各种茶壶 [茶壶]
时间：2018-12-27 03:35:30 来源：柠檬阅读网 本文已影响 人 
There was a proud tea-pot, proud of its porcelain, proud of its long spout, proud of its broad handle; it had something both before and behind, the spout before and the handle behind, and it talked about it; but it did not talk about its lid; that was cracked, it was riveted, it had a defect, and one does not willingly talk of one"s defects; others do that sufficiently. The cups, the cream-pot, and the sugar-basin, the whole of the tea-service would remember more about the frailty of the lid and talk about it, than about the good handle and the splendid spout; the tea-pot knew that.
"I know them!" it said to itself, "I know also my defect and I admit it; therein lies my humility, my modesty; we all have defects, but one has also merits. The cups have a handle, the sugar-basin a lid, I have both of these and another thing besides, which they never have, I have a spout, and that makes me the queen of the tea-table. To the sugar-basin and the cream-pot it is granted to be the servants of sweet taste, but I am the giver, the ruler of all; I disseminate blessing among thirsty humanity; in my inside the Chinese leaves are prepared in the boiling, tasteless water."
The tea-pot said all thisinitsundaunted youth. It stood on the table laid for tea,andit was lifted by the finest hand; but the finest hand was clumsy, the tea-pot fell, the spout broke off, the handle broke off, the lid is not worth talking about, for enough has been said about it. The tea-pot lay in a faint on the floor; the boiling water ran out of it. That was a hard blow it got, and the hardest of all was that they laughed; they laughed at it, and not at the awkward hand.
"I shall never get that experience out of my mind," said the tea-pot, when it afterwards related its career to itself, "I was called an invalid and set in a corner, and the day after, presented to a woman who begged kitchen-refuse. I came down into poverty, stood speechless both out and in; but there, as I stood, my better life began; one is one thing, and becomes something quite different. Earth was put into me; for a tea-pot, that is the same as to be buried, but in the earth was put a bulb; who laid it there, who gave it, I know not, but given it was, a compensation for the Chinese leaves and the boiling water, a compensation for the broken-off handle and spout. And the bulb lay in the earth, the bulb lay in me, it became my heart, my living heart, and such a thing I had never had before. There was life in me, there was strength and vigour. The pulse beat, the bulb spr-
outed, it was bursting with thoughts and feelings; then it broke out in flower; I saw it, I carried it, I forgot myself in its loveliness; it is a blessed thing to forget oneself in others!It did not thank me; it did not think about me; it was admired and praised. I was so glad about it; how glad must it have been then!One day I heard it said that it deserved a better pot. They broke me through the middle; it was frightfully painful; but the flower was put in a better pot, and I was thrown out into the yard; I lie there like an old potsherd,--but I have the remembrance, that I cannot lose."
从前，有一个骄傲的茶壶。它为自己是瓷器而骄傲，为自己的长壶嘴而骄傲，为自己的宽把手而骄傲。它的前面后面都有东西，前面是壶嘴，后面是把手，它对此自吹自擂。但它从不提及它的盖子，因为它曾经破过，又被钉好了，所以是个缺陷。谁都不愿意谈自己的缺陷，但别人总爱拿缺陷做文章。茶杯，奶油罐子，还有糖碗，所有的茶具都记得壶盖子的缺点，老是谈论它，比谈那个好把手和漂亮的壶嘴谈得还要多。茶壶明白这事儿。
“我认识它们!”他自言自语道，“我也知道我的缺陷，我自己也承认。这正说明我的谦虚，我的朴实。我们大家都有缺陷，但也都有优点。茶杯有个把手，糖碗有个盖子，但我不仅有这些，我还有一件别的东西，是它们永远也不会的，那就是我有壶嘴儿。正是它让我成为桌上的王后。至于糖碗和奶油罐子，它们被命名为美味的仆人，而我就是那任命的人，所有这类东西的统治者。我把幸福分给干渴的人们。在我的体内，中国的茶叶泡在了白开水里。”
上面这些话，都是茶壶在他英勇无畏的年轻时代说的。它坐在茶几上，被最美的手揭开盖子。但那只美丽的手很笨拙，茶壶摔了下去。壶嘴断了，把手折了，盖子就甭提了，因为大家谈论得已经太多。茶壶昏倒在地上，开水流了出来。那对它是一次巨大的打击，最糟糕的是大家都取笑它。它们笑的是茶壶，而不是那只笨拙的手。
“我永远忘不了那次经历，”茶壶后来总结自己的经历时说，“我被叫作废物，丢在一个角落里。第二天，我被送给一个要厨房剩饭吃的妇女。我落入了贫困之中，站在那里，里外都一言不发。但在我站在那儿的时候，更好的生活却开始了。真是此一时，彼一时呀。我被灌进了土，对于茶壶来说，这就相当于被埋葬。但土里却有个花根，到底是谁放的，谁给的，我都不知道。但既然把它放进去了，那就当是对洒了的中国茶叶和开水的补偿，也算是对摔断的把手和壶嘴的补偿吧。花根埋在土里，埋在我的身体里。它成了我的心脏，我的活的心脏，我从没有过这种东西。我体内有了生命，有了力量和精神。我的脉搏在跳动，花根发了出来，它焕发出思想和感情。然后，它在花朵上绽放出来。我看到它了，我支撑着它，在它的美丽可爱中忘了自我。为了别人而忘掉自我，真是一件幸福的事情!它没有感谢我，没有想到我。它受到崇拜，受到赞扬。我真为它感到高兴，它是多么快活呀!一天，我听它说，它应该要个更好的花盆。它们拦腰把我给摔碎了，疼得真是可怕!花儿被放到了一个更好的花盆里，而我则被扔进了院子里。我躺在那里，像一堆破瓦片儿――但我有美好的记忆，我忘不了。”
