泰戈爾的40首溫柔長詩，織就自然之子獻給孩童的祝福！

文∕泰戈爾

玩具

孩子，你一整個早上坐在泥土上玩著斷枝，該有多快樂呀。

我微笑地看著你玩那小小的斷枝兒。

我正忙著算帳，一個小時又一個小時加總著數字。

或許你會看著我想道：「為什麼要玩這無聊的遊戲，破壞自己美好的早晨！」

孩子，我已經忘記專心玩樹枝與泥巴的方法了。

我追求著昂貴的玩具，收集金塊與銀塊。

無論找到什麼，你總能夠創造出快樂無比的遊戲，而我啊，卻總是將自己的時間與力氣花費在我永遠也得不到的事物上。

我在這艘搖搖欲墜的獨木舟上，掙扎地穿越慾望之海，竟忘了自己也在其中遊戲哩。

PLAYTHINGS

Child, how happy you are sitting in the dust, playing with a broken twig all the morning.

I smile at your play with that little bit of a broken twig.

I am busy with my accounts, adding up f igures by the hour.

Perhaps you glance at me and think, “ What a stupid game to spoil your morning with! ”

Child, I have forgotten the art of being absorbed in sticks and mud-pies.

I seek out costly playthings, and gather lumps of gold and silver.

With whatever you find you create your glad games, I spend both my time and my strength over things I never can obtain.

In my frail canoe I struggle to cross the sea of desire, and forget that I too am playing a game.

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花的學校

當雷雲在空中轟轟作響，落下六月陣雨時，

濕潤的東風吹過荒野，在竹林間吹奏它的風笛。

一堆花朵突然不知從哪兒冒了出來，在綠草上狂歡跳舞著。

媽媽，我真的認為那些花朵是在地底學校上學。

它們關上門做功課，如果它們想在放學前跑出來玩，老師就會要它們在牆角罰站。

一下雨，它們便放假了。

林裡的枝葉交錯在一起，樹葉在狂風中簌簌作響，雷雲拍打著巨大的手，花孩子們即穿上粉紅色、黃色和白色的衣服衝了出來。

您知道麼，母親，它們的家在天空上，在星星住的地方。

您沒看到它們如何急著到那裡去嗎？您難道不知道它們為何如此匆忙嗎？

我當然猜得出來它們是對誰張開手臂的：它們其實就跟我一樣，也有自己的媽媽。

THE FLOWER-SCHOOL

When storm clouds rumble in the sky and June showers come down,

The moist east wind comes marching over the heath to blow its bagpipes among the bamboos.

Then crowds of f lowers come out of a sudden, from nobody knows where, and dance upon the grass in wild glee.

Mother, I really think the f lowers go to school underground.

They do their lessons with doors shut, and if they want to come out to play before it is time, their master makes them stand in a corner.

When the rains come they have their holidays.

Branches clash together in the forest, and the leaves rustle in the wild wind, the thunder-clouds clap their giant hands and the f lower children rush out in dresses of pink and yellow and white.

Do you know, mother, their home is in the sky, where the stars are.

Haven’t you seen how eager they are to get there? Don’t you know why they are in such a hurry?

Of course, I can guess to whom they raise their arms: they have their mother as I have my own.

●本文摘自好讀出版之《新月集》【全新插畫雙語版】。