原来很大的道理不一定需要很难的语言去解释，本文简单地一问一答告诉我们，当身边的人离去时，他们其实活在我们的心里；告诉我们，生命原本是一个无所谓开始更无所谓结束的圆圈；告诉我们，每一段生命的结束都意味着新生命的开始。只要心中还有爱，有思念，我们就可以笑对生死，珍惜人生。——题记
The Man was very sad. He knew that the Cat’s days were numbered. The doctor had said there wasn’t anything more that could be done, that he should take the Cat home and make him as comfortable as possible.
男人非常伤心。他知道猫余下的日子不多了。医生说已经没得治了，他只能把猫带回家，并尽可能地让他在剩下的时间里过得舒服些。
The man stroked the Cat on his lap and sighed. The Cat opened his eyes, 2)purred and looked up at the Man. A tear rolled down the Man’s cheek and landed on the Cat’s forehead. The Cat gave him a slightly annoyed look.
男人把猫放在腿上，叹了口气。猫睁开眼睛，呼噜呼噜地叫着，抬眼看了看男人。一滴眼泪从男人的脸颊边滑落，落在了猫的额头上。猫有点不高兴地看了他一眼。
“Why do you cry, Man?” the Cat asked. “Because you can’t bear the thought of losing me? Because you think you can never replace me?”
The Man nodded “yes.”
“And where do you think I’ll be when I leave you?” the Cat asked.
The Man shrugged helplessly.
“Close your eyes, Man,” the Cat said. The Man gave him a questioning look, but did as he was told.
“What color are my eyes and fur?” the Cat asked.
“Your eyes are gold and your fur is a rich, warm brown,” the Man replied.
“And where is it that you most often see me?” asked the Cat.
“I see you … on the kitchen windowsill watching the birds … on my favorite chair … on my desk lying on the papers I need … on the pillow next to my head at night.”
“你哭个什么啊，伙计？”猫问道，“因为你无法承受将要失去我的念头？因为你认为永远都没有什么能代替我？”
男人点了点头。“是啊。”
“那么你认为我离开你以后，会到什么地方去了呢？”猫问道。
男人无望地耸了耸肩。
“闭上眼睛吧，伙计，”猫说。男人疑惑地看了他一眼，但还是听话地闭上了眼睛。
“我的眼睛和毛皮是什么颜色的？”猫问。
“你的眼睛是金色的，你的毛皮是浓郁而温暖的褐色的。”男人回答道。
“那你最常在什么地方见到我呢？”猫问。
“我经常见到你……在厨房的窗台上看鸟……在我最喜欢的椅子上……躺在桌子上我需要用的文件上……晚上睡在我脑袋边的枕头上。”
The cat nodded.
猫点了点头。
“Can you see me in all of those places now, even though your eyes are shut?” the Cat asked.
“Yes, of course. I’ve seen you there for years,” the Man said.
“Then, whenever you wish to see me, all you must do is close your eyes,” said the Cat.
“But you won’t really be here,” the Man said sadly.
“Oh, really?” said the Cat. “Pick up that piece of string from the floor—there, my ‘toy.’”
“现在即使你闭着眼睛，你还能在那些地方看到我的身影吗？”猫问。
“当然了，多少年来我一直在那些地方看到你。”男人说。
“那么，无论什么时候你想见我，你只要闭上你的眼睛就可以了。”猫说。
“但是你并不是真的在这里啊。”男人伤感地说道。
“哦？真的吗？”猫问道。“把地上的那段绳子捡起来——那里，我的‘玩具’。”
The Man opened his eyes, then reached over and picked up the string. It was about two feet long and the Cat had been able to entertain himself for hours with it.
男人睁开眼睛，伸手捡起了绳子。绳子大约有两英尺（约0.6米）长，猫曾经能够玩着绳子自娱自乐一玩就是几个小时。
“What is it made of?” the Cat asked.
“It appears to be made of cotton,” the Man said.
“Which comes from a plant?” the Cat asked.
“Yes,” said the Man.
“From just one plant, or from many?”
“From many cotton plants,” the Man answered.
“And in the same soil from which grows the cotton plants, it would be possible that other plants and flowers would grow? A rose could grow alongside of the cotton, yes?” asked the Cat.
“Yes, I’m sure it would be possible,” the Man said.
“And all of the plants would feed from the same soil and drink the same rain, would they not? Then all of the plants, rose and cotton, would be very similar on the inside, even if they appeared outwardly very different,” said the Cat.
“它是什么做的？”猫问。
“看起来好像是棉花做的。”男人说。
“是从某种植物上来的吗？”猫问。
“是的。”男人说。
“是从一株棉花上来的，还是许多棵？”
“从许多株上来的。”男人回答说。
“在棉花生长的那片土地上，有可能长出其他植物或花朵吗？棉花的旁边也有可能生长着一株玫瑰，对吗？”猫问。
“是的，我相信这是可能的。”男人说。
“那么所有的植物都可能生长于同一片土地，啜饮同样的雨水，对吗？所以一切植物，玫瑰和棉花，本质是非常相似的，即使它们从外表看起来很不一样。”猫说道。
The Man nodded his head in agreement, but didn’t see what that had to do with the present situation.
男人点了点头表示同意，但是依然不明白这同目前的情况有什么关系。
“Now, that piece of string,” said the Cat, “is that the only piece of string ever made of cotton?”
“No, of course it isn’t,” said the Man. “It was part of a ball of twine.”
“And do you know where all of the other pieces of string are now, and all of the balls of twine?” asked the Cat.
“No, I don’t … that would be impossible,” said the Man.
“But even though you do not know where they are, you believe they exist. And even though some of the string is with you, and other pieces of string are elsewhere … you would agree that all the string is related?” the Cat asked.
“I’ve never thought about it, but yes, I guess they would be related,” the Man said.
“What would happen if a piece of cotton string fell onto the ground?” the Cat asked.
“Well … it would eventually be covered up and decompose into the soil,” the Man said.
“I see,” said the Cat. “Then perhaps more cotton would grow above it, or a rose.”
“Yes, it would be possible,” the Man agreed.
“Then the rose growing on your windowsill might be related to the string you are holding as well as to all the pieces of string you do not know about,” said the Cat.
“好了，那段绳子，”猫说，“是唯一一段由棉花做成的绳子吗？”
“不，当然不是了，”男人说，“它是一团线球中的一段而已。”
“那你知道其他那些绳子现在在哪里吗？还有所有的线球呢？”猫问。
“不知道……我不可能知道呀。”男人说。
“但是即使你不知道它们在哪里，你依然相信它们是存在的。而且即使绳子的某些部分在你身边，其他部分在别的地方……你还是同意所有的绳子都是有关联的，对吗？”猫问。
“我从没想过这个问题，不过，是的，我猜它们相互之间是有关联的。”男人说。
“假如一段棉线落在了地上，会发生什么事情呢？”猫问。
“嗯……它最终会被掩埋、分解并回到土壤里。”男人说。
“知道了，”猫说，“那么可能会有更多的棉花，或一株玫瑰在它上面长出来。”
“是的，有可能。”男人同意道。
“那么，你窗台上的那株玫瑰，也许同你拿着的这段绳子以及所有你所不知道的绳子有着某种联系了。”猫说。
The Man 3)knit his brow in thought.
男人皱起眉头陷入了沉思。
“Now take each end of the string in one hand,” the Cat ordered.
The Man did so.
“The end in your left hand is my birth and the end in your right hand is my death. Now bring the two ends together,” the Cat said. The Man complied.
“You have made a continuous circle,” said the cat. “Does any point along the string appear to be different, worse or better than any other part of the string?”
The Man inspected the string and then shook his head “no.”
“Close your eyes again,” the Cat said. “Now 4)lick your hand.”
The Man widened his eyes in surprise.
“Just do it,” the Cat said. “Lick your hand, think of me in all my familiar places, think about all the pieces of string, and think about the cotton and the rose.”
“现在用两只手捏住绳子的两端。”猫命令道。
男人照做了。
“你左手捏着的那端就是我的出生，而右手的那端就是我的死亡。现在把两端连在一起。”猫说道。男人又照做了。
“你做出了一个连贯的圆圈，”猫说，“这个绳子上的任意一点同其他点有什么不同吗？比绳子的其他部分更好或者更差吗？”
男人审视着那根绳子，然后摇了摇头。“没有。”
“再次闭上你的眼睛，”猫说，“现在舔舔你的手。”
男人惊讶地睁大了眼睛。
“照我说的做吧，”猫说。“舔舔你的手，想想我在所有我熟悉的地方，想想所有的绳子，再想想棉花和玫瑰。”
The Man felt foolish, licking his hand, but he did as he was told. He discovered what a cat must know, that licking a paw is very calming and allows one to think more clearly. He continued licking and the corners of his mouth turned upward into the first smile he had shown in days. He waited for the Cat to tell him to stop, and when he didn’t, he opened his eyes. The Cat’s eyes were closed. The Man stroked the warm, brown fur, but the Cat was gone.
要舔自己的手，男人觉得很蠢，不过他还是照做了。他发现了猫所知道的秘密——舔爪子能让你平静下来，并让你能够思考得更加清楚。他继续舔着，他的嘴角开始上翘，好多天来第一次露出了微笑。他等待着猫叫停，可是没等到，于是他睁开了眼睛。猫的眼睛已经闭上了。他摸了摸猫温暖的褐色皮毛，可是猫已经去了。
The Man shut his eyes hard as the tears poured down his face. He saw the Cat on the windowsill, then in his bed, then lying across his important papers. He saw him on the pillow next to his head, saw his bright gold eyes and darkest brown on his nose and ears. He opened his eyes and through his tears looked over at the rose growing in a pot on the windowsill and then to the circle of string he still held 5)clutched in his hand.
男人用力地闭上了眼睛，泪如泉涌。他看到猫蹲在窗台上，然后是他的床上，然后躺在他的重要文件上。他看到猫在他脑袋边的枕头上，看到他明亮的金黄色的眼睛还有鼻子和耳朵上深褐色的毛发。他睁开眼睛，透过泪水，他望向窗台上的花盆里生长着的玫瑰，然后看向他依然捏在手里的绳圈。
One day, not long after, there was a new Cat on his lap. She was a lovely 6)calicoand white … very different from his earlier beloved Cat and very much the same.
不久以后的某一天，他的膝上有了一只新的猫咪。她是一只可爱的白色花斑猫——与之前那只他深爱的猫是那么地不同，然而又是那么地相同。
部分生词
1) zen [zen]z n.禅 禅宗 2) pur [pə:] v. 咕噜咕噜叫,发出喉音 3) knit [nit] v. 皱起，皱紧 4) lick [lik] v. 舔
5) clutch [klʌtʃ] v. 抓住 n. 把握，抓紧 6) calico [ˈkælikəu] n. 带有斑纹的动物，印花布，白棉布
编后语
一个人在某个时期读的书应该是同在当时当地的心情有着密切关系的吧！所以轻松时读读名著，郁闷时看看杂志，偶尔想臭美时还偷偷翻翻美容秘籍，而心情沉重时，就会寻求心灵的慰藉。
曾经有一段时间，身边突然有许多关系或深或浅的人相继去世，虽然并非至亲骨肉，但眼见着朋友的悲伤，总是不禁戚然。于是，开始读书，读Emily Dickinson的死亡之诗，读杨绛先生的《走到人生边上》，也读到了这篇The Zen of Cat。
原来很大的道理不一定需要很难的语言去解释，简单地一问一答告诉我们，当身边的人离去时，他们其实活在我们的心里；告诉我们，生命原本是一个无所谓开始更无所谓结束的圆圈；告诉我们，每一段生命的结束都意味着新生命的开始。只要心中还有爱，有思念，我们就可以笑对生死，珍惜人生。
美国作家Jim Willis总是用最简单的语言与最真挚的情感去打动读者的心，他的畅销书Pieces of My Heart—Writings Inspired by Animals and Nature讲述了人与动物间的情感故事，其中就包括了著名的故事How Could You?。