臉書上偶然讀到大學時念過的詩"The Road Not Taken"(那條沒有選的路)。
人生有多少次選擇的機會,有多少人滿意(或不滿意)自己的選擇?如果能重來,妳會選另一條路嗎?
考試的時候,老師問我對最後那一段嘆息的想法。我毫無考慮地說是一種惋惜。因為心裡常想著如果考大學時選了不同組不同科系,會是何種光景? 老師卻是另一種觀點,認為是滿足的嘆息,這可能也是佛洛斯特的原意。
念書時選了熱門科系,只是為了日後好找工作。天性保守,即使重來,可能還是會這樣選擇。但回想起來,有時不免嘆惜未走的路。
勇於挑戰堅持興趣的人,如果走出自己的一片天,才會有滿意的嘆息吧。
但新聞裡常出現爬山健行迷路甚至造成意外的事件,如果在人跡罕至的森林,最好還是選比較多人走過的路,免得誤入險境。
The Road Not Taken ― Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
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兩條路在黃樹林裡岔開
可惜我不能同時走一走
身為旅人,我駐足良久
極目眺望其中一條的盡頭
直到它轉彎隱沒在叢林深處
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Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
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然後我選了另一條,優美又合理
或許有更好的選擇理由
因為它野草繁茂渴求人跡
雖然行經這條路上
其實和另一條相差無幾
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And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
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那天清晨兩路並列
在落葉下未經踐踏
噢!我把第一條留待他日吧!
然而深知道路條條相連
懷疑日後會重返此地
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I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
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多年後在某個地方
我將嘆息述說此事:
某次行經林中兩條岔路,而我—
我選擇了乏人問津的那一條
造就了往後的種種不同
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(缺乏英詩造詣,有些地方可能譯得不好)