《先知》(The Prophet)飲食

Then an old man, a keeper of an inn, said, "Speak to us of Eating and Drinking."

And he said:

Would that you could live on the fragerance of the earth, and like an air plant be sustained by the light.

But since you must kill to eat, and rob the young of its mother's milk to quench your thirst, let it then be an act of worship,

And let your board stand an altar on which the pure and the innocent of forest and plain are sacrificed for that which is purer and still more innocent in many.

When you kill a beast say to him in your heart,

"By the same power that slays you, I to am slain; and I too shall be consumed.

For the law that delivered you into my hand shall deliver me into a mightier hand.

Your blood and my blood is naught but the sap that feeds the tree of heaven."

And when you crush an apple with your teeth, say to it in your heart,

"Your seeds shall live in my body,

And the buds of your tomorrow shall blossom in my heart,

And your fragrance shall be my breath,

And together we shall rejoice through all the seasons."

And in the autumn, when you gather the grapes of your vineyard for the winepress, say in you heart,

"I to am a vinyard, and my fruit shall be gathered for the winepress,

And like new wine I shall be kept in eternal vessels."

And in winter, when you draw the wine, let there be in your heart a song for each cup;

And let there be in the song a remembrance for the autumn days, and for the vineyard, and for the winepress.

飲食

然后一位老人，客棧的店主說道，請給我們談談飲食。

他說道：

我固然希望你們能靠大地的芬芳生存，如空氣中的植物靠陽光延續(xù)生命。

但既然你們不得不殺生為食，從初生羔犢口中搶奪它們母親的乳汁以解干渴，那就讓這成為一種崇拜方式吧。

在你們的案俎上立起一座祭壇，讓森林和平原的純真為人類的更加純真，在這祭壇上奉獻犧牲。

當你們宰殺一只畜禽，你們應在心中對它說：

"現(xiàn)在屠宰你的力量也將屠宰我，我同樣也會被吞食。

"因為把你送到我手中的那一規(guī)律也將把我送到更強者的手中。

"你的血和我的血都不過是滋養(yǎng)天國之樹的汁液。"

當你們用牙齒咀嚼一只蘋果，你們應在心中對它說：

"你的種子將在我的體內生存，

"你明日的花蕾將在我心中開放，

"你的芬芳融入我的氣息，

"你我將帶著喜悅共度每一個季節(jié)。"

秋日里，當你們采集園中葡萄釀制醇酒，請在你們的心中說：

"我也是一座葡萄園，我的果實也將被采摘釀制，

"我亦將如新酒，注入永恒的容器。"

冬季，當你們斟飲美酒，請在心中為每一杯酒歌上一曲;

讓歌聲憶起秋日，葡萄園，和美酒的釀制。