Suppose someone gave you a pen — a sealed, solid-colored pen.You couldn’t seehow much ink it had.

假设有人给了你一枝笔，一枝密封的、纯色的水笔，里面有多少墨水你看不到。

It might run dry after the first few tentative words or last just long enough to create a masterpiece (or several) that would last forever and make a difference in the scheme of things.You don’t know before you begin.

很可能刚刚试写几字便用干耗尽；也可能足以完成一部或几部杰作，永存于世，使世事为之大变。

Under the rules of the game, you really never know.You have to take a chance!

而这一切你在动笔之前却是一无所知。根据游戏的规则，你确实永远也不会知道，只能冒一下险。

Actually, no rule of the game states you must do anything. Instead of picking up and using the pen, you could leave it on a shelf or in a drawer where it will dry up, unused.

而事实上，也没有规则说你就一定要做些什么。你大可以把笔搁在架子上、放在抽屉里，弃置不用，任墨水蒸发干净。

But if you do decide to use it, what would you do with it? How would you play the game?

然而，如果你真的决定使用，你会做什么？怎么来做这个游戏？

Would you plan and plan before you ever wrote a word?

你会左计划、右计划，然后才慢慢下笔吗？

Would your plans be so extensive that you never even got to the writing?

计划会不会太泛太多，根本就达不到写作这一步？

Or would you take the pen in hand, plunge¹ right in and just do it, struggling to keep up with the twists and turns of the torrents² of words that take you where they take you?

会不会提笔在手，迫不及待地投入其中，任由手中的笔、笔下的字带着你在词海中上下翻腾、左突右冲？

Would you write cautiously and carefully, as if the pen might run dry the next moment, or would you pretend or believe (or pretend to believe) that the pen will write forever and proceed accord gly?

会不会下笔谨小慎微，似乎墨水随时都将干涸？会不会假装或相信、或假装相信笔中墨水永不会枯竭，任你挥洒？

And of what would you write: Of love? Hate? Fun? Misery³? Life? Death?Nothing Everything?

你会写些什么？爱情？仇恨？乐趣？痛苦？生命？死亡？虚无空空抑或世事万种？

Would you write to please just yourself? Or others? Or yourself by writing for others?

是会用来自娱？还是取悦他人？还是为人写作而愉悦自身？

Would your strokes be tremblingly timid or brilliantly bold? Fancy with a flourish or plain?

你的一笔一划会颤抖怯懦还是亮丽大胆？花里胡哨还是朴实无华？

Would you even write? Once you have the pen, no rule says you have to write. Would you sketch⁴? Scribble⁵? Doodle or draw?

你确实会去写吗？你一旦有了这枝笔，却也没有规则说你一定就要去写