I live in the mountains of West Virginia.
我住在弗吉尼亚西部的山区
The curvy, winding roads
山路蜿蜒曲折
and the vast woodlands
山林广袤
often lead to near misses with the local deer.
车辆长长与山中冲出来的鹿擦肩而过
The other day
有一天
I was driving my son
我开车带着儿子
to work at the sheltered workshop
送他去工坊干活
when we saw a deer in the road
我们在公路上看到一只鹿
that hadn’t been so lucky.
已经没了生机
The driver in front of me
开在前面的车的司机
suddenly swerved
突然转向
to avoid hitting the corpse
避免撞到鹿的尸体
and I quickly followed him
我很快做出同样的操作
jerking the steering wheel
猛地一转方向盘
to get back in the right lane
想要回到右边的车道
before the next blind curve.
赶在下一个视野不佳的弯道出现之前
I could see that
我能看到
the way the dead deer was lying between two blind curves
死掉的鹿正躺在两个视野不佳的弯道中间
we had an accident waiting to happen.
我们很可能在那里遇到车祸
After dropping my son off
我把儿子送到目的地之后
I hurried back
我赶紧掉头开回来
and saw the deer was still in the road.
发现那头死鹿还呆在路上
There was a wide spot
我发现一处宽敞的空地
on the side of the road.
就在路边
I pulled over.
我停下车
I got out of my car
我下了车
and walked up to where the deer was.
步行走到死鹿躺着的地方
Looking both ways for cars
向两边看了一下是否有车辆来去
I ran over to the body.
接着就跑到鹿的尸体旁边
It was laying in a pool of blood and excrement.
它躺在血泊中间，血泊中还有许多污秽
I reached down
我躬身
and grabbed its broken hind leg.
抓住了它已经折断的后腿
I backed up quickly
我很快往后退
dragging it behind me
后面拖着那头鹿
to the side of the road.
来到了路边
I looked down at the majestic animal
我低头看着这体型庞大的动物
as I wiped off my hands in the wet snow by the guardrail .
在护栏边湿漉漉的积雪中擦干净手上的血迹
“So sorry my friend,”
“真对不起，伙伴”
I said to him.
我对那头鹿说
I sadly walked back to my car
我怀着悲伤走回自己的车
knowing that
知道
the crows, buzzards, and other scavengers
乌鸦，秃鹫，还有其他的食腐动物
would soon take care of the remains.
很快就会把它的遗骸处理干净
I was still thinking of that beautiful deer
我一直想着那只原本美丽的鹿
later in the day
那天晚些时候
when I turned on my computer.
我打开自己的电脑
As it came on
屏幕亮时
I smiled with surprise and delight.
我吃了一惊，欣喜微笑了
I had forgotten what
我已然忘了
my most recent screen saver was:
自己最近设置的屏图片
a picture of a deer
是一只鹿
in a field of wild flowers
它站在一丛野花中
staring at the sunrise.
抬头看着日出
I wondered if
我心想
that deer’s spirit
或许那头鹿
was in a heavenly meadow right now
此刻已经在某个仙境的草地上
perhaps romping
或许它正在嬉戏
and playing with some of my own furry friends
抑或正在与许多我的毛茸茸的朋友们玩耍
who had passed.
它们都已离我而去
I wondered too
我还在想
about the time I had left here.
自己在这个世间还有多少时间
Would it be days, months, or many years?
是几天，几个月，还是许多年？
I shook my head,
我摇摇头
laughed and decided that
笑着笃信道
it didn’t matter
这无关紧要
just as long as
只要
I lived the time
在余下的光阴里
I had left with love, kindness, and joy.
我都怀着爱意，善良和喜悦过下去
May you do the same.
希望你也是如此