《霍乱时期的爱情》(Love in the time of Cholera)是哥伦比亚作家加夫列尔·加西亚·马尔克斯的经典小说，以严肃认真的笔触，讲述了一对爱人跨越半个多世纪、历经人生百态，终成眷属的故事。其代表之作还有《百年孤独》，以“魔幻现实主义”著称。

年轻之时诗人阿里萨与美丽的费尔明娜两情相悦，彼此偷偷写信、互诉衷肠，即使在费尔明娜家人的阻挠下无法见面，两人还是通过电报相互联络感情。

然而难得的一次见面却打破了费尔明娜对理想爱人的幻想，于是两人结束了美好的初恋。费尔明娜亦嫁给了一位医生，过着平淡安稳的生活。

在医生不幸去世之时，深爱着费尔明娜半个世纪的阿里萨鼓起勇气告白，两人终究走到了一起。时间会带走一切，但带不走真爱。在阿里萨说出那句“永生永世”之时，两人也就重新坠入了爱河之中。

曾经的他太过年轻，以至于还不知道内心的记忆会将不好的剔除而将美好的加以美化，正因如此，我们才能承受得了过去的不堪。

Always remember that the most important thing in a good marriage is not happiness, but stability.

请永远记住，在一段美好的婚姻中最重要的不是幸福，而是稳定。

It was against all scientific reason for two people who hardly knew each other, with no ties at all between them, with different characters, different upbringings, and even different genders, to suddenly find themselves committed to living together, to sleeping in the same bed, to sharing two destinies that perhaps were fated to go in opposite directions.

对于两个几乎不认识对方，在他们之间没有任何关系，有着不同的性格、不同的教养，甚至不同的性别的人来说，突然发现他们决心在一起生活，睡在同一张床上，同享两个也许注定是背道而驰的命运是违背所有科学真理的。

"Remember me with a rose," he said to her.

“请用一枝玫瑰来纪念我”，他对她说道。

"Shoot me," he said, with his hand on his chest. "There is no greater glory than to die for love."

“射死我吧”，他边说边把手放在胸前，“没有比为爱而死更光荣的事了”。

He managed to say to her with his last breath: "Only God knows how much I loved you."

他用尽最后一口气告诉她：“只有上帝知道我有多爱你。”

Encouraged by the impetuous thought that this was an arranged opportunity, Florentino Ariza crossed the street and stopped in front of Fermina Daza, so close to her that he could detect the catches in her breathing and the floral scent that he would identify with her for the rest of his life.

这是一个被刻意安排的机会，被这样冲动的念头鼓舞着，费洛伦蒂诺·阿里萨穿过街道，停在了费尔明娜·达萨的面前。他离她很近，近到可以察觉到她呼吸中带有的急促的喘息以及感受到她身上的花香味，在余生他都能靠着这种花香味来认出她。

He believed that when a woman says no, she is waiting to be urged before making her final decision, but with her he could not risk making the same mistake twice.

他相信当一个女人说“不”的时候，她是在等待，等待她在做最后决定之前被人敦促一下，但是面对她，他不能冒险再做一次错误的决定。

A century ago, life screwed that poor man and me because we were too young, and now they want to do the same thing because we are too old.

一个世纪之前，由于太过年轻，人们毁掉了我和这个可怜男人的生活，如今他们又因为我们太老了想要以同样的方式对待我们。

Florentino Ariza had kept his answer ready for fifty-three years, seven months, and eleven days and nights.

"Forever," he said.

费洛伦蒂诺·阿里萨早已在53年又7个月外加11个日日夜夜之前准备好了答案。

“一辈子”，他说。