书城外语摇响青春的风铃
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第45章 罗比的钢琴课 (2)

Overcome and in tears I ran up on stage and put my arms around Robby in joy. “I’ve never heard you play like that Robby! How’d you do it?” Through the microphone Robby explained: “Well Miss Hondorf...remember I told you my mom was sick? Well actually she had cancer and passed away this morning. And well....she was born deaf so tonight was the first time she ever heard me play. I wanted to make it special.”

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house that evening. As the people from Social Services led Robby from the stage to be placed into foster care, I noticed that even their eyes were red and puffy and I thought to myself how much richer my life had been for taking Robby as my pupil.

No, I’ve never had a protégé but that night I became a protégé...of Robby’s. He was the teacher and I was the pupil for it is he that taught me the meaning of perseverance and love and believing in yourself and maybe even taking a chance in someone and you don’t know why.

This is especially meaningful to me since after serving in Desert Storm Robby was killed in the senseless bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April of 1995, where he was reportedly...playing the piano.

在朋友的鼓动下,我写了这个故事。我叫米德里·杭多芙,曾是爱荷华州德默尼镇的一名小学音乐教师,一直通过教钢琴课来增加一点额外收入,我这样生活已经30多年了。

这些年来,我发现孩子们的音乐水平和能力各不相同,我从没因监护某个孩子而感到快乐。尽管也有过一些优秀的学生,不过,我也遇到过一些被我称做“挑战音乐”的学生。

罗比就是其中之一。

罗比11岁时,他妈妈(单亲妈妈)送他来上第一堂课,我看好孩子(尤其是男孩)在年龄较小时开始学琴,我向罗比说了这种情况。但他说,妈妈一直有个梦想,就是听他弹钢琴。于是,罗比就成了我的学生。

就这样他开始了钢琴课学习,最初,我觉得他是在做无用功。罗比使尽了全力,可还是缺少乐感,也没有基本的节奏感,无法变得优秀。但是,他仍然一丝不苟地练习指法,认真复习我要求他们学习的基本乐理知识。几个月以来,他不断地尝试,我总是边听,边鼓励他几句。每周的课完成后,他总会说,我妈妈终有一天会来听我弹琴的。但看起来似乎一点希望都没有。他根本没有音乐天赋,我只是远远的看到他母亲停车让罗比下来,或是等在她的老车旁接他回家,她总是对我微笑着挥手,但从没进过我的课堂。

一天,罗比没来上课,我本想打电话给他,但猜想可能是因缺乏天赋,而改学其他课程了。他不再来上课,我感到很高兴,他是我教学的一个失败案例。几周后,我给每个学生寄去了一份传单,邀请他们来参加即将举办的钢琴演奏会。令我很吃惊的是,罗比(他也收到传单)问我,他是否可以参加演奏。我告诉他只有在读的学生才能参加,而他已经不来上课了。所以他不适合参加。他说妈妈病的很严重,不能送他去上钢琴课,但他一直在家练习,“杭多芙小姐……我一定要表演!”他坚持着。

我不知道自己为何答应他演出。可能是他的执着,或是我内心深处对他的某种信任。演奏会到来了,学生家长、朋友和亲戚坐满了整个高中体育馆。我把罗比的节目放在最后,然后我会站起来发言,对所有学生表示感谢,并做最后的压轴表演。我想他即使出了什么差错,毕竟是最后一个节目,而且我可以用“谢幕”来遮掩。

演出顺利进行,没有出现什么意外。学生们已经练得相当熟练了,表演很成功。这时,罗比登上舞台,他穿着皱巴巴的衣服,头发乱蓬蓬,像是被搅蛋器搅过一样。“他为什么不跟其他学生穿得一样呢?”我有些恼怒,“这样一个特别的夜晚,他妈妈怎么连头发都没给他梳理一下呢!”

罗比拉出钢琴椅,准备开始弹奏。当他宣布要弹奏莫扎特的C大调协奏曲第21章时,我不禁大吃一惊。

我都没听到他后面说了什么,只见他的手指在钢琴上轻快地弹奏,可以说是在琴键上敏捷地舞动。从低音部到高音部,从快板到……在莫扎特“要求”下,音乐跌宕起伏,气势宏大,简直美妙极了!

像他这样的年龄,我还从没听到过谁能弹奏得比这更好。六分半钟后,他在乐曲的高潮中结束了演奏,每个人都站了起来,顿时掌声雷动。

他的演奏也彻底征服了我,我满含热泪,激动地跑到台上,欣喜地拥抱着他。“你的钢琴弹得太棒了,怎么我从来没有听到过?罗比!你怎么做到的?”罗比对着话筒解释道:“杭多芙小姐,我跟您说过我妈妈病了,还记得吗?其实,她患的是癌症,今天早上便离开了。而且……呃……她天生耳聋,所以,今天晚上她第一次听我演奏。我要让我的演奏非同凡响。”

那晚,大家的眼睛都湿润了。社会福利院的工作人员红肿着眼睛,把罗比带到福利中心。我想,我的生活因为有罗比这样的学生,才更有意义。

我没有监护人,但是那天晚上,罗比似乎成了我的监护人。他是老师,而我是他的学生,因为他教我懂得了坚贞不渝和爱的涵义,教我在相信自己的同时,也要给别人一次机会。即使是在毫无缘由的情况下。

而后发生的事,使这一切对我更为重要。1995年4月,罗比在“沙漠风暴”服役期间,俄克拉何马阿尔弗雷德默勒联邦大厦发生爆炸,他不幸遇难。据报道说,当时他正在那里演奏钢琴。

记忆填空

1. Well, Robby with his piano lessons and the beginning I thought it was a hopeless endeavor. As much Robby tried, he lacked the sense of and basic rhythm needed to excel. But he dutifully reviewed his scales and elementary pieces that I require all my students to .

2. There wasn’t a dry in the house that evening. As the people from Social Services led Robby from the to be placed into foster care, I noticed that their eyes were red and puffy and I thought to myself much richer my life had been taking Robby as my pupil.

佳句翻译

1. 罗比使尽了全力,可还是缺少乐感,也没有基本的节奏感,无法变得优秀。

2. 我不知道自己为何答应他演出。可能是他的执着,或是我内心深处对他的某种信任。

3. 他是老师,而我是他的学生,因为他教我懂得了坚贞不渝和爱的涵义,教我在相信自己的同时,也要给别人一次机会。

短语应用

1. I prefer that students (especially boys!) begin at an earlier age, which I explained to Robby.

explain to:给……解释,为……解释

2. I don’t know what led me to allow him to play in the recital.

lead to:导致;引起;把……带到