Two Drops of Oil - 两滴油

 

 



Two Drops of Oil
 A certain business man sent his son to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world.

The lad wandered through the desert for forty days, and finally came upon a beautiful castle, high atop a mountain. It was there that the wise man lived.

Rather than finding a saintly man, though, our hero, on entering the main room of the castle, saw a hive of activity: tradesmen came and went, people were conversing in the corners, a small orchestra was playing soft music, and there was a table covered with platters of the most delicious food in that part of the world. The wise man conversed with everyone, and the boy had to wait for two hours before it was his turn to be given the man's attention.

The wise man listened attentively to the boy's explanation of why he had come, but told him that he didn't have time just then to explain the secret of happiness. He suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in two hours.

"Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something," said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil. "As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to spill."

The boy began climbing and descending the many stairways of the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. After two hours, he returned to the room where the wise man was.

"Well," asked the wise man, "did you see the Persian tapestries that are hanging in my dining hall? Did you see the garden that it took the master gardener ten years to create? 

Did you notice the beautiful parchments in my library?"

The boy was embarrassed, and confessed that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil that the wise man had entrusted to him.

"Then go back and observe the marvels of my world," said the wise man. "You cannot trust a man if you don't know his house."

"Relieved, the boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace, this time observing all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. He saw the gardens, the mountains all around him, the beauty of the flowers, and the taste with which everything had been selected. Upon returning to the wise man, he related in detail everything he had seen.

"But where are the drops of oil I entrusted to you?" asked the wise man.

Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.

"Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you," said the wisest of wise man. "The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon."


两滴油

有个商人送儿子去跟世上最有智慧的人学习幸福的秘密。

男孩在沙漠中走了四十天，终于看到一座美丽的城堡竖立在山顶。世界上最聪明的人就住在那里。

然而，当这个男孩进入城堡的大厅，他并没有看见什么圣人，而是看到一派繁忙的景象：商人们来来去去，人们聚在角落聊天，一个小型乐队在演奏轻音乐，还有一张摆满美味食物的桌子。原来，圣人在跟每个人说话，男孩要请教他问题，必须等两个小时。

圣人专注地倾听男孩解释到这里来的原因，但是圣人却说他没有时间解释幸福的秘密。他建议男孩在城堡四周逛逛，两个小时后再回来找他。

圣人一边说，一边将一根装着两滴油的汤匙递给男孩，说：「同时，我要请你做一件事，你在四周逛逛的时候，拿着这根汤匙，但是不可以让里面的油溢出来。」

男孩在城堡里走上走下，眼睛却紧盯着汤匙。两个小时之后，他回到圣人身边。

圣人问： 「你有看到挂在餐厅墙上的波斯挂毯吗？你有看到园丁师傅花十年时间设计的花园吗？你有注意到藏书室里的羊皮纸文稿吗？」

男孩很尴尬，坦承什么也没注意到。他唯一关心的是圣人交代他的事情：不要让油从汤匙里溢出来。

圣人说：「那么你再回去欣赏城堡里奇特的东西，如果你不熟悉一个人的房子，你就不能信任他。」

男孩松了一口气，拿起汤匙，再度探索这座城堡。

这次他仔细地观看天花板和墙上的艺术品。他也参观花园，眺望四周的高山，欣赏美丽的花朵，以及圣人高雅品味下精心挑选的每样东西。

男孩一回到圣人面前，就向圣人详述他所看到的每样东西。

圣人问：「但是我托你保管的油在哪里？」

男孩低头看着手中的汤匙，他发现油都不见了。

这个最有智慧的人说：「我只能给你一的建议，幸福的秘密就是观察世界上所有令人惊奇的事物，但是，绝不能忘记汤匙里的油。」

要懂得享受人生，但也不要忘了本分。