雙語散文:品味現在 Relish the Moment

Tucked away in our subconsciousness is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent. We are traveling by train. Out the windows, we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides, of city skylines and village halls.

在我們內心深處，總隱藏着一片詩情畫意的風景。我們覺得自己正處於一次跨越大陸的漫長旅行中。坐在火車上，窗外流動的風景在我們面前一掠而過：附近高速公路上馳騁的汽車，十字路口揮手的孩童，遠處山坡上放牧的牛羣，電廠排放的嫋嫋煙塵，成片的玉米地和小麥地，還有平原、峽谷、山脈和丘陵，城市的輪廓和鄉間的農舍。

But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour, we will pull into the station. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for loitering —— waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.

可是，我們想的最多的還是目的地。某天的某一刻，我們抵達站點，會有樂隊演奏，歡迎旗幟飄揚。一旦我們到達了目的地，夢想就會變成現實，而我們破碎的生活會像一幅拼好的畫圖，變得完美。我們焦躁不安地在車廂裏踱來踱去，詛咒火車的遲緩——等啊等，等待進站的那一刻。

"When we reach the station, that will be it!" we cry. "When I'm 18." "When I buy a new 450SL Mercedes Benz!""When I put the last kid through college.""When I have paid off the mortgage!" "When I get a promotion." "When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after!"

“進站時，一切都好了！”我們呼喊着。“我滿１８歲時。”“我買了一輛新的450SL奔馳轎車時！”“當我供最小的孩子讀完大學。”“當我還了所有的貸款。”“當我退休的時候，就從此過上了幸福的生活！”

Sooner or later, we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.

遲早，我們會意識到人生沒有終點站，沒有什麼地方真正完美。生命的真正樂趣在於旅行的過程。終點站只是一個夢，它永遠在我們的前方。

It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad. It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.

真正讓人瘋狂的往往不是今日的沉重，而是對昨日的懊悔和對明日的畏懼。懊悔和畏懼如同一對孿生竊賊，偷走了我們的今天。

So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice creams, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.

那麼就不要在過道里徘徊吧， 別老惦記着你離車站還有多遠！何不換一種活法， 攀爬更多的高山，多吃點兒冰淇淋甜甜嘴巴，經常光着腳板兒溜達， 暢遊更多的河流，多看看夕陽西下，多點歡笑哈哈，少讓淚水滴答！生活得一邊過一邊瞧！車站就會很快到達！