本⽂是为您准备的《英语写作阅读翻译：⽗爱⽆边》请⼤家参考!
My father was a self-taught mandolin player. He was one of the best string instrument players in our town. He could not readmusic, but if he heard a tune a few times, he could play it. When he was younger, he was a member of a small country musicband. They would play at local dances and on a few occasions would play for the local radio station. He often told us how hehad auditioned and earned a position in a band that featured Patsy Cline as their lead singer. He told the family that after hewas hired he never went back. Dad was a very religious man. He stated that there was a lot of drinking and cursing the day ofhis audition and he did not want to be around that type of environment.
Occasionally, Dad would get out his mandolin and play for the family. We three children: Trisha, Monte and I, George Jr.,would often sing along. Songs such as the Tennessee Waltz, Harbor Lights and around Christmas time, the well-knownrendition of Silver Bells. \"Silver Bells, Silver Bells, its Christmas time in the city\" would ring throughout the house. One ofDad's favorite hymns was \"The Old Rugged Cross\". We learned the words to the hymn when we were very young, andwould sing it with Dad when he would play and sing. Another song that was often shared in our house was a song that
accompanied the Walt Disney series: Davey Crockett. Dad only had to hear the song twice before he learned it well enoughto play it. \"Davey, Davey Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier\" was a favorite song for the family. He knew we enjoyed the songand the program and would often get out the mandolin after the program was over. I could never get over how he could playthe songs so well after only hearing them a few times. I loved to sing, but I never learned how to play the mandolin. This issomething I regret to this day.
Dad loved to play the mandolin for his family he knew we enjoyed singing, and hearing him play. He was like that. If hecould give pleasure to others, he would, especially his family. He was always there, sacrificing his time and efforts to see thathis family had enough in their life. I had to mature into a man and have children of my own before I realized how much he hadsacrificed.
I joined the United States Air Force in January of 1962. Whenever I would come home on leave, I would ask Dad to playthe mandolin. Nobody played the mandolin like my father. He could touch your soul with the tones that came out of that oldmandolin. He seemed to shine when he was playing. You could see his pride in his ability to play so well for his family. When Dad was younger, he worked for his father on the farm. His father was a farmer and sharecropped a farm for theman who owned the property. In 1950, our family moved from the farm. Dad had gained employment at the local limestonequarry. When the quarry closed in August of 1957, he had to seek other employment. He worked for Owens Yacht Companyin Dundalk, Maryland and for Todd Steel in Point of Rocks, Maryland. While working at Todd Steel, he was involved in anaccident. His job was to roll angle iron onto a conveyor so that the welders farther up the production line would have it tocomplete their job. On this particular day Dad got the third index finger of his left hand mashed between two pieces of steel.The doctor who operated on the finger could not save it, and Dad ended up having the tip of the finger amputated. He didn'tlose enough of the finger where it would stop him picking up anything, but it did impact his ability to play the mandolin. After the accident, Dad was reluctant to play the mandolin. He felt that he could not play as well as he had before theaccident. When I came home on leave and asked him to play he would make excuses for why he couldn't play. Eventually,we would wear him down and he would say \"Okay, but remember, I can't hold down on the strings the way I used to\" or\"Since the accident to this finger I can't play as good\". For the family it didn't make any difference that Dad couldn't play aswell. We were just glad that he would play. When he played the old mandolin it would carry us back to a cheerful, happiertime in our lives. \"Davey, Davey Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier\Virginia.
In August of 1993 my father was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. He chose not to receive chemotherapy
treatments so that he could live out the rest of his life in dignity. About a week before his death, we asked Dad if he wouldplay the mandolin for us. He made excuses but said \"okay\". He knew it would probably be the last time he would play for us.He tuned up the old mandolin and played a few notes. When I looked around, there was not a dry eye in the family. We sawbefore us a quiet humble man with an inner strength that comes from knowing God, and living with him in one's life. Dad
would never play the mandolin for us again. We felt at the time that he wouldn't have enough strength to play, and that makesthe memory of that day even stronger. Dad was doing something he had done all his life, giving. As sick as he was, he wasstill pleasing others. Dad sure could play that Mandolin!
我⽗亲是个⾃学成才的曼陀林琴⼿，他是我们镇秀的弦乐演奏者之⼀。他看不懂乐谱，但是如果听⼏次曲⼦，他就能演奏出来。当他年轻⼀点的时候，他是⼀个⼩乡村乐队的成员。他们在当地舞厅演奏，有⼏次还为当地⼴播电台演奏。他经常告诉我们，⾃⼰如何试演，如何在佩茜?克莱恩作为主唱的乐队⾥占⼀席之位。他告诉家⼈，⼀旦被聘⽤就永不回头。⽗亲是⼀个很严谨的⼈，他讲述了他试演的那天，很多⼈在喝酒，咒骂，他不想呆在那种环境⾥。
有时候，⽗亲会拿出曼陀林，为家⼈弹奏。我们三个⼩孩：翠莎、蒙蒂和我，还有乔治通常会伴唱。唱的有：《⽥纳西华尔兹》和《海港之光》，到了圣诞节，就唱脍炙⼈⼝的《银铃》：\"银铃，银铃，城⾥来了圣诞节。\"歌声充满了整个房⼦。⽗亲最爱的其中⼀⾸赞歌是《古⽼的⼗字架》。我们很⼩的时候就学会歌词了，⽽且在⽗亲弹唱的时候，我们也跟着唱。我们经常⼀起唱的另外⼀⾸歌来⾃沃特?迪斯尼的系列⽚：《戴维?克罗克特》。⽗亲只要听了两遍就弹起来了，\"戴维，戴维?克罗
克特，荒野边疆的国王。\"那是我们家最喜欢的歌曲。他知道我们喜欢那⾸歌和那个节⽬，所以每次节⽬结束后，他就拿出曼陀林弹奏。我永远不能明⽩他如何能听完⼏遍后就能把⼀⾸曲⼦弹得那么好。我热爱唱歌，但我没有学会如何弹奏曼陀林，这是我遗憾⾄今的事情。
⽗亲喜欢为家⼈弹奏曼陀林，他知道我们喜欢唱歌，喜欢听他弹奏。他就是那样，如果他能把快乐奉献给别⼈，他从不吝啬，尤其是对他的家⼈。他总是那样，牺牲⾃⼰的时间和精⼒让家⼈⽣活得满⾜。⽗亲的这种付出是只有当我长⼤成⼈，⽽且是有了⾃⼰的孩⼦后才能体会到的。
我在1962年1⽉加⼊了美国空军基地。每当我休假回家，我都请求⽗亲弹奏曼陀林。没有⼈弹奏曼陀林能达到像我⽗亲那样的境界，他在那古⽼的曼陀林上抚出的旋律能够触及你的灵魂。他弹奏的时候，⾝上似乎能发出四射的光芒。你可以看出，⽗亲为能给家⼈弹奏出如此美妙的旋律，他是多么的⾃豪。
⽗亲年轻的时候，曾在农场为爷爷⼯作。爷爷是农场使⽤者，要向农场所有⼈交纳⾕物抵租。1950年，我们全家搬离农场，⽗亲在当地⽯灰⽯采⽯场谋得职位。采⽯场在1957年倒闭，他只好另觅⼯作。他曾在马⾥兰州登多克的欧⽂斯游艇公司上班，还在马⾥兰州的洛斯的托德钢铁公司上过班。在托德钢铁公司上班期间，他遇到了意外。他的⼯作是把有棱⾓的铁滚到搬运台上，这样焊接⼯才能作进⼀步加⼯来完成整个⼯序。在那个特殊的⽇⼦⾥，⽗亲的
左⼿第三个⼿指被缠在两⽚钢铁中。医⽣对⼿指施⼿术，但未能保住那只⼿指，最后⽗亲只好让医⽣把那⼿指的指尖给切除了。那个⼿指并没有完全丧失拿东西的能⼒，但是却影响了他弹奏曼陀林的能⼒。
事故后，⽗亲不太愿意弹奏曼陀林了，他觉得再也不能像以前弹得那么好了。我休假回家请求他弹奏曼陀林，他以种种借⼝解释不能弹奏的原因。最后，我们软硬兼施逼他就范，他终于说：\"好吧，但是记住，我拨弦再也不能像过去⼀样了。\"或者会说：\"这个⼿指出意外后，我再也不能弹得像过去那样好了。\"对于家⼈来说，⽗亲弹得好不好并没有分别，我们很⾼兴他终于弹奏了。当他弹起那把陈旧的曼陀林，就会把我们带回昔⽇那些⽆忧⽆虑的幸福时光。\"戴维，戴维?克罗克特，荒野边疆的国王\"就会再次响彻西弗吉尼亚州的贝克顿⼩镇。
1993年8⽉，⽗亲诊断得了不宜动⼿术的肺癌。他不想接受化疗，因为他想体⾯地过完他⽣命最后的时光。⼤约在⽗亲去世的⼀周前，我们请求他能否为我们弹奏曼陀林，他说了很多借⼝，最后还是答应了。他知道这可能是他最后⼀次为我们弹奏了，他为⽼曼陀林调弦，弹了⼏个⾳。我环顾四周，家⼈个个都泪⽔满眶。我们看见在我们⾯前是⼀个安静的、谦虚的⼈，以⽣命最后的⼒量，⽤爱的⼒量⽀撑着。⽗亲再也没有⾜够的⼒量弹奏，这使我们对那天的记忆更加强烈。⽗亲做着他⼀⽣都在做的事情：奉献。即使⽣命已⾛到了尽头，他却仍尽⼒为他⼈创造欢乐。没错，⽗亲⼀定还能弹奏曼陀林的。
