文◎Wayne B.Lynn 繪◎也圓

在一個(gè)有風(fēng)的春日，我看到一群年輕人正在迎風(fēng)放風(fēng)箏玩樂，各種顏色、各種形狀和大小的風(fēng)箏就好像美麗的鳥兒在空中飛舞。當(dāng)強(qiáng)風(fēng)把風(fēng)箏吹起，牽引線就能夠控制它們。

風(fēng)箏迎風(fēng)飄向更高的地方，而不是隨風(fēng)而去。它們搖擺著、拉扯著，但牽引線以及笨重的尾巴使它們處于控制之中，并且迎風(fēng)而上。它們掙扎著、抖動(dòng)著想要掙脫線的束縛，仿佛在說：“放開我！放開我！我想要自由！”終于，一只風(fēng)箏成功掙脫了。

然而，脫離束縛的自由使它完全處于無情微風(fēng)的擺布下。它毫無風(fēng)度地震顫著向地面墜落，落在一堆亂草之中，線纏繞在一棵死灌木上。

有時(shí)我們真像這風(fēng)箏?。∥覀冎杏行┤耸侨绱藦?qiáng)硬地抵制規(guī)則，以至我們從來無法飛到本來能夠達(dá)到的高度。我們只遵從部分戒律，因此永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)飛得足夠高，

使尾巴遠(yuǎn)離地面。

One windy spring day, I observed young people having fun using the wind to fl y their kites. Multicolored creations of varying shapes and sizes fi lled the skies like beautiful birds darting①and dancing. As the strong winds gusted②against the kites, a string kept them in check.

Instead of blowing away with the wind, they arose against it to achieve great heights. They shook and pulled, but the restraining string and the cumbersome③tail kept them in tow④, facing upward and against the wind. As the kites struggled and trembled against the string, they seemed to say," Let me go! Let me go! I want to be free!" Finally, one of the kites succeeded in breaking loose.

Yet freedom from restraint simply put it at the mercy of⑤an unsympathetic⑥breeze. It fluttered ungracefully to the ground and landed in a tangled⑦mass of weeds and string against a dead bush.

How much like kites we sometimes are. Some of us tug at the rules so hard that we never soar to reach the heights we might have obtained. We keep part of the commandment⑧and never rise high enough to get our tails off the ground.

① dart 英 [dɑ?t] 美 [dɑrt] vt. 投擲，投射；使迅速突然移動(dòng) vi. 向前沖，飛奔 n. 飛鏢，標(biāo)槍；急馳，飛奔；（蟲的）螯；飛快的移動(dòng)

② gust 英 [g?st] 美 [ɡ?st] n. 風(fēng)味；一陣狂風(fēng)；趣味 vi. 一陣陣地勁吹

③cumbersome 英['k?mb?s(?)m] adj. 笨重的；累贅的；難處理的

④tow 英 [t??] 美 [to] n. 拖；麻的粗纖維；拖曳所用之繩 vt. 拖；牽引；曳 vi. 被拖帶；拖行

⑤at the mercy of 受……支配

⑥ unsympathetic 英 [,?ns?mp?'θet?k]美 [,?n,s?mp?'θ?t?k] adj. 不表同情的；不同情的

⑦ tangle 英 ['t??g(?)l] 美 ['t??ɡl] n. 糾紛；混亂狀態(tài)vt. 使糾纏；處于混亂狀態(tài) vi. 纏結(jié)；亂作一團(tuán)

⑧ commandment 英 [k?'mɑ?ndm?nt]美 [k?'m?ndm?nt] n. 戒律；法令