犢牛之路《The Calf-Path》
Poem by Sam Walter Foss (1858-1911)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8U2Zqr3wZg
One day, through the primeval wood,
A calf walked home, as good calves should;
But made a trail all bent askew,
A crooked trail as all calves do.
某日，一頭小牛穿越遠古的森林回家，
就像一頭乖乖的小牛應該做那樣。
可是它留下了彎曲歪斜的足跡，
就像所有小牛都會留下的那些足跡。
Since then three hundred years have fled,
And, I infer, the calf is dead.
But still he left behind his trail,
And thereby hangs my moral tale.
自此三百年飛逝，我斷定那頭小牛已經死了。
可是它仍然留下了它的足跡，
從而觸發起我去思考這個故事的可能結果，
寫下我下面的寓言。
The trail was taken up next day,
By a lone dog that passed that way;
And then a wise bell-wether sheep,
Pursued the trail o’er vale and steep,
And drew the flock behind him too,
As good bell-wethers always do.
And from that day, o’er hill and glade.
Through those old woods a path was made.
翌日，一只孤獨的狗路過這足跡。
隨後一頭聰明的繫玲羊，帶領著身後的羊群，
越過陡峭的山嶺，依循著這條路走，
就像好的領頭繫玲羊常常做那樣。
從那天開始，越過山嶺和低地。
一條小徑就在遠古的森林中成形。
And many men wound in and out,
And dodged, and turned, and bent about;
And uttered words of righteous wrath,
Because ’twas such a crooked path;
But still they followed─do not laugh─
The first migrations of that calf,
And through this winding wood-way stalked,
Because he wobbled when he walked.
小徑上很多人迂迴曲折地往返，
閃避、轉彎、轉向，
嘴裡彈出義憤怒氣的咒罵，
因為這是一條如此彎曲的小徑；
可是他們還是依循著小徑走──不要笑──
就是那頭小牛最初在森林裡走過的路。
這條小徑如此迂迴曲折，
因為當初小牛是搖搖晃晃地走過的。
This forest path became a lane,
that bent and turned and turned again;
This crooked lane became a road,
Where many a poor horse with his load,
Toiled on beneath the burning sun,
And traveled some three miles in one.
And thus a century and a half,
They trod the footsteps of that calf.
森林小徑變成了小路，
小路彎彎曲曲，轉來轉去；
這條迂迴曲折的小路變成了大路，
很多可憐的馬負荷著貨物，
在烈日之下辛勞跋涉，每次走三英里。
如此過了一個半世紀，
他們依循著那頭小牛的足跡。
The years passed on in swiftness fleet,
The road became a village street;
And this, before men were aware,
A city’s crowded thoroughfare;
And soon the central street was this,
Of a renowned metropolis;
And men two centuries and a half,
Trod in the footsteps of that calf.
光陰似箭，歲月飛逝，
大路變成了村莊的街道；
在群眾意識到之前，
已經發展成城市中熙來攘往的大道；
很快它又成為了城市的中央大道，
一個著名大都會的中央大道；
想不到兩個半世紀以後，
人們依然踩踏那頭小牛的足跡。
Each day a hundred thousand rout,
Followed the zigzag calf about;
And o’er his crooked journey went,
The traffic of a continent.
A hundred thousand men were led,
By one calf near three centuries dead.
They followed still his crooked way,
And lost one hundred years a day;
For thus such reverence is lent,
To well established precedent.
每天都有數以萬計的人，
依循著那頭小牛蜿蜒曲折的足跡行走；
整個大陸的交通和運輸，
都遵循這個曲折的旅程。
那頭小牛三個世紀前已經死了，
十萬人依然遵循那頭小牛蜿蜒曲折的足跡，
寧願每天損失一百年的時間。
因為我們尊崇根深柢固的先例。
A moral lesson this might teach,
Were I ordained and called to preach;
For men are prone to go it blind,
Along the calf-paths of the mind;
And work away from sun to sun,
To do what other men have done.
They follow in the beaten track,
And out and in, and forth and back,
And still their devious course pursue,
To keep the path that others do.
如果我被任命去說理和呼籲，
這個寓言給我們一個教訓；
群眾是盲目的，
遵循腦袋裡迂迴曲折、根深柢固的思想，
日復一日，蕭規曹隨，追隨別人走過的路，
出出入入，來來回回，
甚至妄顧公義和道德，只要有先例可援。
They keep the path a sacred groove,
Along which all their lives they move.
But how the wise old wood-gods laugh,
Who saw the first primeval calf！
Ah！ many things this tale might teach—
But I am not ordained to preach.
他們將這條路視為神聖的途徑，
帶領他們一生的行為和生活。
但見證過最初遠古小牛行蹤、
聰明睿智的森林神靈，衪們會如何大笑！
啊！這個寓言可以教導我們很多東西──
但我沒有被任命去說理和呼籲。
參考：《為何要學習思考》