忏悔录 Confessions | BOOK IX Chapter1 谢恩的祷告

BOOK IX Chapter1

谢恩的祷告

O Lord, I am Thy servant; I am Thy servant, and the son of Thy handmaid: Thou hast broken my bonds in sunder. I will offer to Thee the sacrifice of let my heart and my tongue praise Thee; yea, let all my bones say, O Lord, who is like unto Thee? Let them say, and answer Thou me, and say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.

“主，我是你的仆人，我是你的仆人，你的婢女的儿子。你解放了我的束缚，我要向你献上谢恩之祭。”[1]请使我的心和我的唇舌歌颂你，使“我的四体百骸说：主，谁能和你相比？”[2]请你答复我，请你“对我的灵魂说：我是你的救援。”[3]

Who am I, and what am I? What evil have not been either my deeds, or if not my deeds, my words, or if not my words, my will? But Thou, O Lord, are good and merciful, and Thy right hand had respect unto the depth of my death, and from the bottom of my heart emptied that abyss of corruption. And this Thy whole gift was, to nill what I willed, and to will what Thou willedst.

我是谁？我是怎样一个人？什么坏事我没有做过？即使不做，至少说过；即使不说，至少想过。但你，温良慈爱的主，你看见死亡深入我的骨髓，你用手在我的心源中疏沦秽流。我便蠲弃我以前征逐的一切，追求你原来要的一切。

For where through all those years, and out of what low and deep recess was my free-will called forth in a moment, whereby to submit my neck to Thy easy yoke, and my shoulders unto Thy light burden, O Christ Jesus, my Helper and my Redeemer? How sweet did it at once become to me, to want the sweetnesses of those toys and what I feared to be parted from,was now a joy to part with.

但在这漫长的岁月中，我的自由意志在哪里？从哪一个隐秘的处所刹那之间脱身而出，俯首来就你的温柔的辕轭，肩胛挑起你轻松的担子？耶稣基督，“我的依靠，我的救主！”[4]我突然间对于抛弃虚浮的乐趣感到无比的舒畅，过去惟恐丧失的，这时却欣然同它断绝。

For Thou didst cast them forth from me, Thou true and highest sweetness. Thou castest them forth, and for them enteredst in Thyself, sweeter than all pleasure, though not to flesh and blood; brighter than all light, but more hidden than all depths, higher than all honour, but not to the high in their own conceits. Now was my soul free from the biting cares of canvassing and getting, and weltering in filth, and scratching off the itch of lust. And my infant tongue spake freely to Thee, my brightness, and my riches, and my health, the Lord my God.

因为你，真正的、无比的甘饴，你把这一切从我身上驱除净尽，你进入我心替代了这一切。你是比任何乐趣更加浃洽，但不为血肉之躯而言；你比任何光彩更明粲，比任何秘奥更深邃，比任何荣秩更尊显，但不为自高自大的人。这时我的心灵已把觊觎和营求的意念、淫佚和贪猾的情志从万端纷扰中完全摆脱；我向你，我的光明，我的财产，我的健康，我的主、上帝，我向你倾泻胸臆。