The Story of My Life 01-07

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Recorded Aug 16, 2011

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Recorded Aug 19, 2011, from memory

Even in the days before my teacher came, I used to feel along the square stiff boxwood hedges, and, guided by the sense of smell, would find the first violets and lilies. There, too, after a fit of temper, I went to find comfort and to hide my hot face in the cool leaves and grass. What joy it was to lose myself in that garden of flowers, to wander happily from spot to spot, until, coming suddenly upon a beautiful vine, I recognized it by its leaves and blossoms, and knew it was the vine which covered the tumble-down summer-house at the farther end of the garden! Here, also, were trailing clematis, drooping jessamine, and some rare sweet flowers called butterfly lilies, because their fragile petals resemble butterflies' wings. But the roses–they were loveliest of all. Never have I found in the greenhouses of the North such heart-satisfying roses as the climbing roses of my southern home. They used to hang in long festoons from our porch, filling the whole air with their fragrance, untainted by any earthy smell; and in the early morning, washed in the dew, they felt so soft, so pure, I could not help wondering if they did not resemble the asphodels of God's garden.

在我的老师到来之前，我已经常常沿着那方形坚硬的胡杨树篱笆去感觉（世界），我会凭着气味发现第一朵紫罗兰和百合。在那里，常常是一通脾气之后，我会把我灼热的脸蛋埋到清凉的叶子和草丛里，从中得到安慰。那种在花园中随处游走、迷失自己的快乐是无法形容的！我会这样自由徜徉，直到碰到一丛美丽的藤蔓，我从它的叶子和花蕾知道，这是到了花园最边缘摇摇欲坠的夏屋。这里也是花的世界：蔓生的铁线莲、悬垂的茉莉花，和一种少见的芬芳花朵，因其娇嫩的花瓣酷似蝴蝶翅膀而被叫做蝴蝶莲。而那些玫瑰，它们是最可爱的！我后来在北方的暖棚里从来没有见到过象我南方家里的爬藤玫瑰一样可心的玫瑰。它们长长的花环挂在门廊上，馨香弥漫在空气中，不掺一丝人间凡俗；被清晨的露水洗过，如此柔软而纯洁，我不禁困惑它们是否就象上帝花园里的水仙花！