名著精讀:《悉達多》 兒子(1)

THE SON
Timid and weeping, the boy had attended his mother's funeral; gloomy and shy, he had listened to Siddhartha, who greeted him as his son and welcomed him at his place in Vasudeva's hut. Pale, he sat for many days by the hill of the dead, did not want to eat, gave no open look, did not open his heart, met his fate with resistance and denial.
Siddhartha spared him and let him do as he pleased, he honoured his mourning. Siddhartha understood that his son did not know him, that he could not love him like a father. Slowly, he also saw and understood that the eleven-year-old was a pampered boy, a mother's boy, and that he had grown up in the habits of rich people, accustomed to finer food, to a soft bed, accustomed to giving orders to servants. Siddhartha understood that the mourning, pampered child could not suddenly and willingly be content with a life among strangers and in poverty. He did not force him, he did many a chore for him, always picked the best piece of the meal for him. Slowly, he hoped to win him over, by friendly patience.
Rich and happy, he had called himself, when the boy had come to him. Since time had passed on in the meantime, and the boy remained a stranger and in a gloomy disposition, since he displayed a proud and stubbornly disobedient heart, did not want to do any work, did not pay his respect to the old men, stole from Vasudeva's fruit-trees, then Siddhartha began to understand that his son had not brought him happiness and peace, but suffering and worry. But he loved him, and he preferred the suffering and worries of love over happiness and joy without the boy.

兒子
那孩子戰戰兢兢地哭着參加了母親的葬禮。他臉色陰沉的害羞地聽着席特哈爾塔認他這個兒子，歡迎他留在瓦蘇代瓦的茅屋裏。他一連多天面色蒼白地坐在安葬他母親的小山旁，不思飲食，緊閉雙眼，也緊鎖了心扉，苦苦地反抗命運。
席特哈爾塔很關心他，對他不加干涉，尊重他的悲哀。席特哈爾塔明白，兒子不熟悉他，不可能像愛父親那樣愛他。他漸漸發現這個十一歲的少年是個嬌生慣養的孩子，是媽媽的心肝寶貝，在富裕的環境里長大，吃慣了佳餚美食，睡慢了柔軟的牀鋪，習慣了對僕人發號施令。席特哈爾塔明白，悲傷和寵慣的孩子不可能一下子就心甘情願地滿足於陌生和貧困的環境。他並不強迫孩子，而是爲他做一些事，總是把最好吃的東西留給他。他希望通過友好的耐心來慢慢贏得孩子的心。
孩子來到他身邊時他說自己很富有很幸福。隨着時光流逝，孩子對他仍然疏遠和冷淡，性情自負而固執，不願幹活兒，對老人不尊敬，還偷摘瓦蘇代瓦樹上的果子。席特哈爾塔開始意識到，兒子到來並沒帶來幸福與安寧，而是帶來了煩惱與憂慮。可是他愛孩子，寧可忍受愛的煩惱與憂慮，那也比沒有孩子的幸福和快樂要強。