Thanksgiving time and all the relatives were gathered 'round the long table, or seated behind TV trays. The television was on and some folks were watching it while visiting with one another. Something on television got their attention and one of the adults said, "Listen at it!" Someone else replied. "Well, if that don't beat all."
感恩节那天，我们家所有的亲戚欢聚一堂，或围坐在长桌旁边，或者坐在高脚桌前看电视。电视机开着，一些人边看电视边聊天。忽然，电视里的一幕吸引了他们的注意力，只听见一个大人说：“快听听这！”另一个人则回答道：“了不起哟！”（注：这里的listen at it和if that don誸 beat all是两个不合语法的句子，是作者有意记录的方言土语。）
Simple phrases were spoken by folks whose language was simple and concise. They had several idioms that were just as colorful; Phrases and words that brightened the room and warmed the conversation.
亲戚们的语言朴实简洁，不时地，他们会说一些平实的土话。他们还会说一些有意思的习语，这些话总能活跃屋内的气氛，让对话变得温馨。
In school we were taught to speak differently. The way our relatives spoke was discouraged. Sometimes our parents would say things we weren't taught in school. They'd often correct themselves, as if erasing a mistake.
在学校里，老师教我们说另一种话。像我们亲戚那样说话，是会挨批评的。有时候我们的父母会说一些学校里不教的话，但他们常常会马上改口，仿佛更正错误一样。
Of course we learned some of their phrases and used them. They were comfortable words to utter, familiar.
我们当然学会了他们的一些土话，也会在生活中使用。这些土话说起来很舒服，让人感到熟悉而亲切。
Our father's side of the family was from Arkansas and Oklahoma and they spoke with the accents native to their birth states. Their voices musical and often high pitched, it was easy to pick up that inflection in our own speech and at school my brother and I were often teased for the way we spoke.
我父亲那边的亲戚来自阿肯色州和俄克拉何马州，他们说话时带着家乡的口音。他们的声音很悦耳，而且音调很高，从我们的话语中可以很容易的听出那种特有的音调变化。因为这种语言的差异，我和我兄弟在学校里常常被人取笑。
Our mother's side of the family came from Illinois and they had a tendency to talk fast. They had an accent, too, and my brother and I added that to our own speech, confusing the kids at school all the more.
我母亲那边的亲戚来自伊利诺斯州，他们说话的语速很快，口音也挺重，我和我兄弟难免也受到了影响，因此我们说的话常常让学校里的其他孩子听得糊里糊涂的。
Our father's side of the family loved to laugh and have a good time. Our mother's side of the family was more serious about how they took life in; their joys more silently experienced and enjoyed.
我父亲那边的亲戚活泼爱笑，日子过得快乐自在；而我母亲那边的亲戚对待生活则比较严肃——他们更多的是静静地体验和享受快乐。
It was a rich tapestry of culture and mores from which to draw from and it gave my brother and me a multi-faceted perspective at life.
家族成员间的这些差别和特点编织成一条色彩斑斓的文化织锦，让我们可以从中了解不同的习俗，也让我和我兄弟能够从更多的层面去观察和体验生活。
Thanksgiving holiday was always an easy going day, comfortable and anticipated. It was the first real holiday of the season when everyone came together in one place, and a durn good time was had by all.
感恩节总是特别地悠闲自在，舒适而让人充满期待。它是冬季里第一个真正的节日，它使所有亲人聚集在一起，共同度过一段“非常”美好的时光。
As the years played out, more of the family passed on and the get-togethers grew smaller and smaller. The gentle melodious tones that once filled the home during the holiday had thinned out. Where the room was once filled with TV trays and long tables, now only one table is set. The food is still great. But the room is more quiet, the mood subdued.
随着岁月的流逝，一些亲人相继去世，能聚在一起的人越来越少了。节日里曾经回荡在屋子里的温柔而悦耳的声音，在慢慢淡去。那间曾经摆满了高脚电视桌和长桌的屋子里，现在只剩下一张桌子了。食物依旧丰盛，但房子却安静得多，气氛也没那么热烈了。
"Care to walk a spell?" My brother asked me after the meal.
“想出去走走吗？”吃完饭后我兄弟问我。
"Sure!"
“当然！”
We put our jackets on and stepped outside.
我们穿上外套，走出门外。
"Which way?" I said.
“走哪边？”我问。
He shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Down the road a piece." He pointed to the left and we took off.
他耸了耸肩说：“无所谓。就沿着这条路往下走走吧。”说着，他指了指左边，我们迈开了步子。
It was a chilly Thanksgiving afternoon, late in the day and the air was hazy with wood smoke. The streets were quiet as we strolled through the neighborhood we once played in. Remembering the families that once lived in certain homes. We passed the field where we dug the earth out and created a fort. The two trees we used for tree houses. The flood control basin where we caught lizards and tadpoles and took our dogs to let them run free. Somewhere in the skeletal trees that lined the sidewalk a Mockingbird sang loud and clear, breaking the solitude.
那是一个寒冷的感恩节的下午，天色渐晚，空气中弥漫着木头燃烧后散发的烟味。我们在曾经玩耍过的街道上漫步，周围一片宁静。我不禁回忆起那些曾经居住在某些房子里的亲戚。我们走过那片我们当年一起挖土盖堡垒的田野，那里有两棵被我们当作树屋的大树和一片被洪水淹没了的水洼——我们曾在那里抓蜥蜴，捉蝌蚪，放我们的狗儿自由地奔跑。人行道上的一棵枯树里，一只嘲鸟叫得正欢，打破了周围的静谧。
My brother punched me in the shoulder, the trace of a smile breaking on his face. "Listen at it!"
我兄弟拍了拍我的肩膀，脸上绽放出一丝微笑：“快听听这！”
I shook my head. Laughed. We walked on and my eyes filled a bit with tears as I heard the refrain in my head from a room filled with relatives...
我摇了摇头，笑了。我们继续向前走。当我仿佛又从亲朋满堂的屋子里听到那句话时，泪水模糊了我的双眼……
Listen at it!
快听听这！
