温馨夜读II PART3 1.Mother’s Hands

 

[00:00.19]Precious Love in the World

[00:04.23]Although we are always in a rush, yet, when the night becomes silent and we have time to meditate¹,

[00:11.95]there is always something which will touch our hearts and give us strength.

[00:16.52]That is love, from relatives, friends, lovers …

[00:23.17]1.Mother’s Hands

[00:26.00]Night after night, she came to tuck me in, even long after my childhood years.

[00:33.41]Following her longstanding custom, she’d lean down and push my long hair out of the way, then kiss my forehead.

[00:41.68]I don’t remember when it first started annoying me — her hands pushing my hair that way.

[00:48.00]But it did annoy me, for they felt work-worn and rough against my young skin.

[00:53.88]Finally, one night, I shouted out at her, “Don’t do that anymore — your hands are too rough!”

[01:01.06]She didn’t say anything in reply.

[01:03.89]But never again did my mother close out my day with that familiar expression of her love.

[01:09.13]Time after time, with the passing years, my thoughts returned to that night.

[01:14.68]By then I missed my mother’s hands, missed her goodnight kiss on my forehead.

[01:19.90]Sometimes the incident seemed very close, sometimes far away.

[01:24.69]But always it lurked², in the back of my mind.

[01:28.29]Well, the years have passed, and I’m not a little girl anymore.

[01:34.60]Mom is in her mid-seventies, and those hands I once thought to be so rough are still doing things for me and my family.

[01:42.55]She’s been our doctor, reaching into a medicine cabinet for the remedy to calm a young girl’s stomach or soothe³ the boy’s scraped knee.

[01:50.94]She cooks the best fried chicken in the world... gets stains out of blue jeans like I never could...

[01:57.14]Now, my own children are grown and gone.

[02:00.19]Mom no longer has Dad, and on special occasions, I find myself drawn⁴ next door to spend the night with her.

[02:07.70]So it was late on Thanksgiving Eve, as I slept in the bedroom of my youth,

[02:13.04]a familiar hand hesitantly run across my face to brush the hair from my forehead.

[02:19.35]Then a kiss, ever so gently, touched my brow.

[02:23.50]In my memory, for the thousandth time, I recalled the night my young voice complained,　

[02:30.03]”Don’t do that anymore — your hands are too rough!”

[02:33.95]Catching Mom’s hand in hand, I blurted⁵ out how sorry I was for that night.

[02:39.85]I thought she’d remember, as I did. But Mom didn’t know what I was talking about.

[02:46.64]She had forgotten — and forgiven — long ago.

[02:50.69]That night, I fell asleep with a new appreciation⁶ for my gentle mother and her caring hands.

[02:57.03]And the guilt⁷ that I had carried around for so long was nowhere to be found.

1 meditate   

v.想，考虑，（尤指宗教上的）沉思，冥想

参考例句：

• It is important to meditate on the meaning of life.思考人生的意义很重要。
• I was meditating,and reached a higher state of consciousness.我在冥想，并进入了一个更高的意识境界。

2 lurked   

vi.潜伏，埋伏（lurk的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The murderers lurked behind the trees. 谋杀者埋伏在树后。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Treachery lurked behind his smooth manners. 他圆滑姿态的后面潜伏着奸计。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 soothe   

v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承

参考例句：

• I've managed to soothe him down a bit.我想方设法使他平静了一点。
• This medicine should soothe your sore throat.这种药会减轻你的喉痛。

4 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

5 blurted   

v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She blurted it out before I could stop her. 我还没来得及制止，她已脱口而出。
• He blurted out the truth, that he committed the crime. 他不慎说出了真相，说是他犯了那个罪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

7 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。