2012-12-24 10:36:53

究竟有沒有耶誕老人

「究竟有沒有耶誕老人？」輔大新聞網跟全球媒體一樣每年轉載。中譯取自名翻譯專家黃驤，並感謝國語日報同意轉載。

究竟有沒有耶誕老人──紐約市太陽報一篇全球最著名社評　　　黃驤　譯
「究竟有沒有耶誕老人？」這全球最著名的社評，自從它於一八九七年在紐約市「太陽報」(N. Y. Sun)刊出以來，幾乎年年由全球各地報刊以各種方式轉載。這個問題是由紐約市八歲的小女孩維琴妮亞‧奧海隆提出來的。這篇勢將永垂不朽的社評由「太陽報」主筆佛朗亞斯‧邱池(Francis P. Church)執筆。──譯者

Eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York's Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become history's most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps.

"DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
"Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
"Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.'
"Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

"VIRGINIA O'HANLON.
"115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET."

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

「編輯先生：
「我今年八歲。
「我的一些小朋友說，沒有耶誕老人。
「爸爸要我問問太陽報。
「請你老實告訴我，究竟有沒有耶誕老人？
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　維琴妮亞‧奧海隆
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　西九十五街一一五號」

維琴妮亞，你的小朋友們錯了。他們受到一個懷疑時代的懷疑論的影響。他們不相信沒有看到的事物。他們認為在他們的小心眼裏不能理解的一切都不會存在。所有的心，不論是大人的心還是兒童的心都很小。

在這個偉大的宇宙裏，人類的智慧跟周圍無邊無際的世界相比較，用能理解全部真理和知識的智慧來度量，只跟昆蟲、螞蟻相當。

是的，維琴妮亞，耶誕老人是有的。他跟愛和慷慨和奉獻一樣存在，你知道這一切能供你的生命達到最美麗的境界，隨你感到最大的喜悅。啊！這個世界上如果沒有耶誕老人將是多麼悽涼！它將跟沒有像你這樣的小女孩一樣悽涼。

沒有耶誕老人就沒有童稚的信念，沒有詩，沒有羅曼史來容忍現實生活。你不會快樂，兒童時期充滿這個世界的永恆的光輝將會熄滅。

不相信耶誕老人！你還不如不相信小神仙！你也許可以請你爸爸僱一些人在聖誕節前夕看守所有的煙筒，捉拿耶誕老人，但是，即使他們沒有看到耶誕老人下來，又能證明甚麼？沒人見過耶誕老人，但是卻沒有證據可以證明沒有耶誕老人。

兒童和大人都看不到這個世界上最真實的事情。你有沒有看到小仙女在草地上跳舞？當然沒有，但是那並不能證明它們不在那兒。沒有一個人能想像這個世界上所有的看不到或無法看到的神奇事物。

你撕開了嬰兒的嘎嘎作響的玩具，想看看發生聲音的東西是什麼，但是有一片幕蓋住了看不見的世界，即使是最強壯的人或聯合所有的最強壯的人的力量，都沒有辦法把這一片幕撕開。

只有信仰、幻想、詩、愛、羅曼史才能推開這一片幕，看到裏面極美和極光輝的景色。這一切都是真的嗎？啊，維琴妮亞，在這個世界上有甚麼比它更真實，更永久。誰說沒有聖誕老人！謝謝上帝他還活著，他永遠活著。一千年後，不，維琴妮亞，十萬年後，他仍舊繼續溫暖每個孩子的心。