MAY 27.

5月27日

I find I have fallen into raptures, declamation, and similes, and have forgotten, in consequence, to tell you what became of the children. Absorbed in my artistic contemplations, which I briefly described in my letter of yesterday, I continued sitting on the plough for two hours. Toward evening a young woman, with a basket on her arm, came running toward the children, who had not moved all that time. She exclaimed from a distance, "You are a good boy, Philip! " She gave me greeting: I returned it, rose, and approached her. I inquired if she were the mother of those pretty children. "Yes, " she said; and, giving the eldest a piece of bread, she took the little one in her arms and kissed it with a mother's tenderness. "I left my child in Philip's care, " she said, "whilst I went into the town with my eldest boy to buy some wheaten bread, some sugar, and an earthen pot. " I saw the various articles in the basket, from which the cover had fallen. "I shall make some broth to—night for my little Hans (which was the name of the youngest): that wild fellow, the big one, broke my pot yesterday, whilst he was scrambling with Philip for what remained of the contents. I inquired for the eldest; and she had scarcely time to tell me that he was driving a couple of geese home from the meadow, when he ran up, and handed Philip an osier—twig. I talked a little longer with the woman, and found that she was the daughter of the schoolmaster, and that her husband was gone on a journey into Switzerland for some money a relation had left him. " They wanted to cheat him, "she said, " and would not answer his letters; so he is gone there himself. I hope he has met with no accident, as I have heard nothing of him since his departure. "I left the woman, with regret, giving each of the children a kreutzer, with an additional one for the youngest, to buy some wheaten bread for his broth when she went to town next; and so we parted. I assure you, my dear friend, when my thoughts are all in tumult, the sight of such a creature as this tranquillises my disturbed mind. She moves in a happy thoughtlessness within the confined circle of her existence; she supplies her wants from day to day; and, when she sees the leaves fall, they raise no other idea in her mind than that winter is approaching. Since that time I have gone out there frequently. The children have become quite familiar with me; and each gets a lump of sugar when I drink my coffee, and they share my milk and bread and butter in the evening. They always receive their kreutzer on Sundays, for the good woman has orders to give it to them when I do not go there after evening service. They are quite at home with me, tell me everything; and I am particularly amused with observing their tempers, and the simplicity of their behaviour, when some of the other village children are assembled with them.

我发现自己讲得过于起劲了，只顾着发议论，打比方，忘了把那两个孩子后来的情况告诉你了。我在犁上坐了近两个小时，完全沉浸在艺术思考之中；关于当时的情景，昨天的信里已经简要谈过了。傍晚时分，一个年轻女人，胳膊上挎着个篮子，朝那两个一直没怎么移动的孩子跑了过去。她老远就喊道： “菲利普斯，你真是个好孩子！” 她向我问好，我回了礼，站起身来，向她走去。我问她是不是这俩孩子的母亲。 “是的，” 她答道，一边拿给大孩子一块面包，一边抱起小的那个，轻柔地亲了亲他。 “我让菲利普斯照看小弟弟，” 她说道， “我跟老大去城里买面包、糖，还有砂锅去了。” 我看到篮子里装着满满当当的各种杂货，篮子的盖子已经掉了。 “今晚我想给小汉斯（这是最小儿子的名字）熬些汤喝；老大是个淘气鬼，昨天在跟菲利普斯争吃剩饭的时候把锅给打破了。” 我问她老大的情况，她说他正从操场上往家赶鹅呢。话音未落，大孩子就蹦蹦跳跳地跑回来了，还给菲尔普斯带回来一根柳树枝。我跟这个女人又谈了一会儿，才知道她是校长的女儿，她丈夫为继承一位亲属的遗产到瑞士去了。 “人家想骗他，” 她说， “不给他回信，所以他就亲自去了。他这一走便杳无音讯了，但愿没出什么事。” 和这个女人告别时，我心情有些沉重，便给了孩子们每人一枚硬币，还多给了老小一枚，叫她下次进城时给他买块伴汤吃的面包，然后我们就告别了。我向你保证，亲爱的朋友，每逢我心烦意乱的时候，一看到这样的人，烦乱的心情就会顿时平静下来。她在自己那个小世界里无忧无虑地幸福生活着；她一天天张罗着自己的生活，每当看到树叶飘落，想到的也只会是冬天快要来了。自那之后，我常常到那里去。孩子们都和我变得很熟了；我喝咖啡的时候，给他们每人一块糖吃，傍晚的时候也总是和他们一起喝着牛奶，吃着涂满黄油的面包。他们总会在星期天收到一枚十字硬币，如果我做完祷告后不能去那里，便会拜托女店主分发给他们。他们跟我很亲热，什么事都对我说；每当他们跟村里的其他孩子聚在一起时，看到他们的性格和率真的举止，我都尤为欣喜。

It has given me a deal of trouble to satisfy the anxiety of the mother, lest (as she says) "they should inconvenience the gentleman. "

孩子的妈妈总担心，唯恐（就像她说的） “给我带来不便。” 我费了好大劲儿才打消她的顾虑。