不要太過於忙碌，錯過了人生的美好

最新 12-05

The art of living

生活的藝術

by John Boynton Priestley

約翰·博因頓·普里斯特利

The art of living is to know when to hold fast and when to let go.

生活的藝術在於懂得什麼時候追求，什麼時候放棄。

For life is aparadox: it enjoins us to cling to its many gifts even while itordainstheireventual relinquishment.

因為生活就是一個矛盾體：它要我們緊緊抓住它賜予我們的生命之禮，然後最終又讓它們從我們手中跑掉。

Therabbisof old put it this way: 「A man comes into this world with his fistclenched, but when he dies, his hand is open.」

老先生們說：「人們緊握著拳頭來到這個世界上，離開這個世界時卻攤開了雙手。」

Surely we ought to hold fast to life, for it iswondrous, and full of a beauty that breaks through every pore of God"s own earth.

當然我們應該緊緊把握生活，因為它美妙得不可思議，充滿了從上帝的每個毛孔里蹦出來的美。

We know that this is so, but all too often werecognizethis truth only in our backward glance when we remember what was and then suddenly realize that it is no more.

我們都清楚這一點，但我們常常只有在回首往事時才會想去過去，才會突然意識到過去永遠地消逝了，才會承認這個道理。

Paradox /?p?r?d?ks/ n. 反論，悖論；似非而是的論點

Ordain /?:?de?n/ v. 任命（某人）為牧師；授予（某人）聖職

Eventual /??vent?u?l/ adj. （事件）最終發生的，結果的

Relinquishment /r?"l??kw??m?nt/ n. 作罷，讓渡

Rabbis /?r?ba?s/ n. 猶太教祭司，猶太教律法專家，大師（rabbi的名詞複數）

Clenched /klent?d/ v. 緊握，抓緊，咬緊（clench的過去式和過去分詞）

Wondrous /?w?ndr?s/ adj. 奇妙的；令人驚奇的

Recognize /?rek?gna?z/ v. 承認；識別

Weremembera beauty that faded, a love that waned. But we remember with far greater pain that we did not see that beauty when it flowered, that we failed to respond with love when it was tendered.

我們都記得美的褪去，愛的老去。但我們更痛苦地記得美正艷時，我們卻沒有發現，愛正濃時，我們卻沒有回應。

A recent experience re-taught me this truth. I washospitalizedfollowing a severe heart attack that had been inintensivecare for several days. It was not a pleasant place.

最近自己的一個經歷又令我悟出了這其中的道理。我因為嚴重的心臟病發作而住進了加護病房。那地方可不是好獃的。

One morning, I had to have someadditionaltests. The required machines were located in a building at the opposite end of the hospital, so I had to be wheeled across the courtyard on a gurney.

一天上午時分，我要接受幾項輔助檢查。因為檢查的器械在醫院對面的一幢建築中，所以我就要穿過庭院，躺在輪床上被推到那裡。

As we emerged from our unit, the sunlight hit me. That"s all there was to my experience. Just the light of the sun, and yet how beautiful it was - how warming, howsparkling, howbrilliant!

就在從病房出來的一瞬，迎面的陽光一下子灑在我的身上。我所感受的就只有這陽光，它是如此美麗，如此溫暖，如此璀璨和輝煌！

Remember /r??memb?(r)/ v. 記得；牢記；記著

Hospitalize /?h?sp?t?la?z/ v. 就醫；把…送入醫院治療

Intensive /?n?tens?v/ adj. 加強的，強烈的

Additional /??d???nl/ adj. 補充；額外的，附加的

Sparkling /?spa:kl??/ adj. 發火花的，閃亮的；燦爛的

Brilliant /?br?li?nt/ adj. 明亮的；美好的

I looked around to see whether anyone elserelishedthe sun"s golden glow, but everyone was hurrying to and fro, most with eyes fixed on the ground. Then I remembered how often I, too, had been indifferent to the grandeur of each day, toopreoccupiedwith petty and sometimes even mean concerns to respond, from that experience is really ascommonplaceas was the experience itself: life"s gifts are precious, but we are tooheedlessof them.

我看看周圍是否有人也沉醉在這金色的陽光中，而事實是大家都來去匆匆，大都目不斜視，雙眼只顧盯著地面。繼而我就想到我平常也太過於沉湎於日常的瑣碎俗物中，而對身邊的美景漠然甚至視而不見。從這次的經歷中我所洞悉的實際就像這個經曆本身一樣並無什麼奇特之處：生活的恩賜是珍貴的——只有我們對此留心甚少。

Here then is the first pile of life"s paradoxical demands on us: Never too busy for the wonder and the awe of life. Bereverentbefore each dawning day.Embraceeach hour. Seize each golden minute.

那麼人生給予我們的第一個矛盾的真理就是：不要太過於忙碌而錯過了人生的美好和莊嚴。虔誠地迎接每個黎明的到來。把握每個小時，抓住寶貴的每分每秒。

Hold fast to life... but not so fast that you cannot let go. This is the second side of life"s coin, theoppositepole of its paradox: we must accept our losses, and learn how to let go.

緊緊地把握人生，但是又不能抓得過死，松不開手。這正是人生的另外一面，也就是矛盾的另外一面：我們要接受失去的一切，懂得如何放手。

Relish /?rel??/ v. 欣賞；品嘗，品味

Preoccupy /pri??kjupa?/ v. 佔據（某人）思想，使對…全神貫注（be preoccupied with 全神貫注的）

Commonplace /?k?m?nple?s/ adj. 平凡的，陳腐的

Heedless /?hi:dl?s/ adj. 不加註意的

Reverent /?rev?r?nt/ adj. 恭敬的，虔敬的

Embrace /?m?bre?s/ v. 擁抱；接受

Opposite /??p?z?t/ adj. 對面的；相對的

This is not an easy lesson to learn, especially when we are young and think that world is ours to command, that whatever we desire with the full force of orpassionatebeing can, nay, will, be ours. But then life moves along toconfrontus with realities, and slowly but surly this truth dawns upon us.

這個其實並不是容易做到的，尤其當我們尚年輕時，自以為世界在我們的掌控之中，而不論什麼，只要是心想就會事成，而且一定能事成！但是現實往往事與願違，然後漸漸地這第二條真理必然顯現在我們面前。

At every stage of life we sustain losses- and grow in the process. We begin ourindependentlives only when we emerge from the womb and lose itsprotectiveshelter. We enter aprogressionof schools, then we leave our mothers and fathers and our childhood homes. We get married and have children and then have to let them go. We get married and have children and then have to let them go. We face the gradual or not gradual waning of our own strength. Andultimately, as the parable of the open and closed hand suggests, we must confront theinevitabilityof our owndemise, losing ourselves, as it were, all that we were or dreamed to be.

在人生的每個階段我們都會承受失去——也因而成長起來。當我們出生時失去母體的保護，從那一刻我們開始了獨立的生命。而後我們上學了，一級一級地升上去，離開了父母和兒時的家庭。我們結婚生子然後又只能看著他們離去。我們遭遇父母及愛人的離逝。我們也要面臨自己逐漸或者突然的衰老。而最終，就像握手和鬆手的比喻那樣，我們結婚生子然後又只能看著他們離去,我們必須面對自己不可避免的死亡。就這樣我們失去了一切，其中包括我們自己人生已經所有的以及尚未實現的。

Passionate /?p???n?t/ adj. 激昂的；熱烈的

Confront /k?n?fr?nt/ v. 面對；使面對面

Independent /??nd??pend?nt/ adj. 自主的；不相關連的

Protective /pr??tekt?v/ adj. 保護的，防護的

Progression /pr??gre?n/ n.（事件的）連續；一系列

Ultimately /??lt?m?tli/ adv. 根本；最後，最終

Inevitability /?n?ev?t?"b?l?t?/ n. 必然性；不可避免性

Demise /d??ma?z/ n. 死亡；讓位