间的那些事情也就结束了。这事您也知道,我们没有电视机看,我们就只好自娱自乐了。我不知道我还能对作为外公外婆的您和妈妈抱什么期望,但是,不要等到很久我就会找到答案。过去那些孩子热爱您,现在他们还像以前那样热爱您。当我看见您和您的外孙在一起的时候,我知道您都已经给了他们最好的礼物,您把心都掏给他们了。
Somewhere along the line, the generation gap evaporated. Age separates us now and little else. We agree on most everything, perhaps because we’ve learned there isn’t much worth disagreeing about. However, I would like to mention that fly fishing isn’t all you’ve cracked it up to be, Dad. You can say what you want about wrist action and stance and blah, blah, blah
就是这样,您我之间的代沟慢慢消失了。现在年龄和其它一些问题的差异把您和我分开,可我们在很多事情的上的看法都是一样的,这可能是因为我们明白了没有那么多的事情值得我们争辩吧。然而,我想提示一下的是,爸爸,飞蝇钓鱼是您最喜欢的一种钓法,您可以说些您想做的手腕动作,站姿和一些没有用的话什么的。
I’ve been happily drifting for a lot of years, Dad, and I didn’t see you getting older.
爸爸,虽然我已经漂泊很多年了,但是我很快乐。然而,我却发现您没有变老,还是那么年轻。
I suppose I saw us and our relationship as aging together, rather like a fine wine. Numbers never seemed important. But the oddest thing happened last week. I was at a stop sign and I watched as you turned the corner in your car. It didn’t immediately occur to me that it was you because the man driving looked so elderly and fragile behind the wheel of that huge car. It was rather like a slap in the face delivered from out of nowhere. Perhaps I saw your age for the first time that day. Or maybe I saw my own.
随着年龄的增长,我认为您和我之间的关系慢慢地融洽了好多,就像是一瓶好酒,越陈越香。家人看起来好像没有一点意义似的,但是,上周发生了一件最奇怪的事情,我站在停车标志旁,看见您开着车要拐弯。可是我并没有立刻反映到那是爸爸您。因为那个人开着车,又在那部大车的车轮后面,就显得他岁数很大,身体也很虚弱的样子。可我却感到不知道从哪里飞来的一记耳光似的重重地打在我的脸上,也许,那是我第一次“看见”您的年龄,也许,只有我自己看见罢了。