生活的藝術

本文是由英國作家J. B.普里斯特列 （1894—1984）創作的一篇教人如何去追求美好生活的小品文。文章語言精練，讀起來朗朗上口，值得細細品味。

The art of living is to know when to hold fast and when to let go. For life is a paradox： it enjoins us to cling to its many gifts even while it ordains their eventual relinquishment. The rabbis of old put it this way， “A man comes to this world with his fist clenched， but when he dies， his hand is open.”

Surely we ought to hold fast to life， for it is wondrous， and full of a beauty that breaks through every pore of Gods own earth. We know that this is so， but all too often we recognize this truth only in our backward glance when we remember what was and then suddenly realize that it is no more.

We remember a beauty that faded， a love that waned. But we remember with far greater pain that we did not see that beauty when it flowered， that we failed to respond with love when it was tendered.

Here then is the first pole of lifes paradoxical demands on us： Never too busy for the wonder and the awe of life. Be reverent before each dawning day. Embrace each hour. Seize each golden minute.

Hold fast to life… but not so fast that you cannot let go. This is the second side of lifes coin， the opposite pole of its paradox： We must accept our losses， and learn how to let go.

生活的藝術就是要懂得何時緊抓、何時放手。因為人生就是個矛盾體：在令我們依戀于它所賦予的種種恩賜時，也注定我們最終得放棄這些恩賜。正如古代的猶太學者們所言：“人降世時拳頭緊握，但離世時還得松手。”

我們當然要緊抓生命，不僅因為它奇妙無比，而且因為它所蘊含的美已散布到地球的每個角落。其實，我們都懂得這個道理，然而我們往往只有在回首過去時才會明白這一點，只是在記起它往昔的美麗時，我們卻突然發現已時過境遷。

我們銘記褪色的美、消逝的愛。但是這種記憶卻飽含著苦澀，我們痛惜沒有在美麗綻放的時候注意它，沒有在愛情到來的時候回應它。

因此，對我們有著自相矛盾的要求的人生一方面要求我們：不要過于忙碌而錯失生活中的美好和莊嚴；虔誠地迎接每個黎明的到來；擁抱每一個時辰，抓住珍貴的每一分鐘。

緊緊把握人生……但又不能抓得過死，松不開手。這是人生這枚硬幣的另一面，也正是其矛盾的另一面：我們必須接受失去的現實，學會如何放手。

Word Study

paradox /'p?r?d?ks/ n. 矛盾的人（或事物、情況）

He was a paradox—a loner who loved to chat to strangers.

clench /klent?/ v.（通常表示憤怒或不安時）捏緊，攥緊（拳頭等）

He clenched his fists in anger.

glance /ɡlɑ?ns/ n. 匆匆一看；一瞥

fade /fe?d/ v. 逐漸消逝；逐漸消失

His voice faded to a whisper.

embrace /?m'bre?s/ v. 抱；擁抱