我住在弗吉尼亚西部的山区

The curvy, winding roads

山路蜿蜒曲折

and the vast woodlands

山林广袤

often lead to near misses with the local deer.

车辆常常与山中冲出来的鹿擦肩而过

The other day

有一天

I was driving my son

我开车带着儿子

to work at the sheltered workshop

送他去工坊干活

when we saw a deer in the road

我们在公路上看到一只鹿

that hadn’t been so lucky.

已经没了生机

The driver in front of me

开在前面的车的司机

suddenly swerved

突然转向

to avoid hitting the corpse

避免撞到鹿的尸体

and I quickly followed him

我很快做出同样的操作

jerking the steering wheel

猛地一转方向盘

to get back in the right lane

想要回到右边的车道

before the next blind curve.

赶在下一个视野不佳的弯道出现之前

I could see that

我能看到

the way the dead deer was lying between two blind curves

死掉的鹿正躺在两个视野不佳的弯道中间

we had an accident waiting to happen.

我们很可能在那里遇到车祸

After dropping my son off

把儿子送到目的地之后

I hurried back

我赶紧掉头开回来

and saw the deer was still in the road.

发现那头死鹿还呆在路上

There was a wide spot

我发现一处宽敞的空地

on the side of the road.

就在路边

I pulled over.

我停下车

I got out of my car

我下了车

and walked up to where the deer was.

步行走到死鹿躺着的地方

Looking both ways for cars

向两边看了一下是否有车辆来去

I ran over to the body.

接着就跑到鹿的尸体旁边

It was laying in a pool of blood and excrement.

它躺在血泊中间，血泊中还有许多污秽

I reached down

我躬身

and grabbed its broken hind leg.

抓住了它已经折断的后腿

I backed up quickly

我快速往后退

dragging it behind me

拖着那头鹿

to the side of the road.

来到了路边

I looked down at the majestic animal

我低头看着这体型庞大的动物

as I wiped off my hands in the wet snow by the guardrail .

在护栏边湿漉漉的积雪中擦干净手上的血迹

“So sorry my friend,”

“真对不起，朋友”

I said to him.

我对那头鹿说

I sadly walked back to my car

我怀着悲伤走回自己的车

knowing that

我知道

the crows, buzzards, and other scavengers

乌鸦，秃鹫，还有其他的食腐动物

would soon take care of the remains.

很快就会把它的遗骸处理干净

I was still thinking of that beautiful deer

我一直想着那只原本美丽的鹿

later in the day

那天晚些时候

when I turned on my computer.

我打开自己的电脑

As it came on

屏幕亮时

I smiled with surprise and delight.

我吃了一惊，欣喜微笑了

I had forgotten what

我已然忘了

my most recent screen saver was:

自己最近设置的屏图片

a picture of a deer

是一只鹿

in a field of wild flowers

它站在一丛野花中

staring at the sunrise.

抬头看着日出

I wondered if

我心想

that deer’s spirit

或许那头鹿

was in a heavenly meadow right now

此刻已经在某个仙境的草地上

perhaps romping

或许它正在嬉戏

and playing with some of my own furry friends

抑或正在与许多我的毛茸茸的朋友们玩耍

who had passed.

它们都已离我而去

I wondered too

我还在想

about the time I had left here.

自己在这个世间还有多少时间

Would it be days, months, or many years?

是几天，几个月，还是许多年?

I shook my head,

我摇摇头

laughed and decided that

笑着笃信道

it didn’t matter

这无关紧要

just as long as

只要

I lived the time

在余下的光阴里

I had left with love, kindness, and joy.

我都怀着爱意，善良和喜悦过下去

May you do the same.

希望你也是如此