《先知》(The Prophet)法律

Then a lawyer said, "But what of our Laws, master?"

And he answered:

You delight in laying down laws,

Yet you delight more in breaking them.

Like children playing by the ocean who build sand-towers with constancy and then destroy them with laughter.

But while you build your sand-towers the ocean brings more sand to the shore,

And when you destroy them, the ocean laughs with you.

Verily the ocean laughs always with the innocent.

But what of those to whom life is not an ocean, and man-made laws are not sand-towers,

But to whom life is a rock, and the law a chisel with which they would carve it in their own likeness?

What of the cripple who hates dancers?

What of the ox who loves his yoke and deems the elk and deer of the forest stray and vagrant things?

What of the old serpent who cannot shed his skin, and calls all others naked and shameless?

And of him who comes early to the wedding-feast, and when over-fed and tired goes his way saying that all feasts are violation and all feasters law-breakers?

What shall I say of these save that they too stand in the sunlight, but with their backs to the sun?

They see only their shadows, and their shadows are their laws.

And what is the sun to them but a caster of shadows?

And what is it to acknowledge the laws but to stoop down and trace their shadows upon the earth?

But you who walk facing the sun, what images drawn on the earth can hold you?

You who travel with the wind, what weathervane shall direct your course?

What man's law shall bind you if you break your yoke but upon no man's prison door?

What laws shall you fear if you dance but stumble against no man's iron chains?

And who is he that shall bring you to judgment if you tear off your garment yet leave it in no man's path?

People of Orphalese, you can muffle the drum, and you can loosen the strings of the lyre, but who shall command the skylark not to sing?

法律

然后，一位律師說，但我們的法律是怎樣的呢，大師?

他答道：

你們樂于立法，

但更樂于破壞它們。

如同海邊玩耍的孩子，孜孜不倦地搭建沙塔，再笑著將它們破壞。

不過當你們搭建沙塔時，大海又將更多的沙子帶到海灘，

而你們摧毀沙塔時，大海又與你們同笑。

的確，大?？偸峭煺鏌o知的人一起嬉戲。

但對那些生活不是海洋，人為的法律并非沙塔的人又如何呢?

對于那些以生活為巖石，以法律為刻刀，以自身為原型，在石上雕鑿的人又如何呢?

對嫉恨舞者的殘疾呢?

對喜歡挽軛，視林中康鹿為迷途流浪者的公牛呢?

對無法蛻皮而稱他人的赤裸為不知羞恥的老蛇呢?

對那些早早來到婚宴，飽足疲倦后宣稱一切宴會都是對法律的褻瀆，所有赴宴者都是犯法者的人呢?

對于這等人，除了說他們站在太陽下卻背對太陽外，我還能說他們些什么呢?

他們只看到自己的影子，這影子就是他們的法律。

對他們來說，太陽除了投影者外還是什么呢?

莫非承認法律只是屈背俯首者追隨自己的投在地上的影子?

假如你們面向太陽行進，投射在大地上的陰影怎能將你們羈絆?

如果你們御風而行，什么樣的風向標能為你們指示方向?

如果你們不在他人串門前打碎枷鎖，人為的法律怎能將你們束縛?

如果你們跳舞而不碰撞任何人的鐵鏈，有什么法律會令你們害怕呢?

如果你們扯下衣衫，卻不丟棄在任何人的路上，誰又會把你們帶上法庭呢?

奧法利斯城的人們啊，你們可以掩住鼓聲，松弛琴弦，但誰又能夠下令禁止云雀歌唱?