When I discovered I was pregnant with my daughter Talya, I knew three things. First, that I would have the baby, despite her father's demand for an 1)abortion and less-than-ideal timing. Second, I knew that I loved her, from the moment I learned of 2)conception. Finally, I knew I would read to the baby, gladly and often. What I did not know, what I could not have known then, was that six weeks after she entered the world, I'd be burying her tiny body in the warm August earth.
当我发现自己怀上女儿托亚的时候，我深知三件事。第一，我会生下这个孩子，尽管她的父亲要求我堕胎，尽管这不是怀孕的最佳时机。第二，从我得知自己怀孕那刻起，我就对这个孩子怀有爱意。最后，我知道我会常常兴致勃勃地读故事给孩子听。然而，我当时不知道的是——也万万没意料到——她只来到这个世界短短六个星期，到了八月，我竟要把那小小的身体埋入泛着暖意的泥土之中。
Like many parents, months before my daughter's birth, I made 3)fanciful, half-joking 4)projections. A strong and frequent kicker, I expected she'd play soccer; my 5)pomegranate and 6)kale 7)cravings foretold to me her future as a good eater. After her birth, her long fingers and toes convinced me her future was in piano and swimming. I imagined, for reasons that are not entirely clear to me, that she'd be an architect, although in truth I have no idea what or who she might have become.
像所有父母那样，在孩子出生之前的好几个月，我都做着稀奇古怪又带着玩笑意味的白日梦。她时常在我肚子里捣腾，我就盼着她将来会是足球小将；我老是想吃石榴和甘蓝菜，这预示着她会是一名食家。她出世后，看着她手脚纤长，我深信她将来会成为钢琴家或是游泳健将。出于一些莫名的原因，我幻想她将在建筑界有所作为，但其实我对她将来会成为什么样的人物无从知晓。
What I know: her fingers and toes were long; she was incredibly vital from the moment she was born. Talya never ate pomegranate or kale, but gained two and a half pounds in her short life on breast milk, nursing vigorously and often. She never played piano herself, but listened closely whenever her father tapped out a melody for her on his piano, 8)cradling her tiny body in one strong forearm. She came into the world, eyes open, 9)wailing, serious and certain in the announcement of her arrival. Five weeks later, Tayla died unexpectedly. Her death was labeled 10)SIDS-related.
但我知道的是：她手指和脚趾纤长；她从出生那刻起就非常活力充沛。托亚从没尝过石榴和甘蓝菜，但是通过母乳喂养，她在短短的时间内增重了2.5磅（约2.2斤），吃奶劲头很足，也吃得频。她从未触碰过钢琴，但当她爸爸用一只手有力地抱着她小小的身体，另一只手在他自己的钢琴上弹出曲调之时，她听得专心致志。她呱呱坠地，睁开眼睛，放声大哭，既严肃又肯定地宣告自己的到来。五个星期之后，她意外地离开了人世，诊断结果是她患了婴儿猝死综合症。
Had she lived, I would have read to her constantly.
如果她尚在人世，我就会经常给她朗读。