在孤兒院唱歌 Singing in the Orphan Asylum

在孤兒院唱歌

FEW children in Utah have ever heard of an orphan asylum, and it is likely to be a long while before they will see one here, because in our domestic system there are always relatives to take care of those who lose one or both parents. It is, in one sense, a melancholy sight to see a large building, and know that it is an institution of that kind ; it is sad to go through its rooms, and know that all those bright, youthful beings, formed to love and to be loved, are passing days and months in a life that lacks its most needful blessing, family ties. A sense of loneliness, restraint, and longing seems to pervade the whole. They may outgrow the heart-hunger, and go on without it, but that life lacks its best part after all.

在猶他州，很少有孩子聽(tīng)說(shuō)過(guò)孤兒院，他們可能要過(guò)很長(zhǎng)一段時(shí)間才能在這里見(jiàn)到孤兒院，因?yàn)樵谖覀兊募彝ブ贫戎?，那些失去父母一方或雙親的人總是有親戚照顧的。從某種意義上說(shuō)，看到一幢大樓，知道它是那種機(jī)構(gòu)，是一種令人傷感的景象;令人難過(guò)的是，當(dāng)你走進(jìn)它的房間，你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)，所有那些為愛(ài)和被愛(ài)而生的聰明、年輕的生命，在缺少最需要的祝福——家庭紐帶的生命中，日復(fù)一日、月復(fù)一月地流逝。一種孤獨(dú)、克制和渴望的感覺(jué)似乎彌漫了整個(gè)世界。他們長(zhǎng)大后也許會(huì)擺脫內(nèi)心的渴望，不再需要它，但生活畢竟缺少它最好的部分。

Again it is a great blessing that the homeless can be gathered in where shelter, warmth, food, clothing, instruction, and guardianship are all provided. All honor and blessing to those noble and gentle spirits that take a mission upon themselves to care for the helpless. There must be a great deal of love and patience in their hearts.

再次，無(wú)家可歸的人能夠聚集在一個(gè)提供庇護(hù)、溫暖、食物、衣服、指導(dǎo)和監(jiān)護(hù)的地方，這是一個(gè)巨大的祝福。所有的榮譽(yù)和祝福都屬于那些高尚而溫柔的靈魂，他們肩負(fù)著照顧無(wú)助者的使命。他們的心里一定充滿(mǎn)了愛(ài)和耐心。

When I was a little girl, my mother took me with her to visit the Protestant Orphan Asylum in San Francisco. She was one of the founders and directors. The sixty orphans were seated as in school, and a program entertainment was given to show what they had been learning. Articles made by both sexes were shown.

當(dāng)我還是個(gè)小女孩的時(shí)候，我媽媽帶我去舊金山的新教孤兒收容所。她是創(chuàng)始人和董事之一。這60名孤兒像在學(xué)校一樣坐在座位上，并舉行了一個(gè)節(jié)目娛樂(lè)節(jié)目來(lái)展示他們所學(xué)到的東西。展示了男女制作的物品。

I remember above all others there a girl who sat in a large chair, in which, it was said, she passed day and night. Some dreadful affliction had made her a cripple, and her hair was all gone, so that she wore a soft silk cap over the bandages on her suffering head, and she could not use her hands; but they said she was so good and patient they all loved her, and tried to cheer her sad life.

我記得那兒有一個(gè)女孩，她坐在一張大椅子上，據(jù)說(shuō)她日日夜夜都坐在那張椅子上。一場(chǎng)可怕的災(zāi)難使她變成了一個(gè)瘸子，她的頭發(fā)也全沒(méi)了，因此她頭上纏著繃帶，戴著一頂柔軟的絲質(zhì)帽子。但是他們說(shuō)她是那么的善良和耐心，他們都愛(ài)她，并試圖為她悲傷的生活加油。

While we were there, they sang a song about a poor mother alone in the dark with her dying son, while across the street was a mansion brilliantly lighted, where dancing and feasting went on. It was called "The Watcher." O children, think of it!

我們?cè)谀抢锏臅r(shí)候，他們唱了一首關(guān)于一個(gè)貧窮的母親和她垂死的兒子在黑暗中獨(dú)自一人的歌，而街對(duì)面是一座燈火輝煌的大廈，那里正在舉行舞會(huì)和宴會(huì)。它被稱(chēng)為“觀(guān)察者”。啊，孩子們，想想看!

I have known of a case where the only light in the sick room, was from the fire-place. This seemed hard enough. I often went to the asylum, but those visits were all sad recollections. One dear little boy was told that an uncle was coming to take him to his grandparents. He was so sweetly hopeful about it, and the others all thought him so fortunate; but the ship encountered a storm, and the good uncle was drowned. When the news of this second calamity came, no one was willing at first to bear the sad tidings to the ^dear boy. After some months a reliable friend was found who could take him to his own relatives, and that friend was a good old sea captain, going home. Not a woman was on board the ship, but a letter from the "old folks" proved that he reached there all right.

我曾聽(tīng)說(shuō)過(guò)一個(gè)案例，病房里唯一的光亮來(lái)自壁爐。這似乎已經(jīng)夠難的了。我經(jīng)常去精神病院，但那些探訪(fǎng)都是悲傷的回憶。一個(gè)可愛(ài)的小男孩聽(tīng)說(shuō)叔叔要帶他去爺爺奶奶家。他對(duì)這件事充滿(mǎn)了甜蜜的希望，其他人都認(rèn)為他很幸運(yùn)。但是船遇到了暴風(fēng)雨，好心的叔叔淹死了。當(dāng)?shù)诙螢?zāi)難的消息傳來(lái)時(shí)，起初沒(méi)有人愿意把這個(gè)不幸的消息告訴親愛(ài)的孩子。幾個(gè)月后，一個(gè)可靠的朋友找到了，他可以帶他去見(jiàn)自己的親戚，這個(gè)朋友是一個(gè)很好的老船長(zhǎng)，要回家了。船上沒(méi)有一個(gè)女人，但是“老人家”寫(xiě)來(lái)的一封信證明他做得很好。

Strange to say, no one ever claimed any of the rest, for whole families had been destroyed by the cholera, with the exception of these few children. It must be very sad for any person to feel that he stands alone upon the earth, the last of his family.

奇怪的是，除了這幾個(gè)孩子之外，沒(méi)有人認(rèn)領(lǐng)其他的孩子，因?yàn)槌诉@幾個(gè)孩子以外，所有的家庭都被霍亂給毀了。對(duì)于任何一個(gè)人來(lái)說(shuō)，自己孤獨(dú)地站在地球上——作為家庭的最后一個(gè)成員——一定是非常悲傷的。