第178期：圣诞夜的希望之光

想成为我们的主播，欢迎加微信 xdfbook 投稿。 一段美文，一首英文歌，或是一点生活感想，全由你做主。 《圣诞夜的希望之光 》 Christmas Candle Colin walked slowly home from school, scuffing1) his feet. He looked across the hills at the little Irish fishing village. It did not seem like Christmas Eve. Perhaps this was because it still had not snowed. But Colin knew there was another reason why it did not seem like Christmas—a reason he did not dare whisper even in his heart. He looked toward the lead-colored sea. There was not a single ship on the horizon. And seven days ago his father's fishing schooner2) had been due home. "I'll bring you a sheep dog pup3) from the Shetland Isles," Colin's father told him the morning he left. "Ye4)'ll have it a week before Christmas, I am certain." But now it was Christmas Eve. Colin looked toward the lighthouse, high on the hill. Seven days ago, a storm had short-circuited5) the lighthouse wires. The great beacon's light had been snuffed6) out. For seven days, there had been no light to guide his father's ship. Colin pushed open the door of his cottage. "We'll need more peat7) for the fire, Colin," said his mother as he entered. "It has burned itself out. And it's near time to light the Christmas candle." "I'm not carin' much about lightin' a candle, Mother," he said. "Aye8), I know, for I'm not carin' much either," replied his mother. "But everybody in Ireland lights a candle on Christmas Eve. Even when there's sadness in the house, you must light the candle. It shows that your house and heart are open to strangers. Come now, I've two candles, one for each of us. If you gather some peat, we'll be ready for supper soon." Colin nodded and went outside. He led their donkey up the hill so that he could gather the peat. But while he was gathering the peat, Colin had an idea. It hit him like a gust of warm spring wind. He started running up the long hill. When he came to the lighthouse, he pounded on the door. Mr. Duffy, the keeper, opened the door. "What's got into you, young fellow? You startled me—and on Christmas Eve, too!" "Mr. Duffy," gasped Colin, "how did you used to light the beacon?" "Why, with electric batteries. But they are blown, my boy. Dead9) as can be! And we won't be able to replace them till after the new year." "No, I mean, how did you light the lighthouse before there were such things as batteries?" "Well, they used an oil lamp. It's down in the cellar10). But we've no oil to burn, lad." "Would kerosene11) light the lamp?" asked Colin, holding his breath. "Well, I suppose," Mr. Duffy mused12). "But don't go gettin' silly ideas in your head, lad. You wouldn't find even a pitiful quart13) of spare kerosene in this village. Everyone is so poor for money this year ..." Colin was gone before Mr. Duffy could finish his sentence. Down the hill he ran, back to the cottage. Quickly he gathered four pails from the kitchen. Then he darted out the door. Colin could see candles glowing in nearly every cottage in the valley below him. A candle on Christmas Eve meant that a stranger would be welcome and given whatever he asked. He didn't stop running until he came to the first house. "Could you spare me just a half cup of kerosene from your lamp?" he asked. Colin went to every house where a candle shone in the window. In one hour he had filled two pails. Slowly and painfully he carried them up to the lighthouse door. He knocked. "What's this?" Mr. Duffy asked. "Laddie, this won't keep the lamp burnin' for more than an hour or so." "I'll get more!" Colin shouted as he started down the hill. "It's early still." After three more long hours, Colin had gathered five more pails of kerosene. He was on his way with the sixth pail, when the tower suddenly flickered with light. A great beam spread out over the valley. It stretched toward the dark heart of the sea like a finger pointing home. Mr. Duffy had lighted the lamp! It was very late when Colin reached home. His mother jumped from her seat near the fire. "Colin, where have you been? You've had no supper, nor lighted your candle!" "Oh, Mother! I've lighted a candle, and a big one! It's a secret, so I can't tell you—yet. But it was a huge candle indeed!" Colin slept soundly that night, dreaming of candles. Suddenly, a great shouting aroused him from his sleep. "The boat! The boat has come in!" A hundred voices were spinning in his head. "The light—it was the light they said—the light from the beacon. They were only ten miles away after all. The boat was just adriftin' in the fog, lost." Dawn was breaking. Colin dashed to the window. People were milling around14) outside. His mother was running toward the harbor. It was true! There floated his father's schooner, standing out black as coal against the gray of the sea. Colin darted across the yard and raced for the harbor. He felt a moist wind on his face. It was beginning to snow. Oh, it was Christmas morning all right, falling right from Heaven and into his heart! 科林拖着双脚慢慢地从学校往家走。他的目光越过山丘望向爱尔兰的这个小渔村。这天看起来并不像圣诞夜，或许是因为还没有下雪吧。但科林知道，还有一个原因让这天看上去不像圣诞节——一个他甚至都不敢在心里嘀咕的原因。 他望向那片铅色的海。海平面上一艘船也没有。而爸爸的那艘捕鱼帆船本来七天前就应该到家的。 “我会从设得兰群岛给你带一只小牧羊犬回来，”出发的那天早晨科林的爸爸对他说，“圣诞节前一周你就能得到它，我保证。” 但现在已经是圣诞夜了。科林望向高高耸立在山坡上的灯塔。七天前，一场暴风雨致使灯塔线路短路，导致灯塔上的大灯熄灭。七天了，没有灯光能够指引爸爸的船。 科林推开自家小屋的门。“我们需要更多的泥煤来烧火，科林，”妈妈在他进屋时说道，“煤都烧完了。而且马上就到点圣诞蜡烛的时间了。” “我可没那么在乎点蜡烛的事儿，妈妈。”他说。 “是啊，我知道，我也没那么在乎，”妈妈回答道，“但在爱尔兰，圣诞夜每个人都要点蜡烛的。即使家里遭遇了悲伤的事儿，你也必须点蜡烛。这表示你的家、你的心都为陌生人敞开。来吧，我有两支蜡烛，我们一人一支。要是你能捡一些泥煤回来，我们很快就可以准备吃晚饭了。”科林点了点头，出去了。 他牵着家里的驴上了山，这样他就能去捡泥煤。但就在科林捡泥煤时，他想到了一个主意。这主意就像一阵强劲而温暖的春风袭来。他开始沿着长长的山坡飞奔而上。等跑到灯塔跟前时，他使劲敲了敲门。 看守灯塔的达菲先生打开了门。“你这是中了什么邪了，年轻人？你吓死我了——而且还是在圣诞夜！” “达菲先生，”科林气喘吁吁地说，“你以前是怎么点亮灯塔的？” “哦，用电池啊。但电池都被烧坏了，孩子。一点电都没有了！我们得到新年以后才能更换电池。” “不，我的意思是，在有电池这种东西之前你们是怎么点亮灯塔的？” “噢，那会儿他们用油灯。灯倒是还在地下室里搁着，可我们没有用来烧的油啊，小伙子。” “用煤油能点亮那个灯吗？”科林屏住呼吸问道。 “嗯，我想可以吧，”达菲先生若有所思地说，“但不要再去想那些愚蠢的主意了，小伙子。在这个村子里，你连可怜的一夸脱多余的煤油都不可能找得到。今年大家都穷得没有钱……” 没等达菲先生的话说完科林就走了。他跑下山坡，回到屋里，迅速从厨房搜罗了四个桶，然后冲出了门。 科林能够看到脚下山谷中，几乎每一户村舍都亮着烛光。圣诞夜里点亮的蜡烛意味着陌生人会受到欢迎，而且无论他想要什么都会有人给他。他马不停蹄地一路奔跑，直到来到第一户人家。 “您能从您的灯里就舀半杯煤油给我吗？”他问。科林拜访了每一户窗户上映出烛光的人家。一个小时之内，他就装满了两个桶。他费尽力气，慢慢地提着那两个桶上山来到灯塔门前，然后敲了敲门。 “这是什么？”达菲先生问，“小伙子，这些都不够灯塔上的灯烧一个小时左右的。” “我会弄更多的来！”科林一边拔腿下山一边喊道，“天还早呢！” 又经过漫长的三个小时，科林又攒了五桶煤油。他正拎着第六桶煤油走在路上，突然灯塔里灯光闪烁。一道强烈的光束直射而出，照亮了整个山谷。这道光向着黑漆漆的大海深处射去，就像一根手指，指向家的方向。达菲先生把灯点亮了！ 科林到家时已经很晚了。妈妈从炉火旁的凳子上跳了起来。 “科林，你去哪儿了？你都没吃晚饭，也没点你的蜡烛！” “哦，妈妈！我已经点了一支蜡烛，还是一支大蜡烛呢！这是个秘密，所以我不能告诉你——现在还不行。但那确实是一支巨大的蜡烛！” 那一晚，科林睡得很香，他梦到了很多的蜡烛。突然，一声响亮的叫喊声将他从睡梦中唤醒。 “船！船驶进来了！” 他的脑海里有100个声音在打转。“灯光——他们说多亏了那灯光——从灯塔里射出的灯光。他们就在不过十英里(编注：约16公里)远的地方。船就在雾里漂着，迷路了。” 天已经亮了。科林冲向窗边。窗外，人们正转来转去，而妈妈正朝港口跑去。是真的！爸爸的帆船就在那儿漂着，乌黑的船身在灰色海水的映衬下显得格外醒目。 科林冲出院子，朝港口飞奔而去。他感觉到一丝湿润的风吹在他的脸上。开始下雪了。 啊，正好是圣诞节的早晨， 一切从天而降，沁入了他的心中。 文章摘自：《新东方英语·中学生》杂志2016年12月号