名著精讀:《悉達多》 兒子(2)

Since young Siddhartha was in the hut, the old men had split the work. Vasudeva had again taken on the job of the ferryman all by himself, and Siddhartha, in order to be with his son, did the work in the hut and the field.
For a long time, for long months, Siddhartha waited for his son to understand him, to accept his love, to perhaps reciprocate it. For long months, Vasudeva waited, watching, waited and said nothing. One day, when Siddhartha the younger had once again tormented his father very much with spite and an unsteadiness in his wishes and had broken both of his rice-bowls, Vasudeva took in the evening his friend aside and talked to him.
"Pardon me." he said, "from a friendly heart, I'm talking to you. I'm seeing that you are tormenting yourself, I'm seeing that you're in grief. Your son, my dear, is worrying you, and he is also worrying me. That young bird is accustomed to a different life, to a different nest. He has not, like you, ran away from riches and the city, being disgusted and fed up with it; against his will, he had to leave all this behind. I asked the river, oh friend, many times I have asked it. But the river laughs, it laughs at me, it laughs at you and me, and is shaking with laughter at out foolishness. Water wants to join water, youth wants to join youth, your son is not in the place where he can prosper. You too should ask the river; you too should listen to it!"
Troubled, Siddhartha looked into his friendly face, in the many wrinkles of which there was incessant cheerfulness.
"How could I part with him?" he said quietly, ashamed. "Give me some more time, my dear! See, I'm fighting for him, I'm seeking to win his heart, with love and with friendly patience I intent to capture it. One day, the river shall also talk to him, he also is called upon."

自小席特哈爾塔住進了茅屋，兩位老人就分了工。瓦蘇代瓦又獨自承擔起船伕的職責，席特哈爾塔則爲了跟兒子在一起，負責屋裏和田裏的活兒。
席特哈爾塔等了很久，等了好幾個月，盼着兒子能理解自己，接受自己的愛，對他的愛有所回報。瓦蘇代瓦也等了好幾個月，在一旁觀望、期盼和沉默。一天，小席特哈爾塔又發怪脾氣，折磨父親，並且摔爛了兩個飯碗。到了晚上，瓦蘇代瓦把朋友叫到一邊，跟他商議。
“請原諒，”他說，“我找你談是出於好心。我看到你在折磨自己，看到你很苦惱。親愛的，你兒子使你苦惱，也使我苦惱。這隻小鳥過慣了另一種生活，住慣了另一種巢。他不像你出於憎惡和厭倦而逃離了富裕生活和城市，他是違背自己的意願而不得不丟掉那一切的。我問過河水，朋友，我已經問過多次了。可河水只是笑，它笑我，笑我也笑你，對我們的愚蠢笑得前仰後合。水願意找水，青年願意找青年，你兒子現在可不是待在能夠讓他興旺發達的地方呀！你也問問河水吧，聽聽它的意見嘛！”
席特哈爾塔憂心忡忡地望着他的和藹可親的臉，臉上那許多皺紋保留着經常的爽朗。
“我能夠和他分開嗎？”他小聲問，頗感慚愧。“再給我點時間吧，親愛的！瞧，我正在爭取他，爭取他的心，我要用愛心和友好的耐心來捕獲他的心。河水總有一天也會跟他講話，因爲他也是應召而來的。”