王啟國(guó)/編譯

編者按：為滿足廣大愛(ài)好英語(yǔ)的讀者的要求，我們從本期起，每期刊登一篇中英文對(duì)照的佳作， 以饗英語(yǔ)愛(ài)好者。歡迎讀者對(duì)所刊登的譯文來(lái)電來(lái)信交流。

“澆灌郵差的時(shí)間到了?！蔽艺驹诔惺浙y處長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的隊(duì)伍里自言自語(yǔ)道。排在后面的女人假裝沒(méi)有聽(tīng)到我的話。我轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)身時(shí)，她用眼睛的余光不安地看著我?！拔颐磕甓歼@樣做，”我笑著說(shuō)，“所以我才買(mǎi)了這么多瓶裝水。”

“那好啊?！彼行┚璧卣f(shuō)。

我付過(guò)賬后對(duì)收銀員說(shuō)：“這是為我的郵差準(zhǔn)備的?！?/p>

“我想他一定會(huì)充滿感激的，這個(gè)星期天氣可真熱啊?！彼f(shuō)。

離開(kāi)時(shí)，我停下來(lái)?yè)Q一只手提那一箱瓶裝水，聽(tīng)到剛才排在身后的女人對(duì)收銀員說(shuō)：“那個(gè)人瘋了嗎？他要澆灌他的郵差？！” 因?yàn)槲颐刻於荚谶@個(gè)超市購(gòu)物，收銀員對(duì)我很熟悉，她解釋道：“他每年都會(huì)這樣做。天熱的時(shí)候，每天他都會(huì)放上幾瓶冰鎮(zhèn)礦泉水在門(mén)廊里，他說(shuō)他的郵差很喜歡。”“哦，原來(lái)是這樣?！迸嘶腥淮笪?。

我出了超市，往家走。我知道自己為什么要這樣做。我把水放在門(mén)口，得到的回報(bào)是一個(gè)朋友。我們每個(gè)人都需要這樣做，關(guān)愛(ài)那些給我們的生活帶來(lái)便利的人，為我們認(rèn)為是理所當(dāng)然的事表示感謝。記得小時(shí)候每年圣誕節(jié)前送煤工來(lái)送煤的時(shí)候，爸爸都熱情地邀請(qǐng)他到屋里坐坐，并端上一杯熱飲和一些點(diǎn)心。我知道爸爸是在澆灌他的送煤工。

每次去超市購(gòu)物的時(shí)候，我都會(huì)說(shuō)一些感激的話，對(duì)收銀員的辛勤工作表示贊賞。我那樣做是想點(diǎn)亮他們的一天。

每次去比薩店的時(shí)候，我都會(huì)為那兒的服務(wù)員準(zhǔn)備一份不菲的小費(fèi)，盡管我都是自助消費(fèi)。不要以為我這樣做是為了博取別人的表?yè)P(yáng)，那完全是出自內(nèi)心的行為，因?yàn)槲抑冷镐感×鲄R集在一起，也能成江河。

下一次，你也澆灌一下你身邊的人吧，在澆灌別人的同時(shí)也滋潤(rùn)了你自己。一滴善意的水珠能讓我們的世界更健康、富足、充滿希望。更重要的是：當(dāng)這些水滴聚集在一起時(shí)，我們貧瘠龜裂的生活就盈潤(rùn)飽滿了。

［譯自國(guó)外網(wǎng)站］

附英語(yǔ)原文：

Watering the World

By Bob Perks

“It's time to water the mailman，” I said.

The woman standing in line with me at the supermarket pretended not to hear me. When I turned toward her， she nervously looked at me out of the corner of her eye.

I smiled. “I do it every year，”I said. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “That's why I'm buying this case of bottled water，” I said.

“That's nice，”she replied warily.

I was next in line， so I paid for my items and said to the clerk，“This is for my mailman.”

“I'm sure he'll appreciate it. It's going to get really hot this week，” she said.

As I walked away I paused for a moment to readjust my grip on the case of water. I could hear the woman say，“Is he crazy？ He wants to water his mailman？”

The clerk，who knows me very well from shopping there almost daily，began to explain，“He does this every year. He puts a few bottles out on his porch in ice every day when the weather gets hot. He tells me the mailman loves it.”

“Oh，that's what he meant，” she said. I continued out the door and headed home.

I thought about it for a while. I know why I do it. I do it because I appreciate him...rain，snow，sleet， heat，whatever...he delivers.

Watering the mailman. Actually，it's a good analogy. I take care of him. I add to his day. In turn， I have gained a friend. I think we need to do that in our relationships. We need to tend to those people who bring something special to our lives. We need to appreciate the things we take for granted.

I remember my father inviting the coal man into our house when he delivered coal to us the day before Christmas. He offered him a drink and some snacks. He was “watering the coal man.”

Every time I go shopping I always make appreciative comments to the clerks. I do it to brighten their day.

I give a tip to the girl at the pizza shop even when I am just picking it up myself.

Please don't see this as bragging. It doesn't call for praise. It's really something we should do all the time. Those little things add up. In the big picture， they make the world a little more bearable.

Like a gentle shower on a garden， the water represents life. A tiny drop of kindness makes the world healthier，better off，and perhaps more hopeful. Yes，that's it. All those little things， those tiny drops of water，add up to make waves in a dry and barren life.