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朱自清《背影》（上）

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IN THIS LESSON
ID: 2988 Advanced
 
朱自清是最重要的中国现代散文家之一，他的作品《背影》更是同时被选入两岸三地的中学教科书中，因此几乎人人都读过这篇文章，甚至能够背诵其中的一些句子，由此可知此文的重要性与经典性质。今天就跟着我们的课程进入作家对父亲的思念当中，并从中探讨父子亲情在传统社会中如何表现。由于篇幅的关系，分成（上）（下）两课讨论。
Fri Nov 18 2016 | Constance Fang, Fiona Tian
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Detailed Vocabulary
Each lesson has it's unique vocabulary and will provide you with definitions and recordings so you can practice the pronunciation. You will also be able to grasp the core material of a lesson at a glance. Here we're showing you the Simplified Chinese version.
SIMPLIFIED PINYIN ENGLISH  
差使 chāishi appointment; job
交卸 jiāoxiè to relinquish one's position
祸不单行 huòbùdānxíng misfortune does not come singly
奔丧 bēnsāng to hasten home to a funeral of a grand/parent
我与父亲不相见已二年余了，我最不能忘记的是他的背影。那年冬天，祖母死了，父亲的差使也交卸了，正是祸不单行的日子，我从北京到徐州，打算跟着父亲奔丧回家。到徐州见着父亲，看见满院狼藉的东西，又想起祖母，不禁簌簌地流下眼泪。父亲说，“事已如此，不必难过，好在天无绝人之路！”
wǒ yǔ fùqin bù xiāngjiàn yǐ èr nián yú le ， wǒ zuì bù néng wàngjì de shì tā de bèiyǐng 。 nànián dōngtiān ， zǔmǔ sǐ le ， fùqin de chāishi yě jiāoxiè le ， zhèngshì huòbùdānxíng de rìzi ， wǒ cóng Běijīng dào Xúzhōu ， dǎsuàn gēn zhe fùqin bēnsāng huíjiā 。 dào Xúzhōu jiàn zhe fùqin ， kànjiàn mǎnyuàn lángjí de dōngxi ， yòu xiǎng qǐ zǔmǔ ， bùjīn sùsù de liú xià yǎnlèi 。 fùqin shuō ，“ shì yǐ rúcǐ ， búbì nánguò ， hǎozài tiānwújuérénzhīlù ！”
It's been over two years since I last saw my father and the picture that has been burned into my memory is the silhouette of his back. That winter, my grandmother passed away and my father was let off from his job. Those really were times where bad things came in pairs. I travelled from Beijing to Xu Zhou to meet up with my father, so that we could travel home together to attend the funeral. When I saw my father in Xu Zhou and the house in totally disarray, memories of my grandmother came flooding back. Tears stream down my face. My father said: "It is what is is. There's no need to be sad. There's always a way out."
回家变卖典质，父亲还了亏空；又借钱办了丧事。这些日子，家中光景很是惨淡，一半为了丧事，一半为了父亲赋闲。丧事完毕，父亲要到南京谋事，我也要回北京念书，我们便同行。
huíjiā biànmài diǎnzhì ， fùqin huán le kuīkōng ； yòu jièqián bàn le sāngshì 。 zhèxiē rìzi ， jiāzhōng guāngjǐng hěn shì cǎndàn ， yībàn wèile sāngshì ， yībàn wèile fùqin fùxián 。 sāngshì wánbì ， fùqin yào dào Nánjīng móushì ， wǒ yě yào huí Běijīng niànshū ， wǒmen biàn tóngxíng 。
Once we got home we sold our possessions, so that father was able to pay off the debt. We then had to borrow money to cover the funeral costs. Those were darks days for our family, partly because of the funeral, and partly because of my father's unemployment. After the funeral, my father planned on seeking work in Nanjing and I needed to get back to Beijing for school. We decided to travel back up together.
到南京时，有朋友约去游逛，勾留了一日；第二日上午便须渡江到浦口，下午上车北去。父亲因为事忙，本已说定不送我，叫旅馆里一个熟识的茶房陪我同去。他再三嘱咐茶房，甚是仔细。但他终于不放心，怕茶房不妥帖；颇踌躇了一会。其实我那年已二十岁，北京已来往过两三次，是没有甚么要紧的了。他踌躇了一会，终于决定还是自己送我去。我两三回劝他不必去；他只说，“不要紧，他们去不好！”
dào Nánjīng shí ， yǒu péngyou yuē qù yóuguàng ， gōuliú le yī rì ； dì èr rì shàngwǔ biàn xū dù jiāng dào pǔkǒu ， xiàwǔ shàngchē běiqù 。 fùqin yīnwèi shì máng ， běn yǐ shuō dìng bú sòng wǒ ， jiào lǚguǎn lǐ yī gè shúshí de cháfáng péi wǒ tóng qù 。 tā zàisān zhǔfù cháfáng ， shèn shì zǐxì 。 dàn tā zhōngyú bù fàngxīn ， pà cháfáng bù tuǒtiē ； pō chóuchú le yīhuì 。 qíshí wǒ nà nián yǐ èrshí suì ， Běijīng yǐ láiwǎng guò liǎng sān cì ， shì méiyǒu shènma yàojǐn de le 。 tā chóuchú le yīhuì ， zhōngyú decision háishì zìjǐ sòng wǒ qù 。 wǒ liǎng sān huí quàn tā búbì qù ； tā zhī shuō ，“ bùyàojǐn ， tāmen qù bù hǎo ！”
When we got to Nanjing, a friend showed us around and we stayed for a day. The next morning I had to take the ferry to Pukou so that I could catch the afternoon train to Beijing. My father had business to attended to so we had decided that there was no need for him to see me off. Yet he still asked a waiter he knew from the teahouse to go with me. He gave his detailed instructions to the waiter again and again. Yet, he still felt uneasy, worried that the waiter wouldn't do the job properly. He mulled over the situation, still unsure of what to do. I was actually already twenty that year, and I'd already travelled back and forth to Beijing quite few time, there really wasn't anything to worry about. Yet, he was still hesitating over what to do. Finally, he decided that he would see me off himself. I tried to tell him several times that he didn't need to come. He just kept saying: "no bother, it's no good them going".
我们过了江，进了车站。我买票，他忙着照看行李。行李太多了，得向脚夫行些小费，才可过去。他便又忙着和他们讲价钱。我那时真是聪明过分，总觉他说话不大漂亮，非自己插嘴不可。但他终于讲定了价钱；就送我上车。他给我拣定了靠车门的一张椅子；我将他给我做的紫毛大衣铺好坐位。
wǒmen guò le jiāng ， jìn le chēzhàn 。 wǒ mǎi piào ， tā máng zhe zhàokàn xíngli 。 xíngli tài duō le ， děi xiàng jiǎofū xíng xiē xiǎofèi ， cái kě guòqù 。 tā biàn yòu máng zhe hé tāmen jiǎng jiàqian 。 wǒ nàshí zhēn shì cōngming guòfèn ， zǒng jué tā shuōhuà bùdà piàoliang ， fēi zìjǐ chāzuǐ bù kě 。 dàn tā zhōngyú jiǎngdìng le jiàqian ； jiù sòng wǒ shàngchē 。 tā gěi wǒ jiǎndìng le kào chēmén de yīzhāng yǐzi ； wǒ jiāng tā gěi wǒ zuò de zǐmáo dàyī pū hǎo zuò wèi 。
We crossed the river and got into the station. I bought the tickets, while he watched over the luggage. There was just too much luggage. We had to give the porter a tip in order to pass. So my dad began bargaining with them to fix a price. I really was full of it then, I thought my father making a fool of himself and I just couldn't help but jump in. Yet, he eventually fixed a price and helped me board the train. He had selected a seat by the door for me and I spread the purple fur coat he had handmade for me on the seat.
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