活到老真好--王鼎鈞
                                                     Translated by Retiredbum

這幾年和中國大陸上的老同學通信，

Recently from the lines of the letters between my old  classmates in Mainland and me,

知道他們早巳退休，

I knew they had long retired from work. 

有人在退休時安排了第二職業，現在也交了出去。

Evem some of them had foray into second career, now theyd quitted completely.

這給我一個感覺，我們那一代的確是過去了。

This made me feel that our generation had gone for good. 

這就是老。

This is so-called decrepitude.

人握拳而來，撒手而去，

We came to this world with our fist clenched, and leave the world with our

hands loosened.                                                                                       

先是一樣一樣搜集，後是一件一件疏散，

At begining, we gleaned everything piece by piece; at last we forsook everything piece by piece.

或者如某些人所說，只剩下老妻、老狗、老酒。

Or as some people said there were only old wife, old dog, and old wine left for us.

我發現大陸上的一些親友對“老”完全不能適應，

I found some of my relatives and my friends in Mainland have yet accommodate themselves to the situation of being "old";

以致心中沮喪空虛，難以聊生。

  hence, they felt empty and dejected, and hardly went on for the rest of their lives.   

“革命哲學”是假設人在三四十歲的時候戰死了，

 People assumed their life expectancy in the era when "revolutionary philosophy" dominates was 30-odd or 40-odd years, for they might have died in the battlefields, 

或是累死了，

or died of fatigue. 

不料還有一段晚景頗費安排。

They never expected there will be a span of old age waiting for them to make some arrangements that are difficult to handle.   

我倒是寫了許多信勸他們。

I did write them a lot and advise them of the fact that

我說老年是我們的黃金時代。

seniority is the golden age for the people like us.

人家說黃金時代是二十歲，

Some people said the golden age is twenty.

你想，二十歲我們懂什麼？

But what and how could we know about in our twenties?

懂得茅臺和汾酒有什麼分別嗎？

Did you know the difference between those two brands of famous liquor: Maotai and Fen?

懂得京胡和二胡有什麼分別嗎？

Did you know the difference between those two Chinese instruments: Jinghu and Erhu?

懂得川菜和湖南菜有什麼分別嗎？

Did you know the difference between those two kinds of spicy cuisine: Sichuan and Hunan? 

我說到了老年，

So I can say we we are getting old,

人生對我們已沒有秘密，能通人言獸語。

our lives are no longer secrets to us, and we can understand everything what people, even animals, are trying to say. 

當年女孩子說：“我不愛你”，

Time was when a girl said she doesnt love you,

你想了一整年也想不出原因來，

you might think it over for a year and didnt figure out the reason why,

現在她剛要張口你已完全瞭解。

but now no sooner had she opened her mouth than you knew what she was going to say. 

我說上帝把幼小的我們給了父母，

Like Ive said, Heaven gives us to our parents when we are young.

把青壯的我們給了國家社會，

gives us to our country and society when we grow up,

到了老年，他才把我們還給我們自己。

and gives us to ourselves until we are getting old. 

我說年老比年輕好，

So I said being old is better than being young,

一如收穫比墾荒好，或和平比戰爭好。

just like harvest better than cultivation, or peace better than war.

年輕時我們和命運對抗，到老來和解了。

In youth, we confront ourselves with the fate; when we become senior citizens, we resign ourselves to it.

成年以前的我們是“危機四伏，,

Before we are grown-ups, dangers are around us everywhere,

門外一步都是不可知，正所謂“如暗夜行走”。

and wherever we set our foot to are full of uncertainties, just like walking in the dark. 

到了壯而行，

As weve grown big enough and been ready to go out,

手裡有地圖，心中有煎熬，

with our career mapped out and deep sense of unease in our hearts,

天天“冰炭滿懷抱”，靈肉衝突，義利衝突，群己衝突，哪有安寧。

with extremes in our bosoms: conflicts between idea and reality, righteousness and self-profit, individual and group, where can we find a peace of mind?

謝天謝地，總算老了，跳出三界，不列五行。

Thanks to Heaven, finally we are getting old, and getting rid of all of those onerous burden we have had in this mundane world. 

還用得著自己拿鞭子抽自己的背嗎？

Do you have to whip you up with your own scourge any more?

還用得著自己拿刀割自己的耳朵嗎，

Do you have to stimulate yourself by cutting the flesh out your body?

再也用不著一夜急白了鬍子、三天急瞎了眼睛，

No, and you dont have to be so apprehensive about anything that your beard turning grey over one night, and your eyes becoming blind in three days.

再也用不著“為伊消得人憔悴”。

You dont have to be emaciated because of missing the girl in your dream.

不喜不懼，無雨無晴。

Care about nothing joyful or fearful, and let nothing affect your mood.

這段話，

Such words

我的同學少年也聽不進，他們說我是酸葡萄。

fall on deaf ears by my classmates who are junior to me; they say my advice are just sour grapes. 

老年最忌悔恨，悔恨傷身傷神。

The last thing for the aged to do is to repent, for repentance would hurt your body and your soul.

我有一篇短文勸人“不要悔”，流傳頗廣。

I used to write a short piece of eassy dissuading people "Dont regret it", which had gained widespread resonance. 

悔恨的聲音還是常聽見，

Nevertheless, sound of remorse is still constantly heard. 

有人說他當年經手公款成億成萬，從未貪污，以致老來受窮。

Someone said he used to handle government fund of hundred thousands, but he never stole anything out of it.  Now he is old and being under reduced circumstance.

有人說當年官場爭逐，他講義氣讓一步，讓他的好朋友升上去，

Someone said he competed for a higher position in the office with one of his best friends, and he cherished their friendship and let that guy get the job.

結果“官大一級壓死人”，一生受這朋友欺負，悔不當年把這廝一腳踹下去。

You know what?  "Boss is always right", since then he had been been bullied by the "friend", so he repented that he hadnt kicked that dudes ass in the first place.  

有的老人後悔他以前做過的好事，往往變成很壞的人。

Some old people who regreted that they did good deeds in the past but failed to get anything in return later are liable to become evil guys.

中國民間有個詞兒，謂之“老壞”，值得警惕。

We should take that Chinese folk saying "bad old guy" as a cautionary tale.

美國做學問的人在這方面也有見解。

Some American scholars have their own explanations on this aspect.

據他們說，

According to their survey,

許多美國老人眼見老人的福利日減，

a lot of American seniors are facing the worsening situation like dwindling social benefit for the aged,

年輕人對老人的態度也越來越差，

increasing disrespect to old people from younger generations

社會的道德水準在下降，

and the degradation of social codes of ethics;

於是認為社會辜負了他，甚至認為社會欺騙了他。

therefore, they think the society has disappointed them, or even cheated on them.

這等人覺得他以前對社會貢獻太多，太不值得，

Those seniors feel that their past contributions to this society were totally not worthy their while,

竟想在有限的餘年做些壞事來“平衡”一下，

so they even try to regain their "equilibrium" by doing something evil,

以致老人的犯罪率一再提高。

hence the the rate of senior crimal offenses keep going up.   

這消息掃盡老人的面子，

The survey has disgraced the old people, utterly made them lose faces.

那天我暗暗立下“最後一個志願”，

Someday I would make "one last vow" silently that  

但願能做個“不太壞”的老頭兒。

I hope I am able to be a "not that bad" old man for the rest of my life.

 

To be continued....