童‧話‧世‧界

《The Prophet‧ON MARRIAGE》

Then Almitra spoke again and said, "And what of Marriage, master?"
And he answered saying:

You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another, but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together, yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.


Khalil Gibran（Khalil Gibran,1883-1931）



《先知‧論婚姻》

接著，艾勒曼蒂爾又說：「哲人，你對婚姻的看法如何？」
他回答說：
「
你們同時出世，並將繼續合一，直到永遠。
當歲月展開它死亡的白翼時，你們也要保持合一。
是的，在默念上帝時，你們也要保持合一。
但是，在你們的合一之中，也要有分隔的距離，好讓上蒼天的清風在你們之間舞動。
你們要彼此相愛，但不要給愛繫上鎖鏈，讓愛成為澎派翻騰的大海，你們的心靈就是它的堤岸。
彼此將對方的酒杯斟滿，但絕不可在同一個杯中啜飲。
相互遞贈麵包，但絕不可在同一塊麵包上共食。
盡情地一齊歡唱，一齊舞蹈，但是，個人都有獨立的自我，
就如琴弦，每一根均是獨立的個體，儘管它們合在一起奏出同一音律。
彼此將心奉獻給對方，但千萬不要讓這種奉獻有些許保留，
因為只有『生命』之手才能操持你們的心。
要站在一起，但不要靠得太近，因為聖殿的柱子也是分別佇立的。
橡樹和柏樹也不在彼此的樹陰中生長。
」


蔡偉良‧譯