英譯現(xiàn)代散文●在德國——自己的花是讓別人看的 ◎ 季羨林

在德國——自己的花是讓別人看的

Growing Flowers for the Benefit of All

◎　季羨林

◎　Ji Xianlin

愛美大概也算是人的天性吧。宇宙間美的東西很多，花在其中占重要的地位。愛花的民族也很多，德國在其中占重要的地位。

It is perhaps human nature to love things beautiful. The universe abounds in things of beauty, flowers being the most prominent among them. Many peoples, especially the Germans, love flowers.

四五十年以前我在德國留學(xué)的時候，我曾多次對德國人愛花之真切感到吃驚。家家戶戶都在養(yǎng)花。他們的花不像在中國那樣，養(yǎng)在屋子里，他們是把花都栽種在臨街窗戶的外面?；ǘ涠汲忾_，在屋子里只能看到花的脊梁。我曾問過我的女房東：你這樣養(yǎng)花是給別人看的吧!她莞爾一笑說道：“正是這樣!”

Upwards of 40 years ago, when I was a student studying in Germany, I was often deeply impressed by the genuine love shown by Germans for flowers. All German families raised flowers. Unlike people in China who kept pot flowers indoors, Germans had their flowers planted outside their windows fronting the street. With the opening flowers exposing their front to the street, residents could only see their back. Once I said to my landlady,“You must be growing your flowers for all to enjoy!”“Exactly!”she replied with a sweet smile.

正是這樣，也確實(shí)不錯。走過任何一條街，抬頭向上看，家家的窗子前都是花團(tuán)錦簇，姹紫嫣紅。許多窗子連接在一起，匯成了一個花的海洋，讓我們看的人如入山陰道上，應(yīng)接不暇。每一家都是這樣，在屋子里的時候，自己的花是讓別人看的。走在街上的時候，自己又看別人的花。人人為我，我為人人。我覺得這一種境界是頗耐人尋味的。

Yes, exactly. Wherever I went in town, I would raise my head only to see all residents' windows ablaze with flowers. And all windows joined together one after another to form a sea of flowers. So visitors seemed to find themselves in a land of so many lovely scenes that they were kept busy feasting their eyes all the time. As was the case with every family in the country, Germans, while at home, were happy to find their flowers pleasing the public eyes, but when they were out in the street, they enjoyed the sight of other people's flowers. All for one and one for all. Their noble qualities, I think, provide much food for thought.

今天我又到了德國，剛一下火車，迎接我們的主人問我：“你離開德國這樣久，有什么變化沒有?”我說：“變化是有的，但是美麗并沒有改變。”我說“美麗”指的東西很多，其中也包含著美麗的花。我走在街上，抬頭一看，又是家家戶戶的窗口上都堵滿了鮮花。多么奇麗的景色!多么奇特的民族!我仿佛又回到四五十年前去，我做了一個花的夢，做了一個思鄉(xiāng)的夢。

Now, I am in Germany again. The German host welcoming me at the railway station asked,“It's a long time since you were here last. Do you see any changes?”“Yes, I do,”said I.“But beauty remains unchanged.”I explained that beauty, as I had mentioned, referred to many things, including beautiful flowers. Out on the street, I would look up and see the windows of all homes blocked up with flowers. What a scene of enchanting beauty! What an unusual nation! I seemed to have returned to the days of more than 40 years before. I had dreamed a dream of flowers, a nostalgic dream!

《在德國——自己的花是讓別人看的》是我國著名教育家、印度學(xué)家、散文家季羨林1985年8月寫于德國斯圖加特郵政旅館的一篇小品。