十月的一个刮大风的日子，妈妈打电话到学校里告诉我外公死了。和外婆一样，他也是患中风死的。我这才明白，我和他在池塘钓鱼的那天早晨，为何他解释天鹅之死时显得那么艰难。

The end of my sophomore year was approaching. Mom called me at the dorm one muggy evening during the last week of May. My summer break would be spent with grandma and grandpa, helping out around their farm. The arrangement made good sense to all the family. I wasn’t fully convinced of that myself but figured it was just one summer. Next year would be my little brother’s turn。

大学二年级就快结束了。五月最后一个星期一个闷热的晚上，母亲打电话到我宿舍来，想让我去外公外婆那儿度暑假，帮他们做做农场的活。她说这样安排对全家都有好处。虽然我并不这样认为，但想想不过是一个夏天而已。 明年就该轮上我弟弟去了。

I packed my car after my last exam and said my good-byes until the fall. My friends would keep until then. Most of them were going home for the summer any-way。

最后一场考试考完我将打好的行装放进车里，跟大家告别时说秋天见。我的朋友们到那时才能见到，他们多数人也要回家过暑假。

The farm was about a three-hour drive from school. My grandparents were both in their 70s, and I knew they really needed the help around the farm. Getting in the hay would be something grandpa couldn’t do by himself. He also needed help with repairs to the barns and a host of other chores。

从学校到农场开车去约三个小时。 我的外公外婆都七十多岁了。我知道他们农场确实也需要个帮手。 把干草收进来外公一个人是干不了的。他也需要人帮他修理谷仓以及干其他许多经常要干的杂活。

I arrived late that afternoon. Grandma had fixed more food than the three of us could possibly eat. She doted over me entirely too much. I figured all the attention would taper off once she got used to having me around, but it didn’t. Grandpa wanted to bring me up to date on literally everything. By the time I settled in for bed that night, I’d decided things would be okay. After all, it was just for one summer。

那天下午我到得晚，外婆做了许多吃的，我们三人根本就吃不完。外婆疼我疼得过分了。我想等我呆久了，她习惯了，就不会这样操心了，可情况并非如此。外公想让我了解一切，什么都不漏地和我讲。晚上到了睡觉的时候，我告诉自己一切都会很顺利，不会有什么问题。毕竟，只是一个夏天而已。

The next morning, Grandpa fixed breakfast for the two of us. He told me Grandma had tired herself out yesterday and was going to rest in bed a little longer. I made a mental note to myself to not ask her to do things for me while I was there. I was there to help, not be a burden。

第二天早晨，外公为我们俩准备了早餐。 他对我说外婆昨天累着了，今天要多睡一会儿。 我心里记住在这儿的日子里千万不要她再为我操劳了。我是来帮忙的，不是为他们增加负担的。

Grandpa surprised me that morning. Once we were out of the house, he seemed more in his own element. The farm was his domain. Despite his age, there was confidence in the way he moved about the place. He didn’t seem like the same person who had fallen asleep last night on the couch before the six o’clock news was finished. As we walked the pastures getting a close-up look at the livestock, Grandpa seemed to know each cow. And there were nearly 200 of them!

那天上午，外公让我吃了一惊。我们一离开家，他看上去就颇为得意。农场就是他的领地。尽管年纪大了，他走到哪儿都信心十足的样子. 他好像完全换了一个人，不像昨晚那样，六点钟的新闻还没有播完他就在躺椅上睡着了。我们走过牧场去查看放牧的牲畜，外公似乎认得每一头母牛。牧场的牲口差不多有二百头呢!

We didn’t do much real work that first day, but I gained a sense of appreciation for what Grandpa had done all those years before I was even born. He wasn’t an educated man, but he had raised and provided for four children on this farm. I was impressed by that。

第一天我们没有干多少活，但我对外公这么多年所干的事情，甚至我出生前干过的事情，开始有点认识了。他没有念过书，但就在这农场上他养育了四个子女，这一点使我印象很深。

Weeks passed. By June we had already baled one cutting of hay and gotten it safely into the barn. I gradually settled into a routine of daily work with Grandpa. He had a mental schedule of things that needed doing, and we worked on part of it each day. In the evenings I usually read or talked with Grandma. She never grew tired of hearing about college or anything I was involved in. She told me stories about her childhood, family and the early years after she and Grandpa had married。

几周过去了。到六月份我们已经砍了第一批干草并打成捆，安全运进谷仓了。我和外公一起干活已逐渐上了轨道，每天例行的事也熟悉了。要做的事外公在脑子里都想好了，每天做一部分。晚上我一般看看书或和外婆聊聊天。我和她讲大学里的事，讲我自己的一些事，她都爱听。她和我谈她的童年，她的娘家，她和外公结婚最初几年的情况。

The last Saturday in June, Grandpa suggested we go fishing, since we were caught up on everything. The pond was in a low pasture near the woods. Years before, Grandpa had stocked it with fish. We drove the pickup to the pond that day, looking over the livestock as we went. We hadn’t expected what we saw when we got to the pond that morning: One of the swans was dead. Grandpa had given the pair of swans to Grandma on their 50th anniversary. "Why don’t we see about buying another one," I suggested, hoping the situation could somehow be righted. Grandpa thought for a few moments before answering。

六月最后一个星期六，外公提议去钓鱼，因为事情都赶着做完了。几年前外公已经在里面放了鱼苗。那天我们开了那辆小货车去池塘，一路上还查看了牲畜的情况。那天上午到达池塘时见到了一件意外的事：一只天鹅死了。这是一对中的一只，这对天鹅是他们结婚五十周年时外公送给外婆的。我说：“干吗不再买一只?”希望那可以弥补一下这种状况。Swans Mate for Life 生死相依

He finally said, "no... it’s not that easy, Bruce. You see, swans mate for life." He raised his finger to point, holding the fishing pole in his other hand. "There’s nothing we can do for the one that’s left. He has to work it out for himself."

外公想了一会儿才回答。他说：“不，……没那么简单，布鲁斯。你知道吗，天鹅是终生为伴。” 他一手拿着钓竿，另一手抬起来指了一指。“对于留下来的这只我们无能为力，只好靠它自己了。”