Building
建造
A little boy is on his knees scooping and packing the sand with plastic shovels into a bright blue bucket.Then he upends the bucket on the surface and lifts it. And, to the delight of the little architect, a castle tower is created.
一个小男孩儿正跪着用塑料锹挖沙子,并把沙子装进一个鲜艳的蓝色桶里,然后把桶底朝上扣在地上,再提起来。让这位小建筑师开心的是,一座城堡诞生了。
All afternoon he will work. Spooning out the moat. Packing the walls. Bottle tops will be sentries. Popsicle sticks will be bridges. A sandcastle will be built.
整个下午他都在工作;挖护城河,砌城墙。瓶盖做岗哨,木棍当桥梁。一座沙堡就建成了。
Big city. Busy streets. Rumbling traffic.
大城市里,车水马龙。
A man is in his office. At his desk he shuffles papers into stacks and delegates assignments. He cradles the phone on his shoulder and punches the keyboard with his fingers. Numbers are juggled and contracts are signed and much to the delight of the man, a profit is made.
办公室里,一位男士坐在办公桌旁,把文件堆放在一起,开始分配任务。他一边把电话夹在肩头与别人通话,一边用手指敲击着键盘。数据被修改,合同签成,让这位男士高兴的是,一笔利润到手了。
All his life he will work. Formulating the plans. Forecasting the future. Annuities will be sentries. Capital gains will be bridges. An empire will be built.
整个一生他都在工作;制定计划,预测未来。利润就是岗哨,资本收益就是桥梁。一个王国建成了。
Two builders of two castles.
两座城堡、两个建筑师
They have much in common. They shape granules into grandeurs. They see nothing and make something. They are diligent and determined. And for both the tide will rise and the end will come.
他们有许多共同点;他们把细小的沙石变成宏伟的建筑;他们从无到有地建造,他们勤奋、有决心;对于他们而言、涨潮终会发生,一切都会结束。
Yet that is where the similarities cease. For the boy sees the end while the man ignores it.
然而,至此他们之间的相似之处结束了。因为男孩儿看见了结局,而这位男士忽视了它。
Watch the boy as the dusk approaches.
黄昏来临的时候再看看男孩儿吧。
As the waves near, the wise child jumps to his feet and begins to clap. There is no sorrow. No fear. No regret. He knew this would happen. He is not surprised. And when the great breaker crashes into his castle and his masterpiece is sucked into the sea, he smiles. He smiles, picks up his tools, takes his father's hand, and goes home.
风浪来了,聪明的男孩儿跳起来高兴地鼓掌,没有悲伤,没有恐惧,没有遗憾。他知道这一切迟早会发生,他并不感到惊讶。当这位巨大的破坏者击毁他的城堡,将他的杰作吞没在大海中的时候,男孩儿笑了,收拾好他的工具,拉着父亲的手回家了。
The grownup, however, is not so wise.
然而,这位成年人却不那么明智。
As the wave of years collapses on his castle he is terrified. He hovers over the sandy monument to protect it. He blocks the waves from the walls he has made. Salt-water soaked and shivering he snarls at the incoming tide.
当岁月的巨浪击毁他的城堡,他吓坏了。他试图保护这座沙质建筑,阻止巨浪冲毁他建造的城墙。咸咸的海水浸透了他的全身,他战栗着,向即将到来的潮水咆哮。
"It's my castle," he defies.
“这是我的城堡。”他反抗着。
The ocean need not respond. Both know to whom the sand belongs...
大海不需要做出回应。彼此都明白沙子最终归属何处……