光明将至的荣耀

　　Escape the Dark Destructive Force

　　光明将至的荣耀

　　“I feel the coming glory of the light.” This last line of Edwin Arlington Robinson’s sonnet “Credo” expresses the general basis of my belief. It is my task to clear away the debris of dead emotions, regrets, and petty ambitions that the quickening light may come through. The five senses and the mystery of the breath draw in the wonder of the world, and with that the glory of God. I may seldom rise to moments of exaltation, but I try to keep myself prepared for them. Thus, I oppose the desire for oblivion that gnaws at our roots even as the light is summoning us to bloom.

　　The desire for oblivion conspires against the soul from outer circumstances and also from within oneself. Its agents are worry and resentment, envy and show. Its impulse is to seek things that are equally disappointing whether they are missed or acquired. Its result is an abject conviction that everything is futile. By meditation and prayer, I can escape that dark, destructive force and win my way back to the beauties of the world and the joy of God.

　　“我感到光明将至的荣耀”是埃德温.阿林顿.罗宾逊的十四行诗《信条》中的最后一行，概括了我的基本信仰。我的任务便是清除死去的情感、悔恨和卑鄙欲望的残骸，迎接加速前进的光明。五种感官和神秘的气息感受这奇妙的世界，并随之沐浴上帝的荣光。我很少有欣喜若狂的时候，但仍努力准备迎接这一时刻的来临。因此，我反对弃世逃遁，这种想法即使在上帝的荣光召唤我们大显身手时也在内心深处噬咬着我们。

　　弃世逃遁的想法无论是受外来的影响还是来自我们自身都不利于我们的灵魂。其诱因为焦虑、怨恨、嫉妒和矫饰;其促成因素是寻求无论失去还是得到都同样令人失望的东西;其后果是产生一种怯懦的想法，认为一切均是徒劳。在冥思与祈祷中，我可以避开这种罪恶的破坏力，重新回到美丽的世界，重享上帝给我的喜乐。

　　I believe in my survival after death. Like many others before me, I have experienced “intimations of immortality.” I can no more explain these than the brown seed can explain the flowering tree. Deep in the soil in time’s midwinter, my very stirring and unease seems a kind of growing pain toward June.