Two Roads

John Ruskin

It was New Year's Night. An aged man was standing at a window. He raised his mournful eyes towards the deep blue sky, where the stars were floating like white lilies on the surface of a clear calm lake. Then he cast them on the earth, where few more hopeless people than himself now moved towards their certain goal――the tomb. He had already passed sixty of the stages leading to it, and he had brought from his journey nothing but errors and remorse. Now his health was poor, his mind vacant, his heart sorrowful, and his old age short of comforts.

The days of his youth appeared like dreams before him, and he recalled the serious moment when his father placed him at the entrance of the two roads――one leading to a peaceful, sunny place, covered with flowers, fruits and resounding with soft, sweet songs; the other leading to a deep, dark cave, which was endless, where poison flowed instead of water and where devils and poisonous snakes hissed and crawled.

He looked towards the sky and cried painfully, "O youth, return! O my father, place me once more at the entrance to life, and I'll choose the better way!" But both his father and the days of his youth had passed away.

He was the lights flowing away in the darkness. These were the days of his wasted life; he saw a star fall from the sky and disappeared, and this was the symbol of himself. His remorse, which was like a sharp arrow, struck deeply into his heart. Then he remembered his friends in his childhood, who entered on life together with him. But they had made their way to success and were now honoured and happy on this New Year's night.

The clock in the high church tower struck and the sound made him remember his parents' early love for him. They had taught him and prayed to God for his good. But he chose the wrong way. With shame and grief he dared no longer look towards that heaven where his father live. His darkened eyes were full of tears, and with a despairing effort, he burst out a cry: "Come back, my early days! Come back!"

And his youth did return, for all this was only a dream which he had on New Year's Night. He was still young though his faults were real; he had not yet entered the deep, dark cave, and he was still free to walk on the road which leads to the peaceful and sunny land.

Those who still linger on the entrance of life, hesitating to choose the bright road, remember that when years are passed and your feet stumble on the dark mountains, you will cry bitterly, but in vain: "O youth, return! Oh give me back my early days!"

兩條路 (曹明倫 譯)

那是一個新年之夜，一位老人佇立在窗邊，他抬起雙眼，把悲哀的目光投向那深藍色的天幕。夜空像一個清澈靜謐的大湖，星星想一朵朵百合花漂在湖面上。然后，他把目光投向大地，此刻走向其必然終點(墳墓)的云云眾生中很少有人比他更為絕望。在通往墳墓的征途，老人已經度過了60載春秋，而他從這漫長的旅途中帶向墳墓的，除了過失和懺悔，別無他物。他的健康失去了，他的頭腦空虛了，他的心靈充滿了悲哀，他偌大一把年紀缺少有慰藉。

青春時代夢幻般地浮現在他眼前。他回想起那個莊嚴的時刻，父親將他領導兩條路的岔口――一條通向和平安寧、陽光明媚的世界，那里遍地鮮花、滿園果實，四處洋溢著柔和、甜蜜的歌聲;另一條路則黑暗的無底深淵。那里流淌是毒漿而不是清水，那里有張牙舞爪的惡魔和嘶嘶躥動。

老人又抬起目光，仰天悲嘆：“哦，青春兮，歸來!哦，仁慈的父親，請把我重新置于生活的起點，我會選擇那條通往幸福的光明大道!”

可是，他父親，他青春的年華都早已遠逝。

他看見幾道光亮掠過沉沉黑夜，漸漸泯沒。這些光點正是他虛度的年華;他看見一顆流星劃過渺渺夜空，驟然消失了，這顆星星就是他生命的象征。悔恨猶如一只利劍，深深地穿透它的心靈。此刻，他想起了兒時的伙伴，他們和他一起踏上人生的征途，可是伙伴們都選擇了那條通往成功的道路。在此新年之夜，他們正在享受他們的榮譽和幸福。

高掛在教堂鐘樓上的大鐘響了，鐘聲使老人想起了父母早年對他的愛他們曾經給與他多少教誨，又為他做了多少祈禱!可他卻選擇了那條歧途歪路。想到這些，他懷著悔恨與悲傷，不敢再仰望那茫茫夜空，因為那是他父親居住的天國。絕望中，他暗淡的雙眼充滿了淚水，鼓足余力，高聲呼喚：“歸來兮，我虛度的年華!歸來兮，我逝去的青春!”

他的青春果真回來了。因為剛才的一切不過是他新年之夜的一場夢。雖說他在夢中所追悔莫及的過失卻是真的。但他還年輕，他還沒有墜入那黑暗的深淵，他還有自由選擇那條通往和平、光明的道路。

你們，還在生活的起點上徘徊的你們‘你們，還在兩條路的分岔口躊躇的你們，請記住吧：當年華流逝，而你們卻失足于深山野嶺之時，你們也會痛苦而突然的呼喊：“歸來兮，我虛度的年華!歸來兮，我逝去的青春!”