雙語散文:The Five Boons of Life

The Five Boons of Life

In the morning of life came a good fairy with her basket,and said:"Here are gifts. Take one, leave the others,And be wary,choose wisely!For only one of them is valuable."
The gifts were five :Fame, Love ,Riches,Pleasure, youth,said,eagerly:"There is no need to consider";and he chose Pleasure.

He went out into the world and sought out the pleasures that youth delights in . But each in its turn was short-liyed and disappointing,vain and empty;and each,departing,mocked him the end he said:"These years i have i could but choose again, I would choose wisely."

在生命之初，一位仙女帶着籃子走來，對一位年輕人說道：＂這裏有幾份禮物，你可以從中選一份，留下其它的．你要小心，做一個明智的選擇；啊，你要明智地進行選擇！因爲這裏面只有一份禮物是珍貴的．＂

一共有五份禮物：名聲，愛情，財富，快樂，還有死亡．年輕人迫不及待地說：＂沒有必要多想．＂他選了快樂．

此後他就開始步入世界，追逐年輕人所喜愛的快樂．然而每一種快樂都是如此短暫，令人感到空虛和失望．每當一種快樂棄他而去時，還要把他嘲弄一番．最後，年輕人感嘆道＂這些年我都浪費了．如果我可以再選一次，我一定會做一個明智的選擇．＂

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The fairy appeared,and said:"Four of the gifts se once more:and oh,remember--time is flying,and only one of them is precious."

The man considered long,then chose Love;and did not mark the tears that rose in the fairy's eyes.

After many,many years the man sat by a coffin,in an empty he communed with himself,saying:"One by one they have gone away and leftme;and now she lies here,the dearest and the lation after desolation has swept over me;but each hour of happiness the treacherous trader,Love,sold me i have paid a thousand hours ofo grief!Out of my heart of hearts i curse him!"

這時仙女又出現了，她說：＂這裏還有四份禮物．再選一次吧．噢，記住時間飛逝，而其中只有一件是珍貴的．＂

他思考了很久，最終選擇了愛情；他沒有注意到仙女眼裏泛起的淚光．許多許多年之後，這個人坐在一口棺材旁邊，屋子裏空蕩蕩的．他自言自語道：＂他們一個一個地走了，只剩下我．現在，她就躺在這兒，我最親愛的人兒，我最後的親人．孤獨一次又一次把我包圍．都是因爲愛情這個陰狡詐的商人，他出售給我的每個甜蜜的小時，我現在都要用數千個小時的悲傷來償還！我從心底裏詛咒他！＂

3

"Choose again."It was the fairy speaking."The years have you wisdow-surely it must be e gifts one of them has anyworth-remember it ,and choose warily."

The man reflected long,then chose Fame;and the fairy,sighing,went her way.

Years went by and she came again,and stood behind the man where he sat solitary in the fading day, she knew his thought:"My name filled the world,and its praiss were on every tongue,and it seemed well with me for a little a while it was!Then came envy;then detraction;then hate;then derision,which is the begining of the last of all came pity,which is the funeral of ,the bitterness and misery of renown!"

＂你在選一次吧．＂仙女又一次說話了．

＂這些年已經教予你智慧－－也理當如此．這裏還有三份禮物，其中只有一份是有價值的－－切記，你好好挑吧．＂

他想了很久，然而選擇了名聲．仙女嘆了口氣，徑自離開了．歲月流轉，仙女又回來了，站到他的身旁．已邁入遲暮之年的他孑然一身，心情重重．他在想些什麼，她都瞭然於心．

＂我的名字傳遍世界，每個人都爭相讚頌，有一陣子好像讓我心滿足．可那是多麼短暫的一陣子啊！隨之而來的是妒忌；然後是詆譭；然後是憎惡；然後是迫害．之後是嘲諷，從些一切開始步入完結．最後便是憐憫，這也是我的名聲的葬禮．啊，名聲原來是這般苦澀和痛苦！＂

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＂Choose yet again."It was the fairy's voice. "Two gifts do not despair the begining there was but one that was precious,and it is still here.

"Wealth-which is power!How blind i was!"said the man."Now,at last,life will be worth the living.I will e mockers and despisers will crawl in the dirt before me,and i will feed my hungry heart with their envy,I will have all luxuries,all joys,all enchant-times of the spirit I will buy,buy,buy!I have lost much time,and chosen badly heretofore,but let that pass;I was ignorant then,and could but take for best what seemed so."

Three short years went by,and a day came when the man sat shivering in a mean garret;and he was gaunt and wan and hollow-eyed,and clothed in rags;and he was gnawing a dry crust and mumbling:"Curse all the world's gifts for mockeries and gilded lies!And miscalled,every one,They are not gifts,but merely ,es:they are but temporary disguises for lasting realities-Pain,Grief,Shame, fairy said true;in all her store there was but one gift which was precious,only one that was not valueless,How poor and cheap and mean i know those others now to be,Bring it!I am weary.I would rest."

＂不過你還可以重新現挑一次．＂仙女的聲音再度響起．

＂還剩下兩份禮物．不要灰心喪氣，從一開始就只有一份是寶貴的，而現在它還在那裏啊．＂

＂財富－－財富就是力量！我過去多盲目啊！＂他說．＂現在，終於，我的生命將要變得有意義．我要縱情歡度此生，我要揮霍我的人生．那些對我冷嘲熱諷，輕蔑詆譭我的人將要在我面前的泥土裏掙扎，而我空乏的心也將因爲他們的妒忌而得到滿足．我將要享盡榮華富貴，所有歡樂和所有銷魂的時光．我要買，買！以前我做錯了選擇，失去了許多時間，就讓它過去吧；當時我很無知，我只能選我覺得最好的東西．

短短的三年又過去了．到了這麼一天，這個人蜷縮在一個簡陋的小閣樓裏，古瘦如柴，蒼白無力，雙眼深陷，身上裹着碎布衣衫，渾身顫抖不停．他一邊啃着一塊乾麪包皮，一邊咕噥着：＂該死的禮物，都是爲了讓我受人嘲笑和欺詐！每一樣都叫錯了！它們都不是禮物，根本只是租借品！快樂，愛情，名聲還有財富－都只不過是長久現實的暫時僞裝－它們其實是永遠的痛苦，悲哀，恥辱和貧窮！那個仙女說的沒錯啊，她所有的東西里只有一樣是珍貴的，只有那麼一樣不是毫無價值的．我現在才明白，其它禮物是多麼低賤與卑劣！把它帶來吧－那真正寶貴的禮物！我累了，我想休息了．

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The fairy came,bringing again four of the gifts,but Death was said:"I gave it to a mother's pet, a little was ignorant,but trusted me,asking me to choose for did not ask me to choose."

"Oh,miserable me!What is left for me ?"

"What not even you have deserved:the wantoninsult of Old Age."

　仙女出現了，帶着以前的那四件禮物，但惟獨沒有最後那一件－死亡．她說道：＂我把它給了一位母親的寵兒子：一個小孩子．他什麼也不懂，但他相信我，讓我來幫他挑選．而你並沒有這麼做．＂　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

＂啊，我多可悲啊！那還剩下什麼給我呢？＂　　　　　　　　　　　　　

＂一件你也不配得到的東西：接受年老體衰的折磨．