第25章 昨天、今天和明天

我對我的朋友說："你看見她靠在那個男人的手臂上。可她靠在我的手臂上，還不過是昨天的事哩。一我的朋友道："而明天她就要靠在我的手臂上了。 " 我說："瞧她緊挨著坐在他的身邊。可她緊挨著坐在我的身邊，還不過是昨天的事哩。" 我的朋友道："而明天她就要坐在我的身邊了。" 我說："瞧，她從他的杯子裡喝酒，而昨天她是從我的林子裡喝酒的啊。" 我的朋友道："明天她就要喝我杯子裡的酒了。" 我接著說道："瞧她懷著深情，以溫柔馴服的眼睛，凝望著他哩，昨天她就是這樣凝望著我的啊。"

我的朋友道："明天她凝望的人，便將是我了。" 我說："你可聽見她湊在他耳朵上低聲哼哼愛情之歌嗎？可她湊在我的耳朵上低聲哼哼這些愛情之歌，還不過是昨天的事啊。" 我的朋友道："明天她就要湊在我的耳朵上哼這些歌了。" 我說："瞧呀，她正在擁抱他哪。可她擁抱我，還不過是昨天的事哩。" 我的朋友道："她明天會擁抱我呢。" 於是我說道："好一個奇怪的婦人。" 然而我的朋友答道："她彷彿生命，為眾人所有；她彷彿死亡，征服眾人；她彷彿永恆，包羅眾人萬象。"

Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow I said to my friend, "You see her leaning upon the arm of that man. It was but yesterday that she leaned thus upon my arm." And my friend said, "And tomorrow she will lean upon mine." I said, "Behold her sitting close at his side. It was but yesterday she sat close beside me."

And he answered, "Tomorrow she will sit beside me." I said, "See, she drinks wine from his cup, and yesterday she drank from mine." And he said, "Tomorrow, from my cup." Then I said, "See how she gazes at him with love, and with yielding eyes. Yesterday she gazed thus upon me."

And my friend said, "It will be upon me she gazes tomorrow." I said, "Do you not hear her now murmuring songs of love into his ears? Those very songs of love she murmured but yesterday into my ears." And my friend said, "And tomorrow she will murmur them in mine."

I said, "Why see, she is embracing him. It was but yesterday that she embraced me." And my friend said, "She will embrace me tomorrow." Then I said, "What a strange woman." But he answered, "She is like unto life, possessed by all men; and like death, she conquers all men; and like eternity, she enfolds all men."