bear 发表于 2006-7-4 23:56:40
    几天前我看到一篇感人的英语小文章，抽空把它翻译了一下，与各位同仁共享。译得不好的地方请各位指正。

    原文 

A Glass of Milk

One day, a poor boy who was trying to pay his way through school by selling goods door to door found that he only had one dime left. He was hungry so he decided to beg for a meal at the next house.

However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, "How much do I owe you?"

"You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught me never to accept pay for a kindness." He said, "Then I thank you from the bottom of my heart." As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but it also increased his faith in God and the human race. He was about to give up and quit before this point.

Years later the young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where specialists can be called in to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly, now famous was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately, he rose and went down through the hospital hall into her room.

Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room and determined to do his best to save her life. From that day on, he gave special attention to her case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it and then wrote something on the side. The bill was sent to her room. She was afraid to open it because she was positive that it would take the rest of her life to pay it off. Finally she looked, and the note on the side of the bill caught her attention. She read these words...

"Paid in full with a glass of milk."

(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as she prayed silently: "Thank You, God. Your love has spread through human hearts and hands."



我的译文

一杯牛奶

　　一天，一个贫穷的小男孩为了攒够学费正挨家挨户地推销商品，而他身上只有一角钱。他饿了，于是决定向下一户人家讨口饭吃。

　　然而，当一位可爱的年轻女子打开房门的时候，他却没了胆量。他没有要饭，只请求给他一口水喝。她明白他饿了，就倒了一大杯牛奶给他。他慢慢地喝完牛奶，问道：“我该付多少钱？”

　　“你什么也不欠我的，”她回答说，“我妈妈教导我，施善不图回报。”男孩说：“那么，我从心底里感谢你！”当霍华德•凯利离开这户人家的时候，不仅浑身是劲儿，而且更加相信上帝和整个人类。在此之前，他都打算放弃了。

　　数年后，那位女子得了重病，当地医生对此束手无策。最后，她被送到大城市医治，由专家会诊这种罕见的疾病。大名鼎鼎的霍华德•凯利医生也被请来参加会诊。当他听到病人来自的那个城镇的名字时，眼里充满了一种奇怪的光。他马上起身通过医院走廊，直奔她的病房。

　　身穿手术服的凯利医生来到病房，一眼就认出了她。回到会诊室后，他决心一定要竭尽所能来治好她的病。从那天起，他就特别关注她的病症。

　　经过长时间的努力，终于成功了。凯利医生要求营业办公室把最后的账单送给他批准。他看了一下，便在账单的边上写了些东西。当账单送到她的病房时，她不敢打开。因为她确信，她的余生将为此而偿还。最后，她看了，账单边上的字引起了她的注意，她读起了那些字：

　　“已付清：一杯牛奶。”

　　(签名)霍华德•凯利医生

　　当她默默地祈祷时，眼里溢出了喜悦的泪水，“谢谢你，上帝，你的爱已通过人类的心灵和双手传播了。”