第2章 原序 AUTHOR's PREFACE

此书特别地奉献给九岁至十三岁的小学生们。

人们也可以这样的题名此书：“一个意大利市立小学三年级学生写的一学年之纪事”——然而我说：一个三年级的小学生，我不能断定，他就能写成恰如此书所印的一般。他是以自己的能力，慢慢地记录在校内校外之见闻及思想于一册而已。年终他的父亲为之修改，仔细地未改变其思想、并于可能内保留儿子所说的这许多话。四年后儿子入了中学，重读此册，并借自己记忆力所保存的新鲜人物而又添了些材料。

亲爱的孩子们，现在读这书吧，我希望：你们能够满意，而且由此得益！

This book is specially dedicated to the boys of the elementary schools between the ages of nine and thirteen years, and might be entitled: “The Story of a Scholastic Year written by a Pupil of the Third Class of an Italian Municipal School.” In saying written by a pupil of the third class, I do not mean to say that it was written by him exactly as it is printed. He noted day by day in a copy-book, as well as he knew how, what he had seen, felt, thought in the school and outside the school; his father at the end of the year wrote these pages on those notes, taking care not to alter the thought, and preserving, when it was possible, the words of his son. Four years later the boy, being then in the lyceum, read over the MSS. and added something of his own, drawing on his memories, still fresh, of persons and of things.

Now read this book, boys; I hope that you will be pleased with it, and that it may do you good.

Edmondo De Amicis.