I unfolded the letter. It was written in Farsi. No dots were omitted, no crosses forgotten, no words blurred¹ together--the handwriting was almost childlike in its neatness. I began to read: 我展开那封信。用法尔西语写的，没有漏写的标点，没有遗忘的笔画，没有模糊的字词——字迹整洁得近乎孩子气。我看了起来：

In the name of Allah the most beneficent, the most merciful, Amir agha, with my deepest respects. Farzana jan, Sohrab, and I pray that this latest letter finds you in good health and in the light of Allah’s good graces. Please offer my warmest thanks to Rahim Khan sahib for carrying it to you. I am hopeful that one day I will hold one of your letters in my hands and read of your life in America. Perhaps a photograph of you will even grace our eyes. I have told much about you to Farzana jan and Sohrab, about us growing up together and playing games and running in the streets. They laugh at the stories of all the mischief² you and I used to cause!

以最仁慈、最悲悯的安拉之名我最尊敬的阿米尔少爷：亲爱的法莎娜、索拉博和我祈望你见信安好，蒙受安拉的恩宠。请替我谢谢拉辛汗老爷，将这封信带给你。我希望有朝一日，我能亲手捧着你的来信，读到你在美国的生活。也许我们还会有幸看到你的照片。我告诉亲爱的法莎娜和索拉博很多次，那些我们过去一起长大、玩游戏、在街上追风筝的事情。听到我们过去的恶作剧，他们会大笑起来！

Amir agha, Alas the Afghanistan of our youth is long dead. Kindness is gone from the land and you cannot escape the killings³. Always the killings. In Kabul, fear is everywhere, in the streets, in the stadium, in the markets, it is a part of our lives here, Amir agha. The savages⁴ who rule our watan don’t care about human decency⁵. The other day, I accompanied Farzana Jan to the bazaar⁶ to buy some potatoes and _naan_. She asked the vendor⁷ how much the potatoes cost, but he did not hear her, I think he had a deaf ear. So she asked louder and suddenly a young Talib ran over and hit her on the thighs⁸ with his wooden stick. He struck her so hard she fell down. He was screaming at her and cursing and saying the Ministry⁹ of Vice¹⁰ and Virtue¹¹ does not allow women to speak loudly. She had a large purple bruise¹² on her leg for days but what could I do except stand and watch my wife get beaten? If I fought, that dog would have surely put a bullet in me, and gladly! Then what would happen to my Sohrab? The streets are full enough already of hungry orphans¹⁴ and every day I thank Allah that I am alive, not because I fear death, but because my wife has a husband and my son is not an orphan¹³.

阿米尔少爷，你少年时的那个阿富汗已经死去很久了。这个国度不再有仁慈，杀戮无从避免。在喀布尔，恐惧无所不在，在街道上，在体育馆中，在市场里面；在这里，这是生活的一部分，阿米尔少爷。统治我们祖国的野蛮人根本不顾人类的尊严。有一天，我陪着亲爱的法莎娜到市场去买土豆和馕饼。她问店主土豆多少钱，但他充耳不闻，我以为他是个聋子。所以她提高声音，又问了一句。突然间有个年轻的塔利班跑过来，用他的木棒打她的大腿。他下手很重，她倒了下去。他朝她破口大骂，说“道德风化部”禁止妇女高声说话。她腿上浮出一大块淤肿，好几天都没消，但我除了束手无策地站在一旁看着自己的妻子被殴打之外，还能做什么呢？如果我反抗，那个狗杂碎肯定会给我一颗子弹，并洋洋自得。那么我的索拉博该怎么办？街头巷尾已经满是饥肠辘辘的孤儿，每天我都会感谢安拉，让我还活着，不是因为我怕死，而是为了我的妻子仍有丈夫，我的儿子不致成为孤儿。

I wish you could see Sohrab. He is a good boy. Rahim Khan sahib and I have taught him to read and write so he does not grow up stupid like his father. And can he shoot with that slingshot! I take Sohrab around Kabul sometimes and buy him candy. There is still a monkey man in Shar-e Nau and if we run into him, I pay him to make his monkey dance for Sohrab. You should see how he laughs! The two of us often walk up to the cemetery¹⁵ on the hill. Do you remember how we used to sit under the pomegranate tree there and read from the _Shahnamah_? The droughts have dried the hill and the tree hasn’t borne fruit in years, but Sohrab and I still sit under its shade and I read to him from the _Shahnamah_. It is not necessary to tell you that his favorite part is the one with his namesake, Rostam and Sohrab. Soon he will be able to read from the book himself. I am a very proud and very lucky father.

我希望你能见到索拉博，他是个乖男孩。拉辛汗老爷和我教他读书识字，所以他长大成人之后，不至于像他父亲那样愚蠢。而且他还会射弹弓！有时我带索拉博到喀布尔游玩，给他买糖果。沙里诺区那边仍有个耍猴人，如果我们到他那儿去，我会付钱给他，让猴子跳舞给索拉博看。你应该见到他笑得多么开心！我们两个常常走上山顶的墓地。你还记得吗，过去我们坐在那儿的石榴树下面，念着《沙纳玛》的故事？旱灾令山上变得很干，那株树已经多年没有结果实了，但索拉博和我仍坐在树下，我给他念《沙纳玛》。不用说你也知道，他最喜欢的部分是他名字的来源，罗斯坦和索拉博的故事。很快他就能够自己看书了。我真是个非常骄傲和非常幸运的父亲。