1. For nearly a year, I sopped around the house, the Store, the school and the church, like an old biscuit, dirty and inedible. Then I met, or rather got to know, the lady who threw me my first life line.
    1)差不多有一年的时间我无精打彩地周旋于家、店铺、学校和教堂之间，像一块陈饼干，肮脏，不能再吃了。这时我遇到了，或者说是认识了扔给我第一根救生索的那位夫人。

    2. Mrs. Bertha Flowers was the aristocrat of Black Stamps. She had the grace of control to appear warm in the coldest weather, and on the Arkansas summer days it seemed she had a private breeze which swirled around, cooling her. She was thin without the taut look of wiry people, and her printed voile dresses and flowered hats were as right for her as denim overalls for a farmer. She was our side's answer to the richest white woman in town.
    2)伯萨·弗劳尔斯太太是斯坦普斯黑人中的显贵。她有克制的风度，使她在最冷的气候中也显得温暖；而在阿肯色州的夏天，她好像拥有自己的旋转着的轻风，使她凉快。她瘦削但没有瘦人常有的紧巴巴的样子。她的印花巴厘纱裙衣和饰有花的帽子穿戴在她身上就和农民穿粗斜纹布工作服一样贴切。她是我们黑人这边足以和城里最阔的白人女子匹敌的人。

    3. Her skin was a rich black that would have peeled like a plum if snagged, but then no one would have thought of getting close enough to Mrs. Flowers to ruffle her dress, let alone snag her skin. She didn't encourage familiarity. She wore gloves too.
    3)她的皮肤浓黑，要是挂着了就会像梅子皮一样剥落下来，不过没有人会想到要走得近到能碰皱她衣服的地步，更不用说去挂着她的皮肤了。她不鼓励熟不拘礼的行为。并且她还戴手套。

    4. I don' t think I ever saw Mrs. Flowers laugh, but she smiled often. A slow widening of her thin black lips to show even, small white teeth, then the slow effortless closing. When she chose to smile on me. I always wanted to thank her. The action was so graceful and inclusively benign.
    4)我想我从来没有看见弗劳尔斯太太大笑过，但她常常微笑。她的薄薄的黑色的嘴唇慢慢向两旁拉开，露出小小的整齐的洁白的牙齿，然后是慢慢的毫不费力地闭上双唇。当她高兴对我一笑的时候，我总想向她表示感谢。她的这个动作是这样优雅、这样地充满了慈祥。

    5. She was one of the few gentlewomen I have ever known, and has remained throughout my life the measure of what a human being can be.
    5)她是我认识的少数几个有身份的妇人之一。在我一生中她始终是我做人的榜样。