理性与热情

于是那女冠又说：请给我们讲理性与热情。

他回答说：

他们的心灵常常是战场。在战场上，你们的“理性与判断”和你们的“热情与嗜欲”开战。

我恨不能在你们的心灵中做一个调停者，使我可以让你们心中的分子从竞争与衅隙变成合一与和鸣。

但除了你们自己也做个调停者，做个你们心中的各分子的爱者之外，我又能做什么呢？

你们的理性与热情，是你们航行的灵魂的舵与帆。

假如你们的帆或舵破坏了，你们只能泛荡、漂流，或在海中停住。

因为理性独自治理，是一个禁锢的权力；热情，不小心的时候是一个自焚的火焰。

因此，让你们的心灵把理性升到热情的最高点，让它歌唱；

也让心灵用理性来引导你们的热情，让它在每日复活中生存，如同大鸾在它自己的灰烬上高翔。

我愿你们把判断和嗜欲当作你们家中的两位佳客。

你们自然不能敬礼一客过于另一客；因为过分关心于任一客，必要失去两客的友爱与忠诚。

在万山中，当你坐在白杨的凉荫下，享受那远田与原野的宁静与和平——你应当让你的心在沉静中说：“上帝安息在理性中。”

当飓暴卷来的时候，狂风震撼林木，雷电宣告穹苍的威严——你应当让你的心在敬畏中说：“上帝运行在热情里。”

只因你们是上帝大气中之一息，是上帝丛林中之一叶，你们也要同他一起安息在理性中，运行在热情里。

15

On Reason & Passion

And the priestess spoke again and said: "Speak to us of Reason and Passion."

And he answered saying:

Your soul is oftentimes a battlefield, upon which your reason and your judgment wage war against passion and your appetite.

Would that I could be the peacemaker in your soul, that I might turn the discord and the rivalry of your elements into oneness and melody.

But how shall I, unless you yourselves be also the peacemakers, nay, the lovers of all your elements?

Your reason and your passion are the rudder and the sails of your seafaring soul.

If either your sails or our rudder be broken, you can but toss and drift, or else be held at a standstill in mid-seas.

For reason, ruling alone, is a force confining; and passion, unattended, is a flame that burns to its own destruction.

Therefore let your soul exalt your reason to the height of passion; that it may sing;

And let it direct your passion with reason, that your passion may live through its own daily resurrection, and like the phoenix rise above its own ashes.

I would have you consider your judgment and your appetite even as you would two loved guests in your house.

Surely you would not honour one guest above the other; for he who is more mindful of one loses the love and the faith of both.

Among the hills, when you sit in the cool shade of the white poplars, sharing the peace and serenity of distant fields and meadows-then let your heart say in silence, "God rests in reason."

And when the storm cones, and the mighty wind shakes the forest, and thunder and lightning proclaim the majesty of the sky, - then let your heart say in awe, "God moves in passion."

And since you are a breath In God's sphere, and a leaf in God's forest, you too should rest in reason and move in passion.