Unit-14-Homeless课文翻译综合教程三

Unit14HomelessAnnaQuindlen1HernamewasAnn,andwemetinthePortAuthorityBusTerminalseveralJanuarysago.Iwasdoingastoryonhomelesspeople.ShesaidIwaswastingmytimetalkingtoher;shewasjustpassingthrough,althoughshe’dbeenpassingthroughformorethantwoweeks.Toprovetomethatthiswastrue,sherummagedthroughatotebagandamanilaenvelopeandfinallyunfoldedasheetoftypingpaperandbroughtoutherphotographs.2Theywerenotpicturesoffamily,orfriends,orevenadogorcat,itseyesbrown-redintheflashbulb’slight.Theywerepicturesofahouse.Itwaslikeathousandhousesinahundredtowns,notsuburb,notcity,butsomewhereinbetween,withaluminumsidingandachain-linkfence,anarrowdrivewayrunninguptoaone-cargarageandapatchofbackyard.Thehousewasyellow.Ilookedonthebackforadateoraname,butneitherwasthere.Therewasnoneedfordiscussion.Iknewwhatshewastryingtotellme,foritwassomethingIhadoftenfelt.Shewasnotadrift,alone,anonymous,althoughherbagsandherraincoatwiththegrimeshadowingitscreaseshadmademebelieveshewas.Shehadahouse,oratleastonceuponatimehadhadone.Insidewerecurtains,acouch,astove,potholders.Youarewhereyoulive.Shewassomebody.3I’veneverbeenverygoodatlookingatthebigpicture,takingtheglobalview,andI’vealwaysbeenapersonwithanoveractivesenseofplace,thelegacyofanIrishgrandfather.Soitisnaturalthatthethingthatseemsmostwrongwiththeworldtomerightnowisthattherearesomanypeoplewithnohomes.I’mnotsimplytalkingaboutshelterfromtheelements,orthreesquaremealsadayoramailingaddresstowhichthewelfarepeoplecansendthecheck—althoughIknowthatalltheseareimportantforsurvival.I’mtalkingaboutahome,aboutpreciselythosekindsoffeelingsthathavewoundupincross-stitchandFrenchknotsonsamplersovertheyears.4Homeiswheretheheartis.There’snoplacelikeit.Ilovemyhomewithaferocitytotallyoutofproportiontoitsappearanceorlocation.Ilovedumbthingsabout:thehot-waterheater,theplasticrackyoudraindishesin,theroofovermyhead,whichoccasionallyleaks.Andyetitispreciselythosedumbthingsthatmakeitwhatitis—aplaceofcertainty,stability,predictability,privacy,formeandformyfamily.ItiswhereIlive.Whatmorecanyousayaboutaplacethanthat?Thatiseverything.5Yetitissomethingthatwehavebeenedgingawayfromgraduallyduringmylifetimeandthelifetimesofmyparentsandgrandparents.Therewasatimewhenwhereyoulivedoftenwaswhereyouworkedandwhereyougrewthefoodyouateandevenwhereyouwereburied.Whenthaterapassed,whereyoulivedatleastwaswhereyourparentshadlivedandwhereyouwouldlivewithyourchildrenwhenyoubecameenfeebled.Then,suddenlywhereyoulivedwaswhereyoulivedforthreeyears,untilyoucouldmoveontosomethingelseandsomethingelseagain.6Andsowehavecometosomethingelseagain,tochildrenwhodonotunderstandwhatitmeanstogototheirroomsbecausetheyhaveneverhadaroom,tomenandwomenwhosefantasyisawalltheycanpaintacoloroftheirownchoosing,tooldpeoplereducedtosittingonmoldedplasticchairs,theirskinblue-whiteinthelightsofabusstation,whopullpicturesofhousesoutoftheirbags.Homeshavestoppedbeinghomes.Nowtheyarerealestate.7Peoplefinditcuriousthatthosewithouthomeswouldrathersleepsittinguponbenchesorhuddledindoorwaysthangotoshelters.Certainlysomeprefertodosobecausetheyareemotionallyill,becausetheyhavebeenlockedinbeforeandtheyaredamnediftheywillbelockedinagain.Othersareafraidoftheviolenceandtroubletheymayfindthere.Butsomeseemtowantsomethingthatisnotavailableinshelters,andtheywillnotcompromise,notforacot,oroatmeal,orashowerwithspecialsoapthatkillsthebugs.“Oneroom,”awomanwithababywhowassleepingonhersister’sfloor,oncetoldme,“paintedblue.”Thatwasthecruxofit;notsizeorlocation,butprideofownership.Paintedblue.8Thisisadifficultproblem,andsomewiseandcompassionatepeopleareworkinghardatit.ButinthemainIthinkweworkaroundit,justaswewalkarounditwhenitislyingonthesidewalkorsittinginthebusterminal—theproblem,thatis.Ithasbeencustomarytotakepeople’spainandlessenourownparticipationinitbyturningitintoanissue,notacollectionofhumanbeings.Weturnanadjectiveintoanoun:thepoor,notpoorpeople;thehomeless,notAnnorthemanwholivesintheboxorthewomanwhosleepsonthesubwaygrate.9SometimesIthinkwewouldbebetteroffifweforgotaboutthebroadstrokesandconcentratedonthedetails.Hereisawomanwithoutabureau.Thereisamanwithnomirror,nowalltohangiton.Theyarenotthehomeless.Theyarepeoplewhohavenohomes.Nodrawerthatholdsthespoons.Nowindowtolookoutupontheworld.MyGod.Thatiseverything.无家可归安娜·昆德伦1.她的名字叫安，几年前的一月份，我们在港务局汽车站邂逅。那时我正在做一个关于流浪者的专题。她说我采访她纯粹是浪费时间；因为她只是路过这个汽车终点站而已，虽然她已经在这里待了不止两周了。为了证明这是事实，她翻遍一个大购物袋，找出一个牛皮纸信封，最后展开了一张打印纸，取出了一些照片。2.这些照片上没有亲友，甚至没有在闪光灯下眼睛变成棕红色的狗或猫。照片上是一栋房子。这房子跟很多小镇上的千万栋房子没什么两样，既不在郊区，也不在城市，而是介于两者之间，墙板是铝制板的，四周围着铁丝网，狭窄的车道通向仅容一车的车库，还有一片后院。房子是黄色的。我翻看照片背面，想找到拍摄日期或姓名，但什么都没有。无需讨论，我已知道她想表达什么，因为这也是我经常感同身受的。她是想告诉我，她不是四处漂泊、孑然一身、无名无姓的人，虽然她的大包小包和她那件黑垢模糊了褶子的雨衣让我认为她是。她拥有过一栋房子，至少从前曾经拥有过。房子里面有窗帘，有沙发，有炉子，还有隔热垫。你住的地方代表着你。她是有名有姓有家的人。3.我从来都不擅长高屋建瓴地看问题、把握全局，我只是遗传了爱尔兰祖父的基因，一直是一个执着于乡土观念的人。所以很自然的，对我而言，目前世界上最糟糕的事情莫过于有那么多人流离失所。我指的不只是有一片遮风挡雨的屋檐，或者一日保证三餐，也不是一个可以收到福利救济支票的邮政地址——尽管我知道这一切对生存非常重要。我说的是一个家，说的是许多年来浓缩在十字绣和法式线结绣品样板上的种种感觉。4.心之所在即为家。没有任何一个地方可与家相比。我热爱我的家，完全无关乎外观或位置。我爱家里那些看似蠢笨的一切：热水器，塑料碗碟架，头上那片偶尔漏雨的屋顶。然而，恰恰是那些蠢笨之物使家成为家。对我和家人来说，家代表着安定祥和、不受打扰的地方。家就是我所生活的地方。对于一个地方而言，还有比这更精彩的溢美之辞吗？这就是一切啊。5.然而在