孩子,你真是快活呀!一早晨坐在泥土里,耍着折下来的小树枝儿。
我微笑地看你在那里耍着那根折下来的小树枝儿。
我正忙着算账,一小时一小时在那里加叠数字。
也许你在看我,想道:“这种好没趣的游戏,竟把你一早晨的好时间浪费掉了!”
孩子,我忘了聚精会神玩耍树枝与泥饼的方法了。
我寻求贵重的玩具,收集金块与银块。
你呢,无论找到什么便去做你的快乐的游戏;我呢,却把我的时间与力气都浪费在那些我永不能得到的东西上。
我在我的脆薄的独木船里挣扎着要航过欲望之海,竟忘了我也是在那里做游戏了。
I only said, “When in the evening the round full moon gets entangled among the branches of that Kadam tree, couldn’t somebody catch it?”
But dada [elder brother] laughed at me and said, “Baby,you are the silliest child I have ever known. The moon is ever so far from us, how could anybody catch it?”
I said, “Dada, how foolish you are! When mother looks out of her window and smiles down at us playing, would you call her far away?”
Still dada said, “You are a stupid child! But, baby, where could you find a net big enough to catch the moon with?”
I said, “Surely you could catch it with your hands.”
But dada laughed and said, “You are the silliest child I have known. If it came nearer, you would see how big the moon is.”
I said, “Dada, what nonsense they teach at your school! When mother bends her face down to kiss us does her face look very big?”
But still dada says, “You are a stupid child.”