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setting sun。 In that moment； I almost forgot that in the courtyard there was Granny； the black dog； and me。
I continued to read my books in the courtyard as usual。 One day I went to a very dull page and my eyes stayed stubbornly on a line。 I raised my eyes and saw Granny sitting quietly in the sunlight with a gush of wind blowing her silver hair。 I turned my wheelchair to her side and held her hands； which were coolish； soft； flabby but gentle。 I asked her； do you feel bored all alone； Granny？ No； I don’t feel bored； she answered。 I sit here as if I sit on the roadside at the edge of my home village like when I was young。 Lively people are ing and going before my eyes。 The day when my husband married me was very lively。 My head was covered with a red head kerchief and I wore a red coat and a red skirt made of silk。 That day a big cart came decorated with red silk and was pulled by a mule and two horses。 It was the twelfth moon； the road was covered by thick snow。 The wheels pressed two deep grooves into the ground behind my cart。。。 Granny murmured very slowly with her harsh voice。 She raised her head a little and in her eyes I saw she had memories lingering from a year long ago。
It suddenly came to me the awareness of another meaning of life。 Once I had thought that Granny sitting in the solitude was waiting silently for her death to e and had no any expectation。 I had also considered how bored and bitter she would feel in her loneliness and darkness。 But； actually she was spending her days under the sunlight in so calm a mood。 Before her eyes the hands of the clock turned backward。 The lives of the past were ing back nearer and nearer。 She found the lost years and got from them new fort and pleasure。 The real life is the life in one’s memory； and the life in the memory is more vivid than it is in reality。 Life lasts forever in the memory。
One day Granny fell ill and was sent to the hospital； I felt very sorry。 People said that perhaps she could not get over such an illness； and perhaps she would never be back to the courtyard。 When I was alone in the courtyard I always recalled the days when there had been Granny； the black dog and me。 I felt lonely and sad。 Everyday I asked the one who sent food to the hospital about the condition of Granny。 One day someone told me that Granny could eat again； and when she opened her eyes she could clearly tell the stories of her ancestors and perhaps she would e back soon。
Granny did e back to the courtyard again and I was deeply moved by her strong vitality。 I then highly valued each day I spent with her in the courtyard。 Each day Granny sat there bathing in the warm sunshine and pondering over her past with her head leaned low as before。
That autumn she was visibly weakened and sat fewer and fewer hours in the courtyard。 One day she told me； I knew I would e back； I must be back and wait for him at home。 She said it was an autumn day； a day like today； leaves fell rustling everywhere； when my husband left early in the morning。 He was a good ironsmith； and wore a coat and carried a cloth…wrapper on his back。 At the door he said； you’d better not go out of the courtyard； for the baby’s just a month old。 When I earn money I’ll surely be back。 He said if he could not earn money he would be back before the end of the year。 I made a new cotton coat for him； but he hasn’t e back yet。 Since that day I made a new cotton coat for him every autumn； but he still hasn’t e back。 Now； I cannot make a coat； I can’t see anything； and if he es back I cannot make out what he is really like。。。
I caressed Granny’s hands lightly； they were very cool。 A few dead leaves came whirling from the bare trees and threads of cold rain of late autumn fell from the sky。 Granny suddenly shivered with cold and her hands shook a little。 She said； I feel bad today。 It is getting colder again； but why hasn’t he e back yet？ In murmuring so； tears rolled slowly down from her dim eyes。
The next day Granny was gone。 People of her family said that she got up in the middle of the night and made her way to the middle of the cabinet； and rummaged out of it the coat she had made for her husband。 She said it was cold； and she should go and send it to him。 She then fell asleep with the coat in her arms。 She looked very calm； and people said she had gone without any suffering。
That left only the black dog and me in the courtyard。 It snowed heavily that winter。 The white snow buried Granny’s long and persevering expectations。 In my obscure meditation there was often a quiet and a bit harsh voice leisurely telling a long story； which had no ending。 The figure of Granny had gone with the wind； but her memory still lives on in the green leaves of life。
What can I recall when I am old with my hair silver； I asked myself。
在这里，我期待着陌生朋友们的译文，我愿和你们一起分享汉译英、英译汉的快乐。
I’m the Terrible Trivium
我是可怕的Trivium
在我自学英语的那些年，曾有一段时间，每天只学习英语语法，因为我背了很多单词，却写不好一封长信，于是我就寄希望于学习语法了。我想，语法，不就是语言的法则吗？有一本书上也说，学语言就是学语法规则，就像学数学要记公式一样。只要背熟了公式，解题就容易多了。所以，我真的以为只要学好了语法，英语就学了一半，甚至可以做到事半功倍。
那段时间，只要县城里那个小书店来了英语语法书我都要买来，比如，《英语语法》，《趣味英语语法》，甚至《医用英语语法》都买来了。我十分认真地学习名词、动词、代词、介词、形容词、副词……然后是主语、谓语、宾语……再后来是简单句、并列句、复合句……然后又是时态、语态……陈述式、虚拟式、命令式……可是一段时间过去，我却觉得语法学得越多，分析句子就越繁琐，有些句子用语法一点点地分析之后，反而让人糊涂了。
这时，朋友N告诉我，对语法知识要做到“难得糊涂”。你想想，连英语国家的学生都害怕的东西，何况我们中国人呢？过了好多年，当我翻译的《小米勒旅行记》出版时，我想起在书里那只令人恐怖的大脏鸟就是用“I’m the terrible Trivium。”来吓唬小米勒他们的，而这个可怕的trivium 就是中世纪学校里每个学生必读的“grammar； rhetoric； logic”（语法、修辞、逻辑）。
一般来说学习任何一种语言都要下苦功，古人有“十年磨一剑”的格言，学习语言也如同磨剑，要历经千锤百炼，才能制成真正的宝剑，用起来得心应手。我重新梳理了学过的语法知识，想从中理出一条主线。我想，既然语言的最基本单位是词，只要把词的知识弄明白了，语法的难度恐怕就减轻了一半。我首先从名词开始。从简单的事物，再到复杂和抽象的事物。首先，既然名词就是代表这些事物的，那么，名词也分为abstract nouns（抽象名词）和mon nouns（普通名词）。想一想很有意思，很多表示事物性质和特性的词都是抽象名词。比如：
advice （忠告）
care （关心）
color （颜色）
courage （勇气）
faith （信仰）
headache （头痛）
kindness （善良）
wealth （财富）
wisdom （智慧）
人名、地名和很多具体事物的名称都是普通名词，也是最常见的：
Sir Isaac Newton （伊萨克·牛顿勋爵）
basketball （篮球）
internet （因特网）
mobile…phone （移动电话）
另外还有一些是专有名词（proper names），是一些特定的地方和事物专用的：
The British monwealth of Nations （英联邦）
NATO （The North Atlantic Treaty Organization）（北大西洋公约组织）
APEC （Asia…Pacific Economic Cooperation）（亚太经合组织）
中文里有一群，一对，一列，这些表示群体的词，英语里也是，这些有下划线的词有好几个是表示一群的，可拼写却大不相同：
a crowd of people （一群人）
a flock of sheep （一群羊）
a herd of cattle （一群牛）
a shoal of fish （一群鱼）
a swarm of bees （一群蜜蜂）
an English class （一个英语班）
a team of swimmers （一队游泳者）
我觉得，英语有趣的地方是，英语的名词还分为可数名词和不可数名词，所谓可数名词，就是可以通过词尾的变化，变成复数形式的词。而不可数名词就没有这种变化。比如，上面提到的很多抽象名词，advice，care，courage，faith，headache，health，help，kindness，wealth，wisdom 都是不可数的，此外还有furniture； news； information； 等等。
但是，仅仅记住简单的规则是不够的。我曾听朋友说过这么一句话：Sheep are always sheep； and deer are deer everywhere。 我听了以后忍不住笑了。用这样的方法记忆英语的特殊规则多么有趣啊！又一次，我翻看一个小学生的英语作业本，发现他写了一句：Fish and fish are two fish。 Swine and swine are two swine。 啊，原来老师是这样教孩子学习英语名词的单、复数同形的！看来，并不是只有天才或者语法专家才会有好主意呢。
英语名词的单数和复数实际上不那么简单，有的专家总结说，单复数的变化有二十多种，而且每种形式都有一些例外，我过去一直是用死记硬背的方式来记忆，后来应用起来就很呆板。后来我改变了方法，在阅读中记忆，在与朋友的交谈中和书信往来中熟悉这些变化，慢慢地就变成自己的习惯。但是，有一些词的变化却是没有规律的，比如下面这些名词的复数要加es：
motto —— mottoes （格言）
potato —— potatoes （土豆）
tomato —— tomatoes （西红柿）
但是，下面这几个词的复数就只加s：
piano —— pianos （钢琴）
studio —— studios （摄影棚）
tornado —— tornados （龙卷风）
还有的是既可以用…es，也可以用…s，比如：
fresco —— frescoes或：frescos （壁画法）
gingko —— gingkoes或：gingkos （银杏）
portico —— porticoes或：porticos （有圆柱的门廊）
同样是以o结尾的名词，有的变成复数要用…es，有的却用…s，还有的既可以用…es，也可以用…s，为什么会有这样的例外呢？我曾问过一些英语专家，可他们也说不清，只能说是习惯造成的，人们历来就是这样用的。再比如：
ox —— oxen （公牛）
child ——