我与怠惰的一次争论
天路客与怠惰的冲突
Pilgrim’s Conflict with Sloth
My name is Pilgrim. Yesterday
我叫天路客。昨天
At dusk, I met along my way黄昏的路上，我遇见An enemy. His name was Sloth.一个仇敌。他叫怠惰。He tried to lure me, like a moth,
试图引诱我，如飞蛾，
Exhausted, to his idle flames.
扑向闲散之火，消耗殆尽。
As always, he used other names:
一如既往，他用其他名字：
Relief and Respite and Repose
平息，喘息，休息
And Rest, and Leisure. These he knows
安息，还有休憩。他所知
Are worthy seasons in this age—
这时代的好理由 ——
Worthy names to make a sage
好名目足使恶棍
Out of a scoundrel.
变身智者。
“Look,” he said
“听着，”他说
To me, affecting praise, “you've led
对我深情的赞扬，“你牧会
Your church for thirty years. And I
三十载。而我
Am glad that you at last comply
欣慰你最终听从
With my advice. I'm willing still
我的建议。我始终乐意
To help you rest, though my goodwill,
助你休息，尽管我心，
I must admit, has withered from
不可否认，屡屡憔悴
All your unwillingness to come
你总拒绝前来
When I've invited you before.”
当我恳切邀请。”
But I replied, “I still deplore
我却回答，“我仍要谴责
Your ways and your deceitful snares.
你之道路，欺诈之阱。
What makes you think that all my cares
何以揣测我意
Would suddenly transform your mirth
将顷刻转向你之欢笑
And your amusements, as if worth
你之愉悦，仿佛价值
Were made of ease and emptiness?
是安逸和空虚所造？
My urgent prayers do not express
我迫切祷告绝不
Compliance with your old advice.
苟同你昨日之劝告。
No more today does it entice
今日它绝不比往昔
Than it has ever done.”
更加诱人。”
“Then why,”
“可是为何，”
Said Sloth, “do you retire? Should I
怠惰说，“ 你退休了，难道我不该
Not hear this as a knocking at
听见你亲自扣响
My door? Come now. My welcome mat
我的门？过来吧。我已伸出
Is out. Are you not standing there?”
橄榄枝。你不是正在门外？”
“No,” I replied, “I’m not. And where
“不，”我回答，“我不在那里。
I stand you cannot comprehend.
我所站之地你无法理解。
I do not aim with you to spend
我不打算跟你花上
A single hour, though I confess
一个钟点，即使我早看清
You are a subtle cheat, and dress
你是狡猾的骗子
Your house with promises your name
以诺言装点门面，你的名却
Can never keep—Sloth! To my shame,
从未兑现承诺 —— 怠惰！我羞愧，
I visited your rooms enough
过去太常造访你的房间
To know—you are not Rest. You bluff
才弄清 —— 你绝非“休息”。你吹嘘
Your way into the lives of drained
你的手腕，向枯竭
And weary men, with pity feigned,
又疲惫的人们，假装慈悲，
And promise life—as if the soul
许诺生命 —— 似乎人之灵魂
Of man were made to sit and roll
注定呆坐并抛掷
The dice until some happy pair
骰子，等待幸福的点子
Make him a champ or millionaire.
为己加冕，或是腰缠万贯。
You cannot understand my aims.
你不会明白我的目标。
I do not live for wealth or games.”
我活着，不为财富或比赛。”
Sloth felt the sting and said, “I know
怠惰感到刺痛并说，“我知道
Your kind, a workaholic. O,
你这类人，工作狂。噢，
Sleep not, play not, throw to the wind
不睡觉，不玩乐，将上帝
God’s gift of leisure days. Rescind
假日的恩赐抛诸脑后。抹杀
The work of Christ who bought your rest.
基督的工作，带你入安息的那位。
O, yes, I know your kind: invest,
啊，是的，我晓得你这类型：投入，
Invest, invest. And never take
投入，投入。却从不
Your dividends on earth. You make
在地上获益。你借由
Your way to heaven by your work,
工作上天堂，
Your precious work. O, do not shirk
你珍贵的工作。噢，可别短了
A moment from your service of
一刻去服侍你的
This holy god, your life, your love.”
神圣偶像，你的生命，你的挚爱。”
“Perhaps,” I said, “had I not heard
“或许，”我说，“若我没听过
This censuring before, conferred
这责备从
From better lips than yours, I would
比你好的口而出，我会
Just thank you for the warning. Good
感谢你的提醒。良好
And useful outcomes flow from such
而有益的结论从这般谴责
Rebukes, when love is in the touch.
发出，若是以爱触摸。
But you have never loved. Along
但你从未去爱。同你一道的
With wrath and greed and pride and strong
狂怒、贪心、骄傲，放纵
Desires for sex and food and eminence,
食、色、名之欲望，
You seven deadly sins dispense
你们七宗死罪
Destruction everywhere, and then
四处拆毁破坏，还有
You cover treachery again,
你们一再掩盖背叛，
And smile as you condemn the heart
笑着给心定罪
That wars to quench your flaming dart.
它要宣战熄灭你的火箭。
You cannot grasp in part or whole
你无法获悉部分或整体
The glory of a Christian soul
一个基督徒灵魂的荣耀
At work and rest.”
工作和休息之中。”
The sun had set.
夕阳已沉。
And sloth said, “Night comes, Pilgrim, let
怠惰说，“黑夜来临，天路客，容我
Me now keep your book while you sleep.
在你入眠时保管你的书。
Will not your tireless Jesus keep
你那不知疲倦的耶稣岂不看护
Your going out and coming in?
你出你入？
Come, Pilgrim, rest, it is not sin
来吧，天路客，休息吧，睡觉
To sleep.”
不是罪。”
“That’s true,” I said, “but it
“没错，”我说，“可是
Is sin to sleep for Sloth. I will not sit
怠惰而睡便是罪。我不坐
Or lie while you are near, but stand
也不躺，只要你在，我必站着
And take this book in my right hand,
这书不离开我的右手，
And in my mouth, until you are
不离开我的嘴唇，直到你
No longer in my way, nor bar
离开我的道路，不挡住
My path of industry in this
勤勉之径
Next season of my life. You miss
在这生命的下个章节。你错失了
The mark, Old Sloth. You do not know
机会，老家伙，怠惰。你不知道
What Jesus bought.”
耶稣所带来的。”
“O yes, I’ll show
“噢 我当然
You,” Sloth replied, “Come unto me
知道，”怠惰回答，“到我这来
All you who labor now and see
所有劳苦的，享有
The rest that I have bought for you—
我给你们的休息 ——
That’s what he bought.”
这就是他带来的。”
“Quotes that are true,”
“无误的引文，”
I said, “do not make truth. Old sins,
我说，“不天然为真。顽固的罪啊，
Like heretics, build vice on spins
如同异端，建立诸多恶行
From true, half-cited texts. How gives
在真实的断片残语上。怎能
The Lord this rest? As my God lives,
献给主如此休息？我的上帝活着，
I’ll tell you, Sloth: he gives his rest
我告诉你，怠惰：他赐予他的安息
Under a yoke—his sweet bequest,
在轭之下 —— 他甘甜的馈赠，
Blood-bought, and suited to the back
鲜血浇祭，负于
Of every weary saint. The knack
每个劳苦圣徒的后背。一切耕作的
Of all our plowing: Jesus makes
法门：耶稣减轻
The weighty burden light, and takes
我们的重负，握住
The yoke-beams in his hand, and lifts
轭在手中，抬起
And carries us. Our works are gifts.
且担当我们。工作是礼物。
And Jesus is the giver. Grace
耶稣是给予者。恩典
Bought and powers every pace,
涌流，力上加力，每一步，
And every enterprise. Sloth, we
每项工作。怠惰，我们
Were made, and made again, to be
被创造，被新造，是为与
Co-makers with the Maker of
祂同工，与那造物主
The world—to see the world above
创造世界 —— 去看其上的世界
And then to make the world below
然后塑造其下的世界
More beautiful, to learn, to know,
更美好是：去学习，去了解，
And then to make, to shape, adorn,
去创造，去雕琢，去装饰，
Compose, produce, and turn a thorn
去构造，去生产，去将荆棘
Into an etching tool—to write, to say
变为利具 —— 去写作，去诉说
What never has been said that way,
那些还没这般表达过的，
To sing, to draw, to paint, to build,
去歌唱，去勾勒，去绘画，去建造，
To stitch and weave until we’ve filled
去穿针引线，直到我们
The world with truth. For this God spoke,
用真理充满世界。为此，上帝命令，
And Jesus died. This is our yoke.
耶稣死去。这是我们的轭。
Our happy yoke. You will not take
我们幸福的轭。你无法拿走
My work. Sloth, we were made to make.”
我的工作。怠惰，我们被造是为创造。”
“So, Pilgrim,” Sloth replied, “you’ll earn
“那么，天路客，”怠惰回应，“你要用作品
Your heaven with your arts? Go learn
赚取天堂？去仔细
Your Bible better. Saved by grace,
学学你的圣经。得救本乎恩，
Not works, the book is clear. Go chase
不是工作，写得清楚。去追逐
Your heaven, laboring. That’s not my taste.”
你的天堂吧，劳工。这不是我的品味。”
“My heaven, Sloth” I answered, “chased
“我的天堂，怠惰” 我回答，“追赶了
Me long before I found my way
我，远早于我找到通往
To it. Grace, to be sure! The day
那里的路。恩典，是的！那一天
Will show again the half-text you
你遗漏的半句话
Left out. Sloth, we are made to do:
要再次彰显。怠惰，我们被造为要去行：
We are his workmanship in Christ,
我们是在基督耶稣里创造的
Made for good works. He sacrificed
为要叫我们行善。他献出
His life that we might live in them.
生命以至我们活在他们里面。
He the vine, and we the stem,
他是葡萄树，我们是枝子，
And they, the fruit. Is not the fruit
还有那些果子。岂不是我们生命中
Of love our life?”
爱的果子吗？”
“Pointless dispute!”
“胡言乱语！”
Sloth muttered to himself. He turned
怠惰喃喃自语。他转过头
To go, and said to me, “You’ve spurned
要走，对我说，“你拒绝了
My offer of sweet rest. Go waste
我美妙休息的提议。去吧，浪费
Your life. You are a fool. You’ll taste
你的生命。你这蠢货。你将品尝
Your sorrow. Mark my words.” And he
你的悲哀。记住我的话。”他
Was gone.
走了。
And so, one victory
是的，一次胜利
Obtained, my weary soul was kept.
达成了，我疲惫的灵魂得以保全。
And I lay down my head and slept.
接着，我耷拉下脑袋，睡了。
尾语：
最近，财务自由和提前退休，似乎成为了“有志青年”们的热门话题。我们这届年轻人似乎越来越少的谈论理想和付出，越来越多的考虑如何享受生活、逃避负担、爱护自己。美国流行的F.I.R.E运动，号召在30、40岁实现财务自由，享受退休生活。而这首诗却是一个年近古稀的牧者在退休之际的“争战”。PIlgrim's Conflict with Sloth 是约翰•派博在卸任牧师后所写的一首诗。派博作为牧师服侍伯利恒浸信教会超过30年（1980 - 2013，退休时已67岁）。从这位份上退下来的时候，派博问自己：“对于停下来，我感受如何？”，“我是停下了吗？”，“我应该继续工作吗？”，“什么是正确的工作观？”...在这首诗中，我们看到派博牧师的思索和内心，以及他对这些问题的回答。
注：推送开头的视频是派博牧师亲自朗读这首诗，很棒哦！
又注：塔城翻译能力有限，欢迎指正错谬疏漏。实在不行，请读英文！
视频及文字来源：https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/pilgrims-conflict-with-sloth
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