一個老人，走過一條道路孤單，
日落黃昏，陰冷而且灰暗，
到了一個河谷，又大，又深，又寬，
高漲的水，湧流在中間。
老人不擔心那漲溢的河流，
因他在黃昏已經過到對岸；
他回來要築一道跨河的橋，
雖然他已安全到了那邊。
有個同路的旅人來對他說：
“老人，你何必浪費氣力修建；
你不需要再經過這條路，
你的行程要終結在將完今天；
你已經渡過了這廣闊的深淵，
何必要築橋在天色已晚？”
築橋者抬起他白髮蒼蒼的頭說：
“朋友，我走過了這條道路，
今天有個跟隨我的少年人，
他的腳步也要經過這旅途。
這深淵對過來人已不算甚麼，
對那少年卻可能使他失足。
好朋友，我是為了來人修築，
因為他也要經過在昏暗的日暮。” |
"An old man, going a lone highway,
Came, at the evening, cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast, and deep, and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim;
The sullen stream had no fear for him;
But he turned, when safe on the other side,
And build a bridge to span the tide.
"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim, near,
"You are wasting strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again must pass this way;
You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide—
Why build you the bridge at the eventide?"
The builder lifted his old gray head:
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,
"There followeth after me to-day
A youth, whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm, that has been naught to me,
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him." |
