仰望日出的鹿
I live in the mountains of West Virginia.
我住在弗吉尼亞西部的山區
The curvy, winding roads
山路蜿蜒曲折
and the vast woodlands
山林廣袤
often lead to near misses with the local deer.
車輛長長與山中衝出來的鹿擦肩而過
The other day
有一天
I was driving my son
我開車帶着兒子
to work at the sheltered workshop
送他去工坊幹活
when we saw a deer in the road
我們在公路上看到一隻鹿
that hadn’t been so lucky.
已經沒了生機
The driver in front of me
開在前面的車的司機
suddenly swerved
突然轉向
to avoid hitting the corpse
避免撞到鹿的屍體
and I quickly followed him
我很快做出同樣的操作
jerking the steering wheel
猛地一轉方向盤
to get back in the right lane
想要回到右邊的車道
before the next blind curve.
趕在下一個視野不佳的彎道出現之前
I could see that
我能看到
the way the dead deer was lying between two blind curves
死掉的鹿正躺在兩個視野不佳的彎道中間
we had an accident waiting to happen.
我們很可能在那裏遇到車禍
After dropping my son off
我把兒子送到目的地之後
I hurried back
我趕緊掉頭開回來
and saw the deer was still in the road.
發現那頭死鹿還呆在路上
There was a wide spot
我發現一處寬敞的空地
on the side of the road.
就在路邊
I pulled over.
我停下車
I got out of my car
我下了車
and walked up to where the deer was.
步行走到死鹿躺着的地方
Looking both ways for cars
向兩邊看了一下是否有車輛來去
I ran over to the body.
接着就跑到鹿的屍體旁邊
It was laying in a pool of blood and excrement.
它躺在血泊中間，血泊中還有許多污穢
I reached down
我躬身
and grabbed its broken hind leg.
抓住了它已經摺斷的後腿
I backed up quickly
我很快往後退
dragging it behind me
後面拖着那頭鹿
to the side of the road.
來到了路邊
I looked down at the majestic animal
我低頭看着這體型龐大的動物
as I wiped off my hands in the wet snow by the guardrail .
在護欄邊溼漉漉的積雪中擦乾淨手上的血跡
“So sorry my friend,”
“真對不起，夥伴”
I said to him.
我對那頭鹿說
I sadly walked back to my car
我懷着悲傷走回自己的車
knowing that
知道
the crows, buzzards, and other scavengers
烏鴉，禿鷲，還有其他的食腐動物
would soon take care of the remains.
很快就會把它的遺骸處理乾淨
I was still thinking of that beautiful deer
我一直想着那隻原本美麗的鹿
later in the day
那天晚些時候
when I turned on my computer.
我打開自己的電腦
As it came on
屏幕亮時
I smiled with surprise and delight.
我吃了一驚，欣喜微笑了
I had forgotten what
我已然忘了
my most recent screen saver was:
自己最近設置的屏圖片
a picture of a deer
是一隻鹿
in a field of wild flowers
它站在一叢野花中
staring at the sunrise.
擡頭看着日出
I wondered if
我心想
that deer’s spirit
或許那頭鹿
was in a heavenly meadow right now
此刻已經在某個仙境的草地上
perhaps romping
或許它正在嬉戲
and playing with some of my own furry friends
抑或正在與許多我的毛茸茸的朋友們玩耍
who had passed.
它們都已離我而去
I wondered too
我還在想
about the time I had left here.
自己在這個世間還有多少時間
Would it be days, months, or many years?
是幾天，幾個月，還是許多年？
I shook my head,
我搖搖頭
laughed and decided that
笑着篤信道
it didn’t matter
這無關緊要
just as long as
只要
I lived the time
在餘下的光陰裏
I had left with love, kindness, and joy.
我都懷着愛意，善良和喜悅過下去
May you do the same.
希望你也是如此
