作者：Louisa May Alcott
简介：小妇人是美国女作家路易莎·梅·奥尔柯特的代表作，以19世纪末期的美国家庭生活为背景，描写了马奇一家四姐妹的成长经历。

Chapter One Christmas Gift

"How will we give the things?" asked Meg,
"We'll put them on the table, and bring her in and see her open each gift. Don't you remember how we used to do that on our birthdays?" answered Jo.
"I used to be so frightened when it was my turn to sit in the big chair, and see you all come around me to give me the presents, with a kiss, I liked the things and the kisses, but it was terrible to have you sit looking at me while I opened the presents," said Beth.
"Marmee will think we are getting things for ourselves, and then we'll surprise her- We must go shopping tomorrow afternoon, Meg. There is so much to do about the play for Christimas night" said Jo, walking up and down the stairs, with her hands behind her back.
"I don't plan to act in any more plays after this one. I'm getting too old for such things." observed Meg, who still secretly delighted in dressing up and acting.
"You won't stop, I know, as long as you can walk around in a white dress. You are the best actress we've got, and there'll be an end to everything if you quit," said Jo. "We should practice our roles for the play tonight. There is still much work to be done before the Christmas play."
"I don ' t understand how you can write and act such wonderful things, Jo. You're a regular Shakespeare!" exclaimed Beth, who strongly believed her sisters were gifted with extraordinary talents.
"Not quite," replied Jo modestly, "though, I do think this play is a rather nice thing."
"Hello, my dear girls," said a cheery voice at the door, and the girls turned to welcome a tall, motherly lady with a "can-I- help-you" look about her which was truly delightful' She was not elegantly dressed, but she was certainly a noblelooking woman, and the girls believed the unfashionable clothing covered the most splendid mother in the world.
" Well , my dears, how have you been today? Has anyone come today, Beth? How is your cold, Meg? Jo, you look tired. Come and kiss me, little Amy."
While Mrs. March took off her coat and shoes, the girls ran about, trying to make things comfortable for their mother- Meg arranged the tea table, Jo brought wood for the fire, and Beth walked around the kitchen, quiet and busy, while Amy gave directions to everyone, as she sat at the table. As they gathered around the table, Mrs. March said, with a particularly happy face, " I've got a treat for you after dinner."
The girls looked delighted, knowing that a letter had arrived from their father.
"A letter! A letter from Father!" cried the girls,
"Yes, a nice long letter. He is well, and thinks he shall be healthy throughout the winter. He sends loving wishes for Christmas, and a special message to you girls," said Mrs. March cheerfully.
"Let's hurry and eat so Mother will read us the letter!" exclaimed Jo,
"I think it was so splendid that Father joined the army as
a minister, though he was too old to go as a soldier," said Meg warmly.
"I wish I could go as a drummer or a nurse, so I could be near him and help him," exclaimed Jo.
" It must be very disagreeable to sleep outside and eat bad-tasting things," said Amy.
"When will he come home, Marmee?" asked Beth quietly.
"Not for many months, dear, unless he is sick. He will stay and do his work as long as he can. Now, come and hear the letter"
They all went to the fire to listen. In most letters fathers sent home to their families, little was said of their suffering, the dangers faced, or the homesick feelings they felt while away in the war- Most were cheerful, hopeful letters, full of descriptions of military life and news. In the end of this father's letter, he wrote of his fatherly love and longing for the little girls at home.
"Give them all my dear love and a kiss. Tell them I think of them all day, and dream of them at night. A year seems very long to wait before I see them, but remind them that while we wait we may all work, so that these hard days are not wasted. I
know they will remember all I said to them, that they will be loving children to you and I will be fonder and prouder than ever of my little women,"
Everyone was weeping when Mrs. March read that last part, Jo wasn't ashamed to be seen crying and Amy hid her face on her mother's shoulder, crying, "I am a selfish girl, but I ' ll truly try to be better, so he won't be disappointed in me!"
"We all will!" cried Meg. "I think too much of my looks and hate to work, but I ' ll certainly try not to anymore."
"I'll try to be a little woman, as he loves to call me,and not be wild. I 'll do my duty here instead of wanting to be somewhere else," said Jo,
Beth said nothing, but picked up her sewing and began her duty, promising, in her quiet little soul, to be all that Father hoped her to be.
"Now, each of you has explained how you will make your father proud during the coming year, except Beth," said their mother.
"Yes, I have. I will try to enjoy doing dishes and cleaning, not envy girls with nice pianos, and try not to be afraid of people."
Everyone wanted to laugh at what she said, but no one did, as it would hurt her feelings very much.
At nine they stopped their work, and sang as usual before they went to bed. No one but Beth could play the old piano well, and she managed to make pleasant music while the others sang. Meg had a beautiful voice, and she and her mother led the others in the singing. Amy's baby voice could be heard at times, while Jo sang as she pleased, always with the wrong sound that ruined the most beautiful songs.
The first sound in the morning was their mother's voice as she went about the house, and the last sound at night was the same cheery sound, as the girls never grew tired of their mother's voice.

第一章 圣诞礼物
“我们要怎么送出这些礼物呢？”梅格问道。
“我们将把它们放在桌子上，把妈妈带进来，看着她打开每一份礼物。你们不记得我们生日的时候是怎么做的了吗？”乔回答。
“当轮到我坐在大椅子上，看着你们全部围在我身边送给我礼物和亲吻，并看着我打开这些礼物，我是感到有些害怕的。”贝丝说道。
“妈妈会以为我们在给自己礼物，然后我们就能给她制造惊喜了。我们必须明天下午去买礼物了，梅格。圣诞夜的表演还有许多事要筹备呢。”乔一边说，一边背着手在楼梯上踱步。
“这次之后我不打算再做任何表演了。我太大了，不适合这些事情了。”梅格说，其实她暗地里仍然喜欢打扮和表演。
“只要你还能穿着白裙子到处走，你就不会停止的，我知道。你是我们所拥有的最好的表演者，如果你退出了，那这一切就都结束了，”乔说。“我们应该为今晚的表演练习各自的角色了。在圣诞夜表演前我们仍然有许多工作要完成。”
“我不明白为什么你可以创作和表演出如此美妙的东西，乔，你简直就是莎士比亚！”贝丝惊呼道，她坚信她的姐妹们被上天赋予了卓越的天赋。
“不完全是”，乔谦虚地回答道，“尽管我确实认为这出戏是很不错的。”
“你们好，我亲爱的姑娘们，”一个欢快的声音在门口响起，女孩们转身去欢迎这位高大的、母亲般的女士，她脸上带着“我能帮你吗？”的表情，这真是让人愉快。她地穿着并不优雅，但她确实是一个高贵的女性，女孩们认为这过时的衣服掩盖了这位世界上最优秀的母亲。
“亲爱的孩子们，今天过得怎么样？贝丝，今天有人来访吗？梅格，你的感冒怎么样了？乔，你看起来有些疲惫。过来亲亲我，小艾米。”
当马奇夫人脱下她的外套和鞋子，女孩们跑来跑去，想要给母亲创造舒适的环境。梅格泡好了茶，乔给火炉添了木头，贝丝在厨房走来走去，安静而忙碌，而艾米则坐在桌前指挥。当他们都聚集到桌边时，马奇夫人洋溢着幸福的表情说，“晚饭后有奖励。”
女孩们看起来很开心，她们知道这是父亲的信到了。
“一封信！父亲的信！”女孩们哭了。
“是的，一封美好的长信。他很好，并且他应该能健康地度过这个冬天。他给你们送来了充满爱意的祝福和特别的讯息。”马奇夫人高兴地说。
“让我们赶快吃饭，这样妈妈就可以给我们读信了！”乔惊呼。
“我觉得父亲能作为一名部长加入军队实在是太厉害了，尽管他已经太老而不能成为士兵。”梅格暖心地说到。
“我希望我可以成为鼓手或者护士，这样我就可以呆在他身边帮助他。”乔说。
“睡在外面，吃难吃的东西，这一定很不讨厌。”艾米说。
“妈妈，爸爸什么时候会回家？”贝丝静静地开口。
“估计还几个月还不够，亲爱的，除非他病了。否则他会呆在那尽可能久地完成他的职责。现在，我们来听这封信吧。”
她们全都来到火炉边听。在父亲寄回家的大部分信里，他很少提到他遭受的苦难，面临的危险，或者是远在战场的思乡之情。大部分内容都是欢欣鼓舞、充满希望的，写了很多军队生活和见闻。在信的结尾，他表达了父爱和对家中女孩们的挂念。
“给你们我所有的爱和一个吻。告诉他们我一直想念她们，晚上也会梦到她们。一年的等待看起来太长了，但提醒她们在我们等待时，我们也都要工作，这样艰苦的日子才不会被浪费。我知道她们会记得我对她们说的所有话，做个乖孩子，我以他们位骄傲，我的小女孩们。”
当马奇夫人读到最后的时候，每个人都在抹眼泪，乔并不为当众流泪而害羞，而艾米把脸埋在妈妈的肩头，哭着说到，“我是个自私的小女孩，但是我会努力做得更好，不让他对我失望！”
“我们都会的！”梅格也哭了，“我总是想着我的书，我讨厌工作，但我会努力不在这样。”
“我会努力做个小淑女，就像他喜欢这样称呼我，而不是行为狂野。我会在这里尽职尽责，而不是想去别处。”乔说。
贝丝什么也没说，她捡起她的缝纫，开始她的职责，在她小小的安静的灵魂里承诺，成为父亲期待的样子。
“现在，除了贝丝，你们每个人都说了在接下来的一年如何努力成为父亲的骄傲，”她们的母亲说道，
“是的，我有。我会尝试接受刷盘子和清洁的工作，而不嫉妒有漂亮钢琴的女孩们，努力不害怕人。”
对她说的话，每个人都想笑，但没有人这么做，因为这会对她造成很大的上海。
九点钟，她们停止了工作，像往常一样，在上床睡觉前唱歌。只有贝丝可以弹好这台旧钢琴，在其他人唱歌时她弹出了优美的音乐。梅格拥有甜美的嗓音，她和妈妈在歌曲中领唱。艾米的童音有时会被听到，而乔随心所欲地唱，她经常用错误的声音破坏这些美丽的曲子。
早晨的第一个声音是妈妈在屋子里走来走去的动静，夜晚最后的声音是同样欢快的声音，女孩们永远不会厌倦妈妈的声音。

翻译by 枯木v-勉强能看，欢迎指正