IT WAS HOT and humid and the noise of the very large town filled the air. The breeze from the sea was warm, and there was the smell of tar and petrol. With the setting of the sun, red in the distant waters, it was still unyieldingly hot. The large group that filled the room presently left, and we went out into the street.

天气炎热而潮湿，城市的喧嚣填满了空气。 从海边吹来的微风是温暖的，有一股焦油和汽油的味道。 随着太阳下落，远方的水面泛起了红色，它依然不屈不挠地发热。 现在，那一大群人离开了房间，而我们，也出去逛街了。

The parrot, like bright green flashes of light, were coming home to roost. Early in the morning they flew to the north, where there were orchards, green fields and open country, and in the evening they came back to pass the night in the trees of the city. Their flight was never smooth but always reckless, noisy and brilliant. They never flew straight like other birds, but were forever veering off to the left or the right, or suddenly dropping into a tree. They were the most restless birds in flight, but how beautiful they were with their red beaks and a golden green that was the very glory of light. The vultures, heavy and ugly, circled and settled down for the night on the palm trees.

鹦鹉像一道闪亮的绿光，回家安歇了。 进入清晨，它们飞向北方， 那里有果园、绿色的田野和开阔的乡野， 傍晚，它们回到城市的树上过夜。 它们的飞行从来都不是平滑的，总是鲁莽、嘈杂和炫丽的。 它们从不像其他鸟类那样直着飞， 而是永远向左或向右移动，或者突然落入一棵树中。 它们是飞行中最不安分的鸟儿，但他们那么美 它们红色的喙和那种金绿色，恰是光的荣耀。 这些秃鹫们，沉重而丑陋，在棕榈树上盘旋，然后安顿下来过夜。

A man came along playing the flute; he was a servant of some kind. He walked up the hill, still playing, and we followed him; he turned into one of the side street, never ceasing to play. It was strange to hear the song of the flute in a noisy city, and its sound penetrated deep into the heart. It was very beautiful, and we followed the flute player for some distance. We crossed several streets and came to a wider one, better lighted. Farther on, a group of people were sitting cross-legged at the side of the road, and the flute player joined them. So did we; and we all sat around while he played. They were mostly chauffeurs, servants, night watchmen, with several children and a dog or two. Cars passed by, one driven by a chauffeur; a lady was inside, beautifully dressed and alone, with the inside light on. Another car drew up; the chauffeur got out and sat down with us. They were all talking and enjoying themselves, laughing and gesticulating, but the song of the flute never wavered, and there was delight.

有人走来了，吹着笛子；他是某种仆人。 他走上山坡，仍然吹着，我们跟随他。 他转进了一条小巷，从没停下吹奏。 在嘈杂的城市里听到笛歌，感觉很陌生， 它的声音深深地渗入心中。 它非常地美，我们跟着长笛演奏家走了一段距离。 我们穿过几条街道，来到一条更宽的街道，光线更好。 再往前走，一群人盘腿坐在路边， 长笛演奏家也加入了他们。我们也是。他在吹奏的时候，我们就坐在边上。 他们中的大多数人是司机、仆人、守夜人，还有几个孩子和一两只狗。 来往的汽车经过，一辆车由专职司机驾驶； 一位女士在里面，穿得很漂亮，独自一人，里面的灯亮着。 另一辆车开了过来；司机下车和我们一起坐下。 他们都在聊天，享受着自己，欢笑着，打着手势， 但长笛的歌声从未受到干扰，使人欢乐。

Presently we left and took a road that led to the sea past the well-lit houses of the rich. The rich have a peculiar atmosphere of their own. However cultured, unobtrusive, ancient and polished, the rich have an impenetrable and assured aloofness, that inviolable certainty and hardness that is difficult to break down. They are not the possessors of wealth, but are possessed by wealth, which is worse than death. Their conceit is philanthropy; they think they are trustees of their wealth; they have charities, create endowments; they are the makers, the builders, the givers. They build churches, temples, but their god is the god of their gold. With so much poverty and degradation, one must have a very thick skin to be rich. Some of them come to question, to argue, to find reality. For the rich as for the poor, it is extremely difficult to find reality. The poor crave to be rich and powerful, and the rich are already caught in the net of their own action; and yet they believe and venture near. They speculate, not only upon the market, but upon the ultimate. They play with both, but are successful only with what is in their hearts. Their beliefs and ceremonies, their hopes and fears have nothing to do with reality, for their hearts are empty. The greater the outward show, the greater the inward poverty.

现在我们离开了，踏上一条通往大海的路，路过富人亮丽的房屋。 富人有自己独特的氛围。 无论多么有教养、低调、古老和精致， 富人总有一种不可穿透的、确凿的疏离感， 那是一种不可侵犯的肯定，和难以打破的坚硬。 他们不是财富的占有者，而是被财富所占据，这比死亡更糟糕。 他们的自负是慈善业；他们认为自己是财富的管理者； 他们有慈善机构，创立基金；他们是制造者、建设者、给予者。 他们建造教堂、寺庙，但他们的神是他们的金子。 在如此严重的贫困和堕落中，一个人必须有一张非常厚的脸皮才能致富。 他们中的一些人来质疑、争论、寻找真理。 对于富人来说，就如同穷人，要找到真理是极其困难的。 穷人渴望富裕和权势， 而富人已经陷入自身行为的网罟之中； 然而，他们相信并冒险逼近。 他们不仅在市场上投机，而且在根源上投机。 他们两者都玩，却只能凭借他们心中的某些东西才能成功。 他们的信仰和仪式、他们的希望和恐惧，都与真理无关， 因为他们的心是空的。 外在的表演越宏大，内在的贫困就越严重。

To renounce the world of wealth, comfort and position is a comparatively simple matter; but to put aside the craving to be, to become, demands great intelligence and understanding. The power that wealth gives is a hindrance to the understanding of reality, as is also the power of gift and capacity. This particular form of confidence is obviously an activity of the self; and though it is difficult to do so, this kind of assurance and power can be put aside. But what is much more subtle and more hidden is the power and the drive that lie in the craving to become. Self-expansion in any form, whether through wealth or through virtue, is a process of conflict, causing antagonism and confusion. A mind burdened with becoming can never be tranquil, for tranquillity is not a result either of practice or of time. Tranquillity is a state of understanding, and becoming denies this understanding. Becoming creates the sense of time, which is really the postponement of understanding. The “I shall be” is an illusion born of self-importance.

放弃这个世界的财富、舒适和地位，是一件相对容易的事。 但要放下实现和达成的渴望，需要极大的智慧和理解。 财富赋予的权力是理解真理的障碍， 天赋和才能的权力，也同样如此。 这种特殊形式的自信，很明显，是这位自我的一种活动。 尽管很难做到这一点，但这种保障和权力可以被放在一边。 而更为微妙，更隐蔽的是 这种渴望去达成的权力和冲动。 任何形式的自我扩张，无论是通过财富还是通过美德， 都是一种冲突，引起敌对与困惑。 一个背负着达成的头脑，永远无法安宁， 因为宁静既不是实践的结果，也不是时间的产物。 宁静是一种理解的状态，而‘达成’拒绝了这种理解。 ‘达成’创造出时间感，其实是对理解的拖延。 这种‘我要实现’，是一种幻觉，诞生于自我的自大。

The sea was as restless as the town, but its restlessness had depth and substance, The evening star was on the horizon. We walked back through a street crowded with buses, cars and people. A man lay naked and asleep on the sidewalk; he was a beggar, exhausted, fatally undernourished, and it was difficult to awaken him. Beyond lay the green lawns and bright flowers of a public garden.

大海像城市一样躁动不安，但它的躁动有深度和实质， 夜星出现在地平线上。 我们走回去，穿过一条挤满公交车、汽车和人群的街道。 一个人赤身裸体，躺在人行道上，睡着了； 他是一个乞丐，精疲力竭，严重营养不良，很难唤醒他。 远处的公园里，是绿色的草坪和灿烂的花朵。