9月2日
我與父親不相見已二年余了，我最不能忘記的是他的背影。那年冬天所灸，祖母死了，父親的差使也交卸了炫七，正是禍不單行的日子爬立，我從北京到徐州，打算跟著父親奔喪回家万哪。到了徐州見著父親侠驯，看見滿院狼藉的東西，又想起祖母奕巍，不禁簌簌地流下眼淚吟策。
It is more than two years since I last saw father, and what I can never forget is the sight of his back. Misfortunes never come singly. In the winter of more than two years ago, grandma died and father lost his job. I left Beijing for Xuzhou to join father inhasteninghome to attend grandma’s funeral. When I met father in Xuzhou, the sight of thedisorderlymess in his courtyard and the though of grandma started tearstricklingdown my cheeks.
父親說：“事已如此，不必難過的止，好在天無絕人之路!”
Father said, “Now that things’ve come to such a pass, it’s no use crying. Fortunately, Heaven always leaves one a way out.”
回家變賣典質(zhì)檩坚，父親還了虧空；又借了錢辦了喪事。這些日子匾委，家中光景很是慘淡拖叙，一半為了喪事，一半為了父親的賦閑赂乐。喪事完畢憋沿，父親要到南京謀事，我也要回到北京念書沪猴，我們便同行辐啄。
After arriving home in Yangzhou, father paid off debts by selling orpawningthings. He also borrowed money to meet the funeral expenses. Between grandma’s funeral and father’s unemployment, our family was then in reduced circumstances. After the funeral was over, father was to go to Nanjing to look for a job and I was to return to Beijing to study, so we started out together.
到南京時，有朋友約去游逛运嗜，勾留了一日壶辜；第二日上午便須渡江到浦口，下午上車北去担租。父親因為事忙砸民，本已說定不送我，叫旅館里一個熟識的茶房陪我同去奋救。他再三囑咐茶房岭参，甚是仔細。但他終于不放心尝艘，怕茶房不妥貼演侯，頗躊躇了一會。其實那年我已二十歲背亥，北京來往過兩三次秒际，是沒有甚么要緊的了。他躊躇了一會狡汉，終于決定還是自己送我去娄徊。我兩三回勸他不必去；他只說盾戴，“不要緊寄锐，他們?nèi)ゲ缓?”
I spent the first day in Nanjing ?strolling?about with some friends at their invitation, and was ferrying across the Yangtse River to Pukou the next morning and thence taking a train for Beijing on the afternoon of the same day. Father said he was too busy to go and see me off at the railway station, but would ask a hotel waiter that he knew to accompany me there instead. He urged the waiter again and again to take good care of me, but still did not quite trust him. He hesitated for quite a while about what to do. As a matter of fact, nothing would matter at allbecause I was then twenty and had already travelled on Beijing-Pukou Railway a couple of times. After some wavering, he finally decided that he himself would accompany me to the station. I repeatedly tried to talk him out of it, but he only said, “Never mind! It won’t do to trust guys like those hotel boys!”
我們過了江，進了車站尖啡。我買票橄仆，他忙著照看行李。行李太多了可婶，得向腳夫行些小費沿癞，才可過去。他便又忙著和他們講價錢矛渴。我那時真是太聰明過分椎扬，總覺得他說話不大漂亮惫搏，非得自己插嘴不可。但他終于講定了價錢蚕涤；就送我上車筐赔。他給我揀定了靠車門的一張椅子；我將他給我做的紫毛大衣鋪好坐位揖铜。他囑我路上小心茴丰，夜里要警醒些，不要受涼天吓。又囑托茶房好好照應我贿肩。我心里暗笑他的迂；他們只認得錢龄寞，托他們直是白托!而且我這樣大年紀的人汰规，難道還不能料理自己嗎?唉，我現(xiàn)在想想物邑，那時真是太聰明了!
We entered the railway station after crossing the River. While I was at the booking office buying a ticket, father saw to my luggage. There was quite a bit of luggage and he had to bargain with the porter over the fee. I was then such a smartaleckthat Ifrownedupon the way father was haggling and was on the verge of chipping in a few words when the bargain was finally clinched. Getting on the train with me, he picked me a seat close to the carriage door. I spread on the seat the brownish fur-lined overcoat he had gottailormade for me. He told me to be watchful on the way and be careful not to catch cold at night. He also asked the train attendants to take good care of me. Isniggeredat father for being so impractical, for it was utterly useless to entrust me to those attendants, who cared for nothing but money. Besides, it was certainly no problem for a person of my age to look after himself. Oh, when I come to think of it, I can see how smarty I was in those days!
我說道溜哮，“爸爸，你走吧色解∶ぃ”他望車外看了看，說科阎，“我買幾個橘子去述吸。你就在此地，不要走動萧恕「账螅”我看那邊月臺的柵欄外有幾個賣東西的的等著顧客。走到那邊月臺票唆，須穿過鐵道，須跳下去又爬上去屹徘。父親是一個胖子走趋，走過去自然要費些事。我本來要去的噪伊，他不肯簿煌，只好讓他去。我看見他戴著黑布小帽鉴吹。穿著黑布大馬褂姨伟，深青布棉袍，蹣跚在走到鐵道邊豆励，慢慢探身下去夺荒，尚不大難瞒渠。可是他穿過鐵道技扼，要爬上那邊月臺伍玖，就不容易了。他用兩手攀著上面剿吻，兩腳再向上縮窍箍；他肥胖的身子向左微傾，顯出努力的樣子丽旅。這時我看見他的的背影椰棘，我眼淚很快地流下來了。我趕緊拭干了淚榄笙，怕他看見邪狞，也怕別人看見。我再向外看時办斑，他已抱了朱紅的橘子往回走了外恕。
I said, “Dad, you might leave now.” But he looked out of window and said, “I’m going to buy you sometangerines. You just stay here. Don’t move around.” I caught sight of several vendors waiting for customers outside the railings beyond a platform. But to reach that platform would require crossing the railway track and doing some climbing up and down. That would be astrenuousjob for father, who was fat. I wanted to do all that myself, but he stopped me, so I could do nothing but let him go. I watched him hobble towards the railway track in his blackskullcap, black clothmandarinjacket and dark blue cotton-padded cloth long gown. He had little trouble climbing down the railway track, but it was a lot more difficult for him to climb up that platform after crossing the railway track. His hands held onto the upper part of the platform, his legshuddledup and hiscorpulentbody tipped slightly towards the left, obviously making an enormousexertion. While I was watching him from behind, tearsgushedfrom my eyes. I quickly wiped them away lest he or others should catch me crying. The next moment when I looked out of the window again, father was already on the way back, holding bright red tangerines in both hands.
過鐵道時，他先將橘子散放在地上乡翅，自己慢慢爬下鳞疲，再抱起橘子走。到這邊時蠕蚜，我趕緊去攙他尚洽。他和我走到車上，將橘子一股腦兒放在我的皮大衣上靶累。于是撲撲衣上泥土腺毫，心里很輕松似的，過了一會說挣柬，“我走了潮酒；到那邊來信!”我望著他走出去。他走了幾步邪蛔，回過頭看見我急黎，說，“進去吧侧到，里邊沒人勃教。”等他的背影混入來來往往的人里匠抗，再找不著了故源，我便進來坐下，我的眼淚又來了汞贸。
In crossing the railway track, he first put the tangerines on the ground, climbed down slowly and then picked them up again. When he came near the train, I hurried out to help him by the hand. After boarding the train with me, he laid all the tangerines on my overcoat, and patting the dirt off his clothes, he looked somewhat relieved and said after a while, “I must be going now. Don’t forget to write me from Beijing!” I gazed after his back retreating out of the carriage. After a few steps, he looked back at me and said, “Go back to your seat. Don’t leave your things alone.” I, however, did not go back to my seat until his figure was lost among crowds of people hurrying to and fro and no longer visible. My eyes were again wet with tears.
近幾年來绳军，父親和我都是東奔西走印机，家中的光景是一日不如一日。他少年出外謀生删铃，獨力支持耳贬，做了許多大事。那知老境卻如此頹唐!他觸目傷懷猎唁，自然不能自己咒劲。情郁于中，自然要發(fā)之于外诫隅；家庭瑣屑便往往觸他之怒腐魂。他待我漸漸不同往日。但最近兩年的不見逐纬，他終于忘卻我的不好蛔屹，只是惦記著我，惦記著我的兒子豁生。我北來后兔毒，他寫了一信給我，信中說道甸箱，“我身體平安育叁，惟膀子疼痛利害，舉箸提筆芍殖，諸多不便豪嗽，大約大去之期不遠矣⊥憧ィ”我讀到此處龟梦，在晶瑩的淚光中，又看見那肥胖的窃躲，青布馬褂的背影计贰。唉!我不知何時再能與他相見！
In recent years, both father and I have been living an unsettled life, and the circumstances of our family going from bad to worse. Father left home to seek a livelihood when young and did achieve quite a few things all on his own. To think that he should now be so downcast in old age! The discouraging state of affairs filled him with an uncontrollable feeling of deep sorrow, and hispent-upemotion had to find avent. That is why even mere domestic trivialities would often make him angry, and meanwhile hebecame less and less nice with me. However, the separation of the last two years has made him more forgiving towards me. He keeps thinking about me and my son. After I arrived in Beijing, he wrote me a letter, in which he says. “I’m all right except for a severe pain in my arm. I even have trouble using chopsticks or writing brushes. Perhaps it won’t be long now before I depart this life.” Through the glistening tears which these words had brought to my eyes I again saw the back of father’s corpulent form in the dark blue cotton-padded cloth long gown and the black cloth mandarin jacket. Oh, how I long to see him again.
