Jenny's Antique
佚名 / Anonymous
My six-year-old granddaughter stares at me as if she is seeing me for the first time. “Grandma, you are an antique,” she says. “You are old. Antiques are oId. You are my antique.”
I am not satisfied to let the matter rest there. I take out the Webster’s Dictionary and read the definition to Jenny. I explain, “An antique is not only just old, it’s an object existing since or belonging to earlier times...a work of art... piece of furniture.” “Antiques are treasured,” I tell Jenny as I put away the dictionary. “They have to be handled carefully because they sometimes are very valuable. In order to quality as an antique, the object has to be at least 100 years old.”
“I’m only 67,” I remind Jenny.
We look around the house for other antiques, besides me. There is a bureau that was handed down from one aunt to another and finally to our family. “It’s very old.” I tell Jenny. I try to keep it polished and I show it off whenever I can. You do that with antiques. When Jenny gets older and understands such things, I might also tell her that whenever I look at the bureau or touch it, I am reminded of the aunt so dear to me who gave me the bureau as a gift. I see her face again though she is no longer with us. I even hear her voice, and recall her smile. I remember myself as a little girl leaning against this antique, listening to one of her stories. The bureau does that for me.
There is a picture on the wall purchased at a garage sale. It is dated 1867. “Now that’s an antique,” I boast. “Over 100 years old.” Of course it is marked and scratched and not in very good condition. “Sometimes age does that,” I tell Jenny. “But the marks are good marks. They show living, being around. That’s something to display with pride. In fact, sometimes, the more an object shows age, the more valuable it can become.” It is important that I believe this for my own self-esteem.
Our tour of antiques continues. There is a vase on the floor. It has been in my house for a long time. I’m not certain where it came from, but I didn’t buy it new. And then there is the four poster bed, sent to me 40 years ago by an uncle who slept in it for fifty years.
One thing about antiques, I explain to Jenny, is that they usually have a story. They’ve been in one home and then another, handed down from one family to another, traveling all over the place. They’ve lasted through years and years.
They could have been tossed away, or ignored, or destroyed, or lost. But instead, they survived.
For a moment Jenny looks thoughtful. “I don’t have any antiques but you.” she says. Then her face brightens.
“Could I take you to school for show and tell?”
“Only if I fit into your backpack.” I answer.
And then Jenny’s antique lifted her up and embraced her in a hug that would last through the years.
六岁大的孙女好像第一次见到我似的，盯着我看了许久，然后说：“奶奶，你是件古董。你老，古董也老。你是我的古董。”
于是，我找出一本《韦氏字典》，把这个词的定义读给小孙女珍妮听，以免她再误解下去。我解释道：“古董不仅是古老的，它还是从很久以前流传下来的物品……例如一件艺术品……或是一件家具。”我边合上字典，边对珍妮说：“古董是人们珍藏的宝物。有时对于很贵重的古董，人们一定要小心谨慎地收藏。一件物品至少要有一百年的历史，才有资格称为古董。”
我提醒她说：“我只有67岁。”
我们环顾四周，在屋内寻找除了我以外的古董。那里有个柜子，它是从一位姑妈那里一代代传下来，最终传到我们家的。我告诉珍妮：“这是个很古老的柜子，我尽量把它保养得美丽无瑕，只要有机会就会展示给人们看。对待古董就应该这样。”也许等珍妮长大了，能懂得一些事情时，我还会告诉她，每当我看到这个柜子或是抚摸它时，就会想起送我们柜子的那位可亲的姑妈。虽然她早已离开人世，但我对她的微笑依然记忆犹新。还记得当我还是个小女孩时，常常靠在这个柜子旁边听她讲故事。这个柜子总让我想起当年的时光。
墙上有一幅在旧货市场上买的画，它上面所标的日期是1867年。“它的历史已经超过了一百年，现在也算是一件古董了。”我自夸道。当然它的保养状况不是很好，已经有了明显的刮痕。“岁月有时会让一切都留下痕迹。”我对珍妮说，“然而这些痕迹都是曾经生活和存在的象征，是值得自豪地展示给世人的，因此它们都是美好的。事实上，有时，一件物品的年代越久，它的价值也就越高。”我之所以相信，是因为这些对于维护我个人的自尊心很重要。
搜寻古董的旅程还在继续。地板上的花瓶，摆放在我的房子里已经很久了。我肯定当时买的是旧货，但从哪儿买的，我已经不记得了。再就是40年前一位叔叔送给我的那张床，它有四根帷杆。之前，叔叔在这张床上已经睡了50年。
我向珍妮解释，古董通常都有一段故事，这是它们的特点之一。它们曾被收藏在不同的家庭，从一家传到另一家，甚至走遍了全国各地，年复一年，最终流传了下来。
也许它们曾被抛弃，或被遗忘，或曾遭破坏，又或是曾被遗弃，但最终它们幸存了下来。
“除了你之外，我不要其他古董。”珍妮沉思了好一会儿说，然后开心地笑了。
“我能把你带到学校给同学们看，给他们讲你的故事吗？”
我回答说：“可是你的书包要装得下我才行啊。”
之后，“珍妮的古董”将珍妮抱起，紧紧拥入怀中。那个拥抱将会永存在岁月的记忆中。
记忆填空
1. We look around the for other antiques, besides me. There is a bureau was handed down from one aunt to and finally to our family.“It’s very old.”I tell Jenny. I try to keep it polished and I it off whenever I can.
2. Our of antiques continues. There is a vase on the floor. has been in my house for a long time. I’m not certain it came from, but I didn’t buy it new. And there is the four poster bed, sent to me 40 years by an uncle who slept in it for fifty years. 佳句翻译
1. 那里有个柜子，它是从一位姑妈那里一代代传下来，最终传到我们家的。
2. 也许等珍妮长大了，能懂得一些事情时，我还会告诉她，每当我看到这个柜子或是抚摸它时，就会想起送我们柜子的那位可亲的姑妈。
3. 事实上，有时，一件物品的年代越久，它的价值也就越高。
短语应用
1. It’s an object existing since or belonging to earlier times.
belong to：属于；是（某团体、国家等）的成员；属于（某时期）
2. We look around the house for other antiques.
look around：四下观望；（作出选择前）进行调查
