MY FATHER.

我的父亲

Saturday, 17th.

十七日，星期六

Surely, neither your comrade Coretti nor Garrone would ever have answered their fathers as you answered yours this afternoon. Enrico! How is it possible? You must promise me solemnly that this shall never happen again so long as I live. Every time that an impertinent reply flies to your lips at a reproof from your father, think of that day which will infallibly come when he will call you to his bedside to tell you, "Enrico, I am about to leave you." Oh, my son, when you hear his voice for the last time, and for a long while afterwards, when you weep alone in his deserted room, in the midst of those books which he will never open again, then, on recalling that you have at times been wanting in respect to him, you, too, will ask yourself, "How is it possible?"

如果是你的朋友可莱谛或卡隆，像你今天那样回答父亲的话，决不至出口吧。安利柯！为什么这样啊！快向我立誓，以后不要再有那样的事。因了父亲责备你，口中露出失礼的答辩来的时候，应该想到将来有一天，父亲叫你到卧榻旁去，和你说：“安利柯！永诀了！”啊！安利柯！你不能再见父亲，走进父亲的房间，看到父亲遗下的书籍，回想到在生前对不起父亲的事，大概会自己后悔，对自己说：“那时我为什么这样！

Then you will understand that he has always been your best friend, that when he was constrained to punish you, it caused him more suffering than it did you, and that he never made you weep except for the sake of doing you good; and then you will repent, and you will kiss with tears that desk at which he worked so much, at which he wore out his life for his children. You do not understand now; he hides from you all of himself except his kindness and his love. You do not know that he is sometimes so broken down with toil that he thinks he has only a few more days to live, and that at such moments he talks only of you; he has in his heart no other trouble than that of leaving you poor and without protection.

到了那时，你才会知道父亲的爱你，知道父亲叱责你时自己曾在心里哭泣，知道父亲的加苦痛于你，完全是为了爱你。那时候，你会含了悔恨之泪，在你父术的书桌上——为了儿女不顾生命地在这上面劳作过的书桌上接吻吧。现在，你不会知道，父亲除了慈爱以外，把一切的东西对你这搞过了。你不知道吧，父亲因为操劳过度，自恐不能久在人世呢。在这种时候，总是提起你，对你放心不下。