But she sensed my unease, and instead of suggesting we practice my lines, she asked if I wanted to walk in the yard.
但她感觉到了我的不安。于是，她没有提议我们继续练台词，而是问我愿不愿意和她一起到院子里走一走。
It was a lovely spring day and the rose vine on the trellis was turning green. Under the huge elm trees, we could see yellow dandelions popping through the grass in bunches, as if a painter had touched our landscape with dabs of gold.
那是一个美好的春日，棚架上的玫瑰枝条正在泛绿。高大的榆树下，一束束黄色的蒲公英从草丛中探出头来，好像是一位画家在我们的山水画上涂抹了点点金黄似的。
I watched my mother casually bend down by one of the clumps, I think I'm going to dig up all these weeds, she said, yanking a blossom up by its roots. From now on, we'll have only roses in this garden.
我看见妈妈在一丛花旁漫不经心地弯下腰。“我想我应该把这些野草全拔掉，” 她一边说一边将一蔸开得正茂盛的花儿连根拔起。“从今以后，我们的花园里只有玫瑰。”
But I like dandelions, I protested. All flowers are beautifuleven dandelions.
“可是，我喜欢蒲公英啊，”我抗议道，“所有的花儿都美丽——即使是蒲公英。”
My mother looked at me seriously. Yes, every flower gives pleasure in its own way, doesn't it? She asked thoughtfully. I nodded, pleased that I had won her over . And that is true of people too, she added. Not everyone can be a princess, but there is no shame in that.
妈妈神情严肃地看着我，若有所思地说：“不错。每一种花都以自己的方式给我们带来美的享受，难道不是吗？”我点了点头，很高兴自己说服了她。“其实，人也是如此，”她补充道，“并不是每个人都可以成为公主，这没什么可丢人的。”
Relieved that she had guessed my pain, I started to cry as I told her what had happened. She listened and smiled reassuringly .
原来，她早就猜到了我的烦恼。我哭了起来，哽咽着把所发生的事告诉了她。她一边聆听一边微笑着安慰我。
But you will be a beautiful narrator, she said, reminding me of how much I loved to read stories aloud to her, The narrator's part is every bit as important as the part of the princess.
“但是，你会成为一个出色的旁白的。旁白的角色其实和公主一样重要。”她还提醒我说以前我是多么喜欢大声给她朗读故事。
Over the next few weeks, with her constant encouragement, I learned to take pride in the role. Lunchtimes were spent reading over my lines and talking about what I would wear.
随后的几个星期，在妈妈的不断鼓励下，我渐渐对这一角色感到自豪。而在那些午餐时间里，我们不是排练我的台词，就是讨论演出时我该穿什么服装。
Backstage the night of the performance, I felt nervous. A few minutes before the play, my teacher came over to me. Your mother asked me to give this to you, she said, handing me a dandelion. Its edges were already beginning to curl and it flopped lazily from its stem. But just looking at it, knowing my mother was out there and thinking of our lunchtime talk, made me proud.
演出那天晚上，我在后台感到很紧张。就在开演前的几分钟，老师向我走了过来。“你妈妈让我把这个交给你，”她一边说一边把一朵蒲公英递给我。它的边缘处已经开始卷曲，花叶从茎杆上耷拉下来。就是这短暂的一瞥，我就知道我的妈妈此刻坐在台下，想起我们午餐时间的谈话，一种自豪感不禁油然而生。
