哲理散文:丟掉無謂的固執(中英對照)

有兩個貧苦的樵夫靠上山撿柴餬口，有一天，他們在山裏發現兩大包棉花，兩人喜出望外。棉花輕且貴，當下倆人各背了一包棉花趕路回家。
There once were two poor woodsmen who made a living by collecting woods in the Mountain. One day, they happened to discover two large bag of cotton in the mountain and felt surprisingly happy. The cotton was light but valuable, so they carried it on their back and went back home.

走着走着，其中一名樵夫眼尖，看到山路上扔着一大捆布，他就和同伴商量。扔下棉花，背布回家。他的同伴卻有不同的看法，認爲自己揹着棉花已走了一大段，到了這裏丟下棉花，豈不枉費了先前的辛苦，堅持不願換布。發現布的樵夫則盡其所能背起布走。又走了一段路，背布的樵夫望見不遠處的地上散落着數壇黃金。心想這下真的發財了，趕忙用挑柴的扁擔挑黃金。他的同伴仍是不願丟下棉花，並懷疑黃金不是真的。發現黃金的樵夫只好自己挑了兩壇黃金，和背棉花的夥伴趕緊回家。
When they were walking home, one of the woodsmen spotted a large bundle of cloth beside the road. So he discussed with his partner whether to discard the cotton and take the cloth instead. But his partner held a different view that since he had carried the cotton for such a long way, he would not change it with cloth because all his previous effort would turn out to be in vain. Therefore, the other woodsman abandoned the cotton and carried the cloth on his back. After walking for a while, the woodsman who carried the cloth spotted several jars of gold disseminated on the ground not far away. He felt so thrilled that he was going to be a wealthy man. So he gave up the cloth and used his carrying pole to carry two jars of gold, while his partner was still reluctant to abandon the cotton and wondering whether the gold was real or not.

　　誰知道剛走到山下。天竟下起雨來，倆人在空曠處被淋了個透。更爲不幸的是，背棉花的樵夫背上的棉花，吸飽了雨水。重得背不動，實在不得已，只能丟下一路辛苦捨不得放棄的棉花，空着手和挑金子的同伴回家去了。
However, when they just went down to the foot of the mountain, it began to rain all of a sudden. Both of them were wet from head to toes. More unfortunately, the woodsman who carried the cotton found that his cotton had absorbed tons of water and became so heavy that he could no longer go on carrying it. Desperately, he had to abandon the cotton and went back home empty-handed with his partner carrying gold.

在人生的每個關鍵時刻，謹慎地運用智慧，做最正確的選擇，同時別忘了及時審視選擇的角度，適時調整。要學會從各個不同的角度全面研究問題，放掉無謂的固執。冷靜地用開放的心胸做正確抉擇。每次正確無誤的抉擇將指引你走在通往成功的坦途上。
This story implies that we should deliberately utilize our wisdom and intelligence to make the right choice in face of every critical point in our life. Meantime, we should not forget to review all the choices we have carefully and adjust our goal accordingly. We should learn to view a certain issue from different angles and avoid being stubborn. By opening your mind to the right choice, you will be guided to a smoother way to success.

(原文: 選自小故事網；譯者: 愛爾蘭都柏林大學 賴小琪)