PBS高端访谈:我有一位令人钦佩的爷爷

AMNA NAWAZ: Now another episode¹ of our series Brief But Spectacular². Phil Kaye is a Japanese-American poet and filmmaker. He's also co-director of Project Voice, an organization that partners with schools to bring poetry to the classroom. The title of this poem is Surplus³.

PHIL KAYE, Poet: My grandfather was not a strong man, but he knew what it meant to build. In 1947, after he and my great uncles returned from the Second World War, they opened up Union War Surplus Store. The store slogan, From a battleship to a hunting knife, we have it, or we will get it. My grandfather was not a strong man, but he kept this word. The place was half store, half encyclopedia⁴, packed all the way to the basement with people that somebody somewhere else might forget about, but not here, like Richard, Richard, who didn't work there, but showed up every Sunday afternoon in his full military uniform, never once bought a single thing, but once brought his little girl, held her hand, said, This is what it smelled like when daddy was a hero. My grandfather wasn't a strong man, but he kept us safe. We walked together in the park one night. And a jagged man with more tattoo⁵ than skin walked up directly to my grandfather, said: Hey, old man. My mom took me your store once when I was a kid, and you shook my hand like I was a man. I still remember that. They called my grandfather Cheerful Al, with his big belly⁶, bald head, long gray beard. Little kids would see him and go Santa Claus. Six years after Union War Surplus Store opened its doors, my grandfather had a son, my dad. He is not a strong man, but he knows what it means to build. One summer, when he was a teenager, he built a door in the back. It's still there. Forty years after Union War Surplus Store opened its doors, my father had a son. I'm not a strong boy, but I'm trying to learn what it means to build. One summer, when I was a teenager, I worked at the store, built this display that went all the way up to the ceiling. Ran up to my grandfather, showed him what I had done. Very good, Phil. Very good. When I asked him what to do next, he handed me an old piece of paper, a beat-up pen. When I asked him what to do with it, he shrugged⁷ his shoulders and laughed. And I began to build the only way I know how. I wrote this when my grandfather passed away. I think traditional masculinity⁸ can be somewhat⁹ of a trap. And so to have my grandfather, who wasn't particularly strong or tough, or even cool, be kind of the pillar¹⁰ of his community in these ways was really inspiring and important to me to see as a model. The thing that makes me happiest after this piece is when people say, my grandparent is still around, and I'm gonna call him. My name is Phil Kaye. And this was my Brief But Spectacular take on my grandfather, Cheerful Al.

AMNA NAWAZ: You can watch more in our Brief But Spectacular series at PBS.org/NewsHour/Brief.

阿姆纳纳瓦兹：欢迎收看本期的《简短而精彩》。菲尔凯耶是日本籍美国人，他是一位诗人，也是电影制作人。他还参与指导了“项目声音”，这个组织跟很多学校建立了合作，将诗歌带到了教室中。这首诗歌的名称是《盈余》。

菲尔凯耶，诗人：我的祖父身子不好，但他知道锻炼身体的重要性。1947年，他和我的几位叔父从二战战场上死里逃生后，就开了工会战盈余商店。该店的标语写着：从战争到狩猎，我们想要的生活终将到来。我祖父身子不好，但他从不食言。这个地方的装修，一半是商店，一半是百科全书，还有一个地下室。这里往来的人，在其他的地方可能一瞬即逝，但若是在这里，却将永难忘怀。比如理查德， 他虽然不在这里上班，但每周日下午都会穿着一身整整齐齐的军装在这里出现。他身上从来不带一物，但每次都会带着自己的小宝贝过来。他会牵着她的手，说：感受到爸爸以前的英雄形象了吗？我的祖父身子不好，但他能护我们周全。有一天晚上，我们一起在公园里散步。这时候，一个满身都是纹身的壮汉径直向祖父走来，他说：嘿，老爷子。我妈妈在我小的时候带我去过你们的店，那时候，您握了我的手，就好像我已经是男子汉了。这么久了，我依然记得这件事。我祖父的外号是快乐的阿尔，因为他大腹便便，头顶光光，胡子又灰又长。孩子们都说他是圣诞老人。这个店开了6年后，我祖父生了儿子，也就是我爸爸。祖父身子不好，但他知道稳扎稳打的重要性。有一年夏天，那时候祖父还是个少年，他在后院搭了个门。这扇门今天依然在那里。这个店开了40年后，我爸爸也有了儿子。我身子也不好，但我也在努力学习稳扎稳打的重要性。有一年夏天，还是少年的我正在店里干活，我摆起了货品，一直摞到了天花板上。我跑到祖父身边，炫耀我的成果。做的真棒，菲尔真棒。我问祖父接下来要做什么，他就递给我一张破旧的纸和笔。我问祖父用这个要做什么，他耸耸肩然后笑了。我只好用我知道的唯一一个方法来做这件事。我写此文的时候，祖父已经离世。我觉得传统概念中的男性气质是个坑。而我的祖父，虽然他不够强健，甚至不是个很酷的人，但他是我们家的顶梁柱。从这个意义上讲，我个人的触动很大，祖父就是我重要的榜样。我最开心的事情就是：有人会跟我说，他们以为我祖父还在世。我是菲尔凯耶，本期的《简短而精彩》讲的是我的祖父快乐的阿尔。

阿姆纳纳瓦兹：要了解《简短而精彩》更多的集锦，可以访问PBS.org/NewsHour/Brief。

1 episode   

n.（作品的一段）情节，插曲，系列事件中之一

参考例句：

• The episode was a huge embarrassment for all concerned.这段小插曲令所有有关人员都感到非常尴尬。
• This episode remains sharply engraved on my mind.这段经历至今仍深深地铭刻在我的心中。

2 spectacular   

adj.引人注目的，出色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• This is a spectacular film.这是一部场面壮观的电影。
• This is the most spectacular financial crash of the decade.这是10年里最引人注目的金融破产事件。

3 surplus   

adj.过剩的，多余的；n.过剩，剩余额

参考例句：

• The manufacturers in some countries dumped their surplus commodities abroad.一些国家的制造商向国外倾销过剩产品。
• The surplus steam was blown off through the pipes.多余的蒸气通过管道放掉了。

4 encyclopedia   

n.百科全书

参考例句：

• The encyclopedia fell to the floor with a thud.那本百科全书砰的一声掉到地上。
• Geoff is a walking encyclopedia.He knows about everything.杰夫是个活百科全书，他什么都懂。

5 tattoo   

n.纹身，(皮肤上的)刺花纹；vt.刺花纹于

参考例句：

• I've decided to get my tattoo removed.我已经决定去掉我身上的纹身。
• He had a tattoo on the back of his hand.他手背上刺有花纹。

6 belly   

n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛

参考例句：

• The boss has a large belly.老板大腹便便。
• His eyes are bigger than his belly.他眼馋肚饱。

7 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 masculinity   

n.男子气慨

参考例句：

• He felt it was a threat to his masculinity.他觉得这对他的男子气概是一种威胁。
• Football is a bastion of masculinity in this area.在该地区足球是男子汉的天地。

9 somewhat   

pron.一些，某物；adv.多少，几分

参考例句：

• The cake we made was somewhat of a failure.我们做的蛋糕不大成功。
• The two office buildings are somewhat alike in appearance.这两座办公楼在外形上有点相似。

10 pillar   

n.柱子，柱状物；有力的支持者；栋梁

参考例句：

• He was a pillar of the club for over thirty years.30多年来他一直是这个俱乐部的顶梁柱。
• I fell asleep against a pillar.我靠在一根柱子上睡着了。