爱是什么？

谈论爱不如体验爱。不同的人对爱有不同的看法，争论起来似乎意义不大。爱有很多层次，爱有很多类别。有的爱有条件，有的爱没有条件；有的爱是关系，有的爱是状态，有的爱是占有，有的爱是分享。无论如何，爱是一种美妙的感觉，重要的是心灵的热情，而不是头脑的算计。爱，是由心灵通往存在的一座桥梁。有了爱，心灵开始流动，心灵开始飞翔，存在的意义慢慢呈现出来。不要问我爱是什么，勇敢地跳入爱河，沐浴爱的芳香吧！

 

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    爱是什么？

 

    What Is Love?

 

    爱是耐心，是等待意义在时间中慢慢生成。母爱是从一天天的喂奶中来的。感叹孩子长得快的都是外人，父母是很少会有这样的感觉。你每天观察院子里的那棵树，它就渐渐在你的心中扎根。

 

    Love is patience, awaiting its meaning to grow slowly in the time. The maternal love lies in the nursing day after day. Only outsiders feel surprised at the fast growth of children but their parents seldom feel so. If you observe that tree in the courtyard every day, it will gradually root in your heart.

 

    有一个人猎到一只小沙狐，便精心喂养它，可是后来它逃回到沙漠。那个人为此伤心，别人劝他再捉一头，他回答：“捕捉不难，难的是爱，太需要耐心了。”是啊，人们说爱，总是提出种种条件，埋怨遇不到符合这些条件的值得爱的对象。也许有一天遇到了，但爱仍未出现。

 

    A man hunted a small corsac fox and raised it carefully, but afterwards it fled back to the desert, which made him sad. When others advised him to hunt another, he replied, "It is easy to hunt but hard to love, because love requires too much patience." Yeah, when people mention love, they always present various conditions and complain they cannot meet someone in accordance with these conditions. Maybe one day the right one appears, but love does not happen yet.

 

    那一个城市非常美，我在那里旅游时曾心旷神怡，但离开后并没有魂牵梦绕。那一个女人非常美，我邂逅她时几乎一见钟情，但错过了并没有日夜思想。人们举着条件去找爱，但爱并不存在于各种条件的哪怕最完美的组合中。爱不是对象，爱是关系，是你在对象身上付出的时间和心血。

 

    That city was so beautiful that I felt carefree and joyous to travel there, but I did not miss it badly after the departure. That woman was so beautiful that I almost fell in love with her at first sight when I encountered her, but I did not yearn for her day and night after the romance was missed. People search for love with certain conditions, but love does not happen even in the perfect combination of various conditions. Love is not an object but a relationship, which means time and painstaking efforts you have paid for the object.

 

    你培育的园林没有皇家园林美，但你爱的是你的园林而不是皇家花园。你相濡以沫的女人没有女明星美，但你爱的是你的女人而不是女明星。也许你愿意用你的园林换皇家花园，用你的女人换女明星，但那时候支配你的不是爱，而是欲望。

 

    Your garden does not rival a royal garden, but what you really love is not the royal garden but yours. Your woman does not rival an actress, but what you love is not the actress but yours. Maybe you are willing to exchange your garden for the royal one, or your woman for the actress, but at that moment it is not the love but the desire that dominates you.

 

    爱的投入必须全心全意，如同自愿履行一项不可推卸的职责。职责是连接事物的神圣纽带，除非在你看来是绝对的需要，而不是游戏，你才能建成你的帝国，神庙或家园。就好像掷骰子，如果不牵涉你的财产，你就不会动心。

    You must devote to love whole-heartedly, as if it is a compelling obligation you will fulfill voluntarily. The obligation is a holy bond to connect things together. You cannot build your empire, fane or home unless it is not a game but an absolute need in your eyes, just like you will not be excited in a dice game if it is not related to your property.

 

    在玩骰子的时候，你玩的不是那几颗小小的骰子，而是你的羊群和金银财宝，而在那个在沙滩上玩的孩子眼里，沙堆也不是沙堆，而是要塞，山岭或船只。只有你愿意为之而死的东西，你才能够籍之而生。

 

    In dice games, your concern is not those several dices but your sheep and treasures. In the eyes of the boy playing on the sands, sandpiles are not sandpiles themselves but fortresses, hills or warships. Only things worth your death can you live upon.

 

    译于2007年5月9日。

 

 

    爱是什么？

 

    What Is Love?

 

    爱是耐心，是等待意义在时间中慢慢生成。母爱是从一天天的喂奶中来的。感叹孩子长得快的都是外人，父母是很少会有这样的感觉。你每天观察院子里的那棵树，它就渐渐在你的心中扎根。

 

    Love is the patience, awaiting its meaning to grow slowly in the time. The maternal love lies in the nursing day after day. Only outsiders feel surprised at the fast growth of  children but their parents seldom feel so. If you observe that tree in the courtyard every day, it will gradually root in your heart.

 

    有一个人猎到一只小沙狐，便精心喂养它，可是后来它逃回到沙漠。那个人为此伤心，别人劝他再捉一头，他回答：“捕捉不难，难的是爱，太需要耐心了。”是啊，人们说爱，总是提出种种条件，埋怨遇不到符合这些条件的值得爱的对象。也许有一天遇到了，但爱仍未出现。

 

    A man hunted a small corsac fox and raised it carefully, but afterwards it fled back to the desert, which made him sad. When others advised him to hunt another, he replied, "It is easy to hunt but hard to love, because love requires too much patience." Yeah, when people mention love, they always present various conditions and complain they cannot meet someone in accordance with these conditions. Maybe one day the right one appears, but love does not happen yet.

 

    那一个城市非常美，我在那里旅游时曾心旷神怡，但离开后并没有魂牵梦绕。那一个女人非常美，我邂逅她时几乎一见钟情，但错过了并没有日夜思想。人们举着条件去找爱，但爱并不存在于各种条件的哪怕最完美的组合中。爱不是对象，爱是关系，是你在对象身上付出的时间和心血。

 

    That city was so beautiful that I felt carefree and joyous to travel there, but I did not miss it badly after the departure. That woman was so beautiful that I almost fell in love with her at first sight when I encountered her, but I did not yearn for her day and night after the romance was missed. People search for love with certain conditions, but love does not happen even in the perfect combination of various conditions. Love is not an object but a relationship, which means time and painstaking efforts you have paid for the object.

 

    你培育的园林没有皇家园林美，但你爱的是你的园林而不是皇家花园。你相濡以沫的女人没有女明星美，但你爱的是你的女人而不是女明星。也许你愿意用你的园林换皇家花园，用你的女人换女明星，但那时候支配你的不是爱，而是欲望。

 

    Your garden does not rival a royal garden, but what you really love is not the royal garden but yours. Your woman does not rival an actress, but what you love is not the actress but yours. Maybe you are willing to exchange your garden for the royal one, or your woman for the actress, but at that moment not love but desire is dominating you.

 

    爱的投入必须全心全意，如同自愿履行一项不可推卸的职责。职责是连接事物的神圣纽带，除非在你看来是绝对的需要，而不是游戏，你才能建成你的帝国，神庙或家园。就好像掷骰子，如果不牵涉你的财产，你就不会动心。

 

    You must devote to love whole-heartedly, as if it is a compelling obligation you will fulfill voluntarily. The obligation is a holy bond to connect things together. You cannot build your empire, fane or home unless it is not a game but an absolute need in your eyes, just like you will not be excited in a dice game if it is not related to your property.

 

    在玩骰子的时候，你玩的不是那几颗小小的骰子，而是你的羊群和金银财宝，而在那个在沙滩上玩的孩子眼里，沙堆也不是沙堆，而是要塞，山岭或船只。只有你愿意为之而死的东西，你才能够籍之而生。

 

    In dice games, your concern is not those several dices but your sheep and treasures. In the eyes of the boy playing on the sands, sandpiles are not sandpiles themselves but forts, hills or boats. Only things worth your death can you live upon.

 

    译于2007年5月9日。