精美英文欣赏:母亲赫本

Hepburn, the Mother

I remember whenever she had to go to a dinner or a cocktail¹ party, she would always say, “Oh, if only I could stay home and eat in the kitchen with you.”

I remember school days, cramming² for exams for which she probably fretted³ more than I did. She would test me before bed and again in the morning, waking up with the sort of sleepy head only adults enjoy.

I remember her elation⁴ at good grades, her support and positiveness for the “not so good ones.”

I remember sleepovers on weekends, when we would chat with the lights out. We would talk about feelings and plans and people and things, but in that way that is specific to that darkness, like two souls suspended.

I close my eyes and remember, through the nose, her scent⁵: powdery, elegant, safe, strong, the scent of unconditional⁶ love. I look down and see her delicate hands, their skin so thin I can faintly see their veins⁷, her nails round, soft, and clear. They caressed⁸ me, they walked me to school, and I held on to them when I was scared. Oh, how I miss them!

母亲赫本

我记得，每次她不得不去参加晚宴或者鸡尾酒会时，她总会说：“噢，我多希望可以呆在家，和你留在饭厅吃晚饭。”

我还记得上学时，为应付学校的考试而临急抱佛脚。可能那时侯母亲比我更焦虑。因为临睡前，她考我一次，第二天早上她混混沌沌醒来后，又考我一次。在那种刚醒来时头脑浑沌的状态下学习，我想，只有大人才会忍受得了。

还记得，她会为我取得好成绩而兴高采烈，也会在我成绩不太理想时给予支持和鼓励。

在周末我们会关了灯彻夜聊天，然后饱睡一顿。 在那样特别的黑暗中，就像两个灵魂悬浮在空中，我们讨论感情、计划、人和事。

我闭上眼睛，仍能闻到她的气息：粉扑的香味，优雅、安全、坚强，以及一种无条件的爱的气息。我低下头，看见她那双精致的手。那是如此的纤瘦，我几乎能看见那手上的脉络。她的指甲圆润而柔软干净。这双手曾爱抚我，护送我上学。当我感到恐惧时，我曾紧握着它们。噢，我是多么怀念这双手啊!

1 cocktail   

n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物

参考例句：

• We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。
• At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上，人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。

2 cramming   

n.塞满，填鸭式的用功v.塞入( cram的现在分词 )；填塞；塞满；（为考试而）死记硬背功课

参考例句：

• Being hungry for the whole morning, I couldn't help cramming myself. 我饿了一上午，禁不住狼吞虎咽了起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She's cramming for her history exam. 她考历史之前临时抱佛脚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 fretted   

焦躁的，附有弦马的，腐蚀的

参考例句：

• The wind whistled through the twigs and fretted the occasional, dirty-looking crocuses. 寒风穿过枯枝，有时把发脏的藏红花吹刮跑了。 来自英汉文学
• The lady's fame for hitting the mark fretted him. 这位太太看问题深刻的名声在折磨着他。

4 elation   

n.兴高采烈，洋洋得意

参考例句：

• She showed her elation at having finally achieved her ambition.最终实现了抱负，她显得十分高兴。
• His supporters have reacted to the news with elation.他的支持者听到那条消息后兴高采烈。

5 scent   

n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
• The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。

6 unconditional   

adj.无条件的，无限制的，绝对的

参考例句：

• The victorious army demanded unconditional surrender.胜方要求敌人无条件投降。
• My love for all my children is unconditional.我对自己所有孩子的爱都是无条件的。

7 veins   

n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理

参考例句：

• The blood flows from the capillaries back into the veins. 血从毛细血管流回静脉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I felt a pleasant glow in all my veins from the wine. 喝过酒后我浑身的血都热烘烘的，感到很舒服。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 caressed   

爱抚或抚摸…( caress的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His fingers caressed the back of her neck. 他的手指抚摩着她的后颈。
• He caressed his wife lovingly. 他怜爱万分地抚摸着妻子。