《先知》(The Prophet)善與惡

And one of the elders of the city said, "Speak to us of Good and Evil."

And he answered:

Of the good in you I can speak, but not of the evil.

For what is evil but good tortured by its own hunger and thirst?

Verily when good is hungry it seeks food even in dark caves, and when it thirsts, it drinks even of dead waters.

You are good when you are one with yourself.

Yet when you are not one with yourself you are not evil.

For a divided house is not a den of thieves; it is only a divided house.

And a ship without rudder may wander aimlessly among perilous isles yet sink not to the bottom.

You are good when you strive to give of yourself.

Yet you are not evil when you seek gain for yourself.

For when you strive for gain you are but a root that clings to the earth and sucks at her breast.

Surely the fruit cannot say to the root, "Be like me, ripe and full and ever giving of your abundance."

For to the fruit giving is a need, as receiving is a need to the root.

You are good when you are fully awake in your speech,

Yet you are not evil when you sleep while your tongue staggers without purpose.

And even stumbling speech may strengthen a weak tongue.

You are good when you walk to your goal firmly and with bold steps.

Yet you are not evil when you go thither limping.

Even those who limp go not backward.

But you who are strong and swift, see that you do not limp before the lame, deeming it kindness.

You are good in countless ways, and you are not evil when you are not good,

You are only loitering and sluggard.

Pity that the stags cannot teach swiftness to the turtles.

In your longing for your giant self lies your goodness: and that longing is in all of you.

But in some of you that longing is a torrent rushing with might to the sea, carrying the secrets of the hillsides and the songs of the forest.

And in others it is a flat stream that loses itself in angles and bends and lingers before it reaches the shore.

But let not him who longs much say to him who longs little, "Wherefore are you slow and halting?"

For the truly good ask not the naked, "Where is your garment?" nor the houseless, "What has befallen your house?"

善與惡

城中的一位老人說(shuō)，請(qǐng)給我們講講善與惡吧。

他答道：

我能談?wù)撃銈兩砩系纳?，但卻無(wú)法說(shuō)惡。

因?yàn)閻翰痪褪潜蛔约旱酿嚳仕勰サ纳泼?

的確，當(dāng)善餓了，它甚至?xí)胶诎档亩囱ㄖ袑ふ沂澄?當(dāng)它渴了，它甚至?xí)乃浪腥★嫛?/p>

當(dāng)你們和自己同一時(shí)，你們是善的。

但當(dāng)你們和自己并非同一時(shí)，你們也不是惡的。

因?yàn)橐婚g分開(kāi)的房子并不就是賊窩，它只是一間分開(kāi)的房子。

即使沒(méi)有舵，船只也只是在險(xiǎn)岸邊漂搖不定，而不會(huì)沉淪海底。

當(dāng)你們力求奉獻(xiàn)自己時(shí)，你們是善的。

但當(dāng)你們力求為自己謀利時(shí)，你們也不是惡的。

因?yàn)楫?dāng)你們力求為己獲益時(shí)，你們不過(guò)是緊緊附著土地盡情吸她乳汁的根而已。

顯然，果實(shí)不會(huì)對(duì)報(bào)說(shuō)："跟我學(xué)，成熟而豐滿，總是奉獻(xiàn)自己的豐裕。"

因?yàn)閷?duì)果實(shí)而言，給予是一種必需，正如接受對(duì)于根是一種必需。

當(dāng)你們?cè)谘哉勚斜３智逍褧r(shí)，你們是善的。

但當(dāng)你們?cè)谒瘔?mèng)中舌頭盲目地?fù)u動(dòng)時(shí)，你們也木是惡的。

因?yàn)榧词故呛觳磺褰Y(jié)結(jié)巴巴地講話，也會(huì)強(qiáng)健虛弱的舌頭。

當(dāng)你們闊步而堅(jiān)定地向目標(biāo)前進(jìn)時(shí)，你們是善的。

但當(dāng)你們蹣跚而行時(shí)，你們也不是惡的。

因?yàn)檑橎嵌械娜瞬](méi)有倒退。

不過(guò)強(qiáng)壯敏捷的人何I，你們不要在殘疾者面前破行，以為那是善行。

你們的善展示于各個(gè)方面，在你們不善時(shí)，你們也不是惡的，

你們只是閑散或怠情罷了。

遺憾的是，奔鹿無(wú)法教會(huì)烏龜敏捷。

你們的善寓于你們對(duì)自己的"大我"的渴求中;你們每個(gè)人都有這種渴求。

但你們中有些人的渴望，是咆哮著奔向大海的激流，載著山巒的秘密和森林的歌曲。

而在其他人那里，這渴望是一道平緩的溪水，在抵達(dá)海岸前，就已在蜿蜒或回轉(zhuǎn)中松懈下來(lái)。

但渴望豐裕的人不要對(duì)清心寡欲的人說(shuō)："你們何以如此遲緩而躊躇呢?"

因?yàn)檎嬲纳普卟粫?huì)問(wèn)赤身裸體的人："你的衣服呢?"也不會(huì)間無(wú)家可歸的人："你的房屋怎樣了?"