There was a small boy living on a farm which seemed like so far away from everywhere. He needed to get up before sunrise every morning to start his chores and out again later to do the evening ones.
在一个遥远偏僻的农场里住着一个小男孩。每天早上，他必须在太阳升起之前起床做杂务，晚上也免不了要再做一次。
During sunrise he would take a break and climb up on the fence so in the distance he could see the house with golden windows. He thought how great it would be to live there and his mind would wander to imagine the modern equipment and appliances that might exist in the house. “If they could afford golden windows, then they must have other nice things.” He then promised himself, “Some day I will go there and see this wonderful place.”
太阳升起时，他会休息一下，爬上篱笆，那样他就可以看到远处有金色窗子的房子。他想，要是能住在那里该多好啊；他想象房子中的现代化设备和电器。“如果他们能装起黄金窗子，那他们肯定还有其他漂亮的东西。”然后，他向自己许诺：“总有一天我要到那里看一看那个奇妙的地方。”
Then one morning his father told him to stay at home and his father would do the chores. Knowing that this was his chance, he packed a sandwich and headed across the field towards the house with the golden windows.
后来，一天早上，他父亲让他呆在家里，不用做杂务了。意识到机会来了，他便带了一个三明治，穿过田野，朝那个有金色窗子的房子出发了。
As the afternoon went on, he began to realize how he misjudged the distance and something else was very wrong. As he approached the house, he saw no golden windows but instead a place with in bad need of a painting surrounded by a broken down fence. He went to the tattered screen door and knocked. A small boy very close to his age opened the door.
已经是下午了，他开始意识到自己错估了到那所房子的距离，其他事情也十分不对劲。走近房子时，他没有看到金色的窗子。他看到的是一所急需粉刷、而且周围篱笆都已坏掉的房子。他走进那破烂的网格门，敲了敲。一个跟他差不多大的小男孩开了门。
He asked him if he had seen the house with the golden windows. The boy said “Sure, I know.” and invited him to sit on the porch. As he sat there, he looked back from where he just came where the sunset turned the windows on his home to gold.
他问他有没有见过一所镶有金色窗子的房子。小男孩说：“我当然知道。”并邀他坐到门廊中。他坐在那里，回头望向他来的地方，落日把他家的窗子染成了金色。
很有寓意的一则小故事。小男孩寻找金色窗子，却发现原来他家的房子也是金色的。由此引发思考：生活真的在远方吗？这让我想起了西川的话：“对于远方的人们，我们就是远方。”距离产生美，我们往往过于关注别人的幸福而忘记自己就在蜜缸中。距离的存在使得美的想象以延展，让我们忽略了对近在眼前事物的关照和体察。
