芒果街上的小屋－31

And some more……

　　The Eskimos got thirty different names for snow, I say. I read it in a book.

　　I got a cousin, Rachel says. She got three different names.

　　There ain't thirty different kinds of snow, Lucy says. There are two kinds. The clean kind and the dirty kind, clean and dirty. Only two.

　　There are a million zillion kinds, says Nenny. No two exactly alike. Only how do you remember which one is which?

　　She got three last names and, let me see, two first names. One in English and one in Spanish…

　　And clouds got at least ten different names. I say.

　　Names for clouds? Nenny asks. Names just like you and me?


　　　　　　　　　　　　

　　爱斯基摩人给雪取了三十个不同的名字。我说。我在一本书里读到的。

　　我有个表妹，拉切尔说，她有三个不同的名字。

　　世界上没有三十种不同的雪，露西说，只有两种。干净的和脏的，净雪和脏雪。只有两种。

　　世界上有亿万种雪，蕾妮说，没有两种看上去一模一样。可你怎么记得哪种是哪种？

　　她有三个名字，让我想想，还有两个姓。一个英语的，一个西班牙语的……

　　云至少有十个不同的名字。我说。

　　云的名字？蕾妮问。像你我一样的名字？