原來很大的道理不一定需要很難的語言去解釋，本文簡單地一問一答告訴我們，當身邊的人離去時，他們其實活在我們的心里；告訴我們，生命原本是一個無所謂開始更無所謂結束的圓圈；告訴我們，每一段生命的結束都意味著新生命的開始。只要心中還有愛，有思念，我們就可以笑對生死，珍惜人生。——題記
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.
男人非常傷心。他知道貓余下的日子不多了。醫生說已經沒得治了，他只能把貓帶回家，并盡可能地讓他在剩下的時間里過得舒服些。
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.
男人把貓放在腿上，嘆了口氣。貓睜開眼睛，呼嚕呼嚕地叫著，抬眼看了看男人。一滴眼淚從男人的臉頰邊滑落，落在了貓的額頭上。貓有點不高興地看了他一眼。
“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.”
“你哭個什么啊，伙計？”貓問道，“因為你無法承受將要失去我的念頭？因為你認為永遠都沒有什么能代替我？”
男人點了點頭。“是啊。”
“那么你認為我離開你以后，會到什么地方去了呢？”貓問道。
男人無望地聳了聳肩。
“閉上眼睛吧，伙計，”貓說。男人疑惑地看了他一眼，但還是聽話地閉上了眼睛。
“我的眼睛和毛皮是什么顏色的？”貓問。
“你的眼睛是金色的，你的毛皮是濃郁而溫暖的褐色的。”男人回答道。
“那你最常在什么地方見到我呢？”貓問。
“我經常見到你……在廚房的窗臺上看鳥……在我最喜歡的椅子上……躺在桌子上我需要用的文件上……晚上睡在我腦袋邊的枕頭上。”
The cat nodded.
貓點了點頭。
“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.’”
“現在即使你閉著眼睛，你還能在那些地方看到我的身影嗎？”貓問。
“當然了，多少年來我一直在那些地方看到你。”男人說。
“那么，無論什么時候你想見我，你只要閉上你的眼睛就可以了。”貓說。
“但是你并不是真的在這里啊。”男人傷感地說道。
“哦？真的嗎？”貓問道。“把地上的那段繩子撿起來——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.
男人睜開眼睛，伸手撿起了繩子。繩子大約有兩英尺（約0.6米）長，貓曾經能夠玩著繩子自娛自樂一玩就是幾個小時。
“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？”貓問。
“看起來好像是棉花做的。”男人說。
“是從某種植物上來的嗎？”貓問。
“是的。”男人說。
“是從一株棉花上來的，還是許多棵？”
“從許多株上來的。”男人回答說。
“在棉花生長的那片土地上，有可能長出其他植物或花朵嗎？棉花的旁邊也有可能生長著一株玫瑰，對嗎？”貓問。
“是的，我相信這是可能的。”男人說。
“那么所有的植物都可能生長于同一片土地，啜飲同樣的雨水，對嗎？所以一切植物，玫瑰和棉花，本質是非常相似的，即使它們從外表看起來很不一樣。”貓說道。
The Man nodded his head in agreement, but didn’t see what that had to do with the present situation.
男人點了點頭表示同意，但是依然不明白這同目前的情況有什么關系。
“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，那段繩子，”貓說，“是唯一一段由棉花做成的繩子嗎？”
“不，當然不是了，”男人說，“它是一團線球中的一段而已。”
“那你知道其他那些繩子現在在哪里嗎？還有所有的線球呢？”貓問。
“不知道……我不可能知道呀。”男人說。
“但是即使你不知道它們在哪里，你依然相信它們是存在的。而且即使繩子的某些部分在你身邊，其他部分在別的地方……你還是同意所有的繩子都是有關聯的，對嗎？”貓問。
“我從沒想過這個問題，不過，是的，我猜它們相互之間是有關聯的。”男人說。
“假如一段棉線落在了地上，會發生什么事情呢？”貓問。
“嗯……它最終會被掩埋、分解并回到土壤里。”男人說。
“知道了，”貓說，“那么可能會有更多的棉花，或一株玫瑰在它上面長出來。”
“是的，有可能。”男人同意道。
“那么，你窗臺上的那株玫瑰，也許同你拿著的這段繩子以及所有你所不知道的繩子有著某種聯系了。”貓說。
The Man 3)knit his brow in thought.
男人皺起眉頭陷入了沉思。
“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.”
“現在用兩只手捏住繩子的兩端。”貓命令道。
男人照做了。
“你左手捏著的那端就是我的出生，而右手的那端就是我的死亡。現在把兩端連在一起。”貓說道。男人又照做了。
“你做出了一個連貫的圓圈，”貓說，“這個繩子上的任意一點同其他點有什么不同嗎？比繩子的其他部分更好或者更差嗎？”
男人審視著那根繩子，然后搖了搖頭。“沒有。”
“再次閉上你的眼睛，”貓說，“現在舔舔你的手。”
男人驚訝地睜大了眼睛。
“照我說的做吧，”貓說。“舔舔你的手，想想我在所有我熟悉的地方，想想所有的繩子，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，男人覺得很蠢，不過他還是照做了。他發現了貓所知道的秘密——舔爪子能讓你平靜下來，并讓你能夠思考得更加清楚。他繼續舔著，他的嘴角開始上翹，好多天來第一次露出了微笑。他等待著貓叫停，可是沒等到，于是他睜開了眼睛。貓的眼睛已經閉上了。他摸了摸貓溫暖的褐色皮毛，可是貓已經去了。
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.
男人用力地閉上了眼睛，淚如泉涌。他看到貓蹲在窗臺上，然后是他的床上，然后躺在他的重要文件上。他看到貓在他腦袋邊的枕頭上，看到他明亮的金黃色的眼睛還有鼻子和耳朵上深褐色的毛發。他睜開眼睛，透過淚水，他望向窗臺上的花盆里生長著的玫瑰，然后看向他依然捏在手里的繩圈。
One day, not long after, there was a new Cat on his lap. She was a lovely 6)calico and 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貓咪。她是一只可愛的白色花斑貓——與之前那只他深愛的貓是那么地不同，然而又是那么地相同。
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