LESSON 25 THE RIGHTEOUS NEVER FORSAKEN 公正不会缺席
1.It was Saturday night, and the widow of the Pine Cottage sat by her blazing fagots[1], with her fi ve tattered children at her side, endeavoring by listening to the artlessness of their prattle[2] to dissipate[3] the heavy gloom that pressed upon her mind.For a year, her own feeble hand had provided for her helpless family, for she had no supporter: she thought of no friend in all the wide, unfriendly world around.
2.But that mysterious Providence, the wisdom of whose ways is above human comprehension, had visited her with wasting sickness, and her little means had become exhausted.It was now, too, midwinter, and the snow lay heavy and deep through all the surrounding forests, while storms still seemed gathering in the heavens, and the driving wind roared amid the neighboring pines, and rocked her puny[4] mansion.
3.The last herring smoked upon the coals before her; it was the only article of food she possessed, and no wonder her forlorn, desolate state brought up in her lone bosom all the anxieties of a mother when she looked upon her children: and no wonder, forlorn as she was, if she suff ered the heart swellings of despair to rise, even though she knew that He, whose promise is to the widow and to the orphan, can not forget his word.
4.Providence had many years before taken from her her eldest son, who went from his forest home to try his fortune on the high seas, since which she had heard no tidings of him; and in her latter time had, by the hand of death, deprived her of the companion and staff of her earthly pilgrimage[5], in the person of her husband.Yet to this hour she had upborne; she had not only been able to provide for her little fl ock, but had never lost an opportunity of ministering to the wants of the miserable and destitute.
5.The indolent may well bear with poverty while the ability to gain sustenance[6] remains.The individual who has but his own wants to supply may suff er with fortitude[7] the winter of want; his aff ections are not wounded, his heart is not wrung.The most desolate in populous cities may hope, for charity has not quite closed her hand and heart, and shut her eyes on misery.
6.But the industrious mother of helpless and depending children, far from the reach of human charity, has none of these to console her.And such a one was the widow of the Pine Cottage; but as she bent over the fi re, and took up the last scanty remnant of food to spread before her children, her spirits seemed to brighten up, as by some sudden and mysterious impulse, and Cowper’s beautiful lines came uncalled across her mind:
“Judge not the Lord by feeble sense.
But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning Providence
He hides a smiling face.”
7.The smoked herring was scarcely laid upon the table, when a gentle rap at the door, and the loud barking of a dog, attracted the attention of the family.The children flew to open it, and a weary traveler, in tattered garments and in apparently indiff erent[8] health; entered, and begged a lodging and a mouthful of food.Said he: “It is now twenty-four hours since I tasted bread.” The widow’s heart bled anew, as under a fresh complication[9] of distresses; for her sympathies[10] lingered not around her fi reside.She hesitated not even now; rest, and a share of all she had, she proff ered[11] to the stranger.“We shall not be forsaken,” said she, “or suff er deeper for an act of charity.”
8.The traveler drew near the board, but when he saw the scanty fare, he raised his eyes toward heaven with astonishment: “And is this all your store?” said he;“and a share of this do you off er to one you know not? then never saw I charity before! But, madam,” said he, continuing, “do you not wrong your children by giving a part of your last mouthful to a stranger?”
9.“Ah,” said the poor widow—and the tear-drops gushed into her eyes as she said it—“I have a boy, a darling son, somewhere on the face of the wide world, unless Heaven has taken him away, and I only act toward you as I would that others should act toward him.God, who sent manna[12] from heaven, can provide for us as he did for Israel; and how should I this night offend him, if my son should be a wanderer, destitute as you, and he should have provided for him a home, even poor as this, were I to turn you unrelieved away!”
10.The widow ended, and the stranger, springing from his seat, clasped her in his arms.“God indeed has provided your son a home, and has given him wealth to reward the goodness of his benefactress: my mother! oh, my mother!” It was her long lost son, returned to her bosom from the Indies.He had chosen that disguise that he might the more completely surprise his family; and never was surprise more perfect, or followed by a sweeter cup of joy.
【中文阅读】
1.一个周六的夜晚，松木小屋里的寡妇坐在燃烧着的柴薪旁边，五个衣衫褴褛的孩子在她身边叽叽喳喳地咿呀嬉闹着。她听着他们不谙人世的纯真话语，心中那沉重的阴霾似乎消散了一些。这一年来，她用羸弱的双手独自支撑起这个贫苦无靠的家庭，求告无门。在这个偌大寒冷的世界上，她举目无亲，无所可依。
2.但是，世事难料，上帝的智慧不是人类所能理解的：她染上了慢性疾病，微薄的家产也逐渐消耗殆尽。现在正值隆冬，四周森林莽野，积雪深厚，暴风雪仍在天空中不断聚集，随时可能袭来，料峭的寒风在松树林间呼啸而过，不断摇撼着她弱小的棚屋。
3.最后一条熏鲱鱼在她面前的炭火上燎起轻烟，这是她仅剩的最后一点食物。面对着这点食物，看着身旁天真烂漫的孩子们，她孤独的心里充满了焦虑，那是身为母亲的无助。毋庸多说，她倍感孤独，尽管她知道，上帝曾向贫困中的孤儿寡母许下允诺，绝不会违背他的诺言，她还是感到最后的绝望仍在心中蔓延开来。
4.很多年前，上帝曾将她的长子从她身边带走。他走出这个林间小屋，去大海上闯荡。从那以后，她再也没听到他的音讯。后来，死神最终夺去了他的丈夫——她生命旅程中的伴侣以及家庭支柱。即便那时，她仍怀有支撑下去的信念。她不但独自养活家里嗷嗷待哺的孩子们，对于那些处境更穷困潦倒的人们，她也总是伸出援手。
5.懒惰者即使拥有维持生计的能力，仍然会一直保持贫穷。那些自身匮乏却始终给予奉献的人，虽然也要饱经尘世苦难，但他始终拥有爱人的能力，他的心从不曾被扭曲。在人口稠密的喧嚣城市，那里的穷人也许心怀希望，因为慈善的人会向他们敞开心灵，伸出援手，那些善良的人不会对悲惨境况视若无睹。
6.然而，这个勤劳无助而依赖孩子的母亲，远离人间行善，亦未曾接受任何仁慈，以慰藉她那颗饱经沧桑的心。但是，这位松木小屋里的寡母，当她弯腰从火堆上拿起这条最后仅存的熏鲱鱼，分给身旁的孩子们，她的心情似乎开朗了些许，仿佛受到某种突如其来的神秘感召，考珀优美的诗句蓦然在她心头想起：
别用你的无知来论断神。
相信他会为你带来恩典。
在每个困窘的处境背后，
都隐藏着上帝的笑脸。
7.烤好的熏鲱鱼被一点一点地分到盘子里，放在桌上。这时，门上响起轻轻的叩门声，狗吠也随之响起，吸引了全家人的目光。孩子们飞奔过去打开门，一个疲惫的旅行者走进来。他衣衫褴褛，看起来倒还健康。他请求在这里住上一晚，并给他点吃的东西。他说：“我已经一天一夜没吃过东西了。”寡母的心又再度揪痛起来，新的困厄到来更是雪上加霜；毕竟，她的同情心绝不会让她无动于衷地坐在火堆旁。她毫不犹豫地请他住下，并向陌生人递上了自己的那份熏鲱鱼。“我们不会因为做了善事，”她说，“而被上帝抛弃，或承受更深的痛苦。”
8.旅行者走近桌子，看见桌上那一丁点儿食物，他惊讶地抬眼问道：“这就是您所有的食物？”他不可置信地说，“而您竟愿意将它分给一个陌生人？我从未见过这样的善行！但是，夫人，”他说，“您将最后这点食物分给一个陌生人，难道不委屈您的孩子们吗？”
9.“啊，”这个可怜的寡妇说着，泪如泉涌，“我有个儿子，他是我心爱的孩子，他活在这广阔世界上的某个地方，除非天父将他带走。我为你做这些事，就是指望别人也能这样善待他。我的上帝，会从天上为我们降下救恩，正如他曾为以色列人所做的那样。如果我的儿子也正在流浪，像你一样穷困潦倒，我多么希望上帝也为他提供一个落脚处，哪怕像我们这间小屋一样简陋。如果我拒绝落难中的你，我又怎能指望别人为他做点什么！”
10.寡妇刚说完，那个陌生人“腾”地从椅子上跳起来，将她紧紧抱住，“上帝确实为你的儿子提供了住处，并赐予他财富，来回报收留他的这位善良女主人：妈妈！噢，我的妈妈！”原来，这便是她失散多年的儿子，从印度群岛回到她的怀抱。他装扮成过路人，为的是给全家人一个惊喜。再没有比这更大的惊喜了，随后，这个小木屋顿时变成一片欢乐的海洋。
【注释】
[1] Fagots, bundles of sticks used for fuel.
[2] Prattle, trif ling talk.
[3] Dissipate, to scatter.
[4] Puny, small and weak.
[5] Pilgrimage, a journey.
[6] Sustenance, that which supports life.
[7] Fortitude, resolute endurance.
[8] Indif ferent, neither very good nor very bad.
[9] Complication, entanglement.
[10] Sympathies, compassion.
[11] Prof fered, of fered to give.
[12] Manna, food miraculously provided by God for the Israelites.