On Good and Evil
?卡里·纪伯伦 / Kahlil Gibran
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 ate not good, you are only loitering and sluggard. Pity that the stags cannot teach swiftness to 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 shore.
But let not him who longs much say to him who longs little. “Wherefore you slow and halting? ”
For the truly good ask not the naked. “Where is your garment?” nor the houseless, “what has befallen your house?”
城中的一位老人说：请给我们讲讲善与恶吧。
他答道：
我可以谈谈你们身上的善，却无法诉说恶。恶不就是被自己的饥渴折磨的善吗？事实上，当善饥饿时，它甚至会在黑暗的洞穴中觅食；当它口渴时，甚至会饮死亡之水。
当你们心神合一时，你们是善的。但当你们心神不一时，你们也不因此为恶。因为一间隔离的房屋并不是贼窝，它只是一间隔离的房屋。没有舵的船只是在艰险的岛屿边沿漂浮不定，而不会沉入海底。
当你们努力地奉献自己时，你们是善的。当你们奔波于自己的所求时，你们也不是恶的。因为当你们奔波于自己的所求时，你们只不过是紧紧缠绕着大地吮吸其乳汁的根而已。当然，果实不会对根说：“像我一样，成熟而饱满，而且乐于将自己的丰盈贡献出来。”因为对果实来说，贡献是必需的，就如同接受吮吸对于根也是必需的。
当你们在谈话中保持绝对清醒时，你们是善的。当你们在梦中口齿不清地呓语时，你们也不是恶的。即使是结结巴巴地讲话，也会使孱弱的舌头强健起来。
当你们坚定地向目标昂首阔步时，你们是善的。当你们踉跄而行时，你们也不是恶的。因为踉踉跄跄的人并没有后退。
然而强壮而敏捷的人，你们不要认为在跛者面前跛行就是善。你们的善表现在许多方面，你们不善时也不是恶的，你们只是慵懒怠惰罢了。遗憾的是，麋鹿无法让乌龟变得迅速。
当你们渴望自己的“大我”时，你们的善便已存在，而且你们每个人都有这种渴望。你们中有些人的渴望是汹涌入海的激流，载着山峰的秘密和森林的乐曲。而其他人的渴望是平缓的小溪，在抵达海岸前就已在曲折蜿蜒或峰回路转中迷失了自我。
渴望颇多的人不要对清心寡欲的人说：“为什么你们这样迟钝呢？”
因为真正的善者不会问赤身裸体的人：“你的衣裳呢？” 也不会问无家可归的人：“你的房子怎样了？”
1. Of the good in you I can_______, but not of the evil, for what is evil but good tortured by its own hunger_______thirst? Verily when good is hungry it seeks_____even in dark caves, and when it thirsts it drinks_______of dead waters.
2. You are good_______you strive to give of yourself. Yet you are not_______when you seek gain for yourself, for_______you strive for gain you are but a root that clings to the_______and sucks at her breast.
3. But let not him who longs_______say to him who longs little. “Wherefore you_______and halting? ”
1. 当善饥饿时，它甚至会在黑暗的洞穴中觅食；当它口渴时，甚至会饮死亡之水。
2. 因为对果实来说，贡献是必需的，就如同接受吮吸对于根也是必需的。
3. 而其他人的渴望是平缓的小溪，在抵达海岸前就已在曲折蜿蜒或峰回路转中迷失了自我。
1. You are good when you strive to give of yourself.
strive to：追求；力图；奋斗
2. ...you are but a root that clings to the earth...
cling to：挨着；碰着；紧附