14. Manna issue 59 - Creative Writing 創意寫作
Return to Me and I Will Return to You 現在你們要轉向我，我就轉向你們
Sister in Christ 基督裡的姐妹
I 一
Eager hands open the clasp of my childhood Bible
Words float easily before me
A simple step away from bed, I kneel and close my eyes
I speak the prayers on my mind
And God’s touch is sweet.
飢渴的雙手打開我童年的聖經，
文字輕輕飄過我的眼前，
我僅需從跨步下床，跪下並閉上眼睛，
我在心中默禱，
神的感動是甜蜜的。
The strong voice of the preacher on a Sabbath day
Plucks a harmonious melody
That warms and satisfies my soul.
The harvest is plenty but the laborers are few;
I willingly put up my hand and offer what I can.
安息日傳道洪亮的聲音，
撥動和諧悅耳的旋律，
溫暖且滿足了我的靈魂。
要收的莊稼多，作工的人少；
我樂意伸出自已的手並獻上自已所能提供的一切。
My service begins with a simple melody as the congregation sing
It moves on to a short Bible study as those around me share;
I start the clock and I stop the clock.
From seminar to seminar knowledge increases:
我的事奉以會眾吟唱簡單的旋律開始，
然後隨著我周圍的人進行分享，接著開始簡短的查經；
我掌控時間的開始與結束。
從一個講習會到另一個講習會，知識漸增：
I’ve read this particular passage many times
You don’t know what it means?
Let me tell you and listen to my wisdom.
I too can pursue with maturity
That’s what you and you expect.
我讀過這段特別的經節好幾遍了，
你不知道那是什麼意思嗎？
讓我告訴你，並來聆聽我的智慧。
我也可以成熟的心態追求，
這就是你的本質和你所期望的。
II 二
A seed falls effortlessly from a blackened mind and lands
In the centre of my heart;
I let the seed stay
Small fragile thing
I let it stay.
一顆種子毫不費力地從昏暗的心靈與荒蕪的大地落下，
落在我的心中；
我讓種子留下來，
這脆弱的小東西，
我讓它留下來。
My voice gets louder
My hands work faster and feet run harder
In the house of the Lord, I begin to dry myself out with
我的聲音越來越大，
我的雙手工作得更快，雙腳跑得更用力，
在主的殿堂裡，我開始自已盡力進行，
cleaning, cooking, preparing, organizing,
speaking, leading, guiding, explaining,
writing, reading, praying, singing…
清潔，烹飪，準備，組織，
演講，領導，指導，解釋，
寫作，閱讀，禱告，唱詩...
My breath is caught in a tangle of works that clutch determinedly around a weary heart
And I’m tired.
繁重的工作讓我快喘不過氣來，他們緊緊纏繞著我疲憊的心，
而我真的累了。
I will do the work because it needs to be done
I will do the work because I know how it has to be done
I will do the work because that’s what should be done
I do the work.
我會執行這項工作，因為它需去完成，
我會執行這項工作，因為我知道它該怎麼進行，
我會執行這項工作，因為那是應該完成的事情，
我就執行這項工作。
Hands avert their hold from the tattered Book on the floor
Knees refuse to bend and touch the worn carpet
Eyes only close to the call of sleep and not to the call of prayer.
雙手移走鬆開了地板的那本破爛書，
膝蓋拒絕彎曲，也不願接觸破舊的地毯，
眼睛閉上由於受到睡眠的召喚，卻不是因為需要禱告。
III 三
Tentatively I place my hands on the floor and rest on apprehensive knees
My left hand finds my right hand and they anxiously grasp one another
Warily, I shut out the light and close my eyes
I try and reach out to You.
我暫時將雙手放在地板上，落在焦慮跪下的雙膝，
我的左手找到我的右手，它們憂慮的緊握在一起，
我小心翼翼的關了燈，閉上眼睛，
我試著向你伸手。
Faint words fall dryly from proud, demanding lips
I turn from left to right
- I can’t seem to see my God anywhere
There are no whispers from Your mouth
Just echoes from noises that issue from my lips
Dreadfully I search for You and the path seems so unfamiliar.
驕傲苛刻的雙唇中乾澀的吐出微弱的話語，
我從左轉到右
—我似乎不能在任何地方看到我的神，
你口中沒有發出低語，
只有從我嘴中發出的雜音的迴響，
我恐懼的尋找你，而這條路似乎很陌生。
What is this selfish wall that looms in front of me?
We are separated
I am alone
這片堵我面前的自私牆是什麼呢？
我們分開了，
我只有自已一個人
In the dark and far away.
在黑暗遙遠之地。
IV 四
I search for You in the Book You gave me
It is placed irregularly on the floor, dusty and neglected.
My hand shakily turns the pages:
where are You? Where are You?
My hand stops, eyes rove along a multitude of verses
No longer an echo, Your voice begins to whisper:
我在你給我的書中尋找你，
它被隨意地放在地板上，佈滿灰塵，無人問津。
我的手顫抖的翻著書頁：
你在哪裡呢？你在哪裡呢？
我的手停下來，目光掃視了無數的經節，
不再是迴音，你的聲音開始小聲說：
I speak to you through bars
I speak to you through high fences
I speak to you through pride’s sinful wall
that has captured your pitiful heart.
Break through.
Disentangle your feet.
Return to Me.
我隔著多層柵欄跟你說話，
我隔著高高的籬笆跟你說話，
我隔著驕傲罪惡之牆跟你說話，
這堵牆已經擄獲了你可憐的心。
突破。
解開你腳的捆綁。
回到我身邊。
His words flicker before my darkened eyes
He’s showing me the way
He’s giving me strength to see my wrong
I see and comprehend.
祂的話語在我漆黑的眼前閃爍，
祂為我指明了道路，
祂給我力量看清自己的錯誤，
我看到且明白了。
I built that wall, O foolish heart
Those wild weeds were watered by my vanity
Those fences wrought by my unsteady hands
Those bars fashioned out of pride and immaturity.
Careless heart, so easily seduced, I cannot look at you anymore.
我建造了那堵牆，哦，愚蠢的心，
那些野草受我虛榮心的澆灌，
那些籬笆由已顫抖的手搭建，
那些柵欄因驕傲和幼稚之心而塑造。
漫不經心，輕易受到誘惑，我無法再看著你。
It is time for me to take you down
Piece by sinful piece;
It is time for me to break free.
現在是時候讓我打倒你，
一塊又一塊罪惡的破碎；
現在是我掙脫束縛的時候了。
V 五
My voice grows faint and You grow dim
How can I be sure it’s not a dream?
My knees shake and agitate, my body rocks distressingly
My prayer is weak, I cannot cry
And weeds wrap around my feet
Oh small black seed, I let you grow too wild.
我的聲音漸漸虛弱，你也漸漸黯淡，
我要怎麼確定這不是夢境呢？
我的膝蓋顫抖動搖，我的身體劇烈的搖晃，
我的祈禱很無力，我沒法哭泣，
雜草纏繞著我的腳，
哦，小小的黑色種子，我讓你長得太過茂盛了。
I take Your words in both hands and hold them close to me
The tighter my hold, the more it hurts
My heart begins to bleed repentantly.
With tears I cut away at roots
I fight my way through high fences
I cry and shout through bars that obstruct me
I reach the wall and sink Your words into the center of my separation
我雙手抓住你的話語，緊握他們靠近我，
我抓得越緊，就傷得越深，
我的內心開始悔改流血。
我用淚水斬斷惡根，
我奮力衝破高籬找到出路，
我哭泣呼喊穿過阻礙我的柵欄，
我撞到城牆，才在自已分離中將你的話語沉入內心
Return to Me and I will return to you 現在你們要轉向我，我就轉向你們
Your holy words blaze through my soul, engulf and sear my heart.
你神聖的話語快速燒穿我的靈魂，吞噬並啟印我的心。
A final tug
An excruciating pull
Heart beating faster, body trembling
My hands rest on the floor
Tears stick to my burning cheeks.
And then all I see is You
You fill my vision and
最後的拔河，
是一次折磨痛苦的拉扯，
心跳加快，身體顫抖，
我的雙手放在地板上，
淚水緊附在我滾燙的臉頰。
然後我一切所看到的就是你，
你充滿了我的視野，而
I am overwhelmed. 我不知所措。
VI 六
I am here, I am here.
I’ve been waiting for you for so long.
我在這裡，我在這裡。
我已經等你很久了。
Can you feel Me flutter around you, as you shake and tremble?
Let Me circle you and wrap your damaged
Tear stained soul with soothing ribbons of peace
Talk to Me, confess to Me, speak to Me your heart
I’m listening.
當你發抖戰慄的時候，你是否能感覺到我在你身邊盤旋飛舞呢？
讓我懷抱著你，包裹你受傷的，
飽經淚水滄桑的靈魂以撫慰和平絲帶，
跟我聊聊，傾吐心聲，敞開心扉，
我在聆聽。
I am before my God, naked and shameless, stripped of the sin that bound me
He faces me, His ears are open.
Lips part and streams of Spirit words tumble-fall out
At first they splutter and choke and then there’s no stopping
They go on and on and on.
我站在神面前，赤身裸體，不再羞恥，擺脫了捆綁我的罪孽，
祂看著我，敞開雙耳。
雙唇張開，靈言洪流滾泉湧出，
起初他們結巴哽咽，但隨後就停不下來，
他們持續綿延不斷滔滔不絕。
Unburdened and light I float free and easy
Time stops and all healing balms wrap tenderly around me so smoothly;
I don’t know when I stopped crying.
沒有負擔，一身輕盈，我自由自在的漂浮放鬆，
時間停止，所有療癒的香膏都輕柔的包裹著我；
我不知道自已何時停止了哭泣。
VII 七
Racing heartbeats are smoothed and steadied.
Shoulders stand upright and tall
Eyes slowly open and floods of familiar surroundings bring me back to earth
Hands unclasp, balance, and firmly push me from the floor.
急促的心跳變得平緩安穩起來。
肩膀堅挺直立 ，
雙眼慢慢睜開，充滿了熟悉的周圍景象帶我回到現實，
雙手鬆開，保持平衡，然後堅定推起自已離開地板。
My body is light; I am weightless.
我的身體很輕；我全身輕盈。
The sun beams through a window and warms my face
Outside, bright green grass and cerulean skies
Flash so brilliantly, I squint
And dimple my cheeks in broad smile.
陽光透過窗戶照進來，溫暖了我的臉龐，
窗外，鮮綠的青草和蔚藍的天空，
閃閃發光，我就瞇起眼睛，
臉上露出燦爛的笑容和酒窩。
I pick up the Book and smooth the cover flat
Holding it close to my chest
—Wisdom revealed herself to me in the smallest of words
Flipping from page to eye and she stays tucked
In the deep folds of my heart;
Lined pages of my service to God are open on the desk before me
Fingers excitedly touch pen marks and ink spots and I
我拿起書本，撫平了封面，
緊抱它貼在胸前
—智慧以其最細微的文字向我展示，
翻開書頁翻到眼前閱讀，她一直默默藏身，
在我內心深處的隱秘角落；
我面前桌上敞開著我字裡行間事奉神寫作的書頁，
手指興奮的觸摸筆跡，墨水漬和我自已
Am so happy! 我好快樂啊！
Because the Lord has reopened the door for me
And it’s time for me to walk through.
This time, however,
He shows me where to put my feet because He is in front of me
And I begin
One foot in front of the other.
因為主已為我重新打開大門，
現在就是我走出去的時候。
然而這一次，
祂告訴我應該把腳踏往哪裡，因為祂就走在我前面，
然後我就開始，
一腳接著一腳往前走出去。
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
歡迎主內同靈來信加入翻譯
