The Five Boons¹ of Life

In the morning of life came a good fairy with her basket,and said:"Here are gifts. Take one, leave the others,And be wary,choose wisely!For only one of them is valuable."

The gifts were five :Fame, Love ,Riches,Pleasure,Death.The youth,said,eagerly:"There is no need to consider";and he chose Pleasure.

He went out into the world and sought out the pleasures that youth delights in . But each in its turn was short-liyed and disappointing,vain and empty;and each,departing,mocked him .In the end he said:"These years i have wasted.If i could but choose again, I would choose wisely."

在生命之初，一位仙女带着篮子走来，对一位年轻人说道：＂这里有几份礼物，你可以从中选一份，留下其它的．你要小心，做一个明智的选择；啊，你要明智地进行选择！因为这里面只有一份礼物是珍贵的．＂

一共有五份礼物：名声，爱情，财富，快乐，还有死亡．年轻人迫不及待地说：＂没有必要多想．＂他选了快乐．

此后他就开始步入世界，追逐年轻人所喜爱的快乐．然而每一种快乐都是如此短暂，令人感到空虚和失望．每当一种快乐弃他而去时，还要把他嘲弄一番．最后，年轻人感叹道＂这些年我都浪费了．如果我可以再选一次，我一定会做一个明智的选择．＂

２

The fairy appeared,and said:"Four of the gifts remain.choose once more:and oh,remember--time is flying,and only one of them is precious."

The man considered long,then chose Love;and did not mark the tears that rose in the fairy's eyes.

After many,many years the man sat by a coffin,in an empty home.And he communed with himself,saying:"One by one they have gone away and leftme;and now she lies here,the dearest and the last.Desolation after desolation has swept over me;but each hour of happiness the treacherous² trader,Love,sold me i have paid a thousand hours ofo grief!Out of my heart of hearts i curse him!"

这时仙女又出现了，她说：＂这里还有四份礼物．再选一次吧．噢，记住时间飞逝，而其中只有一件是珍贵的．＂

他思考了很久，最终选择了爱情；他没有注意到仙女眼里泛起的泪光．许多许多年之后，这个人坐在一口棺材旁边，屋子里空荡荡的．他自言自语道：＂他们一个一个地走了，只剩下我．现在，她就躺在这儿，我最亲爱的人儿，我最后的亲人．孤独一次又一次把我包围．都是因为爱情这个阴狡诈的商人，他出售给我的每个甜蜜的小时，我现在都要用数千个小时的悲伤来偿还！我从心底里诅咒他！＂

3

"Choose again."It was the fairy speaking."The years have you wisdow-surely it must be so.There gifts remain.Only one of them has anyworth-remember it ,and choose warily³."

The man reflected long,then chose Fame;and the fairy,sighing,went her way.

Years went by and she came again,and stood behind the man where he sat solitary⁴ in the fading day,thinking.And she knew his thought:"My name filled the world,and its praiss were on every tongue,and it seemed well with me for a littlewhile.How little a while it was!Then came envy;then detraction;then hate;then persecution⁵.Then derision,which is the begining of the end.And last of all came pity,which is the funeral of fame.Oh ,the bitterness and misery⁶ of renown⁷!"

＂你在选一次吧．＂仙女又一次说话了．

＂这些年已经教予你智慧－－也理当如此．这里还有三份礼物，其中只有一份是有价值的－－切记，你好好挑吧．＂

他想了很久，然而选择了名声．仙女叹了口气，径自离开了．岁月流转，仙女又回来了，站到他的身旁．已迈入迟暮之年的他孑然一身，心情重重．他在想些什么，她都了然于心．

＂我的名字传遍世界，每个人都争相赞颂，有一阵子好像让我心满足．可那是多么短暂的一阵子啊！随之而来的是妒忌；然后是诋毁；然后是憎恶；然后是迫害．之后是嘲讽，从些一切开始步入完结．最后便是怜悯，这也是我的名声的葬礼．啊，名声原来是这般苦涩和痛苦！＂

４

＂Choose yet again."It was the fairy's voice. "Two gifts remain.And do not despair .In the begining there was but one that was precious,and it is still here.

"Wealth-which is power!How blind i was!"said the man."Now,at last,life will be worth the living.I will spend.squander⁸.These mockers and despisers will crawl in the dirt before me,and i will feed my hungry heart with their envy,I will have all luxuries,all joys,all enchant-times of the spirit I will buy,buy,buy!I have lost much time,and chosen badly heretofore,but let that pass;I was ignorant then,and could but take for best what seemed so."

Three short years went by,and a day came when the man sat shivering in a mean garret;and he was gaunt and wan⁹ and hollow-eyed,and clothed in rags;and he was gnawing¹⁰ a dry crust and mumbling:"Curse all the world's gifts for mockeries and gilded¹¹ lies!And miscalled,every one,They are not gifts,but merely lendings.Pleasure.Love,Fame.Riches:they are but temporary disguises for lasting¹² realities-Pain,Grief,Shame,Poverty.The fairy said true;in all her store there was but one gift which was precious,only one that was not valueless,How poor and cheap and mean i know those others now to be,Bring it!I am weary.I would rest."

＂不过你还可以重新现挑一次．＂仙女的声音再度响起．

＂还剩下两份礼物．不要灰心丧气，从一开始就只有一份是宝贵的，而现在它还在那里啊．＂

＂财富－－财富就是力量！我过去多盲目啊！＂他说．＂现在，终于，我的生命将要变得有意义．我要纵情欢度此生，我要挥霍我的人生．那些对我冷嘲热讽，轻蔑诋毁我的人将要在我面前的泥土里挣扎，而我空乏的心也将因为他们的妒忌而得到满足．我将要享尽荣华富贵，所有欢乐和所有销魂的时光．我要买，买！以前我做错了选择，失去了许多时间，就让它过去吧；当时我很无知，我只能选我觉得最好的东西．

短短的三年又过去了．到了这么一天，这个人蜷缩在一个简陋的小阁楼里，古瘦如柴，苍白无力，双眼深陷，身上裹着碎布衣衫，浑身颤抖不停．他一边啃着一块干面包皮，一边咕哝着：＂该死的礼物，都是为了让我受人嘲笑和欺诈！每一样都叫错了！它们都不是礼物，根本只是租借品！快乐，爱情，名声还有财富－都只不过是长久现实的暂时伪装－它们其实是永远的痛苦，悲哀，耻辱和贫穷！那个仙女说的没错啊，她所有的东西里只有一样是珍贵的，只有那么一样不是毫无价值的．我现在才明白，其它礼物是多么低贱与卑劣！把它带来吧－那真正宝贵的礼物！我累了，我想休息了．

５

The fairy came,bringing again four of the gifts,but Death was wanting.She said:"I gave it to a mother's pet, a little child.It was ignorant,but trusted me,asking me to choose for it.You did not ask me to choose."

"Oh,miserable me!What is left for me ?"

"What not even you have deserved:the wantoninsult of Old Age."

仙女出现了，带着以前的那四件礼物，但惟独没有最后那一件－死亡．她说道：＂我把它给了一位母亲的宠儿子：一个小孩子．他什么也不懂，但他相信我，让我来帮他挑选．而你并没有这么做．＂

＂啊，我多可悲啊！那还剩下什么给我呢？＂

＂一件你也不配得到的东西：接受年老体衰的折磨．