苏格拉底与失恋者的对话

A Conversation Between Socrates and a Young Man

苏：孩子，为什么悲伤？

　　Socrates asked, “Son, why are you so sad?”

　　失：我失恋了。

　　“My lover walked away from me.”

　　苏：哦，这很正常。如果失恋了没有悲伤，恋爱大概也就没有什么味道。可是，年轻人，我怎么发现你对失恋的投入甚至比对恋爱的投入还要倾心呢？

　　“Oh, it doesn't matter. If you do not feel sorrowful when love walks away from you, love will have had no beauty at all. Tell me, young man, why do you seem to be more involved than when you were in love?”

　　失：到手的葡萄给丢了，这份遗憾，这份失落，您非个中人，怎知其中的酸楚啊。

　　“The grapes that I can lay my hands on have moved beyond my reach, and you could not even imagine the regret and misery if you were not me.” Said the young man.

　　苏：丢了就丢了，何不继续向前走，鲜美的葡萄还有很多。

　　“What is lost is lost. Why not move on? There are plenty of grapes ahead.”

　　失：我真想做些事来毁掉她，我得不到的别人也别想得到。

　　“I really want to do something to ruin her. I don't want others to get what I couldn't.”

　　苏：可这只能使你离她更远，而你本来是想与她更接近的。

　　“But that will push her farther away; in fact what you want is to be closer to her.”

　　失：您说我该怎么办？我可真的很爱她。

　　“What should I do? I really love her.”

　　苏：真的很爱？那你当然希望你所爱的人幸福？

　　“Really love her? Then you must wish all the best for her.”

　　失：那是自然。

　　“Sure.”

　　苏：如果她认为离开你是一种幸福？

　　“Maybe walking away from you is a kind of happiness to her.”

　　失：不会的！她曾经跟我说，只有跟我在一起的时候她才感到幸福！

　　“No! She once told me she could feel happy only when she was with me.”

　　苏：那时曾经，是过去，可她现在并不这么认为。

　　“Perhaps she was, but now she doesn't think so.”

　　失：这就是说，她一直在骗我？

　　“Do you mean she has been cheating me?”

　　苏：不，她一直对你很忠诚。当她爱你的时候，她和你在一起，现在她不爱你，她就离去了，世界上再也没有比这更大的忠诚。如果她不再爱你，却还装得对你很有情意，甚至跟你结婚、生子，那才是真正的欺骗呢。

　　“No. She has always been true to you. She used to love you and be with you, but now she doesn't love you any longer and turns away from you. That's loyalty in its true sense. If she doesn't love you but still pretends to, and even marries you and has children, you can call it deception.”

　　失：可我为她所投入的感情不是白白浪费了吗？谁来补偿我？

　　“How about the feelings I poured on her? Who will pay me back?”

　　苏：不，你的感情从来没有浪费。因为在你付出感情的同时，她也对你付出了感情，在你给她快乐的时候，她也给了你快乐。

　　“No, you have never wasted your feelings on her. When you gave your love to her, she also gave you hers. When you made her happy, she also made you happy.”

　　失：可是她现在不爱我了，我却还苦苦的爱着她，这多不公平啊！

　　“But it's still unfair.”

　　苏：的确不公平，我是说对你所爱的那个人不公平。本来，爱她是你的权利，但爱不爱你是她的权利，而你却想在自己行使权利的时候剥夺别人行使权利的自由。这是何等的不公平！

　　“Indeed it is unfair. I mean you are unfair to your beloved one. You have the right to love her, but to love you or not is also her right. But you are depriving her of her fight when you want to exercise yours. How unfair is that!”

　　失：可是您看得明白，现在痛苦的是我而不是她，是我在为她而痛苦！

　　“But you know it is I who feel miserable not her, and for her sake!”

　　苏：为她而痛苦？她的日子可能过得很好，不如说你为自己而痛苦吧。明明是为自己，却还打着为别人的旗号。

　　“For her? It's for your sake.”

　　失：依你的说法，这一切倒成了我的错？

　　“You mean it is all my fault?”

　　苏：是的，从开始你就犯了错。如果你能给她带来幸福，她是不会从你的生活中离开的，要知道，没有人会逃离幸福。无论如何，时间会扶平你心灵的创伤。

　　“Yes. Your mistakes started from the very beginning. If you were able to bring her happiness, she wouldn't have left you. Nobody will escape from happiness. Anyway, time will heal your broken heart.”

　　失：但愿我也有这一天，可我的第一步该从哪里做起呢？

　　“I hope so. But what should I do now?”

　　苏：去感谢哪个抛弃你的人，为她祝福。

　　“Thank her and pray for her.”

　　失：为什么？

　　“Why?”

　　苏：因为她给了你忠诚，给了你寻找幸福的新的机会。

　　“Because she gave you another opportunity to start a new life.”