高素菊/編譯
The boy who sang his blues away
Blues father called out to him before he left home to find work in the town. “Son,remember what I told you. Take care of yourself. Ill be home as fast as I can.”
Every morning after his father left, Blue would take a look at the blue coat his mother stitched for him when he was a baby. It used to keep him warm but he had outgrown the coat. It was the most precious gift from his mother. Though life was hard for father and son,Blue was always happy. “Sing your blues away,son,”his father told him. His father preferred the word “blues” instead of “troubles.” “It sounds nicer, father,” Blue replied. “Youve grown into a big clever boy!” as father and son hugged each other.
“Son,these were the words your mother whispered to me before she took her last breath,‘Husband, do you remember how we loved to walk and made our wishes, under the blue sky, as we went along? So I stitched a blue coat for our baby. Can you help me to put it on him? Your mother then held you in her arms and continued softly,‘Our baby looks so pretty in the blue coat. Tell him I love him and I will watch over him wherever he goes. Youre a good and brave husband. Teach our son to be like you. ‘Wife, I surely will! Shall we call our son Blue? She was too weak to talk further and nodded her head lightly and gave a sweet smile. She died still holding you in her arms.”
People usually sing when they are happy with plenty to eat but that was not the case for Blue. To start with, it was cold and there were holes in his shoes. He had only a small bowl of rice porridge, his father had left him. Blue knew his father often went hungry but there was always a small bowl for him on the table. Blue kept himself busy, as he had to gather wood in the forest. He remembered his fathers advice, “Sing your blues away and make believe that everything will be alright.” So Blue sang and gathered his woods happily. As birds flew by, they too would chirp along merrily when they heard Blue singing.
One day,he did not notice that a stranger was watching him. It was only when the man called out that Blue lifted up his head. “Boy,why are you singing? Are you not cold?”“I was but Ive been so busy I am warm,” replied Blue. “Your clothes are rags,youre thin and hungry. Surely you cant be happy. Why do you sing? Its silly.” “Not at all, I had sung my blues away. I also convinced myself that I am the happiest boy in the country. I am really happy!”
“Oh, can you help me? I have a little boy who cries all day. I give him everything he asks for. Yet he is unhappy. Please come and sing him your song and teach him your secret. Youre a brave little boy!” The stranger pleaded.
Blue nodded,“I will come after I have taken home the wood. When father comes home, there will be some wood to keep us warm. I go on singing until my heart opens up and sings too. I really have no secret.”
The stranger took Blue to a big cottage in the forest. In a beautiful room lay a sick boy on a silken couch. His eyes were red as he had been crying. He looked angrily at his father and stared at Blue. “Who are you? You look cold. Why do you smile?”
The father took his sons hands and told him how he saw Blue in the woods singing and looking happy in spite of being hungry and cold.
Blue came towards the boy and asked,“Would you like me to sing you a song?If you like it then I will continue.” As Blue sang, the boy smiled as he could feel that Blue sang with his heart. “What a beautiful song!” cried the boy,“Can you stay with me and teach me to sing so that I will not be sad?” “Of course,I will. My name is Blue and whats yours?” “Im called Ping which means peace. But I am always crying and never gives my father peace.” So Blue sang and taught Ping the true meaning of peace and how to be happy. Not only Blue and Ping became the best of friends but their fathers too.
Moral: Singing your blues away also means singing your troubles away. In simple terms, “never let trouble trouble you.”
唱走悲傷的男孩
布魯?shù)陌职衷陔x開家去城里找工作之前對(duì)布魯說:“兒子,記住我所說的話,照顧好自己,我會(huì)盡快回來的?!?/p>
爸爸走后,他每天早上都要看一看媽媽在他小時(shí)候給他縫的一件藍(lán)上衣。以前是為了保暖,現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)不能穿了。這是媽媽給他的最珍貴的禮物。盡管父子生活艱辛,布魯總是很高興?!鞍驯瘋撸瑑鹤??!卑职指嬖V他。爸爸寧愿用“悲傷”,而不用“麻煩”?!斑@個(gè)詞聽起來更好一些,爸爸?!辈剪斦f。“你是一個(gè)聰明的大男孩了?!备缸觽z擁抱在一起。
“兒子,你媽媽在臨終前輕聲對(duì)我說:‘你還記得我們多么喜歡在藍(lán)天下散步,邊走邊許愿嗎?所以我縫制了一件藍(lán)上衣給我們的孩子。你幫我給他穿上吧。你媽媽抱著你,繼續(xù)說道:‘我們的孩子穿藍(lán)上衣真得很漂亮,告訴他我多么愛他,不管他到哪,我都會(huì)守護(hù)著他的。你是一個(gè)善良、勇敢的丈夫,把我們的兒子也培養(yǎng)成像你一樣的人吧?!乙欢〞?huì)的,我們給兒子取名叫布魯吧。你媽媽太虛弱,說不出話了,只是輕輕點(diǎn)了點(diǎn)頭,甜甜地笑了。她把你抱在懷里,靜靜地去了。”
通常,當(dāng)人們能填飽肚子的時(shí)候,他們就會(huì)很高興地唱歌,但布魯卻不能。首先,天開始變冷了,他的鞋上還有洞。他只能吃爸爸留給的一小碗稀飯。布魯知道爸爸常常餓著肚子,但是桌上總會(huì)放著一小碗給他。布魯每天很忙碌,因?yàn)樗仨毜缴掷锶觳?。他記著爸爸的話:“唱走悲傷,相信一切都?huì)好起來的。”于是,布魯邊唱邊高興地?fù)觳瘛.?dāng)有鳥飛過聽到布魯唱歌時(shí),它們也歡快地唱起來。
一天,他沒有注意到一個(gè)陌生人正注視著他,直到那個(gè)人叫他名字的時(shí)候,他才抬起頭來。“孩子,你為什么唱歌???你不冷嗎?”“我冷啊,但是忙起來,我身子就暖和了?!辈剪敶鸬?。“你的衣服都破了,你又瘦又餓,一定不幸福,為什么唱歌呢?這多可笑?!薄耙稽c(diǎn)也不可笑,我把悲傷唱走了。我還告訴自己我是全國最幸福的小孩,我真的很幸福。”
“哦,你能幫我嗎?我有一個(gè)小兒子整天哭。他要什么,我就給什么,他還是感到不幸福。我想請你給他唱歌,告訴他你的秘訣。你是一個(gè)很勇敢的小男孩。”陌生人請求道。
布魯點(diǎn)點(diǎn)頭?!暗任野巡駧Щ丶液笪揖蛠?。爸爸回來的時(shí)候我們就有柴取暖了。我不停地唱,我的心也打開跟著唱。我真的沒有秘訣?!?/p>
陌生人把他帶到森林里的一間大屋子里。漂亮的房間里,一個(gè)病男孩躺在柔軟的沙發(fā)上。他的眼睛紅紅的。因?yàn)樗麆偪捱^。他生氣地看著爸爸,也盯著布魯?!澳闶钦l?你看起來很冷,為什么還笑?”
爸爸拉起兒子的手,告訴他說他看見布魯在森林里唱歌,看起來很幸福,盡管他又餓又冷。
布魯走近男孩笑問:“想聽我給你唱一支歌嗎?如果你喜歡聽,我就接著唱?!辈剪敵臅r(shí)候,男孩笑了,因?yàn)樗芨惺艿讲剪斒怯眯脑诔??!岸嗪寐牭母瑁 蹦泻⒔械?,“你能和我呆在一起教我唱歌嗎?那樣我就不傷心了。”“?dāng)然可以,我叫布魯,你呢?”我叫平,意思是和平,但我總是哭,從不讓我爸爸安寧?!坝谑遣剪敵瑁嬖V平和平的真正含義,并教他怎樣才會(huì)幸福。不僅布魯和平成了最好的朋友,他們的爸爸也成了最好的朋友?!?/p>
寓意:唱走悲傷,也唱走煩惱。簡單地說,就是“不讓煩惱靠近你”。