亚当，午后 精彩片段：
Adam, One Afternoon
Italo Calvino
The NEW gardeners boy had long hair which he kept in place by a piece of stuff tied round his head with a little bow. He was walking along the path with his watering-can filled to the brim and his other arm stretched out to balance the load. Slowly, carefully, he watered the nasturtiums as if pouring out coffee and milk, until the earth at the foot of each plant dissolved into a soft black patch; when it was large and moist enough he lifted the watering-can and passed on to the next plant. Maria-nunziata was watching him from the kitchen window, and thinking what a nice calm job gardening must be. He was a grown youth, she noticed, though he still wore shorts and that long hair made him look like a girl. She stopped washing the dishes and tapped on the window.
"Hey, boy," she called.
The gardeners boy raised his head, saw Maria-nunziata and smiled. She laughed back at him, partly because she had never seen a boy with such long hair and a bow like that on his head. The gardeners boy beckoned to her with one hand, and Maria-nunziata went on laughing at the funny gesture hed made, and began gesturing back to explain that she had the dishes to wash.
But the boy beckoned again, and pointed at the pots of dahlias with his other hand. Why was he pointing at those dahlias ? Maria-nunziata opened the window and put her head out.
"Whats up ?" she asked, and began laughing again.
"Dyou want to see something nice ?"
"Whats that ?"
"Something nice. Come and see. Quickly."
"Tell me what."
"Ill give you it. Ill give you something very nice."
"But Ive the dishes to wash, and the Signorall come along and not find me."
"Do you want it or dont you? Come on, now."
"Wait a second," said Maria-nunziata, and shut the window.