LESSON 14

VANITY OF LIFE

生命之虚妄

Johann Gottfried von Herder, 1744-1803, an eminent German poet, preacher, and philosopher, was born in Mohrungen, and died in Weimar. His published works comprise sixty volumes. This selection is from his “Hebrew Poetry.”

Man, born of woman,

Is of a few days,

And full of trouble;

He cometh forth as a flower, and is cut down;

He fleeth also as a shadow,

And continueth not.

Upon such dost thou open thine eye,

And bring me unto judgment with thee?

Among the impure is there none pure?

Not one.

Are his days so determined?

Hast thou numbered his months,

And set fast his bounds for him

Which he can never pass?

Turn then from him that he may rest, And enjoy, as an hireling, his day.

The tree hath hope, if it be cut down, It becometh green again,

And new shoots are put forth.

If even the root is old in the earth,

And its stock die in the ground,

From vapor of water it will bud,

And bring forth boughs as a young plant. But man dieth, and his power is gone; He is taken away, and where is he?

Till the waters waste from the sea, Till the river faileth and is dry land, Man lieth low, and riseth not again.

Till the heavens are old, he shall not awake,

Nor be aroused from his sleep.

Oh, that thou wouldest conceal me

In the realm of departed souls!

Hide me in secret, till thy wrath be past;

Appoint me then a new term,

And remember me again.

But alas! if a man die

Shall he live again?

So long, then, as my toil endureth,

Will I wait till a change come to me.

Thou wilt call me, and I shall answer;

Thou wilt pity the work of thy hands.

Though now thou numberest my steps,

Thou shalt then not watch for my sin.

My transgression will be sealed in a bag,

Thou wilt bind up and remove my iniquity.

Yet alas! the mountain falleth and is swallowed up,

The rock is removed out of its place,

The waters hollow out the stones,

The floods overflow the dust of the earth

And thus, thou destroyest the hope of man.

Thou contendest with him, till he faileth,

Thou changest his countenance, and sendeth him away.

Though his sons become great and happy,

Yet he knoweth it not;

If they come to shame and dishonor,

He perceiveth it not.

【中文阅读】

人从呱呱落地，

只是短暂的几天

麻烦不断；

他初如鲜花哪堪折；

像影子一样循去，

不再继续。

你睁眼凝望，

寄望我对你的命运做出判断？

在不洁之间还有纯洁无瑕吗？

没有。

他的命运就这么决定了？

你数过他存世的时日，

为他划定的界限，

他绝对不会逾越吗？

在他要休息时将他唤起，

像雇员那样享受他的时光。

树也有希望，要是被砍倒的话

他还会长出绿芽，

生出新的枝叶。

即使根陷在冰冷的泥土里，

它的血脉已经在泥土中僵死，

吸了水气才能吐蕾，

长出像小植物一样的大树枝。

人死了，他的威风便一去不复返；

他随风而逝，他的灵魂在哪里？

直到海水干枯，

直到河流干涸，

人甘居于下，不再昂首，

直到天荒地老，他也不会醒来，

他的睡梦亦不会惊扰。

啊，你会把我藏在

天各一方的灵魂的国度！

我籍籍无名，知道你的狂怒成为过去；

然后为我安排一个新的期限，

又将我忘怀。

哎！人死后

还能复生吗？

如此漫长，我忍受艰难困苦，

我在等待改变悄悄降临，

你呼唤我，我作答；

你对双手的劳作自爱自怜。

尽管现在你在数我的脚步，

可你不会看到我的过错。

我的罪过会藏匿在袋子里，

你会卷起来，移开我的邪恶。

哎，高山陷落，夷为平地，

岩石离开原来的位置，

水在石间流淌回荡，

洪流漫过大地的尘土，

就这样，你摧毁了人们的希望。

你与他争斗，直到他败退，

你改变了他的容颜，将他赶到远方。

尽管他的后代显赫而快乐，

但你晓得往事不再；

要是他们知耻而觉丢脸，

他也察觉不到了。