The document summarizes Doris Lessing's short story "Flight". It includes biographical information about Lessing and contextualizes the setting of the story in southern Africa. The summary then outlines the plot of the story in which an old grandfather struggles to accept his granddaughter Alice's plans to marry. He sees her like his favorite pet pigeon that he wants to keep caged. In the end, he learns to let her go, just as he releases the pigeon, accepting that growing up means children gain their independence.

1. 1
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

2. 2
01
• Lâm Đức Chí
02
• Lê Thị Khánh Vi
03
• Liêu Thị Ngọc Hiếu
04
• Hồ Thị Khen
05
• Dương Phương Thảo
06
• Hoàng Phan Thanh Thảo
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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

4. 4
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

5. 5
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.

6. 6
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

7. 7
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

8. 8
 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.

9. 9
 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.

10. 10
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.

11. 11
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.

12. 12
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

13. 13
`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. 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. 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.
Nóvẫn 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 Nhàtranh
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. 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. 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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