仰望日出的鹿

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