(本文刊載於基督教論壇報 2015年5月6日)
有多久沒瞧見滿天星斗？好想念到無光害的野外郊區，躺在一大片柔軟的草地上，呼吸著青草的芳香，張開雙臂擁抱天空，仰天凝望滿天繁星。一顆顆璀璨的星星，你究竟離我有多遠？在遼闊的星光下，心情多麼舒暢，不禁讚嘆宇宙的浩大，深感自身的渺小，思想造物主的奇妙創造。浩大與渺小的強烈對比令我震撼，也令我著迷。在廣闊無垠的星空下，不知不覺中，把愁煩拋向天際。
How long has it
been since you've seen a starry sky? I miss going to suburban fields, absent of
light pollution, laying on top a large patch of soft grass, breathing its
fragrance, and with arms outstretched, embrace the sky, gazing at the heavens
above filled with stars. For every bright star I see, how far are you away from
me? Beneath boundless starlight, my mood is so relaxed; I can't help but admire
the vast universe, feel my own insignificance, and think about our Creator's
wonderful work. The immense contrast between vastness and insignificance shocks
me, yet also fascinates me. Under this endless stretch of starry sky, unconsciously, I toss my troubles
skyward.
當黑夜來臨，抬頭仰望成了一種習慣。雖然市區光害嚴重，仍喜歡在夜晚抬頭仰望星空，尋找著最閃亮的一顆星，如果同時瞧見了好多顆閃亮的星星，彷彿每一顆星都代表一份祝福，明天會是好天氣，八九不離十。
When night falls, I've made a habit of looking up. Even though the
city's light pollution is severe, at night I still enjoy stargazing, looking
for the brightest star, and if I happen to find a lot of bright stars, it's as
if each star represents a blessing, like tomorrow's weather will most likely be good.
憂鬱症是現代人的文明病之一，我周遭也有一些受憂鬱或躁鬱症所苦的朋友。通常他們分享心情故事時，我顯少給意見，而是扮演聆聽者或陪伴者的角色。基本上他們不需要一大堆建議，因為理智上他們都知道，別對他們說：這沒什麼好煩的！我發現他們大多數心思細膩、完美主義，對人很有愛心，把許多責任往自己身上扛，但常覺得自己做得不夠好、愛得不夠多，因此容易自我責備而產生憂鬱
Depression is
one of the diseases of our modern civilization. Even I have a number of close
friends suffering from depression or bi-polar disorder. Often, whenever they
share their feelings, I refrain from giving advice, and rather play the role of
listener or supporter. Essentially, they don't need a lot of advice, because
they have sense enough to already know, I won't say to them things like
"That's not such a big deal!" I find most
of them are thoughtful, perfectionist, caring towards others, and put a
lot of responsibility on themselves, but they often feel as though they're not
good enough, that they don't love enough. As a result, it's easy to reproach
themselves and develop depression.
那天晚上，我踏入一道厚重的門，通過警衛仔細的安全檢查，接著又通過另一道冰冷的鐵門，進入精神病院探視躁鬱症發作的朋友。這地方有一種被囚禁的感受，完全與外界隔絕。長長的走道兩旁有數個房間，房間裡的病友似乎各自活在自己所架構的世界中，各自活在屬於自己的神秘星球上。
That night, I
entered a heavy door, passed through the guards' thorough security check, then
passed through another cold iron door, and entered the mental hospital to visit
a friend having an episode of bi-polar disorder. This place had a feeling of
being trapped, completely isolated from the outside. Down a long corridor lined
with several rooms, patients inside seem to each live in their own structural
worlds, each living on their own mysterious planets.
我看見我朋友時，她的心情已平穩許多，正坐在床上摺著紙星星。她用五顏六色的細長紙條，透過她的巧手摺出一顆顆、一袋袋亮麗的紙星星，她告訴我每一顆紙星星都代表一個祝福，她藉此打發鬱悶，也希望快點出院。
When I saw my friend, her mood had already
stabilized greatly; she was sitting on the bed, folding paper stars. She used
colorful strips of elongated paper, and with her skilled hands folded each
star. She had brilliant bags of paper stars; she told me every star represented
a blessing. This was how she passed the depression while hoping for a swift
discharge.
她出院後，就將她在醫院摺的一袋袋紙星星送給她的朋友們，謝謝大家的關心。我還記得當她送給我一袋紙星星時，她真誠地對我說：「每一顆紙星星都代表一個祝福，願你美夢成真！」我當下聽了好感動，我也感受到當她在看不見星空的病房裡，實際上她看見了好多好多閃亮的星星！因為「付出愛」！
After
her release, she took those bags of paper stars she made at the hospital and
gave them to her friends, to thank everyone for their concern. I still remember
when she gave me a bag of paper stars, she spoke to me sincerely, "Each
paper star represents a blessing, I hope your dreams come true!" I was
moved when I heard this, and I felt that while she was in her hospital room
unable to see starry skies, in reality she saw many, many shining stars!
Because it was a "labor of love"!
從那天開始，因著這袋紙星星，我的孩子們就此展開他們的築夢之旅！當他們做了值得獎勵的事，我就會給他們一顆紙星星做為鼓勵，集滿十顆紙星星就能換溫馨小禮物。
From
that day on, because of this bag of paper stars, my children set out on the
journey of their dreams! Whenever they do something worthy of reward, I give
them a paper star as encouragement; after receiving ten paper stars, they can
exchange them for a nice little gift.
豈不是嗎？每一顆星都代表一份祝福。在暗夜中，抬頭仰望心靈的那片星空。明天會是好天氣，八九不離十。
Isn't it true
though? That each star represents a blessing. In the dark of night, look up to the starry sky of your own spirit. We'll
have good weather tomorrow, most likely.
作者:譚亞菁 Apr. 24, 2015
Translated by Parker Gadbois
Translated by Parker Gadbois
