by Jon Snow

Dear Mr. Blake，

You were the first teacher who seriously engaged my attention. In part because collectively[一致地]， we nine-year-old boys in your class speculated[猜想] that you were in a mysterious war.

Were you once a spy？ You had an interesting pinsized-hole in your fine， strong forefinger that suggested a bayonet[刺刀] wound. You spoke of the navy[海軍]， and we boys thought of Bond， James Bond注1. You brought English alive for me—literature and language—and I can admit it， I worshipped[崇拜] at your feet.

You seemed to enjoy my adventurous[愛冒險的] rebelliousness[叛逆]， and I thought then， and think now， that you discreetly[謹慎地] encouraged it in that Victorian confine注2 that was our school.

You brought adjectives[形容詞] into my life， and descriptive[描述的] writing. You liberated[解放] me. You let my essays flower， you never ordained[命令] what I could， and could not say. You merely set out the systems by which words worked. You taught me with drive[魄力] and encouragement， never with threat， and found something positive to say even in failure.

I was an academic flop[失敗]； you were most evidently a scholar. But you were， I can see now， my midway point between my ecclesiastical[教會的]， classics-educated father， and my exuberant[活躍的] non-academic self.

My parents marvelled[驚嘆] that you ever got me off the very bottom of Class 4a.

Dear Rodney Blake， in later life， I could never imagine you running off with the piano teacher， but you did. I spoke to you once on the phone in your rickety[搖搖欲墜的] runaway garret[閣樓] in New Zealand. A stoic[淡泊的]， lonely， sickly old man， you sounded as far from Bond， as I. You died too long ago—but not before I was able to thank you. You were proud of me， and I of you， for the chance your generous care lavished[慷慨地給予] upon me.

With love，

Jon Snow

敬愛的布萊克先生：

您是第一位真正引起我注意的老師。一部分是因為班上的我們——一群九歲的男孩子都一致認為您參加過某場神秘的戰(zhàn)爭。

您當過特工嗎？您的食指纖細有力，上面有個醒目的小傷口，好像是被刺刀弄傷的。當您一提起（英國）海軍，我們就馬上想起邦德，詹姆斯·邦德。您激發(fā)了我對英語和文學的興趣。我不得不承認，我拜倒在您的腳下。

您似乎很喜歡我愛冒險的反叛性格。直到現(xiàn)在我依然認為，您一直都很小心地鼓勵著我發(fā)展自己的天性，畢竟我們學校就是一間維多利亞式的監(jiān)獄。

您為我的人生以及文章增添了色彩。您解放了我，任我盡情創(chuàng)作。除了教會我如何遣詞造句，您從不限制我創(chuàng)作的內(nèi)容。您總是帶著熱情和鼓勵教導我。在我失敗的時候，您總能從失敗中找到可取之處，借以安慰我。

我完全是個學習差生，而您不用多說是個學者。現(xiàn)在我總算明白了您給我的形象很特別——既不像我父親那樣保守苛刻、滿嘴古訓，又不至于像我那樣嬉皮笑臉、不學無術。

您使我學習進步，不再拖4a班的后腿，連我的父母也對此感到驚訝。

敬愛的羅德尼·布萊克，您后來跟鋼琴老師私奔了，我還真沒料到呢。我還跟您通過電話，當時您逃到了新西蘭，住在一個搖搖欲墜的閣樓里。您聽起來跟我一樣是個普通人，而且還是個恬淡寡歡、孤獨老弱的人，與邦德的形象相去甚遠。您很早就離開人世了，我還沒來得及向您道謝。您為我感到驕傲，而我也為獲得您無私的關懷而感到光榮。

敬愛您的喬恩·斯諾