The House on Mango Street
《芒果街上的小屋》由几十个短篇组成，一个短
篇讲述了一个人、一件事、一个梦想、几朵云，几棵
树、几种感觉，语言清澈如流水，点缀着零落的韵脚
和新奇的譬喻。所有的讲述都归于一个叙述中心：居
住在芝加哥拉美移民社区芒果街上的女孩埃斯佩朗莎
（埃斯佩朗莎，是西班牙语里的希望）。生就对弱的同
情心和对美的感觉力，她用清澈的双眼打量周围的世
界，用美丽稚嫩的语言讲述成长，讲述沧桑，讲述生
命的美好与不易。
[ 美] 桑德拉·希斯内罗丝（ S. Cisneros）
Hairs
Everybody in our family has different hair. My Papa’s hair
is like a broom，all up in the air. And me，my hair is lazy. It never
obeys barrettes or bands. Carlos’ hair is thick and straight. He
doesn’t need to comb it. Nenny’s hair is slippery — slides out of
your hand. And Kiki，who is the youngest，has hair like fur.
But my mother’s hair，my mother’s hair，like little rosettes，
like little candy circles all curly and pretty because she pinned it in
pincurls all day，sweet to put your nose into when she is holding
you，holding you and you feel safe，is the warm smell of bread
before you bake it，is the smell when she makes room for you on
her side of the bed still warm with her skin，and you sleep near
her，the rain outside falling and Papa snoring. The snoring，the
rain，and Mama’s hair that smells like bread.
Darius & the Clouds
You can never have too much sky. You can fall asleep and wake
up drunk on sky， and sky can keep you safe when you are sad.
Here there is too much sadness and not enough sky. Butterflies
too are few and so are flowers and most things that are beautiful.
Still，we take what we can get and make the best of it.
Darius，who doesn’t like school，who is sometimes stupid
and mostly a fool，said something wise today，though most days
he says nothing. Darius，who chases girls with firecrackers or a
stick that touched a rat and thinks he’s tough，today pointed up
because the world was full of clouds，the kind like pillows.
You all see that cloud，that fat one there？ Darius said，See
that？ Where？ That one next to the one that look like popcorn. That
one there. See that. That’s God，Darius said. God？ somebody
little asked. God，he said，and made it simple.
Four Skinny Trees
They are the only ones who understand me. I am the only
one who understands them. Four skinny trees with skinny necks
and pointy elbows like mine. Four who do not belong here but are
here. Four raggedy excuses planted by the city. From our room
we can hear them，but Nenny just sleeps and doesn’t appreciate
these things.
Their strength is secret. They send ferocious roots beneath
the ground. They grow up and they grow down and grab the earth
between their hairy toes and bite the sky with violent teeth and
never quit their anger. This is how they keep. Let one forget his
reason for being，they’d all droop like tulips in a glass，each with
their arms around the other. Keep，keep，keep，trees say when I
sleep. They teach.
When I am too sad and too skinny to keep keeping，when I am
a tiny thing against so many bricks，then it is I look at trees. When
there is nothing left to look at on this street. Four who grew despite
concrete. Four who reach and do not forget to reach. Four whose
only reason is to be and be.
头发
我们家里每个人的头发都不一样。爸爸的头发像扫把，根根
直立往上插。而我，我的头发挺懒惰。它从来不听发夹和发带的
话。卡洛斯的头发又直又厚。他不用梳头。蕾妮的头发滑滑的——
会从你手里溜走。还有奇奇，他最小，茸茸的头发像毛皮。
只有妈妈的头发，妈妈的头发，好像一朵朵小小的玫瑰花结，
一枚枚小小的糖果圈儿，全都那么卷曲，那么漂亮，因为她成
天给它们上发卷。当她搂你时，把鼻子伸进去闻一闻吧，这时，
你觉得是那么的安全，闻到的气味又那么香甜。是那种待烤的
面包暖暖的香味，是那种她给你让出一角被窝时，和着体温散
发的芬芳。你睡在她身旁，外面下着雨，爸爸打着鼾。哦，鼾声、
雨声，还有妈妈那闻起来像面包的头发。
大流士和云
你永远不能拥有太多的天空。你可以在天空下睡去，醒来又沉
醉。在你忧伤的时候，天空会给你安慰。可是忧伤太多，天空不够，
蝴蝶也不够，花儿也不够，大多数美的东西都不够。于是，我们取我
们所能取，好好地享用。
大流士，不喜欢上学的他，有时很傻，几乎是个笨人，今天却说
了一句聪明的话，虽然大多数日子他什么都不说。大流士，喜欢用
爆竹，用碰过老鼠的小棍子去追逐女孩，自以为很了不起的他，今天
却指着天空，因为那里有满天的云朵，样子像枕头的云朵。
你们都看到那朵云了吗，那朵胖乎乎的云？大流士说，看到了
吗？哪里？那朵看起来像爆米花的旁边的那朵。那边那朵。看，那
是上帝。大流士说。上帝？有个小点的问道。上帝。他说。简洁地说。
四棵细瘦的树
它们是唯一能够懂我的。我是唯一懂得它们的人。四棵跟我一
样有着细手肘的树。不属于这里但到了这里的四棵树。市政栽下这
四棵残次树，只是用来充数的。从我的房间里我们可以听到它们的
声音，可蕾妮只是睡觉，不能领略这些。
它们的力量是个秘密，它们在地底下猛烈地生根，它们往下往
上长，用头发一样的脚趾紧攥泥土，用牙齿粗暴地嘶哑天空，怒气从
不懈怠。这就是它们坚持的方式。假如有一棵忘记了它存在的理由，
它们就全都会像玻璃瓶里的郁金香一样耷拉下来，手挽着手。坚持，
坚持，坚持。树儿在我睡着的时候说，它们教会我。
当我太悲伤、太瘦弱，无法坚持再坚持的时候，当我如此渺小
却要对抗这么多砖块的时候，当街上没有别的东西可看的时候，我
就会看着树儿。这四棵不畏混凝土而生长的树，从不忘记伸展的四
棵树。唯一的理由是存在的四棵树。
What makes life dreary is the want of motive.
——George Eliot
没有目的，人生就黯淡无光。
——艾略特
作者介绍
桑德拉·希斯内罗丝，1954 年生，当代美国著名女诗人，30 岁时
凭借《芒果街上的小屋》一书成名。另著有短篇故事集《喊女溪及其他》
和诗集若干。
单词注解
obey [E5bei] v. 服从；听从
pretty [5priti] adj. 漂亮的；秀丽的；可爱的
sadness [5sAdnis] n. 悲哀，悲伤
skinny [5skini] adj. 皮的；似皮的；薄膜状的
concrete [5kCnkri：t] adj. 有形的，实在的；
名句大搜索
爸爸的头发像扫把，根根直立往上插。
你永远不能拥有太多的天空。你可以在天空下睡去，醒来又沉醉。
它们的力量是个秘密，它们在地底下猛烈地生根，它们往下往上长，用
头发一样的脚趾紧攥泥土，用牙齿粗暴地嘶哑天空，怒气从不懈怠。
实战提升