"Make of yourself a light"

“将自己看成一束光”

said the Buddha,

佛死之前，

before he died.

如是说。

I think of this every morning

每天早晨，我都会想起这句话

as the east begins

东边的天空正褪去

to tear off its many clouds

黑色的

of darkness, to send up the first

云层，发出第一个

signal-a white fan

信号——一柄白色的扇子

streaked with pink and violet,

布满粉红，紫色，

even green.

以及绿色的条纹。

An old man, he lay down

一位老人躺在

between two sala trees,

两棵菩提树之间，

and he might have said anything,

他或许已说了许多，

knowing it was his final hour.

明白这是他最后的时间。

The light burns upward,

光向上延伸，

it thickens and settles over the fields.

变得更亮，笼罩在田野上空。

Around him, the villagers gathered

村民们围绕在他周围

and stretched forward to listen.

身体向前倾，专注地听着。

Even before the sun itself

当太阳尚未升起，尚未高悬于

hangs, disattached, in the blue air,

蓝色的天空时，

I am touched everywhere

我已被它黄色的波浪之海

by its ocean of yellow waves.

触及全身。

No doubt he thought of everything

无疑，他想到了

that had happened in his difficult life.

自己艰难一生所经历的一切。

And then I feel the sun itself

于是，我感受到太阳

as it blazes over the hills,

它在山头燃烧，

like a million flowers on fire-

仿佛千万朵火焰之花——

clearly I"m not needed,

显然，我无足轻重，

yet I feel myself turning

但我觉得自己

into something of inexplicable value.

变成了某种难以言说的有用之物。

Slowly, beneath the branches,

在树枝下，他慢慢地

he raised his head.

抬起头。

He looked into the faces of that frightened crowd.

他注视着人们惊恐的脸。