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AGardenThatWelcomesStrangersByAllenLacyIdonotknowwhatbecameofher,andIneverlearnedhername.ButIfeelthatIknewherfromthegardenshehadsolovinglymadeovermanydecades.我并不知道她的近况，以前也不曾得知她的名字。然而我却觉得我从她几十年倾心照料的花园里了解了她。Thehouseshelivedinliestwomilesfrommine–asimple,two-storystructurewiththeboxyplan,steeply-pitchedroofandunadornedlinesthataretypicalofhousesbuiltinthemiddleofthenineteenthcenturyneartheNewJerseyshore.她住在一所离我家两英里远的房子里——典型的十九世纪中页新泽西海边建筑：简单的双层结构，布局方正，房檐弯曲，线条古朴。Hergardenwasequallysimple.Shewasnotaconventionalgardenerwhodideverythingbythebook,followingthecommonadvicetovaryherplantingssotherewouldbesomethinginbloomfromthefirstcrocusinthespringtothelastchrysanthemuminthefall.Shehadnorespectfortherulethatsaysthattall-growingplantsbelongattherearofaperennialborder,lowonesinthefrontandmiddle-sizedonesinthemiddle,withoccasionalexceptionsfordramaticaccent.她的花园也同样简单。她并不像传统的花园主那样万事随书，她只遵循一些常见的建议来增加她的植物，因此从春天的第一朵番红花到秋天的最后一朵菊花，她的花园总是有绽放的花朵。高者置于长青植物之后，矮者置于之前，而中等高度的置于中间，其中偶尔穿插一些例外来形戏剧化的特色，这样的规则她从不遵循。Inhergarden,everythingwasaccent,everythingwastall,andtheevidencewasplainthatshelovedthreekindsofplantandthreeonly:roses,clematisandlilies,intermingledpromiscuouslytopleasanteffectbutnoapparentdesign.在她的花园里，处处都是特色，植物都很高，很明显她只钟爱三种植物：玫瑰，铁线莲和百合，并没有特意设计，只是随意地混合生长的它们产生了一种令人愉悦的效果。Shegrewadozensortsofclematis,perhaps50plantsinall,trainedandtiedsothattheyclamberedupmetalrods,eachrodcrownedintermittentlythroughoutthesummerbyaroundedprofusionoflargeblossomsofdarkpurple,richcrimson,palelavender,lightblueandgleamingwhite.她种了十几种铁线莲,也许总共有50株植物,通过整枝和捆绑它们就会爬上金属杆,在整个夏天，每个金属杆都会陆续被一圈缤纷而丰富的的深紫色,深红色,淡紫色,浅蓝色和明亮的白色的大花朵加冕Hertasteinroseswasold-fashioned.Therewasn'tasinglemodernhybridtearoseorfloribundainsight.Instead,shefavoredtherosesofotherages–theYorkandLancasterrose,thecabbagerose,thedamaskandtherugosaroseinseveralvarieties.Shepropagatedherrosesherselffromcuttingssturugosaroseckdirectlyinthegroundandprotectedbyupendedgallonjugs.她欣赏玫瑰的口味是老式的。没有一株现代杂种香水玫瑰或丰花玫瑰。相反,她喜欢其他时代的玫瑰——约克玫瑰和兰开斯特玫瑰,洋玫瑰，大马士革玫瑰等几个品种。她自己繁殖她的玫瑰，通过将玫瑰直接扦插在地上并用倒立的加仑壶来保护。Lilies,Ibelievewerehergreatestlove.ExceptforsomeMadonnaliliesitisimpossibletonamethem,sincethewoodenflatsstoodcasuallyhereandthereintheflowerbed,allthicklyplantedwithdarkgreenlilyseedlings.Theoccasionalpapertagflutteringfromaseedpodwiththedateandrecordofacrossshowedthatshewasanamateurhybridizerwithsomespecialfondnessforliliesofawarmmuskmelonshadeorapalelemonyellow.百合,我相信是她的最爱。除了一些白百合花其他的都不可能叫出它们的名字,因为木制的花盆随意地立在花坛上,所有的花盆里都密密地种植着深绿色的百合幼苗。偶尔的从种荚中飘出的写着日期的纸标签和杂交的记录显示,她是一个特别喜欢温暖的渐变香瓜色或淡柠檬黄色百合花的业余杂交者。Shebelievedinsharinghergarden.Byhercurbtherewasasign:“Thisismygarden,andyouarewelcomehere.Takewhateveryouwishwithyoureyes,butnothingwithyourhand.”她乐于分享自己的花园。在她花园的路边有一块牌子，上面写着：“这是我的花园，欢迎来这里参观。你可以把这里的美景尽收眼底，但不要随手拿走这里的东西。”Untilfiveyearsago,hergardenwasalwaysimmaculatelytended,thelawnkeptfertilizedandmowed,theflowerbedfreeofweeds,thetallliliescarefullystaked.Butthensomethinghappened.Idon'tknowwhatitwas,butthelawnwasmowedlessfrequently,thennotatall.Tallgrassinvadedtheroses,theclematis,thelilies.Theelmtreeinherfrontyardsickenedanddied,andwhenacoastalgalestruck,thebranchesthatfellwereneverremoved.直到五年前，她的花园还总是被悉心地照料着。草坪肥沃平坦，花坛鲜有杂草，高高的百合花也被小心翼翼地系在桩上。但是，相继发生了一些事情。我不知道具体是什么事情，但是修剪草坪的次数渐渐得少了，随后就干脆不修剪了。高高的杂草侵犯了玫瑰花、铁线莲和百合花的生长区域。她前庭院的榆树渐渐枯萎凋亡，当海风来袭，吹下来的树枝也再也没被移走。Witheveryyear,theneglecthasgrownworse.Wildhoneysuckleandbittersweetrunrampantinthegarden.Sumac,ailanthus,poisonivyandotheruninvitedthingsthreatenthefewliliesandclematisandrosesthatstillstruggleforsurvival.每过一年，这种坐视不管就愈发严重。野生的忍冬花和蜀羊泉肆意地在花园里疯长。漆树、臭椿、毒漆藤和一些其它的不速之客威胁着所剩无几的几株苟延残喘的玫瑰花、铁线莲和百合花。Lastyearthehouseitselfwentdead.Thefrontdoorwaspadlockedandthewindowscoveredwithsheetsofplywood.Formanymonthstherehasbeenaforsalesignoutfront,replacingthesigninvitingstrangerstosharehergarden.去年，这所房子本身也“死”去了。前门被锁上，窗户也被几张胶合板覆盖。几个月来，低价出售的牌子一直挂在前面，替换掉了之前邀请陌生人分享她的花园的牌子。Idrivebythathousealmostdailyandhavebeentemptedtoloadashovelinmycartrunk,stopathercurbandrescueafewliliesfromthesmotheringthicketofweeds.Thelawsoftrespassandthefactthatherhousesitsacrossthestreetfromapolicestationhavegivenmethecowardicetoresisttemptation.Buthergardenhasremindedmeofmortality;gardenersandthegardenstheymakearefragilethings,creaturesoftime,hostagestochanceandtodecay.Lastweek,theforsalesignoutfrontcamedownandthewindowswereunboarded.Acrewofpaintersarrivedandsomeonecutdownthedeadelmtree.Thismorningtherewasamovingvaninthedrivewayunloadingaswingset,abarbecuegrill,agrandpianoandahousefulofsensiblefurniture.Ayoungfamilyismovingintothathouse.Ihopethatamongtheirnumberisagardenerwhosespecialfondnessforoldrosesandclematisandlilieswillseetoitthatallelseisputasideuntilthatflowerbedisrestoredtosomethingofitsformerself.(选自Patterns:AShortProseReader,byMaryLouConlin,publishedbyHoughtonMifflinCompany,1983.)建筑类词汇：boxysteeply-pitchedroofunadornedlinescommon植物类术语：crocuschrysanthemumfloribundaclematistheYorkandLancasterrosethecabbageroseMadonnaliliesthedamaskandtherugosarosewildhoneysucklebittersweetSumacailanthuspoisonivyperennialaccent（花艺术语）promiscuously