温柔的手

字幕原文

I was once caught out on a country road after dark, 有一次天黑后，我被困在了一条乡间小路上，

miles from the nearest town, 离最近的镇子还有好几英里，

so I knocked at the first farmhouse I saw. 于是我敲响了看到的第一家农舍的门。

A huge dog came flying out of the doorway, 一条大狗猛地从门里冲了出来，

and just as it was about to spring, 眼看它就要扑上来，

a young girl laid her hand on its neck and said quietly, 一个小女孩把手搭在它的脖子上，轻声说了句：

"Go in, Tiger." “进去，泰格。”

It went in. 它就真乖乖进去了。

Her father appeared next, gruff and suspicious, 接着她父亲走了出来，态度生硬，满是戒备，

and her mother was even colder: "We don't run a hotel." 她母亲更是冷淡：“我们家可不是开旅馆的。”

Yet each time, the girl slipped to their side, touched a hand, 但每一次，小女孩都会悄悄凑到他们身边，拉拉他们的手，

said a few soft words, and somehow, 温声细语说上几句，不知怎么的，

minutes later, I had a bed for the night. 几分钟后，我当晚就有了落脚睡觉的床铺。

The next morning, the farmer offered me a ride into town. 第二天早晨，农夫提出顺路捎我进镇里。

But his stubborn pony refused to budge. 可他那匹倔脾气的小马死活不肯挪步。

He cracked the whip; nothing. 他甩响了鞭子，小马毫无反应；

His son yanked the bridle and punched the poor animal; 他儿子猛拽缰绳，还狠狠揍了那可怜的牲口一拳，

it only dug its hooves in harder. 结果它只是把蹄子扎在地上，更是一动不动。

Then the girl came out, drew her brother gently away, 这时小女孩走了出来，轻轻拉开哥哥，

stroked the pony's neck and murmured, "Come on, you silly thing." 摸了摸小马的脖子，低声哄道：“走吧，你这个小傻瓜。”

And off it trotted. 小马这才哒哒地小跑着动身了。

I've thought about her ever since. 从那以后，我常常会想起她。

We tend to believe force is what gets results. 我们总以为凡事靠强硬才能办成，

But the quietest hand in that house was the one everybody obeyed. 但在那个家里，所有人都听从的，却是那只最温柔的手。