英語哲理美文欣賞:沉默 Silence

Silence is soundlessness; silence exists in different forms. 無聲即沉默。沉默有各種各樣

An empty head or a blank mind which leads to speechlessness that is silence. 腹中空泛，思想一片蒼白，故無言可發，這是沉默。

Enthusiasm fades like dying embers and thus leads to cynicism and indifference to life, which arouses neither happiness nor sadness, neither worries nor anger, and which costs people their interest in and desire for anything that is silence. 熱情已如柴薪盡燃，故而冷漠處世，無喜無悲，無憂無憤，對人世的一切都失去興趣和欲望，這也是沉默。

Despite all the experiences of love and hate, of disorientation and reorientation, of order giving that was answered by hundreds and call issuing that was not answered by a single soul, there is not a word uttered, but only a clam eye that watches on this world that is also silence. 有過愛，有過恨，有過迷茫，有過穎悟，有過一呼百應的吶喊，有過得不到回報的呼喚，然而卻收口如瓶，只是平靜地冷眼看世界，這是沉默。

Worries and sufferings, tastes of changes and vicissitudes of the world, footprints left in mountains and valleys and noises of rivers and oceans cherished in the heart are all but hidden unrevealed that is still silence. 飽經憂患，閱盡人生百態，胸有千山萬壑的屐痕，有江河湖海的濤聲，然而卻深思不語，這也是沉默。

Either an invaluable Italian violin or a reed whistle cut out casually would remain silent if they are not played, although the connotations of their silences differ greatly. For even though they are never touched by anybody, you can still imagine the vastly different sounds they can possibly produce. 一把價值連城意大利小提琴，和一只被隨手削出的蘆笛，不去觸動它們，便都是沉默，但沉默的內涵卻并不一樣，即便永遠不在有人去觸動它們，你依然可以想象聽見它們可能發出的絕然不同的鳴響。

A flawless jade ornament, or a coarse, gross brick will always remain silent if it is left untouched, but who can draw an equal sign between them? 一塊瑩潔無暇的美玉，和一塊粗糙的土磚，放在那里也都是沉默。然而誰能把它們所代表的內容劃一個等號呢?

Indeed, for a living being there is no such thing as true silence, for silence itself is a revelation of the mind and the heart, an echo of the soul of a different form. 其實，對活著的生命而言，真正的沉默是不存在的。沉默本身也是一種思想和心境的流露，是靈魂的另一種形式的回聲。

Some people use silence as a disguise of the emptiness of the head. 有的人以沉默掩飾思想的空虛。 Some use it as a means to depict their disorientation and melancholy. 有的人以沉默敘述迷茫和惆悵。

And some use it as a way of expressing their angers and sorrows. 有的人以沉默表達內心的憤怒和憂傷。

Silence usually is ephemeral. It reminds one of the bronze bells dangling from a pagodas eaves; on windless days they are a decoration upon the age-weathered beauty, but with wind they give out wonderful tinkling and jingling metallurgic sounds, as if echoing age old stories of long, long ago... 沉默常常是暫時的。就像古塔檐角下的銅鈴，無風時，它們只是一種古色古香的裝飾，一起風，它們便會發出奇妙的金屬音響，似乎是許多古老故事的悠遠的回聲

Do you not think the same of silent people? 沉默的人們不也一樣? They say that silence is golden, but of what nature is this gold? It can include integrity, honesty and kindness; it can stand for indifference to and detachment from fame and fortune; but it can also act as an excuse for hypocrisy, slyness and cowardice... the glittering of gold may not necessarily be the most brilliant lustre in the world. 沉默是金，是怎樣的一種金呢? 這個金字中，可以包含正直、善良，可以代表淡泊、超脫，也可以是虛偽、圓滑、怯懦的一種托辭金子的光澤，未必是世界上最動人的光澤。

Can it be that permanent silence is only represented by death? 是不是只有死亡才是永遠的沉默? Perhaps even death cannot represent true silence, for the carrier of the soul can turn into dust, so that the sincere and wise voices from the bottom of the heart will trigger long lasting echoes in the seas of human hearts... 也許，死亡也未必是真正的沉默，靈魂的載體可以化為塵土，那些真誠睿智的心聲，卻會長久地在人心的海洋中引起悠長的回聲

Silence is soundlessness; silence exists in different forms. 無聲即沉默。沉默有各種各樣

An empty head or a blank mind which leads to speechlessness that is silence. 腹中空泛，思想一片蒼白，故無言可發，這是沉默。

Enthusiasm fades like dying embers and thus leads to cynicism and indifference to life, which arouses neither happiness nor sadness, neither worries nor anger, and which costs people their interest in and desire for anything that is silence. 熱情已如柴薪盡燃，故而冷漠處世，無喜無悲，無憂無憤，對人世的一切都失去興趣和欲望，這也是沉默。

Despite all the experiences of love and hate, of disorientation and reorientation, of order giving that was answered by hundreds and call issuing that was not answered by a single soul, there is not a word uttered, but only a clam eye that watches on this world that is also silence. 有過愛，有過恨，有過迷茫，有過穎悟，有過一呼百應的吶喊，有過得不到回報的呼喚，然而卻收口如瓶，只是平靜地冷眼看世界，這是沉默。

Worries and sufferings, tastes of changes and vicissitudes of the world, footprints left in mountains and valleys and noises of rivers and oceans cherished in the heart are all but hidden unrevealed that is still silence. 飽經憂患，閱盡人生百態，胸有千山萬壑的屐痕，有江河湖海的濤聲，然而卻深思不語，這也是沉默。

Either an invaluable Italian violin or a reed whistle cut out casually would remain silent if they are not played, although the connotations of their silences differ greatly. For even though they are never touched by anybody, you can still imagine the vastly different sounds they can possibly produce. 一把價值連城意大利小提琴，和一只被隨手削出的蘆笛，不去觸動它們，便都是沉默，但沉默的內涵卻并不一樣，即便永遠不在有人去觸動它們，你依然可以想象聽見它們可能發出的絕然不同的鳴響。

A flawless jade ornament, or a coarse, gross brick will always remain silent if it is left untouched, but who can draw an equal sign between them? 一塊瑩潔無暇的美玉，和一塊粗糙的土磚，放在那里也都是沉默。然而誰能把它們所代表的內容劃一個等號呢?

Indeed, for a living being there is no such thing as true silence, for silence itself is a revelation of the mind and the heart, an echo of the soul of a different form. 其實，對活著的生命而言，真正的沉默是不存在的。沉默本身也是一種思想和心境的流露，是靈魂的另一種形式的回聲。

Some people use silence as a disguise of the emptiness of the head. 有的人以沉默掩飾思想的空虛。 Some use it as a means to depict their disorientation and melancholy. 有的人以沉默敘述迷茫和惆悵。

And some use it as a way of expressing their angers and sorrows. 有的人以沉默表達內心的憤怒和憂傷。

Silence usually is ephemeral. It reminds one of the bronze bells dangling from a pagodas eaves; on windless days they are a decoration upon the age-weathered beauty, but with wind they give out wonderful tinkling and jingling metallurgic sounds, as if echoing age old stories of long, long ago... 沉默常常是暫時的。就像古塔檐角下的銅鈴，無風時，它們只是一種古色古香的裝飾，一起風，它們便會發出奇妙的金屬音響，似乎是許多古老故事的悠遠的回聲

Do you not think the same of silent people? 沉默的人們不也一樣? They say that silence is golden, but of what nature is this gold? It can include integrity, honesty and kindness; it can stand for indifference to and detachment from fame and fortune; but it can also act as an excuse for hypocrisy, slyness and cowardice... the glittering of gold may not necessarily be the most brilliant lustre in the world. 沉默是金，是怎樣的一種金呢? 這個金字中，可以包含正直、善良，可以代表淡泊、超脫，也可以是虛偽、圓滑、怯懦的一種托辭金子的光澤，未必是世界上最動人的光澤。

Can it be that permanent silence is only represented by death? 是不是只有死亡才是永遠的沉默? Perhaps even death cannot represent true silence, for the carrier of the soul can turn into dust, so that the sincere and wise voices from the bottom of the heart will trigger long lasting echoes in the seas of human hearts... 也許，死亡也未必是真正的沉默，靈魂的載體可以化為塵土，那些真誠睿智的心聲，卻會長久地在人心的海洋中引起悠長的回聲