还没等他们到达半山腰, 紫丁香的芬芳已经向他们飘了过来。于是, 孩子们开始奔跑。不久, 那位母亲也开始跑起来, 直至到达山顶。

　　那里, 远离了过往司机的视野, 避开了纷扰的文明世界, 高耸的丁香花丛开满了硕大的圆锥形的串串花束, 几乎把花茎压成了两折。那个年轻女人微笑着冲到最近的一处花丛, 把脸埋在鲜花中, 啜饮着芳香, 陶醉在重新唤起的记忆中。

　　while the man examined the cellar hole and tried to explain to the children what the house must have looked like, the woman drifted among the lilacs. carefully, she chose a sprig here, another one there, and clipped them with her husband's pocket knife. she was in no hurry, relishing each blossom as a rare and delicate treasure.

　　finally, though, they returned to their car for the trip home. while the kids chattered and the man drove, the woman sat smiling, surrounded by her flowers, a faraway look in her eyes.

　　在那个男人察看地窖试图向孩子们解释这座房子必定是什么样子的当儿, 那个女人不由自主地走进了紫丁香花丛。她小心翼翼地从这儿摘一枝, 那儿挑一束, 然后用丈夫的袖珍小刀将它们剪下来。她不慌不忙, 像欣赏稀有珍宝似地欣赏着每一朵花。

　　然而, 他们终于还是返回了汽车, 走上了回家的路。孩子们叽叽喳喳说个不停, 那个男人驾着车, 那个女人坐在那儿面带微笑, 她周围放满了鲜花, 眼睛里充满着向往。

　　when they were within three miles of home, she suddenly shouted to her husband, "stop the car. stop right here!"

　　the man slammed on the brakes. before he could ask her why she wanted to stop, the woman was out of the car and hurrying up a nearby grassy slope with the lilacs still in her arms. at the top of the hill was a nursing home and, because it was such a beautiful spring day, the patients were outdoors strolling with relatives or sitting on the porch.

　　当他们离家不足3英里时, 她突然向丈夫大声喊道："停车, 就在这里停车!"

　　那个男人嘎地刹住车。还没等他问为什么, 女人就已经下了车, 匆匆走向附近的草坡, 怀里仍抱着紫丁香。山顶上是一家疗养院, 因为这是一个美丽的春日, 所以病人正在室外和亲友溜达或坐在门廊上。

　　the young woman went to the end of the porch, where an elderly patient was sitting in her wheelchair, alone, head bowed, her back to most of the others. across the porch railing went the flowers, in to the lap of the old woman. she lifted her head, and smiled. for a few moments, the two women chatted, both aglow with happiness, and then the young woman turned and ran back to her family. as the car pulled away, the woman in　the wheelchair waved, and clutched the lilacs.

　　那个年轻女人走到门廊的尽头, 只见那里有一个上了年纪的病人正坐在轮椅里, 独自一人, 低着头, 背对着其他人。年轻女人越过门廊栏杆, 将鲜花放在了老太太的膝间。老太太抬起头, 露出了笑脸。两个女人聊了一会儿, 都兴高采烈。随后, 那个年轻女人转身跑回到家人的身边。当汽车开动时, 坐在轮椅里的那个女人挥动着手, 手里紧紧地握着那束紫丁香花。

　　"mom, "the kids asked, "who was that?why did you give her our flowers?is she somebody's mother?"the mother said she didn't know the old woman. but it was mother's day, and she seemed so alone, and who wouldn't be cheered by flowers?"besides, "she added, "i have all of you, and i still have my mother, even if she is far away. that woman needed those flowers more than i did. "