月亮的智慧 Lesson from the Moon

佚名/Anonymous

“When the moon is fullest it begins to wane, when it is darkest it begins to grow.”

——Chinese Proverb

There is a calm wisdom in this old saying that impressed me when I heard it first from a monk of a Buddhist monastery in China. It has often helped me to retain a good measure of equanimity under stress and hardship as well as when some unexpected success or good luck might have made me too exuberant. There is hope and consolation in the sure knowledge that even the darkest hours of pains and troubles won't last, but also a warning against overrating the passing glories of wealth, power and great good fortune. A warning and a hope, not only for the individual, but also for governments, nations and their leaders, a brief summing up of all that history and human experience can tell us. And beyond all that we might hear in it an echo of the law and order that holds our universe in safe balance.

“月盈則虧，晦則明?！?/p>

——中國(guó)古諺

這句中國(guó)的古語(yǔ)里有種平靜的智慧，它最初是一個(gè)中國(guó)佛教寺院中的一位和尚告訴我的，這句話給我的印象很深刻。從那時(shí)起，每當(dāng)我遭遇困難阻礙，或者遇到可能使我過(guò)于興奮的成功或好運(yùn)的時(shí)候，這句話總能幫我保持鎮(zhèn)定。這句話啟示我們，不論痛苦或困難的時(shí)刻有多么暗淡，它們不會(huì)長(zhǎng)久持續(xù)下去，我們因此會(huì)感到希望和寬慰；這句話同時(shí)也警示我們，財(cái)富、權(quán)力或鴻運(yùn)當(dāng)頭的榮耀，都不過(guò)是過(guò)眼云煙，我們不必太放在心上。無(wú)論對(duì)于個(gè)人還是對(duì)于國(guó)家，民族乃至其領(lǐng)袖，這則諺語(yǔ)都是警示和希望，而且它還是歷史與人類發(fā)展所給予我們的簡(jiǎn)要總結(jié)。除此之外，我們從這句話里面還可以聆聽到使宇宙保持平衡狀態(tài)的法則與秩序的回聲。

詞匯筆記

exuberant [ig?zju:b?r?nt] adj. 繁茂的；感情充溢的；極度的

例 An exuberant man came into the studio one day with his wife.

一天，一位喜氣洋洋的男人攜他的妻子走進(jìn)了錄音棚。

consolation [?k?ns??lei??n] n. 安慰；慰問(wèn)

例 The child became her only consolation.

孩子成了她唯一的安慰。

glory [?gl?:ri] n. 光榮；榮譽(yù)

例 Share the burdens and the glory!

與別人分享負(fù)擔(dān)與榮譽(yù)！

individual [?indi?vidju?l] n. 個(gè)人；個(gè)體

例 You have society on one hand and the individual on the other.

你一方面是社會(huì)一員，而另一方面又是一個(gè)人。

小試身手

月盈則虧，晦則明。

譯_______________

這句話啟示我們，不論痛苦或困難的時(shí)刻有多么暗淡，它們不會(huì)長(zhǎng)久持續(xù)下去，我們因此會(huì)感到希望和寬慰。

譯_______________

財(cái)富、權(quán)力或鴻運(yùn)當(dāng)頭的榮耀，都不過(guò)是過(guò)眼云煙，我們不必太放在心上。

譯_______________

短語(yǔ)家族

……a brief summing up of all that history and human experience can tell us.

sum up：總結(jié)；概括；總計(jì)

造_______________

And beyond all that we might hear in it an echo of the law and order that holds our universe in safe balance.

beyond all：首先；首要地

造_______________