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2016

British Literature

Teacher: Ms Dung

Class: Ck17.01 –TQ17.02

Group 1

FLIGHT – DORIS LESSING

Vietnam National University

University of Social Sciences and Humanities

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01

• Lâm Đức Chí

02

• Lê Thị Khánh Vi

03

• Liêu Thị Ngọc Hiếu

04

• Hồ Thị Khen

05

• Dương Phương Thảo

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• Hoàng Phan Thanh Thảo

Members list

Members list

Members list

Members list

Members list

Members list

Vietnam National University

University of Social Sciences and Humanities

Group 1

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1. The writer’s biography ······························································· 4

2. Setting ···················································································· 6

3. The summary of the story ···························································· 6

4. What happens in the story ··························································· 6

5. Characters ··············································································· 7

6. Techniques··············································································· 8

7. Theme of the story ····································································· 9

8. Vocabulary ············································································· 18

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Doris Lessing

(1919-2013)

1. The Writer’s biography

Doris Lessing was born Doris May Tayler in

Persia (now Iran) on October 22, 1919. Both of

her parents were British: her father, who had been

crippled in World War I, was a clerk in the

Imperial Bank of Persia; her mother had been a

nurse.

In 1925, lured by the promise of getting rich

through maize farming, the family moved to the

British colony in Southern Rhodesia (now

Zimbabwe). Doris Lessing was later sent to an

all-girls high school in the capital of Salisbury,

from which she soon dropped out. She was

thirteen; and it was the end of her formal

education.

In 1937 she moved to Salisbury, where she

worked as a telephone operator for a year. At

nineteen, she married Frank Wisdom, and had

two children. A few years later, feeling trapped in

a persona that she feared would destroy her, and

then she left her family, remaining in Salisbury.

Soon she was drawn to the like-minded members

of the Left Book Club, a group of Communists

"who read everything, and who did not think it

remarkable to read." Gottfried Lessing was a

central member of the group; shortly after she

joined, they married and had a son

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By 1949, Lessing had moved to London with her young son. That

year, she also published her first novel, and began her career as a

professional writer.

Lessing's fiction is deeply autobiographical, much of it emerging out

of her experiences in Africa. Drawing upon her childhood memories

and her serious engagement with politics and social concerns, Lessing

has written about the clash of cultures, the gross injustices of racial

inequality, the struggle among opposing elements within an

individual’s own personality, and the conflict between the individual

conscience and the collective good. Her stories and novellas set in

Africa, published during the fifties and early sixties, decry the dispossession of black Africans by

white colonials, and expose the sterility of the white culture in

southern Africa.

The work that made her literary reputation was her 1962 novel

The Golden Notebook, which centred on a struggling female

writer. The book was widely read and embraced by the

growing women's movement.

In June 1995 she received an Honorary Degree from Harvard

University. Also in 1995, she visited South Africa to see her

daughter and grandchildren, and to promote her

autobiography.

It was her first visit since being forcibly

removed in 1956 for her political views.

Ironically, she is welcomed now as a

writer acclaimed for the very topics for

which she was banished 40 years ago.

Most notably, Lesson was awarded the

Nobel Prize in Literature in 2007. She

was only the 11th woman to become a

Nobel laureate in literature and the oldest

recipient, at the age of 88.

Doris Lessing died peacefully at her

London home on November 17, 2013, at

the age of 94. The prolific author left a

legacy of more than 55 works that

spanned literary genres, weaving rich

narratives of her personal experiences and political perspectives.

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2. Setting

Flight was published in 1957, in a collection of short

stories entitled The Habit of Loving.

Setting of Flight: “Place” Doris Lessing grew up in

Zimbabwe, in southern Africa. Many details make

the story seem almost English in its setting.

For example – the valley, the earth, the trees; the

dovecote; Lucy's sewing; plates and cups of tea;

Steven's father's job - he is a “postmaster” - but there are a few clues that it’s set in a warmer

country. One is the wooden veranda at the front of the whitewashed house. Another, repeatedly

mentioned, is the frangipani tree, which has scented flowers and grows near the equator. But the

setting of this story could almost be anywhere – again, maybe the author wanted to give the

impression of universality: that this situation happens to people everywhere.

Setting of Flight: “Time” Trying to work out the time in which this story is set is also

challenging. Although the narrative seems quite modern in showing a young woman about to

leave home, the attitudes of the grandfather are more traditional. He wants to keep his grandchild

at home, and spoil her as his favourite. Note that, although Alice will not give in to the old man's

wishes, she still shows respect for him. Sometimes a single word tells us a great deal: when the

old man talks of “courting” he reveals the gulf between himself and Alice. She is struck by the

“old-fashioned phrase”

3. Brief summary of the story

Flight is a short story about an old grandpa living with his family in South Africa. Much to his

chagrin, his granddaughter Alice plans on marrying the postmaster's son Steve. In a childlike

manner, Alice's Grandpa harshly criticizes their upcoming marriage and refuses to let go of her

last granddaughter who he fears will leave him. Eventually, Alice's Grandpa learns to accept

Alice's marriage and realizes the importance of moving on in life.

4. What happens in the story?

Section 1: The story begins when old man

was playing with a young pigeon. Then He

saw Alice waiting for Steven, the old man

argued with Alice about her behaviour, The

old man feels that his youngest

grandaughter is still much too young to be

married and is not willing to let go of her.

He’s attitude seems grumpy but deep down

inside it hurt him very much to see his

grandaughter growing up and with her boyfriend Steve.

Section 2: In an effort to stop the marriage, the old man came to complains to his daughter,

Alice's mother. But the young girl's mother have a totally different point of view as she believes

that her daughter have found a good home and she is old enough to get married. As for the young

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girl herself, she feels nothing will ever change even if she got married. She will always love her

grand father.

Section 3: When Steven gives the old man a present of a new pigeon to take care of, the old man

realizes he can let his favorite pigeon go and take flight.

Section 4: At the end of the story, when the old man fanily agrees to let go of his grand daughter,

he took out his favourite pigeon from the cage and let it fly away. This symbolised that he had

learned to let go of his beloved grand daughter and is letting the young to take its first flight into

the real world.

5. Characters

The old man

The central character in the story has no

name, the old main. He is anonymous

from the beginning to the end. Doris

Lessing lets the main character go

nameless in order to show that what

happens to this character could happen

to anyone. Moreover, the old man

seems to be a symboy of the old

generation who always wants to keep

their children in their way.

The old man feels that his youngest

grandaughter is still much too young to

be

married and is not willing to let go of her. He feels lost, and weeps eventually. He still couldn’t

accept the fact that she has grown up and is starting a family of her own. He feels alone and

hopeless. He believes that after she gets married, nothing will ever be the same again. She won't

keep him as company anymore and he will only have his pigeons.

The old man seems to isolate himself from everyone with his own way of thinking, which

isconsiderably different from that of his daughter Lucy and of course, that of the young Alice

Alice

Alice is the old man's granddaughter.

She is a young woman but he still sees

her as a child - or would like to do so.

She looks young and sometimes acts in

a carefree way, but mostly she has a

serious and grown up wish to marry

her boyfriend, and settle into a

domestic routine. As for the young girl

herself, she feels nothing will ever

change even if she got married

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Lucy

Lucy is the old man's daughter and Alice's mother. She is

depicted as a grown up in her appearance ("square-fronted"),

her actions (she looks after her father) and the way in which

her father thinks of her (“that woman”). Her husband is

absent (perhaps she is a widow or divorcee, but there is no

evidence to tell the reader more, save that it is Lucy who

gives Alice permission to marry). But we know that Lucy

married at seventeen “and never regretted it”. She tries to

reassure the old man about Alice. She has already agreed to

her marrying Steven, and tells her father this in the story.

Steven

Steven is Alice's

boyfriend. In the story we see him through the old

man's eyes. The old man finds things wrong with

him (his red complexion, his physical appearance

and his father's job). The reader is not likely to share

this disapproval. Lucy expects him to be as good a

husband as her other three girls have. And he is

thoughtful enough to give the old man a present of a

pigeon.

6. Techniques

Body language - actions and gestures

This is a story in which attitudes appear often in actions. For example, when her grandad shouts:

Hey! - Alice jumps. She is alarmed, but then becomes evasive, as we see when her “eyes veiled

themselves”. She adopts a neutral voice and tosses her head, as if to shrug off his confrontational

stance. When he thinks of Steven, the old man's hands curl, like claws into his palm. When

Steven gives the old man the present of a new pigeon both Alice and her boyfriend try to

reassure the old man: “They hung about him, affectionate, concerned …They took his arms and

directed him

….enclosing him, petting him...”

Here we find another reference to eyes - they

are “lying happy eyes”, telling the old man that

nothing will change, when he and they know

this is false. At the end of the story Alice is

“wide-eyed” while tears run down her face.

Earlier it was the old man who was crying at

the thought of losing her. And her tears at the

end of the story let are meant: perhaps she

knows that she really is to be married, and she,

too, is now sad at the end of childhood.

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Dialogue

This story is dramatic. A lot of it is in the

form of conversation. While Lucy is calm

and reasonable, the old man and Alice

quarrel like children. For example, how

the old man asks questions with the word

“Hey” - “Waiting for Steven, hey?”And

“Think you're old enough to go courting,

hey?”. His threats are childish: “I'll tell

your mother” and “I see you!”

Language

Doris Lessing uses repetition in the story to reinforce details of the scene (sunlight, the

frangipani tree, the veranda, Lucy's sewing) or to identify people (“the postmaster's son” and “his

daughter” or the “woman”).

Comparisons are very important here. Many of them are to natural things. Alice's long legs are

likened to the frangipani stems - "shining-brown" and fragrant. The old man's fingers curl like

claws (an image which suggests his own pigeons). Later Alice and Steven tumble like puppies -

they are not yet enjoying adult pleasure but their play is a preparation for what comes later.

And we can easy to find Lessing’s comparisons within the story. For example: the attitudes of

the old man and Alice, the arguments of the old man and Lucy about Alice's marrying, the old

man's ideas of his granddaughters before and after marriage, Alice and the favourite pigeon,

sunlight and warmth at the start and dusk and cold at the end of the story. The old man's initial

defiance and eventual acceptance of Steven's courtship of Alice.

Symbolism

Alice is clearly likened to the favourite pigeon. The old man can keep the bird in, where he

cannot control Alice. But when he receives the new pigeon, he is able to release the favourite: he

accepts that shutting it in is not right. The gift also suggests that there may be some

compensation for the old man in the new situation. But really he knows that nothing can make up

for the loss of his last grandchild.

7. Theme of the story

A theme is an idea or topic that is important to a story. It might make us think about what the

events really mean, or what the writer was trying to do, or even how the story could relate to our

own lives. The key themes in Flight include:

Growing up and leaving home

The story centres on Alice and reactions to her plan

to leave home. Lucy, her mother, thinks of it as

completely natural and is very positive, saying she

'never regretted' getting married and her other

daughters have done well.

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Alice is looking forward to leaving home. She is carefree, swinging on gates, singing and waiting

for her boyfriend. She has everything in life to look forward to and cannot really understand the

feelings of her grandfather. However, at the end of the story she perhaps starts to realise the

heartbreak that leaving home can cause.

The old man is very negative about Alice leaving home. He thinks of it as the end for him - he

will be left 'uncherished and alone' with

his daughter, and will no longer have a

house full of life. We know he did not

like it when his own daughter left to get

married, and each time one of the girls

leaves he gets them 'crying and

miserable'.

The title, Flight, reminds us that leaving

home is a key theme in the story. Both

the pigeon and Alice are trying to escape,

while the old man is trying to stop them.

He eventually lets the pigeon go. We are

not sure how Alice will leave, or whether

her grandfather will learn to accept this.

Nature

There are a lot of references to nature. The most obvious is the pigeons. They appear in the first

sentence, as the old man looks after his dovecote (where they are kept). There are many other

references - from their claws to how they fly. And the story comes to an end with them settling

back in the garden, minus the young pigeon which is the grandfather's favourite.

There are many references to the garden, too - from the 'frangipani tree' to the colour of the soil.

These can be detailed, like 'the brittle shadows of the frangipani tree' or 'a stream of rich green

grass'.

Flight includes references to the wider world as well, such as shadows, sunlight and sky. Nature

is clearly important to both the writer and the characters: they live in the countryside and it is

important to their daily lives.

Contrasts and comparisons

The story contains a number of contrasts,

such as the views of the different generations

on leaving home.

We also see a contrast between how Lucy and

the old man behave: he is much more like a

child. In some ways, even Alice behaves in a

more mature manner: she does not 'thump' her

feet or shout like him.

There are also a lot of comparisons between

nature and the characters. The most obvious

relates to the pigeons. They act as symbols, so

the pigeon at the start is just like Alice:

young, the grandfather's favourite and 'pretty',

but straining to fly away.

The old man can control the bird by locking it away, but he cannot control Alice. When he

releases the pigeon, it is like releasing Alice. Both must move away to make their own way in the

world.

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Comparisons are also made between their bodies. Alice's legs are like the stems on the tree,

while the old man's fingers are 'curling like claws into his palm'. In other words, his fingers are

like his pigeons' claws.

Meanwhile, Alice and Steven are 'like puppies on the grass'.

These constant references to nature and comparisons can give the impression that the characters

are simply part of nature. They also make us believe it is natural for Alice to want to leave home,

just as it is natural for her grandfather to wish her to stay.

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FLIGHT – Tung Cánh

English Vietnamese 1. Above the old man's head was the dovecote, a tall wire-netted shelf on stilts, full of strutting, preening birds. The sunlight broke on their grey breasts into small rainbows. His ears were lulled by their crooning; his hands stretched up towards the favourite, a homing pigeon, a young plumpbodied bird which stood still when it saw him and cocked a shrewd bright eye.

'Pretty, pretty, pretty,' he said, as he grasped the bird and drew it down, feeling the cold coral claws tighten around his finger. Content, he rested the bird lightly on his chest, and leaned against a tree, gazing out beyond the dovecote into the landscape of a late afternoon. In folds and hollows of sunlight and shade, the dark red soil, which was broken into great dusty clods, stretched wide to a tall horizon. Trees marked the course of the valley; a stream of rich green grass the road. His eyes travelled homewards along this road until he saw his granddaughter swinging on the gate underneath a frangipani tree. Her hair fell down her back in a wave of sunlight, and her long bare legs repeated the angles of the frangipani stems, bare, shining-brown stems among patterns of pale blossoms.

She was gazing past the pink flowers, past the railway cottage where they lived, along the road to the village. His mood shifted. He deliberately held out his wrist for the bird to take flight, and caught it again at the moment it spread its wings. He felt the plump shape strive and strain under his fingers; and, in a sudden access of troubled spite, shut the bird into a small box and fastened the bolt. 'Now you stay there,' he muttered; and turned his back on the shelf of birds. He moved warily along the hedge, stalking his granddaughter, who was now looped over the gate, her head loose on her arms, singing. The light happy sound mingled with the crooning of the birds, and his anger mounted.

Trên đầu ông lão là một chuồng chim câu cao

nằm trên cột sàn có lưới sắt bao bọc, bên trong

đầy những chú chim dáng vẻ oai vệ đang làm

dáng. Ánh dương hắt lên những bộ lông ngực

màu xám của chúng làm thành những sắc cầu

vồng nho nhỏ. Những tiếng “gù gù” của bọn

chim bên tai khiến lòng ông như lắng lại, ông

vươn tay ra hướng đến con yêu quý nhất, một

con câu nhà còn nhỏ và béo ú. Nó vẫn đứng

đấy, hếch ánh mắt sáng, lanh lợi khi thấy ông.

“Nào, ngoan nào, ngoan nào” ông nói khi túm

được nó. Ông đem xuống, và cảm nhận được

những móng vuốt lạnh lẽo đỏ màu san hô đang

bấu chặt lên ngón tay mình. Hài lòng, ông nhẹ

áp con chim vào ngực rồi tựa vào cây, nhìn đăm

đăm khung cảnh buổi chiều muộn nơi bên kia

chuồng chim. Trong cảnh nhập nhoạng, vùng

đất trồng thoáng chốc biến thành những cục đất

đầy bụi trải dài tận chân trời. Cây cối mọc đầy

nơi thung lũng và cỏ xanh rậm rì dọc bên

đường.

Mắt ông nhìn khắp con đường dẫn về nhà và

ông bắt gặp hình ảnh cô cháu gái đang đung

đưa trên cánh cổng, bên dưới tán cây đại. Tóc

cô xõa dài xuống lưng, óng ả trong ráng chiều;

còn đôi chân dài để trần thì không ngừng đập

đập vào những thân cây đại có sắc nâu nổi bật

giữa bờ rào trổ đầy hoa.

Cô đang nhìn chăm chú như thể chờ đợi điều gì

đó nơi con đường dẫn vào làng phía xa xa quá

khỏi những bụi cẩm chướng, quá khỏi ngôi nhà

họ đang ở.

Tâm trạng ông lão bỗng thay đổi. Ông thận trọng

nhấc cổ tay mình ra khỏi ngực khi cảm thấy con

chim sắp bay xổ ra và tóm lấy nó ngay khi nó

vừa dang cánh. Bên dưới những ngón tay của

ông con vật bụ bẫm đang cố gắng chòi đạp;

thình lình một cảm giác tức giận dâng lên, ông

nhốt con chim vào một hộp nhỏ và cài chặt then

lại. “Giờ thì ở yên đó nhé” lão càu nhàu rồi quay

lưng lại. Tiếp đó ông thận trọng đi dọc theo hàng

rào đến bên cô cháu, lúc này đang vòng tay sau

ót, khẽ lắc lư ca hát. Âm thanh thanh thoát và

tràn đầy hạnh phúc ấy hòa quyện cùng tiếng “gù

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`Hey!' he shouted; saw her jump, look back, and abandon the gate. Her eyes veiled themselves, and she said in a pert neutral voice: 'Hullo, Grandad.' Politely she moved towards him, after a lingering backward glance at the road. 'Waiting for Steven, hey?' he said, his fingers curling like claws into his palm. Any objection?' she asked lightly, refusing to look at him. He confronted her, his eyes narrowed, shoulders hunched, tight in a hard knot of pain which included the preening birds, the sunlight, the flowers. He said: `Think you're old enough to go courting, hey? ‘The girl tossed her head at the old-fashioned phrase and sulked, 'Oh, Grandad! ‘‘Think you want to leave home, hey? Think you can go running around the fields at night?' Her smile made him see her, as he had every evening of this warm end-of-summer month, swinging hand in hand along the road to the village with that red-handed, red throated, violent-bodied youth, the son of the postmaster. Misery went to his head and he shouted angrily: 'I'll tell your mother!' 'Tell away!' she said, laughing, and went back to the gate. He heard her singing, for him to hear: 'I've got you under my skin; I've got you deep in the heart of ...'

'Rubbish,' he shouted. 'Rubbish. Impudent little bit of rubbish!' Growling under his breath he turned towards the dovecote, which was his refuge from the house he shared with his daughter and her husband and their children. But now the house would be empty. Gone all the young girls with their laughter and their squabbling and their teasing. He would be left, uncherished and alone, with that square-fronted, calm-eyed woman, his daughter. He stopped, muttering, before the dovecote, resenting the absorbed cooing birds. From the

gù” ngân nga của lũ chim, và cơn giận trong lòng

ông một tăng lên.

“Này!” ông lão hét lên khi thấy cháu mình nhảy

qua rào, ngoái nhìn lại có vẻ dè chừng cánh

cổng. Ánh nhìn tránh né, cô nhanh nhẩu cất

giọng chào ông: “Chào ông ngoại”. Sau khi khẽ

liếc nhìn về phía con đường đằng sau cô lễ phép

tiến lại gần ông.

“Đang đợi Steven hử?” ông lão hỏi mà các ngón

tay của ông cong lại tựa móng vuốt trong lòng

bàn tay.“Có phản đối gì không?” cô cháu khẽ hỏi

lại, vẫn tránh nhìn thẳng ông.

Ông lão bước đến đối diện cháu với mình, đôi

mắt ông thu hẹp lại, đôi vai khom lại tựa hồ đang

phải chịu đựng một nỗi đau: những con chim

đỏm dáng, ánh dương rực rỡ, những đóa hoa

muôn màu và cả cô cháu nữa. Ông nói: “Cháu

nghĩ đã đủ lớn để cặp bồ đấy phỏng?”

Cô gái làm điệu bộ hất đầu xưa cũ và hờn dỗi:

“Ông ngoại!”

“Cháu muốn bỏ nhà đi phải không? Cháu nghĩ

có thể chạy chơi vòng quanh những cánh đồng

vào buổi tối ư?”

Nụ cười của cô làm ông nhớ lại hình ảnh ông

thường thấy mỗi đêm trong tháng hè ấm áp cuối

cùng này: tay trong tay tung tăng trên con đường

dẫn vào làng với gã trai cường tráng con người

đưa thư. Nỗi phiền muộn bốc lên tới đầu và ông

quát lên đầy tức tối: “Ông sẽ bảo mẹ đấy!”

“Méc đi!” cô cháu đáp lại, cười phá lên rồi đi về

phía cổng.Khúc ca của cô mới thật khó chịu làm

sao: “Em yêu anh rất nhiều. Em mang đầy hình

ảnh anh sâu thẳm trong tim…”

“Rác rưởi” ông lão thét to. “Rác rưởi. Rặt những

từ vớ vẩn!” Ông lão giận dữ lẩm bẩm khi quay lại

chuồng chim, nơi ông tìm thấy niềm an ủi so với

ngôi nhà ông đang cùng sống với con gái mình,

con rể và lũ trẻ. Tuy nhiên giờ đây ngôi nhà đã

trống vắng. Bọn trẻ đều đã đi xa, mang theo

chúng tiếng cười đùa, những trò chòng ghẹo lẫn

nhau. Ông lão cũng bị bỏ rơi, không còn ai quan

tâm và cảm thấy cô độc khi sống với người phụ

nữ có vầng trán vuông, đôi mắt điềm tĩnh - con

gái ông.

Ông lão dừng lại, thì thầm, trước chuồng chim,

bực bội khi nghe những tiếng “gù gù” say mê

14

gate the girl shouted: 'Go and tell! Go on, what are you waiting for?' Obstinately he made his way to the house, with quick, pathetic persistent glances of appeal back at her. But she never looked around. Her defiant but anxious young body stung him into love and repentance. He stopped, 'But I never meant...' he muttered, waiting for her to turn and run to him. 'I didn't mean...' She did not turn. She had forgotten him. Along the road came the young man Steven, with something in his hand. A present for her? The old man stiffened as he watched the gate swing back, and the couple embrace. In the brittle shadows of the frangipani tree his granddaughter, his darling, lay in the arms of the postmaster's son, and her hair flowed back over his shoulder.

'I see you!' shouted the old man spitefully. They did not move. He stumped into the little whitewashed house, hearing the wooden veranda creak angrily under his feet. His daughter was sewing in the front room, threading a needle held to the light. He stopped again, looking back into the garden. The couple were now sauntering among the bushes, laughing. As he watched he saw the girl escape from the youth with a sudden mischievous movement, and run off through the flowers with him in pursuit. He heard shouts, laughter, a scream, silence.

'But it's not like that at all,' he muttered miserably. 'It's not like that. Why can't you see? Running and giggling, and kissing and kissing. You'll come to something quite different. ‘He looked at his daughter with sardonic hatred, hating himself. They were caught and finished, both of them, but the girl was still running free. 2. 'Can't you see?' he demanded of his invisible granddaughter, who was at that moment lying in the thick green grass with the postmaster's son. His daughter looked at him and her eyebrows went up in tired forbearance.

của lũ chim. Từ phía cổng cô cháu hét lên: “Vô

méc đi! Méc đi, còn chờ gì nữa?”

Ông lão dùng dằng quay về nhà, nhưng vẫn liếc

những cái nhìn nhanh, liên tục đầy đau khổ và

kêu gọi về phía cháu mình. Nhưng cô vẫn không

thèm nhìn lại. Thái độ cô ngang ngạnh nhưng

chứa nhiều khao khát của tuổi trẻ khiến ông cảm

thấy thương cô hơn và đâm hối hận. Ông lão

dừng lại. “Ông không có ý đó” ông thì thầm, chờ

đợi cô quay lại và chạy đến bên mình. “Ông

không có ý…”

Cô không hề quay lại. Cô đã không còn nhớ đến

ông rồi. Trên đường chàng trai Steven xuất hiện,

cầm theo vật gì trong tay. Một món quà cho cháu

mình? Lòng ông trở nên sắt lại khi thấy cánh

cổng bật ngược về và đôi trẻ ôm chầm lấy nhau.

Dưới những bóng râm màu hơi sẫm của cây đại,

cháu của ông, đứa cháu yêu quý, đang nằm

trong tay của thằng con người đưa thư, và mái

tóc cô xõa qua vai hắn.

“Thấy hết rồi nhé!” ông hét lên đầy khinh bỉ. Bọn

chúng vẫn đứng đấy. Ông bèn sầm sầm bỏ đi

vào ngôi nhà có tường quét vôi trắng nhỏ bé,

dưới chân ông vang lên tiếng cót két đầy tức

giận của hàng hiên. Con gái ông ngồi may ở

phòng ngoài, và đang xỏ kim trước ngọn đèn.

Ông lão lại dừng lại, nhìn lần nữa ra sau vườn.

Đôi trẻ lúc này đang nắm tay nhau đi tản bộ giữa

những bụi cây, thỉnh thoảng lại cười phá lên.

Ông thấy cháu mình đột nhiên láu lỉnh rụt tay

khỏi cậu bạn trai và chạy trốn vào các lùm hoa

còn cậu ta thì đuổi theo. Ông nghe chúng la hét,

cười giỡn rồi thì im lặng.

“Không thể thế được”, ông lão lẩm nhẩm một

cách khó chịu. “Không thể thế được. Tại sao

chúng không thể thấy chứ? Chạy nhảy và cười

đùa, và hôn nhau và hôn nhau. Chúng mày thật

quá lắm.”

Ông nhìn cháu mình với vẻ khinh thường đầy

căm tức, và rồi đâm khó chịu với chính bản thân.

Cả hai chúng nó đều bị bắt quả tang nhưng cháu

ông vẫn thoải mái đùa nghịch.

“Tại sao nó lại không thấy chứ?” Ông lão ước

chi đứa cháu, lúc này đang nằm dài trên đám cỏ

dày xanh rì bên cạnh cậu bạn của mình, biến

đâu cho khuất mắt.

Con gái ông bỗng nhìn lên, đôi lông mày khẽ

15

'Put your birds to bed?' she asked, humouring him. 'Lucy,' he said urgently, 'Lucy...' 'Well, what is it now? ‘‘She’s in the garden with Steven. ‘‘Now you just sit down and have your tea.' He stumped his feet alternately, thump, thump, on the hollow wooden floor and shouted: 'She'll marry him. I'm telling you, she'll be marrying him next! ‘His daughter rose swiftly, brought him a cup, set him a plate. 'I don't want any tea. I don't want it, I tell you.' 'Now, now,' she crooned. 'What's wrong with it? Why not?' 'She's eighteen. Eighteen!' 'I was married at seventeen and I never regretted it. ‘‘Liar,' he said. 'Liar. Then you should regret it. Why do you make your girls marry? It's you who do it. What do you do it for? Why?' 'The other three have done fine. They've three fine husbands. Why not Alice? ‘‘She’s the last,' he mourned. 'Can't we keep her a bit longer?' 'Come, now, Dad. She'll be down the road, that's all. She'll be here every day to see you.' 'But it's not the same.' He thought of the other three girls, transformed inside a few months from charming petulant spoiled children into serious young matrons. 'You never did like it when we married,' she said. 'Why not? Every time, it's the same. When I got married you made me feel like it was something wrong. And my girls the same. You get them all crying and miserable the way you go on. Leave Alice alone. She's happy.' She sighed, letting her eyes linger on the sunlit garden. 'She'll marry next month. There's no reason to wait.'

nhướng lên chịu đựng.

“Ba cho chim đi ngủ chứ?” Bà ta hỏi đùa.

“Lucy”, ông lão gọi gấp gáp. “Lucy…”. “Dạ, có

chuyện gì nào?”

“Nó đang ở trong vườn với thằng Steven”.

“Ba à, ngồi xuống đi, và dùng tách trà nhé”.

Ông lão dậm chân liên tục lên chỗ sàn gỗ đã bị

trũng xuống và la lên: “Nó sẽ cưới thằng ấy. Ba

bảo cho biết nhé, rồi nó sẽ cưới thằng ấy chẳng

mấy chốc đâu!”

Con gái lão vội đứng dậy, dọn bàn và mang đến

cho lão một tách trà.“Ba không uống trà lúc này.

Ba bảo không cần cơ mà”.“Rồi, rồi” giọng con

lão vỗ về. “Nhưng chúng cưới nhau thì có sao

đâu? Tại sao lại không kia chứ?”.“Nó mới mười

tám tuổi. Mới mười tám thôi biết không!”

“Con mười bảy đã lấy chồng rồi, mà có thấy sao

đâu.”

“Láo”, ông lão giận dữ. “Nói láo. Mày có hối tiếc

đấy. Tại sao mày ép các con mày lấy chồng như

vậy? Chính mày đã làm điều này. Làm thế để

làm gì hử? Tại sao?”

“Ba đứa kia đều gia đình êm ấm cả. Chúng đều

là những chàng rể tốt. Vậy tại sao Alice không

vậy chứ?”

“Nhưng nó là đứa út”, ông lão rầu rĩ. “Ta không

thể giữ nó lại lâu hơn chút sao?”

“Coi nào, Ba. Nó chỉ ở cuối con đường kia thôi.

Nó vẫn về thăm ba mỗi ngày cơ mà”.

“Nhưng chẳng thể nào như trước cả”. Ông lão

lại nhớ đến ba đứa cháu trước đây, chúng mau

chóng thay đổi hẳn đi, từ những đứa trẻ quyến

rũ, nhí nhảnh và nghịch ngợm bỗng trở nên

chững lại, nghiêm túc hẳn lên.

“Ba chẳng hề thay đổi kể từ khi chúng con kết

hôn”, con lão đáp. “Tại sao vậy? Luôn luôn là

thế. Lúc con kết hôn, ba cũng khiến con thấy

như thể đó là một sai lầm rất nghiêm trọng. Đến

lượt tụi nhỏ, cũng thế. Ba khiến chúng sợ hãi và

lo lắng theo suy nghĩ của ba. Hãy để Alice yên.

Nó cảm thấy hạnh phúc, thế là được rồi”. Bà ta

khẽ thở dài, mắt bà nán lại một chút nơi khu

vườn còn vương nắng. “Con bé sẽ kết hôn vào

16

'You've said they can marry?' he said incredulously. 'Yes, Dad, why not?' she said coldly, and took up her sewing. His eyes stung, and he went out on to the veranda. Wet spread down over his chin and he took out a handkerchief and mopped his whole face. The garden was empty. 3. From around the corner came the young couple; but their faces were no longer set against him. On the wrist of the postmaster's son balanced a young pigeon, the light gleaming on its breast. 'For me?' said the old man, letting the drops shake off his chin. 'For me?' 'Do you like it?' The girl grabbed his hand and swung on it. 'It's for you, Grandad. Steven brought it for you.' They hung about him, affectionate, concerned, trying to charm away his wet eyes and his misery. They took his arms and directed him to the shelf of birds, one on each side, enclosing him, petting him, saying wordlessly that nothing would be changed, nothing could change, and that they would be with him always. The bird was proof of it, they said, from their lying happy eyes, as they thrust it on him. 'There, Grandad, it's yours. It's for you.' They watched him as he held it on his wrist, stroking its soft, sun-warmed back, watching the wings lift and balance. 'You must shut it up for a bit', said the girl intimately. 'Until it knows this is its home.' 'Teach your grandmother to suck eggs,' growled the old man. Released by his half-deliberate anger, they fell back, laughing at him. 'We're glad you like it.' They moved off, now serious and full of purpose, to the gate, where they hung, backs to him, talking quietly. More than anything could, their grown-up seriousness shut him out, making him alone; also, it quietened him, took the sting out of their tumbling like puppies on the grass. They had forgotten him again. Well, so they should, the old man reassured himself, feeling his throat clotted

tháng sau. Không còn lí do gì để chờ đợi nữa.”

“Con nói chúng có thể kết hôn ư?” ông lão hỏi

đầy hoài nghi.

“Vâng, Ba à. Có gì khiến chúng không thể nhỉ?”

Giọng con lão đáp lại cương quyết và bà ta lại

tiếp tục công việc may đang dang dở.

Lão bật khóc, rồi bước ra hàng hiên. Những giọt

nước mắt ướt đẫm cằm lão, lão lần túi lấy khăn

ra lau. Khu vườn vắng lặng.

Từ một góc trong vườn bọn trẻ bỗng tiến đến,

song chúng không còn vẻ gì chống đối lão nữa.

Một con chim câu đang đậu trên cổ tay thằng

con người đưa thư, ánh nắng yếu ớt óng trên bộ

lông ngực của nó.

“Cho ông à?” ông lão hỏi vừa hỏi vừa lau đi

những giọt nước mắt nơi cằm. “Cho ông thật à?”

“Ông thích nó chứ?” cô cháu lúc này nắm chặt

tay lão và lắc lắc. “Của ông đấy, Ngoại à. Steven

mang nó cho ông đấy”. Đôi trẻ tíu tít quanh lão

đầy tình cảm, chúng cố làm cho lão quên đi

những giọt nước mắt và u sầu. Bọn chúng, mỗi

đứa một bên, vừa nắm tay lão, dẫn lão đến bên

chuồng chim vừa nói đủ chuyện vui, âu yếm lão

rằng chẳng có gì thay đổi cả, sẽ chẳng điều gì

khiến chúng thay đổi, và rằng chúng vẫn luôn ở

bên lão. Con chim như là bằng chứng vậy,

chúng nói, mắt ánh lên những tia hạnh phúc khi

ấn nó vào tay lão. “Ngoại, giữ nè. Của ngoại

đấy”.

Chúng háo hức theo dõi hành động của lão khi

lão cầm con vật trong tay, vuốt nhẹ tấm lưng

mềm mại, tỏa ra hơi ấm của những tia nắng

chiều, khi lão ngắm nghía con vật vung vẩy đôi

cánh và cố giữ thăng bằng.

“Ông phải nhốt nó một thời gian”, cô cháu nói với

giọng thân mật “cho đến khi nó quen với nơi này,

và xem như tổ của nó”.“Chà, trứng đòi khôn hơn

vịt nữa đấy”, giọng lão nghe “gừ gừ”.

Sau khi đợi lão nguôi bớt, bọn trẻ cười phá lên

rồi rút lui, ra phía cánh cổng nơi khu vườn.

“Chúng cháu vui khi thấy ông thích nó”. Hơn tất

cả, mối quan tâm chúng dành cho lão khiến lão

không còn cảm thấy cô đơn nữa; điều này khiến

nỗi buồn, giận của lão nguội dần đi cũng như

niềm vui của những chú cún con được lăn mình

trên cỏ mượt. Bọn trẻ lại quên lão. Cũng được

thôi, lão thầm nhủ, tuy cảm thấy cổ họng nấc lên

17

with tears, his lips trembling. He held the new bird to his face, for the caress of its silken feathers. Then he shut it in a box and took out his favourite. 4. 'Now you can go, he said aloud. He held it poised, ready for flight, while he looked down the garden towards the boy and the girl. Then, clenched in the pain of loss, he lifted the bird on his wrist, and watched it soar. A whirr and a spatter of wings, and a cloud of birds rose into the evening from the dovecote. At the gate Alice and Steven forgot their talk and watched the birds. On the veranda, that woman, his daughter, stood gazing, her eyes shaded with a hand that still held her sewing. It seemed to the old man that the whole afternoon had stilled to watch his gesture of self-command, that even the leaves of the trees had stopped shaking. Dry-eyed and calm, he let his hands fall to his sides and stood erect, staring up into the sky. The cloud of shining silver birds flew up and up, with a shrill cleaving of wings, over the dark ploughed land and the darker belts of trees and the bright folds of grass, until they floated high in the sunlight, like a cloud of motes of dust. They wheeled in a wide circle, tilting their wings so there was flash after flash of light, and one after another they dropped from the sunshine of the upper sky to shadow, one after another, returning to the shadowed earth over trees and grass and field, returning to the valley and the shelter of night. The garden was all a fluster and a flurry of returning birds. Then silence, and the sky was empty. The old man turned, slowly, taking his time; he lifted his eyes to smile proudly down the garden at his granddaughter. She was staring at him. She did not smile. She was wide-eyed, and pale in the cold shadow, and he saw the tears run shivering off her face.

và môi run nhẹ. Lão cầm con chim mới trên tay,

vuốt nhẹ bộ lông óng mượt của nó. Sau đấy lão

nhốt nó vào chuồng và mang con lão yêu thích

nhất ra.

“Giờ mày có thể bay đi rồi đấy”, lão nói to lên.

Lão cầm hờ nó, sẵn sàng thả ra trong khi nhìn

xuống khu vườn hướng có tụi trẻ. Rồi thì ghìm

lại nỗi đau mất mát, lão nâng con chim lên và

trông nó vút ra. Một loạt những tiếng vù vù từ

các đôi cánh vang lên, cả đàn trong chuồng

cũng bay vụt vào trời chiều.

Nơi cánh cổng Alice và Steven ngừng trò

chuyện và ngước cổ nhìn những con chim.

Nơi hàng hiên, con gái lão đứng lặng, tay vẫn

cầm bộ đồ may che mắt nhìn.

Với lão thời gian như ngừng trôi trước hành

động tự nguyện này, thậm chí những chiếc lá

cũng không lay động.

Lau khô mắt, đôi tay xuôi hai bên hông, lão đứng

đó lặng yên dõi mắt vào bầu trời.

Bầy chim bay chấp chới, phát ra tiếng rít từ

những đôi cánh đang ra sức vẫy đập, tựa dải

sáng màu bạc càng lúc càng cao hơn, ngang

qua mảnh ruộng màu tối sẫm, những rặng cây

um tùm và thảm cỏ xanh tươi cho đến khi chúng

như trôi bồng bềnh trong ánh dương hệt một

đám bụi mù.

Chúng đảo một vòng tròn thật rộng rồi chao

cánh tạo thành những ánh sáng lóa, tiếp đó nối

tiếp nhau từng con một cả bầy quay trở về với

những rặng cây, thảm cỏ, đồng ruộng, hay thung

lũng, nơi chúng có thể ẩn náu khi đêm xuống từ

trời cao lộng gió.

Cả khu vườn rộn lên tiếng huyên náo của bầy

chim trở lại. Rồi thì lại trở nên tĩnh lặng, bầu trời

hóa trống không.

Lão chầm chậm quay xuống khu vườn, nhướng

đôi mắt mỉm cười kiêu hãnh với cháu của mình.

Cô gái đang nhìn lão chăm chú, không mỉm

cười. Nhưng mở to đôi mắt, và hơi tái đi trong

cái lạnh buổi đêm về, và lão thấy từng giọt nước

mắt tuôn rơi lã chã trên khuôn mặt cô.

18

8. Vocabularies

No Word English meaning Vietnamese

meaning

1 Dovecote (n) a birdhouse for pigeons Chuồng chim bồ

câu

2 Wire-netted Dây lưới

3 Stilts (n) a column of wood or steel or

concrete that is driven into the

ground to provide support for a

structure

Cột sàn nhà

4 Strutting (v) to walk with a lofty proud gait,

often in an attempt to impress

others

Đi khệnh khạng

5 Preening (v) clean with one's bill Rỉa lông

6 Lulled become quiet or less intensive Tạm lắng, thời

gian yên ắng

7 Crooning (v) sing softly Tiếng ngâm nga

8 Stretched (v) extend one's limbs or muscles, or

the entire body

Kéo dài ra/ kéo

căng ra

10 Cocked (v) set the trigger of a firearm back for

firing

Nháy mắt

11 Shrewd marked by practical hardheaded

intelligence

Khôn ngoan

12 Grasped (v) get the meaning of something Ôm chặt

14 Coral (n) a variable color averaging a deep

pink

Đỏ như san hô

15 Claw (n) a bird's foot that has claws Móng vuốt

16 Tighten (v) make tight or tighter Siết chặt

17 Gazing (v) Look at with fixed eyes Nhìn chằm chằm

18 Beyond (avd) farther along in space or time or

degree

không nằm trong

phạm vi cái gì;

vượt ra ngoài giới

hạn

19 Fold (v) Bend or lay so that one part covers

the other

ôm, ẵm (vào lòng)

20 Hollow (adj) a cavity or space in something Trống rỗng

21 Shade (v) protect from light, heat, or view Che bóng mát cho

23 Clod (n) An awkward stupid person

người quê mùa

cục mịch, người

thô kệch ( (như)

clodhopper

)(nghĩa

24 Flurry (adj) Huyên náo

25 Horizon (n) the line at which the sky and Earth

appear to meet

Đường chân trời

26 Valley (n) a long depression in the surface of

the land that usually contains a

river

Thung lũng

19

27 Stream (n) a natural body of running water

flowing on or under the earth

Dòng suối

28 Swinging (v) the act of swinging a golf club at a

golf ball and (usually) hitting it

đu đưa qua lại

29 Frangipani (n) any of various tropical American

deciduous shrubs or trees of the

genus Plumeria having milky sap

and showy fragrant funnel-shaped

variously colored flowers

Cây dại

30 Bare (adj) having extraneous everything

removed including contents

trống không,

rỗng, trơ trụi;

(nghĩa bóng)

nghèo nàn, xác xơ

31 Stem (v) remove the stem from

ngăn, chặn (sự

chảy của nước..)

32 Pattern (v) something intended as a guide for

making something else

Gương mẫu, mẫu

mực

33 Pale (v) abnormally deficient in color as

suggesting physical or emotional

distress"the pallid f

Tái nhợt

34 Blossom (v) develop or come to a promising

stage

Đang ra hoa/ đang

lớn

35 Cottage (n) a small house with a single story Nhà tranh

36 Mood (adj) a characteristic (habitual or

relatively temporary) state of

feeling

Tâm trạng/ tính

khí

37 Shifted (v) the act of changing one thing or

position for another

sự thay đổi (về vị

trí, bản chất, hình

dáng..)

38 Deliberately (adv) think about carefully Suy nghĩ thận

trọng

39 Strive (v) attempt by employing effort Đấu tranh

40 Train (v) exercise in order to prepare for an

event or competition

Huấn luyện

41 Access (v) the act of approaching or entering ( access to

something )

phương tiện đến

gần hoặc đi vào

nơi nào đó; đường

vào

42 Spite (v) Feeling a need to see others sufers Sự không bằng

lòng

43 Muttered (v) make complaining remarks or

noises under one's breath

Nói lầm bầm

44 Warily (adv) In a wary manner Thận trọng

45 Hedge (n) a fence formed by a row of closely

planted shrubs or bushes

Hàng rào

46 Stalking (v) the act of following prey stealthily Dáng đi hiên

ngang

47 Looped (v) anything with a round or oval shape

(formed by a curve that is closed

and does not intersect itself)

Làm thành móc

20

60 Courting (v) To try to win the love of Tán tỉnh, hẹn hò

61 Tossed (v) To throw into or through the air Hất, quăng, ném

62 Old-fashioned (adj) In a style common some time ago Lạc hậu, cổ hủ

63 Sulked (v) To show anger or resentment by

being silent

Hờn dỗi

64 Red-handed (adj) In the act of committing

something wrong

Bắt quả tang

65 Red-throated (n) A small Australian singing bird Chim úc

66 Violent-bodied Bạo lực thân thể

67 Misery (n) Some thing that causes

unhappiness

Nỗi khốn khổ

68 Impudent (adj) rude, disrespecful Láo cược

69 Growling sound of an animal gầm gừ

70 Refuge (n) A place which gives shelter

protection from danger, trouble

Nơi dẩn náu

71 Squabbling (n) A noisy quarrel Sự cãi nhau ầm ĩ

72 Teasing (n) A person who enjoy teasing other

s

Trêu, nô đùa

73 Uncherished (v) Not to protect and love a person Không yêu mến

74 Square-fronted Trán rộng

75 Resenting (v) To feel annoyed about something

because one thinks it is unfair,

insulting.

Bực tức

76 Absorbed (v) To soak up Thấm, thu hút

77 Cooing (n) The sound made by a pigeon Tiếng gù của bồ

câu

78 Obstinately (adv) In a stubborn unregenerate

manner

Bướng bỉnh, ngoa

n cố

79 Pathetic (adj) arousing pity Phũ phàng

80 Appeal (n) a serious or urgent request Sự cầu khẩn

81 Defiant (adj) Boldly resisting authority or an op

posing force

Tỏ ra thách thức,

ngang ngạnh

82 Stung (adj) Feeling sharp psychological pain Đau nhói

83 Repentance (n) Remorse for your past conduct Sự ăn năn, sự hối

lỗi, ân hận

84 Stiffened (adj) Make or become stiff or rigid. Cứng

48 Mingled (v) to bring or combine together or

with something else

Lẫn vào

49 Mounted (v) the act of climbing something Trèo leo

50 Veiled (adj) muted or unclea Úp mở, giấu che

51 Pert (adj) characterized by a lightly pert and

exuberant quality

Sỗ sàng

52 Neutral (adj) one who does not side with any

party in a war or dispute

Trung lập

53 Abandon (v) to leave Rời bỏ

54 Lingering (v) To remain Lưu lại

55 Curling (adj) Form a curl, curve, or kink Quăn lại

56 Objection (n) An expression of disapproval Sự phản đối

57 Confronted(v) To bring face to face with Đương đầu với

58 Hunched (v) Arch on’s back Khom vai

59 Knot (n) A lump or join made in string Thắt nút

21

85 Swing (v) Changing location by moving

back and forth

Độc tác hoặc hành

động nhún nhảy

86 Spitefully (adv) In a spiteful manner Hằn học

87 Whitewashe (v) Xóa trắng

88 Veranda (n) A porch along the outside of a bui

lding (sometimes partly enclosed)

Hiên, hè, hành

lang

89 Sauntering (v) To walk at a leisurely pace, stroll Đi dạo

90 Bushes (n) A low shrub with many branches Bụi cây

91 Giggling (v) laugh lightly in a nervous Cười khúc khích

92 Sardonic (adj) grimly mocking or cynical Chế nhạo

93 Forbearance v (n) A delay in enforcing rights or clai

ms or privileges

Sự độ lượng

94 Urgently (adv) With great unrgency Cấp, cấp bách

95 Alternately (adv) In an alternating sequence or

position

Lần lượt nhau,

luân phiên nhau

96 Thump (v) hit heavily Dậm chân

97 Swiftly (adv) In an swift manner Ngay lập tức

98 Plate (n) a flat dish Đĩa

99 Transform (v) Change in outward structure or

looks

Thay đổi hoàn

toàn vẻ ngoài

100 Petulant (adj) Easily irritated or annoyed Nóng này

101 Spoiled (v) Make imperfect Làm hư

102 Matron (n) A married woman Phụ nữ có chồng

103 Miserable (adj) Misery Đau khổ

104 Sighed (v) audible breath expressing sadness thở dài

105 Sunlit (n) The light of the sun Ánh sang mặt trời

106 Incredulously In an incredulous manner Hoài nghi

107 Handkerchief (n) a square of cotton Khăn tay

108 Mop (v) Clean or soak up by wiping. Lau

109 Gleaming (adj) Bright with a steady but subdued

shining

Sáng dịu

End

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