Chapter One Human Life Like a Poem 人生如詩

I think that, from a biological standpoint, human life almost reads like a poem.

我以為，從生物學角度看，人的一生恰如詩歌。

It has its own rhythm and beat, its internal cycles of growth and decay.

人生自有其韻律和節奏，自有內在的生成與衰亡。

No one can say that a life with childhood, manhood and old age is not a beautiful arrangement;

人生有童年、少年和老年，誰也不能否認這是一種美好的安排，

the day has its morning, noon and sunset, and the year has its seasons, and it is good

一天要有清晨、正午和日落，一年要有四季之分，如此才好。

that it is so. There is no good or bad in life, except what is good according to its own season.

人生本無好壞之分，只是各個季節有各自的好處。

And if we take this biological view of life and try to live according to the seasons, no one but a conceited fool or an impossible idealist can deny that human life can be lived like a poem.

如若我們持此種生物學的觀點，并循著季節去生活，除了狂妄自大的傻瓜和無可救藥的理想主義者，誰能說人生不能像詩一般度過呢。

——Lin Yutang