音音每周从学校带回来三本书, 每晚睡前阅读, 一日不缺. 昨晚当我打开书本给她读时, 我惊讶地发现那是一本儿子读小学时曾借回来的书! 似曾相识的场景, 非常熟悉的画页, 和那个经久不衰的爱的故事让我一时心潮澎湃. 读着读着我就流眼泪了......

小音音慌了, 指着这本书说:"我不喜欢它!" "为什么?!" 小人儿凑近我:"因为它说妈妈会变老!" 呵, 少不更事的小妞啊. 我抹抹眼泪, 笑着说:"可妈妈好喜欢这本书! 你以后也一定会喜欢的!"

女儿熟睡后, 我拿着书走进儿子房间. 我拍拍那个戴着耳机的大个子, 示意他"还记得这本书吗?" 他摘下耳机瞄了一眼, 打趣地说:"哦, 记得! 你后来变成老太太了嘛!" 哼, 臭小子, 当心我晚上过来掐你一把!

也许很多人都有这样的感受: 白天时对那叛逆小子恨之入骨, 晚上却又忍不住走到床前亲他; 他未成年时, 恨不得早早把他赶出家门, 等他真正离家而去, 却又倍感空落而牵肠挂肚......

"永远爱你", 是母亲的呢喃, 也是生命之爱的传奇. 这本书多年来一版再版, 经久不衰. 父母送给祖父母读, 祖父母送给父母读----他们何其心照不宣, 而父母又再读给孩子听, 代代相传. 我翻译了全文(附英文原本)并扫描几张图画, 与母亲们共享.

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Love You Forever

by Robert Munsch

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一个妈妈抱着她的新生儿, 坐在摇椅里轻轻地摇, 轻轻地摇, 轻轻地摇. 她一边摇一边唱:

 

我永远爱你/我会一直喜欢你/只要我活着/你就永远存在

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婴儿在长大. 他长大, 长大, 又长大. 他两岁了, 可以满屋子爬了. 他扯下书架上的书. 他把冰箱里的食物全都搬出来, 他抓起妈妈的手表扔进马桶里冲水. 有时他妈妈会说:"这家伙简直让我发疯!"

 

可到了晚上, 当那个两岁小人儿安静下来后, 她打开他的房门, 从地板上轻轻爬过去, 趴在床沿看她的宝宝; 如果他真的完全熟睡了, 她会抱起他轻轻地摇, 轻轻地摇, 轻轻地摇. 她一边摇一边唱:

 

我永远爱你/我会一直喜欢你/只要我活着/你就永远存在

 

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小男孩在长大. 他长大, 长大, 又长大. 他九岁了. 他总是玩得不落屋, 他也不洗澡, 当外婆来的时候他总是说些不中听的话. 有时侯他妈妈简直想把他卖给动物园!

 

可到了晚上, 当他睡下, 他妈妈轻轻打开他房门, 从地板上爬过去, 趴在床沿看她的宝宝. 如果他真的完全熟睡了, 她会抱起那个九岁的男孩, 轻轻地摇, 轻轻地摇, 轻轻地摇. 她一边摇一边唱:

 

我永远爱你/我会一直喜欢你/只要我活着/你就永远存在

 

(我是看到这张"吊儿郎当"的图才猛然忆起曾给儿子读过的. 当时七岁的他满怀羡慕之情:"妈妈, 我长大了要象他这样!")

 

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男孩在长大. 他长大, 长大, 又长大. 他长成青少年了. 他交奇怪的朋友, 穿奇怪的衣服, 听奇怪的音乐. 有时侯他妈妈觉得自己简直就住在动物园!

 

可到了晚上, 当那个青少年睡下, 他妈妈轻轻打开他房门, 从地板上爬过去, 趴在床沿看她的孩子. 如果他真的完全熟睡了, 她会抱起那个大个子男孩, 轻轻地摇, 轻轻地摇, 轻轻地摇. 她一边摇一边唱:

 

我永远爱你/我会一直喜欢你/只要我活着/你就永远存在

 

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青年在长大. 他长大, 长大, 又长大. 他终于成年了. 他离开家, 在城市另一角买了自己的房子. 

 

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当夜幕降临, 他妈妈会开着车在城里逛. 等到她儿子房间的灯熄灭之后, 她会从卧室的窗口跳进去, 从地板上爬过去, 趴在床沿看她的孩子. 如果他真的完全熟睡了, 她会抱起那个大男人, 轻轻地摇, 轻轻地摇, 轻轻地摇. 她一边摇一边唱:

 

我永远爱你/我会一直喜欢你/只要我活着/你就永远存在

 

看到这一页, 小音音讶异地问:"How did she do that? (她怎么抱得动他呀?)"

我说:"没准她觉得自己是在抱小宝宝呢." 这个画面确实震撼.

 

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可是, 那个妈妈, 正在变老. 她变得越来越老. 有一天她拿起电话打给儿子:"你最好过来一趟. 我很老了, 还病得不轻."

 

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儿子过来了. 当他进门的时候, 她试图再唱那首歌: 我永远爱你/我会一直喜欢你...... 

 

可她没能继续下去, 因为她实在太老太病弱了. 儿子走近妈妈. 他把她抱起, 轻轻地摇, 轻轻地摇, 轻轻地摇. 他一边摇一边唱:

 

我永远爱你/我会一直喜欢你/只要我活着/你就永远存在

 

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儿子当晚回家后, 他站在楼梯口沉思良久.

 

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然后他直奔刚出生的小女儿床边. 他抱起女儿, 轻轻地摇, 轻轻地摇, 轻轻地摇. 他一边摇一边唱:

 

我永远爱你/我会一直喜欢你/只要我活着/你就永远存在

   

我没告诉音音我为什么哭, 可我清楚记得当初给儿子读这书的时候我是没哭的. 那时我搂着七岁的小男孩, 轻松随意地问他:"要是将来妈妈老了你会怎样?" 他立刻举起双手做健美状, 虎气地说:"看, 我现在就能抱起你!"

呵, 那时的儿子多可爱. 可现在呢, 变成一个让我感觉身处"动物园"的疯狂小子. 过不久, 在我的怒气还没发完的时候, 他又要离开这个家了. 再以后, 连接我们之间的纽带会越来越细......

 

十年前, 这一切都还很遥远, 这本书对我还远没有震动之感. 若不是如今又有了个小女儿, 我怎会再读这本"小儿科"----可一旦拿起, 犹如让生命的年轮再转一圈, 我伫立中央, 感触万千: 我们这双中年人的手, 曾抱起肉乎乎的新生儿, 随时得去抱起皱巴巴的年迈父母, 而到最后, 再让孩子小心翼翼地把我们抱起......

 

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Love You Forever

by Robert Munsch

A mother held her new baby and very slowly rocked him back and forth, backand forth, back and forth. And while she held him, she sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.

The baby grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was two years old, and he ran all around the house. He pulled all the books off the shelves. He pulled all the food out of the refrigerator and he took his mother's watch and flushed it down the toilet. Sometimes his mother would say, "this kid is driving me CRAZY!"

 

But at night time, when that two-year-old was quiet, she opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor, looked up over the side of his bed; and if he was really asleep she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. While she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.

 

The little boy grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was nine years old. And he never wanted to come in for dinner, he never wanted to take a bath, and when grandma visited he always said bad words. Sometimes his mother wanted to sell him to the zoo!

 

But at night time, when he was asleep, the mother quietly opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor and looked up over the side of the bed. If he was really asleep, she picked up that nine-year-old boy and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.

 

The boy grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was a teenager. He had strange friends and he wore strange clothes and he listened to strange music. Sometimes the mother felt like she was in a zoo!

 

But at night time, when that teenager was asleep, the mother opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor and looked up over the side of the bed. If he was really asleep she picked up that great big boy and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. While she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.

 

That teenager grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was a grown-up man. He left home and got a house across town. But sometimes on dark nights the mother got into her car and drove across town.  If all the lights in her son's house were out, she opened his bedroom window, crawled across the floor, and looked up over the side of his bed. If that great big man was really asleep she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.

 

Well, that mother, she got older. She got older and older and older. One day she called up her son and said, "You'd better come see me because I'm very old and sick." So her son came to see her. When he came in the door she tried to sing the song. She sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always...

 

But she couldn't finish because she was too old and sick. The son went to his mother. He picked her up and rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And he sang this song:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my Mommy you'll be.

When the son came home that night, he stood for a long time at the top of the stairs. Then he went into the room where his very new baby daughter was sleeping. He picked her up in his arms and very slowly rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while he rocked her he sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.