又中又英｜Down in the mouth - Michael Chugani 褚简宁

Years ago when I returned to Hong Kong from the US to take up a new job I packed my treasured possessions in boxes. I mailed these to my elder sister and younger brother. They both have large houses to store my boxes. Last August when I returned to the US I visited my younger brother who showed me my boxes. I couldn’t remember what treasured possessions were in his home. It was exciting to open the boxes to see what I had mailed to him so many years ago. Your treasured possessions are things you own or possess that are very important to you.

I found a picture of myself with Nancy Pelosi, the most senior Democrat in the US Congress. I had interviewed her several times when I worked in Washington DC many years ago. I also found a collection of classic 19th century novels by three English writers, the Brontë sisters. Charlotte, the oldest sister, wrote Jane Eyre, Emily wrote Wuthering Heights, and Anne, the youngest, wrote the Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I have read all three books several times. Wuthering Heights remains my favourite. Since I don’t yet have a permanent home in the US I asked my brother’s wife to donate the books and some other treasured possessions. I was a little down in the mouth when I saw my sister-in-law take the books for donation.

If you are down in the mouth it means you look very sad. But I was not down in the mouth for long because I knew other people would be able to enjoy the novels. When I left Hong Kong last August I donated all my books, including books I had written for Headline Daily, because there were too many to take with me. One book I donated was the 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird by the American author Harper Lee. She is not Chinese even though her last name is Lee! It is a very controversial book that many groups have tried to ban. I will explain why in my next column.
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许多年前，当我从美国回港接受一份新工作时，我将我珍爱的宝贝（treasured possessions）装进箱中，邮寄给我的姊姊与弟弟。他们都有大房子可以收存我的箱。上年八月我回到美国的时候，探访了弟弟，他向我展示了我的箱子。我都记不起在他家里我放了甚么珍藏（treasured possessions）了。拆开箱子，一一细看我那么多年前寄给他的箱内到底藏着甚么，实在令人兴奋。你的 treasured possessions就是你所拥有，珍而重之的个人物品。

我找到了一张跟南茜‧佩洛西的合照，她是美国国会中最高职位的民主党党员。我许多年前还在华盛顿特区工作时，就曾采访过她好几遍。我也找到由三位英国作家，勃朗特三姊妹所著的一系列十九世纪经典小说。最年长的姐姐夏绿蒂写了《简‧爱》，爱梅丽写了《咆哮山庄》，而最年幼的安妮则写了《荒野庄园的房客》。这三本书我都读过好几遍，《咆哮山庄》一直是我的最爱。由于我在美国还没有一个永久的居所，我便着弟妇将这些书连同其他一些珍藏（treasured possessions）都捐出去了。当我见到弟妇把书捐出去时，确实有点 down in the mouth。

若你是 down in the mouth，意即你神色沮丧、垂头丧气。不过我没沮丧（down in the mouth）多久，因为我知道会有其他人得以欣赏这些小说。当我上年八月离开香港时，我将我的书全数捐出，包括我为《头条日报》写的那些专栏结集，因为我要随身携带的东西实在太多了。其中一本我捐的书是一九六○年的小说《梅冈城故事》，由美国作家哈波‧李所著。虽然她姓李，她可不是华人！那是一本非常具争议性的书，有许多团体曾经尝试去禁制它。我会在下一篇专栏文章中谈谈个中因由。中译：七刻

Michael Chugani 褚简宁