雙語散文:點不亮的蠟燭
【英文原文】
摘要：一個男人有一個小女兒，那是唯一的孩子，他深深地愛着她，爲她而活，她就是他的生命。所以，當女兒生病時，他像瘋了一般竭盡全力想讓她恢復健康。
A man had a little daughter—an only and much-loved child. He lived for her—she was his life. So when she became ill, he became like a man possessed, moving heaven and earth to bring about her restoration to health.
His best efforts, however, proved unavailing and the child died. The father became a bitter recluse, shutting himself away from his many friends and refusing every activity that might restore his poise and bring him back to his normal self. But one night he had a dream.
He was in heaven, witnessing a grand pageant of all the little child angels. They were marching in a line passing by the Great White Throne. Every white-robed angelic child carried a candle. He noticed that one child’s candle was not lighted. Then he saw that the child with the dark candle was his own little girl. Rushing to her, he seized her in his arms, caressed her tenderly, and then asked, “How is it, darling, that your candle alone is unlighted?” “Daddy, they often relight it, but your tears always put it out.”
Just then he awoke from his dream. The lesson was crystal clear, and its effects were immediate. From that hour on he was not a recluse, but mingled freely and cheerfully with his former friends and associates. No longer would his darling’s candle be extinguished by his useless tears.
【中文譯文】
一個男人有一個小女兒，那是唯一的孩子，他深深地愛着她，爲她而活，她就是他的生命。所以，當女兒生病時，他像瘋了一般竭盡全力想讓她恢復健康。
然而，他所有的努力都無濟於事，女兒還是死了。父親變得痛苦遁世，避開了許多朋友，拒絕參加一切能使他恢復平靜，回到自我的活動。但有一天夜裏，他做了一個夢。
他到了天堂，看到所有的小天使都身穿白色天使衣，手裏拿着一根蠟燭。他注意到有一個小天使的蠟燭沒有點亮。隨後，他看到那個拿着沒有點亮的蠟燭的小天使是自己的女兒。他奔過去，一把將女兒抱在懷裏，親切地愛撫着她，然後問道：“寶貝兒，爲什麼只有你的蠟燭沒有點亮呢？”“爸爸，他們經常重新點亮蠟燭，可是你的眼淚總是把它熄滅。”
就在這時，他從夢中醒來。夢給他上的一課像水晶般透明，而且立竿見影。從那個時刻起，他不再消極遁世，而是自由自在，興高采烈的回到從前的朋友和同事們中間。寶貝女兒的蠟燭再也沒有被他無用的眼淚熄滅過。
