23)On Prayer祈禱

The Prophet(先知)
Kahlil Gibran(哈利勒‧紀伯倫)

23)On Prayer祈禱

Then a priestess said, Speak to us of Prayer.
接著一位女祭司說，請談一談祈禱吧。
And he answered, saying:
他回答說︰
You pray in your distress and in your need;
在你煩惱和有需要時，你會祈禱；
would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance.
但願你在充滿欣喜和生活富足時也祈禱。
For what is prayer but the expansion of yourself into the living ether?
因為祈禱就是將你自己擴展到活生生的蒼天裡去。
And if it is for your comfort to pour your darkness into space,
如果向蒼天傾吐愁苦是為了獲得安慰，
it is also for your delight to pour forth the dawning of your heart.
那麼傾吐你心靈之中的曙光，不也是為了令你快樂嗎？
And if you cannot but weep when your soul summons you to prayer,
當你的靈魂召喚你祈禱時，如果你哭泣，
she should spur you again and yet again, though weeping, until you shall come laughing.
那靈魂應會一再鼓舞你，直到你歡笑。
When you pray you rise to meet in the air those who are praying at that very hour,
當你祈禱時，你的靈魂會飛升，與那同一時間也在祈禱的人們相會，
and whom save in prayer you may not meet.
這些除卻祈禱的時刻，你們便無法相遇。
Therefore let your visit to that temple invisible
因此，讓你們對那虛無的廟宇膜拜，
be for naught but ecstasy and sweet communion.
只為了求得狂喜與甜美的交會吧。
For if you should enter the temple for
因為，你們如果走進廟宇，
no other purpose than asking you shall not receive.
只為了祈求神，沒有其它目的，你將一無所獲。
And if you should enter into it to humble yourself you shall not be lifted.
如果，你走進廟宇去低聲下氣，你將不會被鼔舞。
Or even if you should enter into it to beg for the good of others you shall not be heard.
或者, 你走進廟宇是乞求別人的好處，你的禱告將不會被聽取。
It is enough that you enter the temple invisible.
只要進入無形的廟宇就夠了。
I cannot teach you how to pray in words.
我不能夠教你祈禱的語句。
God listens not to your words save when He Himself utters them through your lips.
神不會聽你們的言語，除非當他自己藉你的唇說出來。
And I cannot teach you the prayer of the seas and the forests and the mountains.
我也不能教你們海洋、山岳和森林的祈禱。
But you who are born of the mountains and the forests and the seas
但你們這些生自山岳、森林和海邊的人們，
can find their prayer in your heart,
可以在你們心靈之中找到禱詞。
And if you but listen in the stillness of the night you shall hear them saying in silence:
只要你們在寂靜的夜裡傾聽，你將聽見它們的默禱。
"Our God, who art our winged self, it is thy will in us that willeth.
「我們的神，你是我們心靈的昇華所在，是你的意志在支使我們。
It is thy desire in us that desireth.
在我的內心，是你的願望在支使我們。
It is thy urge in us that would turn our nights,
你在我們內心的鼓勵，使得我們的黑夜轉為白晝，
which are thine, into days which are thine also.
那是你的，也是屬於我們的。
We cannot ask thee for aught,
我們不能向你祈求什麼？
for thou knowest our needs before they are born in us:
因為在我們產生需求之前，你已預知了。
Thou art our need; and in giving us more of thyself thou givest us all."
你即是我們的需求；當你把更多的自己賜予我們，也就是賜予我們一切。」