Praying for My Mother

木子李

Praying for My Mother   
Dear God,  
Now that I am no longer young, I have friends whose mothers have passed away. I have heard these sons and daughters say they never fully appreciated their mothers until it was too late to tell them.
I am blessed with the dear mother who is still alive. I appreciate her more each day. My mother does not change, but I do. As I grow older and wiser, I realize what an extraordinary person she is. How sad that I am unable to speak these words in her presence, but they flow easily from my pen.
How does a daughter begin to thank her mother for life itself? For the love, patience and just plain hard work that go into raising a child? For running after a toddler, for understanding a moody teenager, for tolerating a college student who knows everything? For waiting for the day when a daughter realizes her mother really is?
How does a grown woman thank for a mother for continuing to be a mother? For being ready with advice (when asked) or remaining silent when it is most appreciated? For not saying:“ I told you so”, when she could have uttered these words dozens of times? For being essentially herself—loving, thoughtful, patient, and forgiving?
I don’t know how, dear God, except to bless her as richly as she deserves and to help me live up to the example she has set. I pray that I will look as good in the eyes of my children as my mother looks in mine.
A daughter
为母亲祈祷
亲爱的上帝，
如今我已不再年轻，我一些朋友的母亲已经过世了。我曾听他们说过，他们从未完全对他们母亲表达感激之情，但等到想告诉时已为时已晚了。
幸运的是，我母亲依然健在。我对母亲的感情日益剧增。我母亲并没有变，变的是我自己。随着年龄的增长，我越来越懂事，从而认识到母亲是一位很了不起的人。面对母亲这些活我却难于启齿，但是我却能能轻易地写出来，这令我多么难过。
一个女儿该怎么开口向母亲感谢她给予的生命呢？是感谢她在抚养孩子时所付出的爱心、耐心以及辛勤劳动呢？是感谢她在蹒跚学步的小孩后面奔跑，感谢她对心情不稳的女孩的理解，感谢她对自以为是的大学生的宽容呢？还是感谢她等到当女儿真正明白一位好母亲的一天吗？
一个成年女子该怎样感谢她母亲依然如故的角色？是感谢她在被问到时给的良言，不需要的时候保持沉默呢？是感谢她没有告诉你：“我告诉过你的”，而她自己本来就已经说过很多次呢？还是感谢她始终如一的爱心，体贴亲切以及宽容厚道呢？
亲爱的上帝，我不知道该怎么表达除了请求您好好赋予她应得的祝福，并帮助我做到以母亲为榜样。我祈祷在我孩子的眼里我能像母亲在我眼里一样好。
一个女儿
李文珊

Cinderella

语句不够精炼，也不够美。这样的一篇抒情散文，应该是很有美感的。第三四五段有些地方的译文不够通顺、有翻译腔。请参看孙玮玮10月31日的prayer for my mother一贴的译文及点评。