Zola plays the guitar on a street corner in town. She plays there every afternoon. People walk by quickly. Most do not look at her. Her old cap lies open on the ground. Today it holds only two coins.
佐拉在镇上的一个街角弹吉他。她每天下午都在那里弹。路人匆匆走过，大多数人都不看她一眼。她那顶旧帽子敞口躺在地上，今天里面只有两枚硬币。
At four o'clock, an old woman stops. She wears a long coat and a soft grey hat. She listens to one song. Then she smiles.
四点钟，一位老太太停了下来。她穿着长外套，戴着一顶柔软的灰色帽子。她听完一首歌，然后笑了。
"You play well," she says.
“你弹得真好，”她说。
"But your cap is very small. Take my hat. It is better."
“可你的帽子太小了。拿我的帽子吧，它更好。”
"I cannot take your hat," Zola says.
“我不能要您的帽子，”佐拉说。
"It is not mine," the old woman says.
“它不是我的，”老太太说。
"It only visits me. Now it wants a new home."
“它只是来我这儿做客。现在它想换个新家。”
She puts the grey hat on the ground. Then she walks away into the crowd. Zola looks at the hat. It is soft and warm. It has a little silver button. She puts her cap away. She sets the hat out. A man puts a coin in it right away.
她把灰帽子放在地上，转身走进了人群。佐拉看着那顶帽子，它又软又暖，上面有一颗小小的银色纽扣。她收起自己的旧帽子，把这顶摆了出来。马上就有个男人往里面放了一枚硬币。
That night, Zola sits on her bed and plays quietly. Then she hears a sound. It is a soft, low hum. It comes from the hat on the chair. "Hello?" Zola says.
那天晚上，佐拉坐在床上轻轻地弹琴，忽然听到一个声音。那是一种轻轻的、低低的哼声，是从椅子上的帽子里传出来的。“有人吗？”佐拉说。
The hum stops. After a moment, it starts again. It is a slow tune with four notes. Zola listens. Then she plays the same notes on her guitar. The hat hums louder, as if it is happy.
哼声停了。过了一会儿，又响了起来。那是一段缓慢的旋律，只有四个音符。佐拉听着，然后在吉他上弹出了同样的音符。帽子哼得更响了，仿佛很高兴。
The next day, Zola puts the hat out again. She plays her usual songs. At two o'clock, the hat begins to hum. It is the four-note tune again. Zola looks up. A small boy sits on the step across the street. He holds a red toy car. His face is wet with tears.
第二天，佐拉又把帽子摆了出来，弹起她平时的曲子。两点钟，帽子开始哼了，还是那段四个音符的调子。佐拉抬起头，看见街对面的台阶上坐着一个小男孩。他手里拿着一辆红色的玩具车，脸上挂着泪水。
She stops her song. She plays the four notes, slowly, one after another. The boy raises his head. She plays them again. He stands up and walks across the road. He stops in front of her.
她停下了手里的歌，慢慢地一个接一个弹出那四个音符。男孩抬起了头。她又弹了一遍。他站起来，穿过马路，停在她面前。
"I like that song," he says.
“我喜欢这首歌，”他说。
"My mother sings it."
“我妈妈会唱。”
"Where is your mother?" Zola asks.
“你妈妈在哪儿？”佐拉问。
"At the shop. I waited, and she was slow. I was sad."
“在商店里。我等啊等，她好慢。我难过了。”
"She is not slow," Zola says.
“她不是慢，”佐拉说。
"She is just in a long line. Sit with me."
“她只是在排很长的队。来，坐我旁边。”
The boy sits next to her. Zola plays the tune once more. Soon the boy's mother comes out of the shop. She sees her son and runs to him. She says thank you three times.
男孩在她身边坐下。佐拉又弹了一遍那段旋律。不一会儿，男孩的妈妈从商店里出来了。她看见儿子，跑了过去，连说了三声谢谢。
After that day, the hat hums at other times. Once, it hums a fast, funny tune. A man in a grey suit walks past. His steps are big, and his face is tight. Zola plays the funny tune. The man stops. He looks at her, then at the hat. He starts to laugh. He puts a coin in the hat. He walks away, much slower.
从那天起，帽子在别的时候也会哼起来。有一次，它哼起一段又快又滑稽的调子。一个穿灰西装的男人走过，步子很大，脸绷得紧紧的。佐拉弹起那段滑稽的调子。男人停了下来，看看她，又看看帽子，忍不住笑了起来。他往帽子里放了一枚硬币，慢悠悠地走远了。
Another time, the hat hums a long, sleepy song. A girl sits alone on a bench with a book. She does not read it. Zola plays the sleepy tune from far away. The girl closes her book and listens. Soon she lies back and sleeps in the sun.
还有一次，帽子哼起一首悠长、催人入睡的歌。一个女孩独自坐在长椅上，手里拿着一本书，却没有在读。佐拉远远地弹起那首催眠的曲子。女孩合上书，静静地听着，不久就仰面躺下，在阳光里睡着了。
The hat never hums for money. It only hums for people who need a song. Zola learns to listen. She plays what the hat asks. The street corner grows warm.
帽子从来不为钱而哼。它只为需要一首歌的人哼。佐拉学会了倾听，帽子要她弹什么，她就弹什么。这个街角渐渐变得温暖起来。
One evening, the hat is quiet. Zola waits an hour. Nothing comes. She feels tired, and her fingers hurt. She puts the guitar on her knee. She plays without thinking. It is a song about one long day.
一天傍晚，帽子很安静。佐拉等了一个小时，什么也没有等来。她觉得累了，手指也疼了。她把吉他放在膝盖上，漫不经心地弹了起来，那是一首关于漫长一天的歌。
The hat does not hum. Its silver button shines in the last light. Across the street, the little boy stands with his mother. He waves and runs to her. "What is the name of that song?" he asks.
帽子没有哼。它的银色纽扣在最后的光线里闪着光。街对面，那个小男孩和妈妈站在一起。他挥了挥手，跑向她。“那首歌叫什么名字？”他问。
"I do not know yet," Zola says.
“我还不知道，”佐拉说。
"Ask the hat."
“去问问那顶帽子吧。”
