當風箏遇上風

文◎Wayne B.Lynn 繪◎也圓

在一個有風的春日，我看到一群年輕人正在迎風放風箏玩樂，各種顏色、各種形狀和大小的風箏就好像美麗的鳥兒在空中飛舞。當強風把風箏吹起，牽引線就能夠控制它們。

風箏迎風飄向更高的地方，而不是隨風而去。它們搖擺著、拉扯著，但牽引線以及笨重的尾巴使它們處于控制之中，并且迎風而上。它們掙扎著、抖動著想要掙脫線的束縛，仿佛在說：“放開我！放開我！我想要自由！”終于，一只風箏成功掙脫了。

然而，脫離束縛的自由使它完全處于無情微風的擺布下。它毫無風度地震顫著向地面墜落，落在一堆亂草之中，線纏繞在一棵死灌木上。

有時我們真像這風箏啊！我們中有些人是如此強硬地抵制規則，以至我們從來無法飛到本來能夠達到的高度。我們只遵從部分戒律，因此永遠不會飛得足夠高，

使尾巴遠離地面。

One windy spring day, I observed young people having fun using the wind to fl y their kites. Multicolored creations of varying shapes and sizes fi lled the skies like beautiful birds darting①and dancing. As the strong winds gusted②against the kites, a string kept them in check.

Instead of blowing away with the wind, they arose against it to achieve great heights. They shook and pulled, but the restraining string and the cumbersome③tail kept them in tow④, facing upward and against the wind. As the kites struggled and trembled against the string, they seemed to say," Let me go! Let me go! I want to be free!" Finally, one of the kites succeeded in breaking loose.

Yet freedom from restraint simply put it at the mercy of⑤an unsympathetic⑥breeze. It fluttered ungracefully to the ground and landed in a tangled⑦mass of weeds and string against a dead bush.

How much like kites we sometimes are. Some of us tug at the rules so hard that we never soar to reach the heights we might have obtained. We keep part of the commandment⑧and never rise high enough to get our tails off the ground.

① dart 英 [dɑ?t] 美 [dɑrt] vt. 投擲，投射；使迅速突然移動 vi. 向前沖，飛奔 n. 飛鏢，標槍；急馳，飛奔；（蟲的）螯；飛快的移動

② gust 英 [g?st] 美 [ɡ?st] n. 風味；一陣狂風；趣味 vi. 一陣陣地勁吹

③cumbersome 英['k?mb?s(?)m] adj. 笨重的；累贅的；難處理的

④tow 英 [t??] 美 [to] n. 拖；麻的粗纖維；拖曳所用之繩 vt. 拖；牽引；曳 vi. 被拖帶；拖行

⑤at the mercy of 受……支配

⑥ unsympathetic 英 [,?ns?mp?'θet?k]美 [,?n,s?mp?'θ?t?k] adj. 不表同情的；不同情的

⑦ tangle 英 ['t??g(?)l] 美 ['t??ɡl] n. 糾紛；混亂狀態vt. 使糾纏；處于混亂狀態 vi. 纏結；亂作一團

⑧ commandment 英 [k?'mɑ?ndm?nt]美 [k?'m?ndm?nt] n. 戒律；法令