我家的院子里有一棵枣树。
Wǒ jiā de yuànzi lǐ yǒu yì kē zǎo shù.
There is a date tree in the yard of my old home.
它是爷爷在我出生那年种下的。
Tā shì yéye zài wǒ chūshēng nà nián zhǒng xià de.
My grandfather planted it in the year I was born.
爷爷说，树种下，孩子就有了伴。
Yéye shuō, shù zhǒng xià, háizi jiù yǒu le bàn.
Grandfather said that once a tree is planted, the child has a companion.
小时候我以为那棵树一直就在那里。
Xiǎoshíhou wǒ yǐwéi nà kē shù yìzhí jiù zài nàlǐ.
As a child I thought the tree had always been there.
后来看照片，才知道它从前比我还矮。
Hòulái kàn zhàopiàn, cái zhīdào tā cóngqián bǐ wǒ hái ǎi.
Only later, from photographs, did I learn it used to be shorter than me.
照片里，爷爷蹲在一棵小树旁边。
Zhàopiàn lǐ, yéye dūn zài yì kē xiǎo shù pángbiān.
In the photograph, Grandfather crouches beside a small sapling.
他的脸上全是笑，像看着一个孩子。
Tā de liǎn shàng quán shì xiào, xiàng kàn zhe yí gè háizi.
His face is all smiles, as if he were looking at a child.
爷爷每天一早起来，就先去看树。
Yéye měi tiān yìzǎo qǐlái, jiù xiān qù kàn shù.
Every morning when Grandfather got up, the first thing he did was go see the tree.
他蹲在树边，一蹲就是半天。
Tā dūn zài shù biān, yì dūn jiùshì bàntiān.
He crouched by the tree, and a crouch could last half a day.
很久不下雨的时候，他一趟一趟地挑水。
Hěn jiǔ búxià yǔ de shíhou, tā yí tàng yí tàng de tiāo shuǐ.
When it had not rained for a long time, he carried water to it trip after trip.
下雨的时候，他站在门口看雨落在叶子上。
Xià yǔ de shíhou, tā zhàn zài ménkǒu kàn yǔ luò zài yèzi shàng.
When it rained, he stood at the door watching the rain fall on the leaves.
雨点打在叶子上，他听得比听戏还认真。
Yǔ diǎn dǎ zài yèzi shàng, tā tīng de bǐ tīng xì hái rènzhēn.
He listened to the raindrops on the leaves more attentively than to opera.
树一年一年长高，我也一年一年长大。
Shù yì nián yì nián zhǎng gāo, wǒ yě yì nián yì nián zhǎng dà.
The tree grew taller year by year, and I grew up year by year.
春天，树上开满了小小的黄花。
Chūntiān, shù shàng kāi mǎn le xiǎo xiǎo de huáng huā.
In spring, the tree was covered with tiny yellow flowers.
夏天，我们在树荫下吃饭。
Xiàtiān, wǒmen zài shùyīn xià chī fàn.
In summer, we ate our meals in its shade.
一碗稀饭，一盘咸菜，树下吃什么都香。
Yì wǎn xī fàn, yì pán xián cài, shù xià chī shénme dōu xiāng.
A bowl of rice porridge, a plate of pickles; under that tree everything tasted good.
爷爷用扇子赶蚊子，给我们讲故事。
Yéye yòng shànzi gǎn wénzi, gěi wǒmen jiǎng gùshi.
Grandfather fanned away the mosquitoes and told us stories.
秋天，枣子红了，挂满一树。
Qiūtiān, zǎo zi hóng le, guà mǎn yí shù.
In autumn, the dates turned red and hung heavy all over the tree.
爷爷搬来梯子，让我上去摘。
Yéye bān lái tīzi, ràng wǒ shàngqù zhāi.
Grandfather brought the ladder and sent me up to pick them.
我在上面吃，他在下面接。
Wǒ zài shàngmiàn chī, tā zài xiàmiàn jiē.
I ate up in the tree while he caught the fruit below.
他说，最高的枣最甜，要留给客人。
Tā shuō, zuì gāo de zǎo zuì tián, yào liú gěi kèrén.
He said the highest dates were the sweetest and must be saved for guests.
所以我从小就知道，好东西要先想着别人。
Suǒyǐ wǒ cóngxiǎo jiù zhīdào, hǎo dōngxi yào xiān xiǎng zhe biérén.
So from childhood I knew that good things should be thought of for others first.
冬天，树上没有一片叶子。
Dōngtiān, shù shàng méiyǒu yí piàn yèzi.
In winter, the tree did not have a single leaf.
爷爷把草放在树底下，怕树冷。
Yéye bǎ cǎo fàng zài shù dǐxia, pà shù lěng.
Grandfather piled straw at its foot, afraid the tree would be cold.
我笑话他，说树不知道冷，他说你怎么知道。
Wǒ xiàohua tā, shuō shù bù zhīdào lěng, tā shuō nǐ zěnme zhīdào.
I laughed at him and said trees do not feel cold; he said, how do you know?
我十二岁那年，爷爷病了。
Wǒ shí èr suì nà nián, yéye bìng le.
The year I turned twelve, Grandfather fell ill.
他还是每天扶着墙，走到树边坐一会儿。
Tā háishi měi tiān fú zhe qiáng, zǒu dào shù biān zuò yíhuìr.
Still he walked along the wall every day to sit by the tree for a while.
他说，听见风吹叶子，心里就安静。
Tā shuō, tīngjiàn fēng chuī yèzi, xīnlǐ jiù ānjìng.
He said that hearing the wind in the leaves quieted his heart.
那些日子，他说话越来越少，看树越来越久。
Nàxiē rìzi, tā shuōhuà yuè lái yuè shǎo, kàn shù yuè lái yuè jiǔ.
In those days he spoke less and less, and watched the tree longer and longer.
第二年春天，树开花了，爷爷没有看见。
Dì èr nián chūntiān, shù kāihuā le, yéye méiyǒu kànjiàn.
The next spring the tree flowered, but Grandfather did not see it.
爷爷走后，我们全家搬进了城。
Yéye zǒu hòu, wǒmen quán jiā bān jìn le chéng.
After Grandfather passed away, our whole family moved into the city.
离开那天，我回头看了那棵树很久。
Líkāi nà tiān, wǒ huítóu kàn le nà kē shù hěn jiǔ.
The day we left, I looked back at that tree for a long time.
城里的楼很高，看不见几棵树。
Chéng lǐ de lóu hěn gāo, kàn bújiàn jǐ kē shù.
The buildings in the city were tall, and you could hardly see any trees.
我有时会梦见那棵枣树。
Wǒ yǒushí huì mèng jiàn nà kē zǎo shù.
Sometimes I dreamed of that date tree.
梦里它开着黄花，爷爷坐在下面。
Mèng lǐ tā kāi zhe huáng huā, yéye zuò zài xiàmiàn.
In the dream it was in yellow flower, and Grandfather sat beneath it.
醒来以后，枕头上湿了一片。
Xǐng lái yǐhòu, zhěntou shàng shī le yí piàn.
When I woke, a patch of the pillow was wet.
一年一年，我们很少回去。
Yì nián yì nián, wǒmen hěn shǎo huíqù.
Year after year, we rarely went back.
老房子托给隔壁的叔叔照看。
Lǎo fángzi tuō gěi gébì de shūshu zhào kàn.
The old house was left in the care of the uncle next door.
叔叔每年秋天打电话来，说枣又红了。
Shūshu měi nián qiūtiān dǎ diànhuà lái, shuō zǎo yòu hóng le.
Every autumn the uncle phoned to say the dates were red again.
电话里还能听见他家孩子的笑声。
Diànhuà lǐ hái néng tīngjiàn tā jiā háizi de xiào shēng.
On the phone I could also hear the laughter of his children.
他总问，你们什么时候回来打枣。
Tā zǒng wèn, nǐmen shénme shíhou huílái dǎ zǎo.
He always asked when we would come back to knock the dates down.
我们总说，明年，明年一定回。
Wǒmen zǒng shuō, míngnián, míngnián yídìng huí.
We always said, next year, next year for sure.
一个又一个明年，十几年就过去了。
Yí gè yòu yí gè míngnián, shí jǐ nián jiù guòqù le.
One next year after another, and more than a decade went by.
去年秋天，我终于回了一趟老房子。
Qùnián qiūtiān, wǒ zhōngyú huí le yí tàng lǎo fángzi.
Last autumn, I finally made a trip back to the old house.
村里的路宽了，房子新了。
Cūn lǐ de lù kuān le, fángzi xīn le.
The village roads were wider, the houses newer.
很多人家盖了小楼，门口停着汽车。
Hěn duō rénjia gài le xiǎo lóu, ménkǒu tíng zhe qìchē.
Many families had built small two-story houses, with cars at their doors.
村口修了新路，一直通到县城。
Cūn kǒu xiū le xīn lù, yìzhí tōng dào xiàn chéng.
A new road was built at the village entrance, running all the way to the county town.
我们的老房子却矮矮的，站在原地。
Wǒmen de lǎo fángzi què ǎi ǎi de, zhàn zài yuán de.
Our old house stood low and small where it had always been.
院子里全是草。
Yuànzi lǐ quán shì cǎo.
The yard was full of weeds.
只有那棵枣树，比记忆里更高更粗。
Zhǐyǒu nà kē zǎo shù, bǐ jìyì lǐ gèng gāo gèng cū.
Only the date tree was taller and thicker than I remembered.
树干粗得我两只手抱不过来。
Shùgàn cū de wǒ liǎng zhī shǒu bào búguò lái.
Its trunk was too thick for my two arms to reach around.
树皮很粗，摸上去像爷爷的手。
Shù pí hěn cū, mō shàngqù xiàng yéye de shǒu.
The bark is rough; touching it feels like Grandfather’s hand.
叔叔说，这树如今没有人管，自己长。
Shūshu shuō, zhè shù rújīn méiyǒu rén guǎn, zìjǐ cháng.
The uncle said nobody looks after the tree now; it just grows on its own.
没有人浇水，它照样年年结果。
Méiyǒu rén jiāo shuǐ, tā zhàoyàng nián nián jiéguǒ.
Nobody waters it, yet it still bears fruit every year.
根扎得深，就不用等人浇水了。
Gēn zhā de shēn, jiù búyòng děng rén jiāo shuǐ le.
When the roots run deep, there is no need to wait for anyone’s water.
那天正好赶上枣红的时候。
Nà tiān zhènghǎo gǎnshàng zǎo hóng de shíhou.
My visit happened to fall right when the dates were red.
叔叔搬来梯子，像爷爷当年那样。
Shūshu bān lái tīzi, xiàng yéye dāngnián nàyàng.
The uncle brought the ladder, just as Grandfather used to.
我爬上梯子，摘了一把枣。
Wǒ pá shàng tīzi, zhāi le yì bǎ zǎo.
I climbed the ladder and picked a handful of dates.
枣还是甜的，我的眼泪却下来了。
Zǎo háishi tián de, wǒ de yǎnlèi què xiàlái le.
The dates were still sweet, but tears came to my eyes.
我在树下站了很久，风把叶子吹得直响。
Wǒ zài shù xià zhàn le hěn jiǔ, fēng bǎ yèzi chuī de zhí xiǎng.
I stood under the tree for a long time, the wind rattling the leaves.
那声音和二十多年前一模一样。
Nà shēngyīn hé èr shí duō nián qián yìmú-yíyàng.
The sound was exactly the same as twenty-some years ago.
我忽然明白了爷爷当年说的话。
Wǒ hūrán míngbai le yéye dāngnián shuō dehuà.
All at once I understood what Grandfather had said back then.
他说树种下，孩子就有了伴。
Tā shuō shù zhǒng xià, háizi jiù yǒu le bàn.
He said that once a tree is planted, the child has a companion.
原来这个伴，会替他一直陪着我。
Yuánlái zhège bàn, huì tì tā yìzhí péi zhe wǒ.
It turns out this companion keeps me company in his place.
树不会说话，可它什么都记得。
Shù bú huì shuōhuà, kě tā shénme dōu jìde.
A tree cannot speak, but it remembers everything.
我装了一袋子枣回城。
Wǒ zhuāng le yí dàizi zǎo huí chéng.
I carried a bag of dates back to the city.
妻子把枣分给邻居，说是我家的树上结的。
Qīzi bǎ zǎo fēn gěi línjū, shuō shì wǒ jiā de shù shàng jiē de.
My wife shared the dates with the neighbors, saying they came from our family tree.
女儿问我，我家的树在哪里。
Nǚ’ér wèn wǒ, wǒ jiā de shù zài nǎlǐ.
My daughter asked me where our family tree was.
她还小，听不懂很远又很近是什么意思。
Tā hái xiǎo, tīng bù dǒng hěn yuǎn yòu hěn jìn shì shénme yìsi.
She is still small and cannot understand what very far and very near means.
我说，在一个很远又很近的院子里。
Wǒ shuō, zài yí gè hěn yuǎn yòu hěn jìn de yuànzi lǐ.
I said, in a yard that is very far away and very near.
今年春天，我们在阳台上种了一棵小树。
Jīnnián chūntiān, wǒmen zài yángtái shàng zhòng le yì kē xiǎo shù.
This spring, we planted a small tree on our balcony.
女儿每天一早起来，就先去看它。
Nǚ’ér měi tiān yìzǎo qǐlái, jiù xiān qù kàn tā.
Every morning when my daughter gets up, the first thing she does is go look at it.
跟爷爷当年的样子，一模一样。
Gēn yéye dāngnián de yàngzi, yìmú-yíyàng.
Exactly the way Grandfather looked back then.
我看着她的小脸，想起了爷爷。
Wǒ kàn zhe tā de xiǎo liǎn, xiǎng qǐ le yéye.
Watching her little face, I think of Grandfather.
风从窗外吹进来，小树的叶子动了。
Fēng cóng chuāng wài chuī jìnlái, xiǎo shù de yèzi dòng le.
The wind comes in through the window, and the little tree's leaves stir.
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