一个动人泪下的故事,我相信她能触动很多人的心,特别辑录于此,与你分享。这个英文的原文是美国《自然》(
Nature Magazine)杂志,格兰德.摩维斯(Gerald Movius)的《别了,远航者》(
So Long, Voyageur!)的简写,这篇文章也曾由1953年12月份的美国《读者文摘》(
The Reader"s Digest)摘录。
——梦迹
欢迎归来,旅行者
每年春天,杰里都在等待大雁,他喜欢听他们从农场上空飞过时的鸣叫声。他们看上去是多么野性,多么自由自在啊!他们正在赶路,要飞往北方的夏日之家。
在秋天,杰里又看到了大雁,并听到了他们的鸣叫,他们正在赶路,要返回在南方的冬日之家。
杰里的爸爸饲养鸭子和鹅。但是,这些家禽又肥又懒。杰里更喜欢野生的,他希望有一只大雁。
一年秋天,他发现了一只!他躺在河边的地上,有个猎人射中了他的翅膀。
起初,杰里以为这只大雁已经死了。但当他碰它时,它睁开了眼睛。
杰里捡起那只大雁,带回家去,他的妈妈看到大雁时说,“可怜的旅行者!你必须呆在这休息很长时间了。”
“旅行者!”杰里说。“我就这么叫他了。妈妈,我可以喂养他吗?”
“可以”,妈妈说:“把他放到马厩,给他吃水和麦麩煮成的饲料。他可以和我们呆在一起,直到他完全好了。”
几天后,旅行者就可以在农场各处走动了,但他不能飞。他受伤的翅膀拖在地上。
大雁依然在飞过。杰里经常看到旅行者仰望着他们。他们鸣叫时,旅行者也鸣叫呼应。还有一次,几只大雁落下来看他,但他们不一会就飞走了。
旅行者终于不再仰望了。他似乎在想,“不妨随遇而安吧”。他整个冬天都呆在农场里。
旅行者爱杰里。杰里用手唯他,他跟着杰里到处溜达。他还和农场里的猫狗交上了好朋友,甚至猫妈妈不在时,他还帮着照看小猫。
杰里的爸爸想让旅行者在农场的鹅中选一只做伴侣,但旅行者哪一只也没看上。
早春的一天,旅行者沿着小路走到邻家的农场。回来时,一只可爱的小灰鹅跟在他身边!杰里的爸爸为那只小灰鹅向那家农场主人付了钱,杰里给她取名普里西。
普里西在一只大桶里筑了窝,她在窝里下了10只蛋,她日复一日的趴在蛋上,温暖着她们的蛋。
旅行者则寸步不离的把任何人从窝边赶走,甚至杰里也不让靠近。
旅行者和普里西轮流到河里去。旅行者不得不步行去,因为他的翅膀受了伤。
一天,旅行者正在洗澡,普里西在孵蛋。他一定以为听到了普里西的呼唤,十分焦急地想要回到她的身边,于是,他 飞 起来了。他的翅膀 好 了!对此,他看来和杰里一样地感到惊讶。
从那以后,整个农场上就有了一个飞来飞去的旅行者。大雁又能飞了,杰里很高兴。不过,这孩子也在担忧。他知道,旅行者现在有可能想和大雁们一起飞走。
杰里想对了,那年秋天,旅行者听到农场上空的第一声雁鸣,开始全身抖动,然后,他跟着大雁飞走了。
“再见,旅行者”,杰里心中悲哀的呼喊着,久久地望着天空。
当天晚上,普里西不肯吃东西。两天后,她病了。
她孤零零地趴着,耷拉着脑袋。她的孩子都已长大,她还未同农场里别的鹅交上朋友,她在盼望着旅行者的归来。
三天之后,他真的回来了!大雁的呼唤是有力的。但他对普里西的爱更强烈。
看到普里西,他是多么高兴啊!普里西看起来多么幸福!她的病马上就好了。她和旅行者一起到河里去溅水、玩耍。
旅行者已然拿定主意:现在他不只是随遇而安,普里西和杰里居住的农场对他来说就是最好的地方。
One night, I read it, and moved to tears, I believe it could move you also, I"d like to share it with you.--Lotos
Welcome back, Traveler!
Each spring, Jerry watched for wild geese. He like to hear them honking when they flew over the farm. How wild and free they seemed! They were on the way to their summer homes in the North.
In the fall, Jerry saw had heard the geese again. They were going south to their winter homes.
Jerry"s father kept ducks and geese. But the farm birds were fat and lazy. Jerry liked the wild ones better. He wished he had a wild goose.
One fall, he found one! It lay on the ground near the river. A hunter had shot it in the wing.
At first Jerry thought the goose was dead. But when he touched it, the bird opened its eyes.
Jerry picked up the big goose and carried it home. When his mother saw the bird, she said to it, "Poor traveler! You must stop here for a long rest."
"Traveler!" said Jerry. "I"m going to call him that. May I take care of him, Mother?"
"Yes," said his mother. "Put him in the barn. Give him water and mash. He can stay with us until he is well."
In a few days, Traveler was walking around the farm. But he could not fly. His hurt wing dragged on the ground.
Wild geese were still flying by. Jerry often saw Traveler look up at them. When they honked, Traveler honked back. Once, some of the wild birds flew down to see him. But they soon went away.
At last Traveler stopped looking up. He seem to think, "I may as well make the best of things here." He stayed at the farm all winter.
Traveler loved Jerry. He took food from Jerry"s hand and followed him everywhere. He was also good friends with the farm dog and cat. He even baby-sat with the kittens when their mother was not with them!
Jerry"s father wanted Traveler to choose one of the farm geese as a mate. But Traveler did not care for any of them.
One day in early spring, he walked down the road to the next farm. When Traveler came back, a pretty little gray goose was with him! Jerry"s father paid the farmer for the little goose. Jerry named her Prissy.
Prissy made a nest in a barrel. She laid ten eggs in the nest. Day after day she sat on the eggs, keeping them warm.
Traveler stayed by her. He tried to drive everyone away from the nest. He did not want even Jerry to come near.
Traveler and Prissy took turns going to the river. Traveler had to walk to it, because of his hurt wing.
One day Traveler was having his bath while Prissy sat on the eggs. He must have thought he heard Prissy call him. He was flew. His wing was well again! He seem as surprised about it as Jerry was.
From that time on, Traveler flew all over the farm. Jerry was happy that the goose could fly again. But the boy was sad, too. He knew that now Traveler might want to fly away with the wild geese.
Jerry was right. In the fall, Traveler heard the honking of the first geese that passed over the farm. He started to shake all over. Then away he flew after the wild birds.
"Good-by, Traveler," Jerry called sadly. He watched the sky for a long time.
That night, Prissy would not eat. In two days she was a sick bird. She sat alone, with her head down. Her babies were grown up now. she had not made friends with the other farm geese. She wanted Traveler back.
In three days, he did come back! The call of the wild geese had been strong. But his love for Prissy was strong, too.
How glad he was to see her! And how happy Prissy seemed! She got well at once. She and Traveler went to the river to splash and play together.
Traveler had made up his mind. Now he was not just making the best of things. The farm, where Prissy and Jerry lived, WAS the best place for him!
Based on
So Long, Voyageur!, by Gerald Movius
The Reader"s Digest, December "53 (from Nature Magazine)