डर ने दरवाज़ा खटखटाया, विश्वास ने दरवाज़ा खोलने के लिए कदम बढ़ाया, और बाहर कोई नहीं था।

Fear knocked at the door, Faith went to answer it, and no one was there.

Fear knocked at the door, Faith went to answer it, and no one was there.

खुशी यह है कि आपके पास जो है उसका पूरा आनंद लें, और समृद्धि यह है कि आपके पास जो कुछ भी है उसका बेहतरीन इस्तेमाल करें।

Happiness is making the most of what you have, and riches is making the most of what you’ve got.

Happiness is making the most of what you have, and riches is making the most of what you’ve got.

मृत्यु कुछ भी नहीं है। इसका कोई महत्व नहीं है। मैं बस चुपचाप अगले कमरे में निकल गया हूँ। कुछ भी तो नहीं बदला है। सब कुछ ठीक वैसा ही है जैसे पहले था। मैं मैं हूँ, और तुम तुम हो, और जो पुरानी ज़िंदगी हमने इतने प्यार से साथ बिताई थी, वह बिल्कुल अछूती और अपरिवर्तित है। हम एक-दूसरे के लिए जो भी थे, आज भी वही हैं। मुझे मेरे उसी पुराने जाने-पहचाने नाम से पुकारो। मुझसे उसी सहजता से बात करो जैसे तुम हमेशा करते आए हो।

Death is nothing at all. It does not count. I have only slipped away into the next room. Nothing has happened. Everything remains exactly as it was. I am I, and you are you, and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged. Whatever we were to each other, that we are still. Call me by the old familiar name. Speak of me in the easy way which you always used.

Death is nothing at all. It does not count. I have only slipped away into the next room. Nothing has happened. Everything remains exactly as it was. I am I, and you are you, and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged. Whatever we were to each other, that we are still. Call me by the old familiar name. Speak of me in the easy way which you always used.

जीवन कितना अद्भुत है। सबसे अप्रत्याशित मोड़ों पर भी बेहतरीन सरप्राइज़ आपका इंतज़ार कर रहे होते हैं।

Life is so extraordinary. Wonderful surprises are just around the most unexpected corners.

Life is so extraordinary. Wonderful surprises are just around the most unexpected corners.

किसी दूसरे व्यक्ति के बहुत करीब न जाना ही बेहतर होता है। आप जितने करीब जाते हैं, उतनी ही ज़्यादा संभावना चोट खाने की होती है।

It was better not to get too close to another person. The closer you got, the more likely you were to get hurt.

It was better not to get too close to another person. The closer you got, the more likely you were to get hurt.

वह अच्छा था और कोई भी अच्छी चीज़ कभी खोती नहीं है।

It was good and nothing good is ever lost.

It was good and nothing good is ever lost.

और इस ज़िंदगी में, जो भी अच्छा है वह कभी पूरी तरह नहीं खोता। वह इंसान का हिस्सा बना रहता है, उसके चरित्र का एक हिस्सा बन जाता है।

And in this life, nothing good is truly lost. It stays part of a person, becomes part of their character.

And in this life, nothing good is truly lost. It stays part of a person, becomes part of their character.

वह अच्छा था, और कुछ भी अच्छा कभी सचमुच नहीं खोता। वह इंसान का हिस्सा बना रहता है, उसके व्यक्तित्व में रच-बस जाता है। इसलिए तुम्हारा एक हिस्सा मेरे साथ हर जगह जाता है। और मेरा एक हिस्सा हमेशा के लिए तुम्हारा हो जाता है।

It was good, and nothing good is truly lost. It stays part of a person, becomes part of their character. So part of you goes everywhere with me. And part of me is yours, forever.

It was good, and nothing good is truly lost. It stays part of a person, becomes part of their character. So part of you goes everywhere with me. And part of me is yours, forever.

स्कॉटिश कबीलाई व्यवस्था एक अनोखी चीज़ थी। कोई भी व्यक्ति किसी का नौकर नहीं था, बल्कि वह एक परिवार का हिस्सा था। यही वजह है कि आपका आम हाइलैंडर व्यक्ति हीन भावना के साथ ज़िंदगी नहीं जीता। वह गौरवान्वित होता है। वह जानता है कि वह आपके जितना ही काबिल है, और शायद उससे कहीं ज़्यादा बेहतर भी।

The Scottish clan system was an extraordinary thing. No man was any man’s servant, but part of a family. Which is why your average Highlander does not walk through life with a chip on his shoulder. He is proud. He knows he is as good as you are, and probably a good deal better.

The Scottish clan system was an extraordinary thing. No man was any man’s servant, but part of a family. Which is why your average Highlander does not walk through life with a chip on his shoulder. He is proud. He knows he is as good as you are, and probably a good deal better.

जाओ और खुश रहो।

Go and be happy.

Go and be happy.

और सबसे बुरी बात यह है कि जब हम सचमुच परेशान होते हैं, तो हमेशा अपना गुस्सा अपनों पर और उन्हीं पर निकालते हैं जिन्हें हम सबसे ज्यादा प्यार करते हैं।

And the wicked thing is, that when we’re really upset, we always take it out on the people who are closest and whom we love the most.

And the wicked thing is, that when we’re really upset, we always take it out on the people who are closest and whom we love the most.

उसने ऊपर देखा और आसमान में, तेज भागते काले बादलों के पार, नीले आसमान का एक छोटा सा टुकड़ा दिखाई दिया। बिल्ली के लिए एक जोड़ी पतलून बनाने भर का नीला आसमान।

She looked up and saw, high in the sky beyond the racing black clouds, a ragged scrap of blue sky. Enough to make a cat a pair of trousers.

She looked up and saw, high in the sky beyond the racing black clouds, a ragged scrap of blue sky. Enough to make a cat a pair of trousers.

दुख एक बड़ी अजीब चीज़ है क्योंकि इसे आपको जीवनभर ढोते रहने की ज़रूरत नहीं पड़ती। कुछ समय बाद आप इसे सड़क किनारे रख देते हैं और आगे बढ़ जाते हैं, पीछे छोड़कर।

Grief is a funny thing because you don’t have to carry it with you for the rest of your life. After a bit you set it down by the roadside and walk on and leave it.

Grief is a funny thing because you don’t have to carry it with you for the rest of your life. After a bit you set it down by the roadside and walk on and leave it.

माता-पिता द्वारा अपनी संतान को दिया जाने वाला सबसे बड़ा उपहार उनकी अपनी आत्मनिर्भरता है।

The greatest gift a parent can leave a child is that parent’s own independence.

The greatest gift a parent can leave a child is that parent’s own independence.

मंजिल पर पहुँचने से बेहतर है उम्मीद के साथ सफर करना। मंजिल पर पहुँचकर अक्सर निराशा और खालीपन के सिवा कुछ नहीं मिलता।

It is better to travel hopefully than to arrive. Arrival often brings nothing but a sense of desolation and disappointment.

It is better to travel hopefully than to arrive. Arrival often brings nothing but a sense of desolation and disappointment.

वे खाड़ी, समुद्र, बूट्स और बंजर भूमि को चित्रित करने नहीं, बल्कि धूप की गर्ماहट और हवा के रंग को उतारने आएंगे। एक बिल्कुल नया नज़रिया। गजब की प्रेरणा। गजब की जीवंतता।

They will come, not to paint the bay and the sea and the boots and the moors, but the warmth of the sun and the colour of the wind. A whole new concept. Such stimulation. Such vitality.

They will come, not to paint the bay and the sea and the boots and the moors, but the warmth of the sun and the colour of the wind. A whole new concept. Such stimulation. Such vitality.

दुख मन की कोई स्थिति नहीं, बल्कि एक शारीरिक अहसास था—एक सूनापन, असहनीय दर्द का सुन्न कर देने वाला एक ऐसा कंबल जो हर तरह के सुकून को छीन लेता था।

Grief was not a state of mind, but a physical thing, a void, a deadening blanket of unbearable pain, precluding all solace.

Grief was not a state of mind, but a physical thing, a void, a deadening blanket of unbearable pain, precluding all solace.

मैं काफ़ी काबिल नहीं था। मुझमें थोड़ा हुनर था, लेकिन उतना नहीं जितना होना चाहिए। थोड़ा सा हुनर होने से ज़्यादा निराशाजनक और कुछ नहीं होता।

I wasn’t good enough. I had a little talent but not enough. There is nothing more discouraging than having just a little talent.

I wasn’t good enough. I had a little talent but not enough. There is nothing more discouraging than having just a little talent.

प्यार किसी पूर्णता को पा लेना नहीं, बल्कि भयानक कमियों को भी माफ कर देना है।

Loving isn’t finding perfection, but forgiving horrible faults.

Loving isn’t finding perfection, but forgiving horrible faults.

वह ज़िंदगी भर मनमौजी रही थी, उसने भविष्य की परवाह किए बिना फैसले लिए थे, और अपने किसी भी फैसले पर—चाहे वे कितने भी बेतुके क्यों न हों—कभी पछतावा नहीं किया था। पीछे मुड़कर देखने पर उसे सिर्फ उन अवसरों के लिए अफ़सोस होता था जो हाथ से निकल गए, या तो इसलिए क्योंकि वे गलत समय पर आए थे या इसलिए कि वह उन्हें पकड़ने के लिए बहुत डरपोक थी।

She had been impulsive all her life, made decisions without thought for the future, and regretted none of them, however dotty. Looking back, all she regretted were the opportunities missed, either because they had come along at the wrong time or because she had been too timid to grasp them.

She had been impulsive all her life, made decisions without thought for the future, and regretted none of them, however dotty. Looking back, all she regretted were the opportunities missed, either because they had come along at the wrong time or because she had been too timid to grasp them.

मुफ़्त की हैंगओवर भरी शाम के लिए अब मुझमें पूरे देश का चक्कर लगाने की उम्र नहीं बची है।

I’m getting too elderly to travel the length of the country for a free hangover.

I’m getting too elderly to travel the length of the country for a free hangover.

अनिश्चितता हमेशा नर्क जैसी होती है।

Uncertainty is always hell.

Uncertainty is always hell.

उसने अपना हाथ बढ़ाकर उसके अग्रबाहु (forearm) को छुआ, ठीक वैसे ही जैसे वह किसी चीनी मिट्टी (porcelain) या मूर्ति के टुकड़े को छूती, बस उसकी उंगलियों के नीचे उसके आकार और गोलाई को महसूस करने के खालिस शारीरिक आनंद के लिए।

She put out her hand and touched his forearm, as she would have touched some piece of porcelain or sculpture, just for the sheer animal pleasure of feeling its shape and curve beneath her fingertips.

She put out her hand and touched his forearm, as she would have touched some piece of porcelain or sculpture, just for the sheer animal pleasure of feeling its shape and curve beneath her fingertips.

क्योंकि वह ज़रूरत से ज़्यादा पी रहा था। बेकाबू होकर या बदतमीज़ी से नहीं, फिर भी ऐसा लगता था कि शायद ही कभी उसका हाथ गिलास से छूटता हो।

For he was drinking too much. Not uncontrollably nor offensively, but still he seldom seemed to have a glass out of his hand.

For he was drinking too much. Not uncontrollably nor offensively, but still he seldom seemed to have a glass out of his hand.

जो कि अजीब था, बिल्कुल वैसे ही जैसे उलगे हुए धागों के गुच्छे को खुलते देखना और खुद-ब-खुद आपस में गूंथकर एक अकेली चोटी बन जाना, जो भविष्य की ओर फैलती जा रही हो।

Which was strange, like watching a tangle of loose threads unravel and plait themselves into a single braided cord, stretching ahead into the future.

Which was strange, like watching a tangle of loose threads unravel and plait themselves into a single braided cord, stretching ahead into the future.

किसी चीज़ की कोई कीमत तब तक नहीं होती जब तक कोई उसे पाना न चाहे।

Nothing’s worth anything unless somebody wants it.

Nothing’s worth anything unless somebody wants it.

जब तक अम्मा जीवित थीं, वह जानती थी कि उसके भीतर का एक छोटा सा हिस्सा अभी भी बच्चा बना हुआ था, जिसे लाड़-प्यार मिलता था और जो बहुत प्यारा था। शायद आप कभी पूरी तरह से बड़े नहीं होते जब तक कि आपकी माँ की मृत्यु न हो जाए।

As long as Mumma was alive, she knew that some small part of herself had remained a child, cherished and adored. Perhaps you never completely grew up until your mother died.

As long as Mumma was alive, she knew that some small part of herself had remained a child, cherished and adored. Perhaps you never completely grew up until your mother died.

दूसरों के घर हमेशा दिलचस्प होते हैं। जैसे ही आप पहली बार दरवाज़े से अंदर कदम रखते हैं, आपको वहाँ के माहौल का अहसास हो जाता है, और इस तरह वहाँ रहने वाले लोगों के व्यक्तित्व के बारे में कुछ न कुछ पता चल जाता है।

Other people’s houses were always fascinating. As soon as you went through the door for the first time, you got the feel of the atmosphere, and so discovered something about the personalities of the people who lived there.

Other people’s houses were always fascinating. As soon as you went through the door for the first time, you got the feel of the atmosphere, and so discovered something about the personalities of the people who lived there.

सब कुछ ठीक होने वाला था। कोई नौटंकी या दिखावा नहीं होने वाला था। इस राहत के लिए ओलिविया बेहद आभारी थी, लेकिन उसे थोड़ा दुख भी महसूस हो रहा था, क्योंकि जब जिसे आपने बच्चे के रूप में जाना हो, वह आखिरकार बड़ा हो जाता है, तो हमेशा दुख होता है, और आप जानते हैं कि वे अब कभी भी सच्चे अर्थों में युवा नहीं रहेंगे।

It was going to be all right. There were to be no histrionics. For this deliverance Olivia was deeply grateful, but she felt sad too, because it is always sad when someone you have known as a child finally grows up, and you know that they will never be truly young again.

It was going to be all right. There were to be no histrionics. For this deliverance Olivia was deeply grateful, but she felt sad too, because it is always sad when someone you have known as a child finally grows up, and you know that they will never be truly young again.

वह अपने सभी बच्चों से प्यार करती थी। हर एक से सबसे बढ़कर प्यार करती थी, लेकिन अलग-अलग वजहों से।

She had loved them all, her children. Loved each one the best, but for different reasons.

She had loved them all, her children. Loved each one the best, but for different reasons.

उसमें बनावट नाम की कोई चीज़ नहीं थी। अगर उसके पास कहने के लिए कुछ नहीं होता था, तो वह चुप रहती थी। अगर वह बोलती थी, या अपनी कोई राय रखती थी, तो वह सोच-समझकर, नपी-तुली और समझदारी भरी होती थी। वह गपशप करना जानती ही नहीं थी, और जब दूसरे लोग खाने के दौरान या शाम की ड्रिंक पर बतियाते रहते थे, तो वह हमेशा सबकी बात ध्यान से सुनती थी, पर अक्सर चुप रहती थी। हालाँकि, उसके रिश्ते गहरे स्नेह और परवाह से भरे होते थे।

She was totally without artifice. If she had nothing to say, she said nothing. If she spoke, or aired an opinion, it was deliberate, considered, intelligent. She did not seem to know the meaning of small talk, and while others chatted, over meals or an evening drink, she was always attentive, but often silent. Her relationships, however, were deeply affectionate and caring.

She was totally without artifice. If she had nothing to say, she said nothing. If she spoke, or aired an opinion, it was deliberate, considered, intelligent. She did not seem to know the meaning of small talk, and while others chatted, over meals or an evening drink, she was always attentive, but often silent. Her relationships, however, were deeply affectionate and caring.

हमेशा की तरह, जब भी उसके सामने कोई दुविधा आती, वह अपने खुद के नियमों के हिसाब से चलने की योजना बनाता। सकारात्मक तरीके से काम करो, नकारात्मक रूप से योजना बनाओ, किसी चीज़ की उम्मीद मत रखो।

As always, when faced with a dilemma, he planned to by by his own set of rules. Act positively, plan negatively, expect nothing.

As always, when faced with a dilemma, he planned to by by his own set of rules. Act positively, plan negatively, expect nothing.

इसके विपरीत, उसे केवल एक प्रकार की कालहीनता का अहसास हुआ, मानो यह सब किसी योजना का हिस्सा हो, एक पूर्वनिर्धारित डिज़ाइन, जिसकी परिकल्पना उसके जन्म के दिन ही कर ली गई थी। उसके साथ जो हो रहा था, वह होना तय था, और जो आगे भी होता रहना था। बिना किसी स्पष्ट शुरुआत के, यह मुमकिन नहीं लगता था कि इसका कभी कोई अंत भी हो सकता है।

On the contrary, she was aware only of a sort of timelessness, as though it was all part of a plan, a predestined design, conceived the day she was born. What was happening to her had been meant to happen, what was going to go on happening. Without any recognizable beginning, it did not seem possible that it could ever have an end.

On the contrary, she was aware only of a sort of timelessness, as though it was all part of a plan, a predestined design, conceived the day she was born. What was happening to her had been meant to happen, what was going to go on happening. Without any recognizable beginning, it did not seem possible that it could ever have an end.

इंसान की इंसान के प्रति क्रूरता, जब एक बार बेकाबू हो जाती है, तो वह एक घिनौना कृत्य बन जाती है, और वह घिनौनापन हर व्यक्ति की अपनी व्यक्तिगत ज़िम्मेदारी है।

Man’s inhumanity to man, unleashed, was an obscenity, and that obscenity was each person’s own private responsibility.

Man’s inhumanity to man, unleashed, was an obscenity, and that obscenity was each person’s own private responsibility.

उसने पाया कि प्यार का गुणा होने का एक अजीब तरीका होता है। यह दोगुना, तिगुना हो जाता है, ताकि जैसे-जैसे हर बच्चा आए, सबके लिए हमेशा ज़रूरत से ज़्यादा प्यार मौजूद रहे।

Love she had found, had a strange way of multiplying. Doubling, trebling itself, so that, as each child arrived, there was always more than enough to go around.

Love she had found, had a strange way of multiplying. Doubling, trebling itself, so that, as each child arrived, there was always more than enough to go around.

यह क्या है? बेकन और संतरे। आज तो हम दावत उड़ाने वाले हैं।

What’s this? Bacon and tangerines. We are going to have an orgy.

What’s this? Bacon and tangerines. We are going to have an orgy.

वह सबकी परवाह करती थी, फिर भी किसी की राय की परवाह नहीं करती थी।

She cared for everybody, and yet for no person’s opinion.

She cared for everybody, and yet for no person’s opinion.

भले ही वह भगवान में विश्वास न करती हो, पर मुझे पूरा यकीन है कि भगवान उस में विश्वास करते थे।

She may not have believed in God, but I’m pretty certain God believed in her.

She may not have believed in God, but I’m pretty certain God believed in her.

बस यह याद रखो कि सबसे ज़रूरी चीज़ है अपने प्रति सच्चे रहना। अगर तुम इससे जुड़े रहे, तो तुम कभी गलत रास्ते पर नहीं जाओगे।

Just remember that the most important thing is to be truthful to yourself. If you hang on to that, you won’t go far wrong.

Just remember that the most important thing is to be truthful to yourself. If you hang on to that, you won’t go far wrong.

वह उन तमाम अजीब इत्तफ़ाक़ों के बारे में सोचने लगा जो उसे खींचकर इस वक़्त इस जगह ले आए थे, और फिर उसे ऐसा बेसहारा छोड़ गए थे कि उसके पास रुकने के अलावा कोई चारा ही नहीं बचा था। पीछे मुड़कर देखने पर ऐसा लगा मानो यह सब किस्मत ने पहले से ही तय कर रखा था।

He thought back over the extraordinarily coincidental chain of events that had brought him here, at this particular time, and then left him marooned, so that he had no choice but to stay. With hindsight, it seemed as though it had all been carefully mapped out by fate.

He thought back over the extraordinarily coincidental chain of events that had brought him here, at this particular time, and then left him marooned, so that he had no choice but to stay. With hindsight, it seemed as though it had all been carefully mapped out by fate.

हम दोनों के लिए ज़िंदगी अब पहले जैसी तो कभी नहीं हो सकती, लेकिन हाँ, कुछ अलग ज़रूर हो सकती है; और तुमने मुझे साबित करके दिखाया है कि यह अच्छी भी हो सकती है।

Life, for both of us, can never be the same as it was, but it can be different; and you have proved to me that it can be good.

Life, for both of us, can never be the same as it was, but it can be different; and you have proved to me that it can be good.

उसके मन में हमेशा यही कसक रहती थी कि वह किसी की मौत की खबर देने वाली कातिल बन गई है। क्योंकि संदेशवाहक ही कातिल बन जाता है। जब तक वे भयानक शब्द मुँह से बाहर नहीं निकलते, तब तक वह प्यारा इंसान ज़िंदा होता है—जाग रहा होता है, सो रहा होता है, अपने काम-धंधे में लगा होता है, फोन पर बात कर रहा होता है, खत लिख रहा होता है, सैर पर जा रहा होता है, साँस ले रहा होता है, सब कुछ देख रहा होता है। असल में तो वह खबर सुनाना ही जान ले लेता था।

She was always left feeling like a murderer. Because the messenger becomes the murderer. Until the fatal words are spoken, the loved one concerned is still alive, waking, sleeping, going about his business, making telephone calls, writing letters, going for walks, breathing, seeing. It was the telling that killed.

She was always left feeling like a murderer. Because the messenger becomes the murderer. Until the fatal words are spoken, the loved one concerned is still alive, waking, sleeping, going about his business, making telephone calls, writing letters, going for walks, breathing, seeing. It was the telling that killed.

जहाँ तक ईश्वर की बात है, तो मैं पूरी ईमानदारी से यह मानता हूँ कि दुखों से जुड़े इन सदियों पुराने सवालों के साथ जीना मेरे लिए ज़्यादा आसान है, बजाय उन आसान और सतही धार्मिक स्पष्टीकरणों के जो समय-समय पर दिए जाते हैं। उनमें से कुछ तो भगवान की तौहीन के करीब लगते हैं। मैं भगवान से यही प्रार्थना करता हूँ कि किसी ने आपको यह कहकर सांत्वना देने की कोशिश न की हो कि भगवान को फ्रांसेस्का की ज़रूरत आपसे ज़्यादा थी। मैं ऐसे किसी भी भगवान की पूजा नहीं कर सकता जो जानबूझकर मुझसे मेरा बच्चा छीन ले। ऐसा भगवान तो बस एक बेरहम दानव होगा।

As for God, I frankly admit that I find it easier to live with the age-old questions about suffering than with many of the easy or pious explanations offered from time to time. Some of which seem to verge on blasphemy. I hope so much that no one has sought to try and comfort you by saying that God must have needed Francesca more than you. I would find it impossible to worship a God who deliberately stole my child from me. Such a God would be a moral monster.

As for God, I frankly admit that I find it easier to live with the age-old questions about suffering than with many of the easy or pious explanations offered from time to time. Some of which seem to verge on blasphemy. I hope so much that no one has sought to try and comfort you by saying that God must have needed Francesca more than you. I would find it impossible to worship a God who deliberately stole my child from me. Such a God would be a moral monster.

आप इंसानों को तब तक ठीक से नहीं जान सकते जब तक कि आप उन्हें उनके अपने घर के माहौल में न देख लें। उनके घर का सामान, उनकी किताबें और उनके जीने का अंदाज़ न देख लें।

You never really got to know people properly until you had seen them within the ambiance of their own home. Seen their furniture and their books and the manner of their lifestyle.

You never really got to know people properly until you had seen them within the ambiance of their own home. Seen their furniture and their books and the manner of their lifestyle.

उसका परिवार... प्यार और अपनापन खुशियाँ तो लाता था, लेकिन साथ ही गले में पड़े किसी भारी-भरकम पत्थर की तरह जी का जंजाल भी बन सकता था। और सबसे बुरी बात यह थी कि वह खुद को बेबस महसूस करती थी क्योंकि उनके मामलों को सुलझाने के लिए उसके बस में कुछ भी नहीं था।

Her family... Love and involvement brought joy, but as well could become a hideously heavy millstone slung about one’s neck. And the worst was that she felt useless because there was not a mortal thing she could do to help resolve their problems.

Her family... Love and involvement brought joy, but as well could become a hideously heavy millstone slung about one’s neck. And the worst was that she felt useless because there was not a mortal thing she could do to help resolve their problems.

शायद वही सबसे दर्दनाक होता है—यादों को बाँटने के लिए किसी अपने का पास न होना।

Perhaps that was the worst of all. Not having someone to remember things with.

Perhaps that was the worst of all. Not having someone to remember things with.

अब ज़िंदगी महज़ जीने और हर चीज़ को हल्के में लेने का नाम नहीं रह गई थी, बल्कि यह एक तौहफा बन गई थी, एक इनाम की तरह, जहाँ आने वाला हर नया दिन जीने का एक नया अनुभव था। वक़्त हमेशा के लिए नहीं रहने वाला था। उसने खुद से वादा किया कि वह एक पल भी ज़ाया नहीं करेगी। उसने खुद को इतना मजबूत और उम्मीद से भरा हुआ कभी महसूस नहीं किया था। ऐसा लग रहा था मानो वह फिर से जवान हो गई हो, नई शुरुआत कर रही हो, और कोई बहुत ही जादुई चीज़ अभी-अभी होने वाली हो।

Living, now, had become not simple existence that one took for granted, but a bonus, a gift, with every day that lay ahead an experience to be savoured. Time did not last forever. I shall not waste a single moment, she promised herself. She had never felt so strong, so optimistic. As though she was young once more, starting out, and something marvellous was just about to happen.

Living, now, had become not simple existence that one took for granted, but a bonus, a gift, with every day that lay ahead an experience to be savoured. Time did not last forever. I shall not waste a single moment, she promised herself. She had never felt so strong, so optimistic. As though she was young once more, starting out, and something marvellous was just about to happen.

और अचानक सब कुछ वैसा ही हो गया जैसे युद्ध के दौरान उस हवादार अगस्त के दिन हुआ था, और वह फिर से तेईस साल की हो गई, जिसके स्नीकर्स में छेद थे, और पापा उसके बगल में बैठे थे। और रिचर्ड अंदर आ गया; आर्ट गैलरी में और उनकी ज़िंदगी में। और पापा ने उससे कहा था, "वे आएंगे... सूरज की गर्माहट और हवा के रंगों को कैनवास पर उतारने।" और यहीं से सब कुछ शुरू हुआ था।

And all at once it was as it had been before, on that gusty August day during the war, and she was twenty-three years old again, with holes in her sneakers, and Papa sitting beside her. And Richard walked in; into the gallery and into their lives. And Papa told him, “They will come... to paint the warmth of the sun and the colour of the wind.” And that was how it had all begun.

And all at once it was as it had been before, on that gusty August day during the war, and she was twenty-three years old again, with holes in her sneakers, and Papa sitting beside her. And Richard walked in; into the gallery and into their lives. And Papa told him, “They will come... to paint the warmth of the sun and the colour of the wind.” And that was how it had all begun.

उसके साथ ने ही उसकी मानसिक शांति बचाए रखी थी, और उसने अपने सीधे-साधे अंदाज़ में, उसकी कमियों को बिना किसी शर्त के अपनाकर, उसे ज़िंदगी के सबसे बुरे दौर से निकाल लिया था।

Her companionship had saved his reason, and in her own uncomplicated way she had got him through the blackest times, comforting by simply accepting his limitations.

Her companionship had saved his reason, and in her own uncomplicated way she had got him through the blackest times, comforting by simply accepting his limitations.

अब समय का कोई महत्व नहीं रह गया था। बूढ़े होने का यही एक फायदा होता है: कि आपको कभी भी किसी बात की जल्दी नहीं होती। पेनेलोप ने अपनी पूरी ज़िंदगी दूसरों की देखभाल में बिता दी थी, लेकिन अब उसे अपने अलावा किसी और के बारे में नहीं सोचना था। अब उसके पास रुककर देखने का वक्त था, और देखते-देखते पुरानी यादों में खो जाने का। नज़रिया और विस्तृत हो गया था, ठीक वैसे ही जैसे किसी कठिन पहाड़ की चोटी से देखने पर दुनिया बड़ी दिखाई देती है, और जब आप इतनी दूर आ चुके हों, तो रुककर इस नज़ारे का लुत्फ न उठाना बेवकूफी होगी।

Time had lost its importance. That was one of the good things about getting old: you weren’t perpetually in a hurry. All her life, Penelope had looked after other people, but now she had no one to think about but herself. There was time to stop and look, and, looking, to remember. Visions widened, like views seen from the slopes of a painfully climbed mountain, and having come so far, it seemed ridiculous not to pause and enjoy them.

Time had lost its importance. That was one of the good things about getting old: you weren’t perpetually in a hurry. All her life, Penelope had looked after other people, but now she had no one to think about but herself. There was time to stop and look, and, looking, to remember. Visions widened, like views seen from the slopes of a painfully climbed mountain, and having come so far, it seemed ridiculous not to pause and enjoy them.