作者 | 木心

翻译 | Flora Fang

你强，强在你不爱我

我弱，弱在我爱你

You are powerful,

all because you don't love me.

I am weak, all because I love you.

生命好在无意义

才容得下各自赋予意义

假如生命是有意义的

这个意义却不合我的志趣

那才尴尬狼狈

The goodness of life lies in its meaninglessness, so as to be open to respective interpretations. If life has its own assured meaning which conform not to my values, that's when it's embarassed and awkward.

你的眉目笑语使我病了一场。

Your eyes and brows, smiles and words truely brought me to illness.

才能、心肠、头脑

缺一不可

三者难平均

也好 也就此滋生风格

Talent, heart and brain are indispensable. One can hardly have them even, which is totally fine, for various personal styles are created.

眼看一个个有志青年

熟门熟路地堕落了

许多“个人”加起来

便是“时代”

Aspirational youth, one following another, degenerates in the familiar way. Many such individuals form the times we live in.

爱情，亦三种境界耳

少年出乎好奇

青年在于审美

中年归向求知

老之将至 义无反顾

Love, too, has three stages. 

Arising from curiosity in juvenile,

lying in visual pleasure in youth,

seeking for truth together in midlife,

with agedness coming in sight,

none of those matters.

没有比粥更温柔的了

念予毕生流离红尘

就找不到一个似粥温柔的人

Nothing is tenderer than a bowl of conjee. While wandering in the earthly world of mortals for my while life, I ended up without finding a person so tender as that.

对生命，对人类

过分的悲观，过分的乐观

都是不诚实的

看轻世界荒谬，是一个智者的基本水准

看清了，不是感到恶心

而是会心一笑

Either to life or to humankind, being unduly pessimistic or optimistic is not honest attitude. The awareness of absurdity of the world is basic perception for the wise. Facing such a truth, he would only laugh it off instead of living in disgust.

浅浅的知识

比无知更使人栗六不安

深深的知识使人安定

我们无非是

落在这样的一片浅浅深深之中

Shallow knowlege, more than innocence, keeps you busy and uneasy. While, deep knowlege brings you peace of mind. We are simply located somewhere among them.

天才是被另一个天才发现的。

A genius is discovered by another genius.

离别，走的那个因为忙于应付新遭遇，接纳新印象，不及多想。

When departing, the traveller sets off for new encounters and new acquaintances, which leave him no time for reflecting.

而送别的那个仍在原地，明显感到少一个人了。所以处处触发冷寂的酸楚——

However, the one who stays is standing still, feeling empty inside. His heart is eaten by freezing loneliness and sorrow.

我经识了无数次“送别”后才认为送别者更凄凉。

Having had numerous experieces of departure, finally, I concluded that it is more heartbreaking to be the one who stays.

我好久没有以小步紧跑去迎接一个人的那种快乐了。

For quite a long time, I haven't had the joy to meet someone by trotting all the way to him.

一个人要从远处回，从高处下，从深处出。

One should return from afar, descend from hight and exit from depth.

生活的最佳状态是冷冷清清的风风火火。

The best state of life is staying passionate in solitude.