雙語散文：家，我們最後的港灣

摘錄：常常我們爲了尋求我們需要和渴望的東西以及爲了擁有而願意獻出自己生命的東西而迷失得太遠，到了那些全然陌生的地方——然後我們回到家中，卻發現它就在那裏。

There is a magical place in our own private universe that stays at the core of our being no matter where our life’s journeys take us. It is where we seek refuge when the slings and arrows of outrageous1 fortune have become too much for the soul to bear.

Home beckons the child in us who cries out above the din2 of conflicting sounds and clashing egos. It is like an unseen hand that lulls3 us to blissful slumber, a strong shoulder upon which we can cast our never-ending burdens, and an invisible light that warms the innermost of our hearts.

It smoothes our ruffled feathers, irons out the wrinkles in our overwrought4 countenance, and repairs the chinks5 in our overused armor —letting us forget our fears for the time being, bringing us back to more transcendent time when we were children.

Ah, the time when we were children. Wasn’t it the most pristine6 and sublime period of our existence? It is the time of our life when laughter was easy, dreams were for free, moments were tender, and troubles were a world away.

在我們的心中有一個神奇的地方，不管生命之旅把我們帶到何處，它都是我們生命的核心。當惡境中的槍林彈雨讓我們的身心感到難以承受時，我們會在那裏尋求到庇護。

在世事的喧囂和自我的衝突中，家召喚着我們心中的童真。它就似一隻看不見的手輕撫着我們安然進入甜美的夢鄉;也似那強壯的臂膀，可以承載起我們無盡的負擔;還似一盞看不見的明燈，溫暖着我們的內心深處。

它撫平我們已經凌亂的翅羽，烙平歲月的滄桑在我們臉上印下的紋路，修補我們久經殺場的盔甲上的裂紋。它讓我們忘掉了現時的恐懼，超越時空帶我們回到了童年。

啊，童年，那不是我們一生最質樸、最純潔、最崇高的時候嗎?那時候，我們自在地笑，自由地夢想，一幕幕總是那麼溫柔，煩惱與麻煩離我們是那麼的遙遠。

And home, sweet home, was the safest place to be. Inside its protective walls we were shielded from the inexorable7 pains of growing up, taking them all in, and letting them go. Its unblemished8 air allowed us to breathe generously the fresh smell of morning sunshine, the invigorating whiff9 of new mown hay, animals in pasture, flowers in bloom and soft breeze blowing from the horizon.

It is a virtual reservoir of the loveliest thoughts and fondest memories of our life, mostly well and devoutly spent to be wished for again and again a harbor where things and faces are warm and familiar, giving and nurturing, caring and everlasting. It bequeathed to us in no small measure the priceless gift of innocence, the wonderful feeling of mirth and the invaluable sensation of being forever young.

It is where we shed our superficial selves, repair our battered bodies, boost our wilting10 spirits, fix our tarnished11 psyches, mend our bruised emotions and change our evil ways.

家，甜蜜的家，那是我們最安全的地方。在它的護羽下，我們免受了成長所帶來的切膚之痛，它容納了我們所有的傷痛，又化解了它們。它無暇的空氣使我們可以暢快地呼吸早晨陽光下的清新氣息，新收割的乾草的清香，牧場上動物的氣息，盛開的花朵那令人神清氣爽的香氣，還有那從地平面吹拂而來的清涼微風。

它實際上是一個蓄水池，儲存着我們最可愛的想法和最美妙的回憶。其實我們生命大部分的努力都是爲了希望得到一個港灣，在那裏所有的物品和臉龐都是溫暖而又熟悉的，準備給予而又滋潤人的，充滿關愛而又永恆的。它給了我們可貴的天真，讓我們感受到了歡樂的美妙以及永遠年輕的那種珍貴的感受。

在這裏，我們可以脫掉虛飾的外衣，休養疲憊的身體，重振萎蔫的精神，拭亮黯淡的心靈，養護我們受傷的情感，改正我們心中的邪惡。

It is that one warm spot in all of God’s marvelous creation where we could be children again —feet up, hair down, laughter perpetually etched on our faces, like goblins12 playing in the rain, romping13 in the mountains, running up and down barefoot on the shore, frolicking14 as if there wasn’t any worry in the world.

When we were in the simplicity and buoyancy15 of our youth, all that we had were dreams to spin, rainbows to chase, stars to wish upon, and dewdrops to catch. Home shapes the persons we are today. It stirs passions long laid dormant, letting it all break out and fall free. And we always emerge the better for allowing ourselves to delight in the breathtaking review of oft-trodden pathways and old, familiar places; the welcoming embrace of cherished faces; and the fond memories not at all faded by time.

Indeed, more often than not, we stray too far to places unknown in search of what we need, what we want and what we would die for just to have —and we return home to find it.

在上帝所有神奇的創造中，這是一個溫暖的地方，在這裏，我們又變成了孩子——我們可以頭朝下腳朝上地玩鬧着，笑容好像被永遠地印刻在了我們的臉上，我們可以像傳說中的小精怪一樣在雨中玩耍，于山間嬉鬧，赤腳在海邊踏浪，歡樂得好像不知這世上還有任何憂愁。

在我們單純和浮躁的青年時代，我們現在所擁有的一切都還是夢，是待追逐的彩虹，待摘下的星星，待採擷的露珠。是家造就了我們今天的自己。是家激起了我們潛伏已久的熱情，使其爆發、釋放。當我們快樂地回望常走的路、熟悉的老地方、珍愛的人對你歡迎的擁抱以及沒有隨着時間流逝而褪色的美好回憶時，那總是讓我們很感動，我們的精神面貌也總是會隨之煥然一新。

確實，常常我們爲了尋求我們需要和渴望的東西以及爲了擁有而願意獻出自己生命的東西而迷失得太遠，到了那些全然陌生的地方——然後我們回到家中，卻發現它就在那裏。