不满的钟摆

字幕原文

For fifty years, 整整五十年，

an old clock had been ticking away in a farmhouse kitchen without a single problem. 农舍厨房里的一座老挂钟一直滴答滴答走着，从来没出过任何毛病。

Then one summer morning, it suddenly stopped. 结果在一个夏天的早晨，它突然停了。

The clock face was horrified, and the hands, the wheels, 表盘吓坏了，指针、齿轮，

and the weights all swore it wasn't their fault. 还有重锤都发誓说绝不是自己的错。

Then a small voice spoke up. 这时，一个小小的声音响了起来。

"It was me," the pendulum admitted. “是我，”钟摆坦白道。

"I'm just tired of ticking." “我只是不想再一直滴答下去了。”

"You lazy thing!" “你这个懒家伙！”

snapped the face. 表盘没好气地说道。

"Easy for you to say," the pendulum shot back. “你说得倒轻巧，”钟摆反驳道。

"You get to sit up there and watch the whole kitchen. “你高高坐在上面，能看着整个厨房。

I'm shut away in the dark, 我却被关在黑漆漆的肚子里，

swinging back and forth, year after year. 年复一年地来回摆动。

This morning I worked out how many times I'd have to tick in one day. 今天早上我算了一下，自己一天得摆多少下。

Eighty-six thousand, four hundred! 整整八万六千四百下！

Then I started multiplying that by months, 然后我又乘上了月份，

by years, and I just couldn't face it." 再乘上年份，我实在受不了了。”

The face paused, then asked, 表盘愣了一下，接着问：

"Would you mind ticking six times for me?" “你能为我摆六下吗？”

The pendulum did. 钟摆照做了。

"Was that exhausting?" “累吗？”

"Not at all. “一点都不累。

It's not six I'm worried about. 我担心的又不是这六下，

It's the millions." 而是以后的千千万万下。”

"But you only ever have to do one at a time," “可你每次只需要摆一下呀，”

said the face, 表盘说，

"and there'll always be a moment to do it in." “而且每一刻，你都会有时间去摆那一下。”

The pendulum thought it over, and then began to swing again. 钟摆琢磨了一会儿，便又重新开始摆动起来。

Most of what wears us out isn't the work itself. 把我们累垮的大多不是事情本身，

It's trying to carry all of it at once. 而是我们总想一口气把所有事都扛下来。