美麗在我心 Trying to Be "Ugly"
Trying to Be "Ugly".
美麗在我心。
Everyone in the apartment complex I lived in knew who Ugly was. Ugly was the resident tomcat. Ugly loved three things in this world: fighting, eating garbage, and, shall we say, love.
我住的公寓大樓裏的每個人都認得這隻醜八怪。醜八怪曾是小區裏的流浪貓。在這個世界上他只喜歡做三件事：戰鬥、吃垃圾，還有，應該說是愛吧。
The combination of these things combined with a life spent outside had their effect on Ugly. To start with, he had only one eye and where the other should have been was a gaping hole. He was also missing his ear on the same side, his left foot appeared to have been badly broken at one time, and had healed at an unnatural angle, making him look like he was always turning the corner. His tail has long age been lost, leaving only the smallest stub, which he would constantly jerk and twitch.
生命中的這三件事再加上流浪的生活造就了這隻醜八怪：他只有一隻眼睛，另一邊則成了一個大窟窿。同一側的耳朵也沒有了，他的一隻左腳看起來也受過傷，痊癒後的樣子變成了個極不自然的斜角，使他看起來總像是在不停地轉彎。他的尾巴大部分也都不見了，只剩下一個短小的咎，卻像是始終在不停地搖呀，搖呀。
Ugly would have been a dark grey tabby, striped-type, except for the sores covering his head, neck, even his shoulders with thick, yellowing scabs. Every time someone saw Ugly there was the same reaction. "That's one UGLY cat!!" All the children were warned not to touch him, the adults threw rocks at him, hosed him down, squirted him when he tried to come in their home or shut his paws in the door when he would not leave. Ugly always had the same reaction. If you turned the hose on him, he would stand there, getting soaked until you gave up and quit. If you threw things at him, he would curl his lanky body around feet in forgiveness.
醜八怪應該屬於一條深灰色的虎斑貓，條紋的那種，當然除了他頭上、脖子上和肩膀上那些帶着厚厚的黃色痂子的瘡口。每次有人看到醜八怪都會只有一個反應：“真是隻難看的醜八怪”。所有的孩子們都被告知不能觸摸他：大人們用石子丟他，用水管澆他；當他進屋的時候用水槍射他，當他不肯離去的時候用門擠他的爪子。可醜八怪只有一個反應：如果你用水管澆他，他只會站在那兒被淋得通透，直到你放棄到停止；如果你朝他丟東西，他則把瘦長的身體蜷縮在腳上，連帶其早已寬恕之心。
Whenever he spied children, he would come running, meowing frantically and bump his head against their hand begging for their love. If you ever picked him, up he would immediately begin suckling on your shirt, earring whatever he could find.
每次他看到孩子都會跑過去“喵！喵！……”，瘋狂地喊叫，並用他的他在孩子們的手上使勁兒蹭，祈求他們的憐愛。倘若你把他抱起來，他馬上就會開始吸吮你的襯衫、耳環……一切他能找到的東西。
One day Ugly shared his love with the neighbor's huskies. They did not respond kindly, and Ugly was badly mauled. From my apartment I could hear his scream and I tried to rush to his aid. By the time I got to where he was laying, it was apparent Ugly's sad life was almost at an end.
一天醜八怪將愛分享給了鄰居家的哈士奇們，可對方卻並沒有報以慈悲，小丑被撕咬得很嚴重。從我的公寓裏聽見了他的尖叫聲，我努力去救他。可當我到了他躺着的地方，看到的幾乎就是他悲慘一生的終點。
Ugly lay in a wet circle, his back legs and lower back twisted grossly out of shape, a gaping tear in the white strip of fur that ran down his front. As I picked him up and tried to carry him home, I could hear him wheezing and gasping, and could feel him struggling. It must be hurting him terribly, I thought.
醜八怪躺在一個潮溼的水坑裏，他的後腿和下背部蜷在了一起、血肉模糊，皮毛白色條紋上大口子也被撕到了前身。當我把它撿起來試圖帶他回家的時候，我還可以聽到他的喘息，還可以感到他的掙扎。我知道，他一定是傷得太重了。
Then I felt a familiar tugging, sucking sensation on my ear. Ugly, in so much pain, suffering and obviously dying, was trying to suckle my ear. I pulled him closer to me, and he bumped the palm of my hand with his head, then he turned his one golden eye towards me, and I could hear the distinct sound of purring. Even in the greatest pain, that ugly battled-scarred cat was asking only for a little affection, perhaps some compassion.
突入我感到了一陣熟悉的拽曳，耳朵上也有了被吸吮的感覺。醜八怪，正揹負着極大的痛苦、煎熬，甚至是瀕臨的死亡，竟在嘗試着吸吮我的耳朵。我將他貼近了些，他便開始用他的頭蹭我的手掌，接着，他以那隻金黃色的眼睛看着我，而我也聽到了那呼吸聲的衰竭。儘管身負劇痛，這隻醜陋的滿身戰傷的醜八怪所央求的卻只是一點點的慈愛，或者也只是一點點的憐憫。
At that moment I thought Ugly was the most beautiful, loving creature I had ever seen. Never once did he try to bite or scratch me, or even try to get away from me, or struggle in any way. Ugly just looked up at me completely trusting in me to relieve his pain.
在那時，我覺得醜八怪是我所見過的最美麗的、最親愛的生靈。他從來沒試圖咬過或抓過我，甚至都沒有躲過或掙脫我。醜八怪只是用那充滿信任的眼神看着我，去祛除他的痛苦。
Ugly died in my arms before I could get inside, but I sat and held him for a long time afterward thinking about how one scarred, deformed little stray could so alter my opinion about what it means to have true pureness of spirit, to love so totally and truly. Ugly taught me more about giving and compassion than a thousand book lecture or talk show specials ever could, and for that I will always be thankful. He had been scarred on the outside, but I was scarred on the inside, and it was time for me to move on and learn to love truly and deeply. To give my total to those I cared for.
還沒進門，醜八怪就死在了我的懷裏，但之後我抱着他坐了許久，我在想一隻滿身傷疤的畸形小浪貓如何改變了我對純淨心靈的理解-去愛得如此不顧一切、如此真誠。醜八怪教與我的付出與憐憫勝過讀萬卷書，也正因如此我將永遠心存感激。他的傷疤烙在了外在，而我的內在卻早已傷疤累累。是時候忘掉過去往前看，學會愛得真實、愛得深烈。將我之所有給與那些我在意的人。
Many people want to be richer, more successful, well liked, beautiful, but for me, I will always try to be Ugly.
許多人追求更富貴、更成功、更迷人、更美麗，而我，將永遠去追求做一隻醜八怪。
