第四章
Early Training and Education.
早期的圣召培育和宗教教育。
A closer acquaintance with the thrice-happy parents to whose care Almighty God had confided so precious a treasure, affords a fresh proof of the wonderful vigilance of Divine Providence in arranging even the least details connected with His chosen ones, that all things may concur in the fulfilment of the mission assigned them.
全能的天主把如此珍贵的宝物托付给这对幸运的父母照顾,当你与他们亲密接触之后,就能再次证明天主上智在安排祂所拣选的人最微小的细节时的用心,以至于万事效力为成全赋予他们的使命。
Anne Catherine was the child of truly pious souls who, contented in their poverty because it was consecrated to God, found a rich indemnification for the want of material goods in the heavenly blessings shed upon them.
安纳•加大利纳是真正虔诚的人的孩子,她的父母满足于自己的贫穷,他们在属天的祝福中找到了对物质匮乏的丰富补偿。
Their whole life presented to the child a perfect model of Christian faith, and she received, thanks to their gentle firmness, an education best suited to her high vocation.
他们的一生给这个孩子树立了天主教信仰的完美榜样,由于他们的温和坚定,使她接受了最适合她崇高圣召的教育。
Her father's house was a school of piety for his children;even in her last years, Anne Catherine gratefully recalled the advice given her by her good parents and the pious and regular habits to which they had trained her.
父亲的家对孩子们来说是一所虔诚的学校;甚至在她最后的岁月里,安纳•加大利纳仍然感激地回忆起她的好父母给她的忠告,以及他们对她的虔诚和有规律习惯的培养。
She loved to speak of them. Their whole life might be written from the words of their child.
她喜欢谈论她的父母。他们的一生都可以从孩子的谈话中写下来。
" My father was very pious and upright, of a serious disposition, but by no means morose or inclined to sadness.
「我的父亲非常虔诚正直,性格严肃,但绝没有忧郁和悲观的倾向。
His poverty obliged him to hard labor, but he was not actuated by the love of gain.
他因贫穷而从事艰苦的勞动,而不是为了利益而勞苦。
He had a childlike trust in God and performed his daily toil like a faithful servant without anxiety or cupidity.
他对天主有一种孩子般的信任,像一个忠心耿耿的仆人那样完成他的日常工作,既不焦虑也不贪婪。
His conversation was full of beautiful, homely proverbs, interspersed with pious, simple expressions.
他的谈话充满了优美、朴实无华的谚语,夹杂着虔诚、单纯的表达。
One day he told us the history of a great man named Hun, who travelled all over the globe. That night I dreamed that I saw this great man wandering over the earth and turning up with an immense spade good and bad soil.
有一天,他给我们讲了一位名叫混(有匈奴,野蛮人的词意)的伟人的故事,他周游世界。那天晚上,我梦见这个伟大的人,带着一把巨大的铁锹,在大地上走来走去,翻掘出好土和坏土。
As my father was very laborious himself ? he taught me to work hard even in my childhood. Summer and winter, I had to go out to the fields before daybreak to catch a vicious horse which kicked and bit and used to run away from my father.
因为我父亲自己非常辛苦,所以他教导我从小就要努力工作。无论夏天还是冬天,我都不得不在天亮前到田野里去抓一匹烈马,它又踢又咬,常常从我父亲那里跑开。
The vicious creature used to let me catch him; indeed, he sometimes came himself to meet me. I used to climb on a stone or mound, get on his back, and ride home in triumph.
那个孽畜过去常常让我抓住它,实际上,它有时还亲自来接我。我常常爬上一块石头或土堆,登上马背,然后凯旋而归。
If he took a notion to turn his head to bite, I would give him a blow on the nose, which made him trot on quietly as before. I used to haul manure and produce with him. I cannot now understand how I managed him at all."
如果它想回头咬人,我就在它鼻子上打一拳,让它像以前一样安静地小跑。我过去常常和它一起运送肥料和农产品。我现在根本不明白我是怎么管住它的。」
" We often went into the fields before daybreak. At the moment of sunrise my father used to uncover his head and say some prayers;then he would speak to me of the great God who made His sun rise so gloriously above us. "
「我们经常在天亮前到地里去。在日出的时刻,我的父亲常常摘下他头上的帽子,做一些祈祷,然后他会对我说起伟大的天主,是祂让太阳升起,让它如此灿烂地在我们头上照耀。
He often said it was a shameful thing to lie in bed whilst the sun rose high in the heavens, for it leads to the ruin of whole families, countries, and nations.
他常说当太阳已高高升上天空时,还躺在床上是件可耻的事,因为这将导致整个家庭、国家和民族的毁灭。
Once I replied : 'Yes, but that does not mean me, for the sun cannot get near my little bed!' and he answered : 'Even if you cannot see the rising sun, he sees you — he shines evervwhere.' I thought over these words a long time. "
有一次我回答说:『是的,但那不是指我,因为太阳没接近我的小床时,我就起床了!』他回答说:『即使你看不见初升的太阳,它也能看见你——它照耀着每一个地方。』这些话使我思考了很久。
"On another occasion, he said to me : 'See, no one has yet trodden in the dew ! We are the first and, if we pray devoutly, we shall draw down blessings upon the earth. It is good to walk on the morning dew before anyone else has touched it. There is a blessing upon it then, entirely fresh.
「还有一次,他对我说:『瞧,还没有人踩过露水呢!我们是第一个,如果我们虔诚地祈祷,我们将把祝福带到大地上。走在无人踩踏过的晨露上多么好啊!那是一种完全新鲜的祝福。
No sin has yet been committed in the fields, no bad word has been spoken. When the dew has been trodden under foot, it seems as if the freshness and beauty of morning had flown.'
田野里还没有人犯罪,没有人说过坏话。当露水被人踩在脚下,仿佛清晨的清新和美丽已经飞逝。
" Although very small and delicate, yet I always had to work hard, either around the house or out in the fields with my brothers and sisters. Once I had to load a cart with about twenty sacks of corn.
「虽然我又小又弱,但我总是不得不和我的兄弟姐妹们一起在房子周围或在田间努力工作。有一次,我不得不把大约二十袋玉米装在一辆车上。
I did it without stopping to rest, and more quickly than a strong boy could have done it. In the same way I used to reap and mow."
我不停歇地干着,就像我以前收割庄稼和割草一样,比一个强壮的男孩做得还要快。」
" Sometimes I led the horse for my father, sometimes I harrowed the ground.
「有时我为父亲牵马,有时我耙地。
I did all kinds of field labor. Occasionally when we paused a moment to rest, my father would exclaim :
我做过各种各样的田间劳动。有时我们停下来休息一下,父亲就会惊叫起来:
‘Ah ! how fortunate ! Look ! We can see straight ahead to Coesfeld. There is the church ! We can adore Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.
『啊!多么幸运啊!看!我们可以直接看到科斯菲尔德。圣堂在那里!我们可以在圣体圣事中朝拜我们的上主。
He watches us and blesses our work.' When the bell rang for Mass, he would take off his hat and say a little prayer.
天主照看着我们,祝福我们的工作。』当弥撒的钟声响起时,父亲会摘下帽子,做一个小小的祈祷。
Then he would say : ' Now we must follow the Holy Mass,' and still continuing his work, he would utter a few words from time to time, such as : 'Now the priest is at the Gloria, now the Sanctus — we must say such or such a prayer and make the sign of the cross,' and sometimes he would sing a verse from the Holy Scriptures, or whistle a tune.
然后他会说:『现在我们必须神望弥撒了,』并继续他的工作,他会时不时的说几句话,:『例如:现在神父在唱《光荣颂》,现在是《圣三颂》——我们必须做这样或那样的祈祷,并划十字圣号』有时他还会唱圣经经文,或吹相应的曲子。
Whilst I went on harrowing, he would say : ' They make great account of miracles, and yet we live only by miracles and the pure goodness of God.
当我继续劳作的时候,他会说:『他们把神迹看得很重,而我们生活在神迹和天主纯粹的善良中。
See the grain of wheat in the ground ! There it lies and sends up a long stalk that reproduces it a hundred-fold. Is not that a great miracle?’“
看看地里的麦粒!它躺在土里,生出一根长长的茎,能结出100倍子粒果实。这难道不是一个伟大的神迹吗?』」
"On Sunday afternoons he used to rehearse the sermon of the morning for us, commenting upon it in the most edifying manner, and end by reading aloud an explanation of the Gospel."
「每逢主日下午,他总要为我们复述早晨的讲道,用最具启发性的方式加以评论,最后大声朗读一段《福音》的解释。」
Anne Catherine's mother was equally good and pious. In twenty-one years of married life she had given birth to nine children,the first in 1766,the last in 1787.
安纳•加大利纳的母亲也同样善良虔诚。在她21年的婚姻生活中,她生了9个孩子,第一个在1766年,最后一个在1787年。
She was a happy, contented, and faithful wife. Her life of incessant care and toil had stamped her countenance with rather a grave expression, without, however, embittering her heart;that was kind and gentle toward all.
她是一位幸福、知足、忠诚的妻子。无休止的操劳和忙碌给她的面容打上了严肃的烙印,但这并没有影响她那颗对所有人都仁慈温柔的心。
The incessant struggle to procure a suitable maintenance never brought a complaint to her lips ;on the contrary, in a spirit of prayer, she looked upon the necessity to labor as a favor from Heaven, and thought only of being in the eyes of God a faithful stewardess.
她为适当的生计不断地奋斗,却从未抱怨过;相反地,她在祈祷的心神中,把必须劳动看作是上天的恩惠,一心只想在天主的眼里做一个忠实的女仆。
In after years,Anne Catherine thus spoke of her: "It was my mother who gave me my first lessons in Catechism.
多年以后,安纳•加大利纳这样谈到她:「是我母亲给我上了第一堂要理问答课。
Her favorite ejaculations were : 'Lord, give me patience, and then strike hard!' — 'Lord, may Thy will, not mine, be done !' I have never forgotten them.
她最喜欢的《热心短诵》是:『上主啊,请给我耐心,并严厉鞭策我!』—— 『上主啊,不要照我的意愿,愿你的旨意成就。』,我从未忘记这些话。
When I played with my young companions, my mother used to say :
当我和小伙伴们玩的时候,妈妈常说:
‘If children play together innocently, the angels join them; sometimes even the little Infant Jesus comes, too.'
『如果孩子们一起天真地玩耍,天神们就会加入他们;有时甚至连小耶稣圣婴也会来。』
I looked upon this as literally true, and it did not in the least astonish me. I often cast a searching glance up at the sky to see if they were coming.
我把这话当真,一点也不觉得奇怪。我常常抬头望着天空,看看他们是否来了。
I sometimes imagined them present, although we could not see them.
虽然我们看不见他们,但我有时想象他们就在眼前。
That they might not fail to come, we always played innocent games.
为了确保天神的到来,我们总是玩些天真的游戏。
My mother taught me to walk last and to say my prayers on the way when I went out with other children to church or elsewhere.
当我和其他孩子一起去教堂或其他地方时,我的母亲教我走在最后,并在路上祈祷。
She said that by doing so I should neither hear nor see anything bad.
她说这样做,我既不会听到也不会看到任何不好的事情。
When I made the sign of the cross on my forehead, lips, and breast, I said to myself that these crosses were the keys to lock up my heart against everything hurtful, and that the Infant Jesus alone should hold them.
当我在额头、嘴唇和胸前画十字圣号时,我对自己说,这些十字架是锁住我的心以抵御一切伤害的钥匙,只有圣婴耶稣才能掌管这些钥匙。
All goes well when He has charge of them."
只要祂掌管,一切都会很顺利的。」
Anne Catherine saw nothing in the whole life of her parents that was not in accordance with the commandments of God and the Church.
在她父母的一生中,安纳•加大利纳从没有见过不符合天主和教会诫命的事。
The only joys that lightened their labors were those they found in the celebration of her festivals.
唯一减轻他们劳累的是他们在庆祝教会的庆节时找到的欢乐。
These simple souls were well suited for such happiness ;for never was their work so pressing, their fatigue so great, as to prevent their making any sacrifice for the good of their neighbor.
这些淳朴的人非常适合这种幸福;因为他们不会工作紧张和劳累到不能再为邻人的利益做出牺牲的地步。
Bernard Emmerich after his long day's toil never neglected to remind his little ones, as night closed in, to pray for travellers, for poor soldiers, for their fellow creatures in distress, he himself saying particular prayers for such intentions.
伯尔纳德•艾曼丽在漫长的一天的劳作之后,从来没有忘记提醒他的孩子们,当夜幕降临时,要为旅行者、可怜的士兵和他们的同伴祈祷,他自己也特别为这样的意向祈祷。
During the three days of Carnival, the mother accustomed her children to prostrate and with extended arms to say four times the Our Father, in order to avert all attacks upon innocence during those days : “Children,”she used to say to them, " you do not understand it, but I know it well. Pray !"
在三天的狂欢节,妈妈习惯让她的孩子们跪在地上,伸开双臂,念四遍《天主经》,为了避免在这三天里对天真的孩子的一切攻击。她经常对他们说:「孩子们,你们不懂,但是我知道得很清楚。祈祷吧!」
The following incident shows how God blessed the words and example of these good parents :
以下的事件显示了天主如何降福这些好父母的话语和榜样:
“When we were very small, my eldest brother and I slept in the same room. He was very pious, and we often prayed together, kneeling by our little beds, our arms extended in the form of a cross. I often saw the room all lighted up.
「当我们很小的时候,我和大哥睡在一个房间里。他非常虔诚,我们经常一起祈祷,跪在我们的小床前,我们的手臂呈十字形伸出。我经常看到房间里都光亮起来了。
Sometimes, after kneeling a long while in prayer, I was suddenly jerked up with violence by some invisible force, and a voice cried : ' Go to bed ! Go to bed!'
有时,我跪着祈祷了很久,突然被一种看不见的力量猛地拉了起来,一个声音喊道:『去睡觉!去睡觉!』
This used to frighten my brother very much, but its only effect upon me was to make me pray the longer.
这曾使我哥哥非常害怕,但这声音对我唯一的影响是让我祈祷得更长久。
My brother himself did not escape these attacks of the evil one who often tried to trouble him during his prayers.My parents once found him kneeling with his arms extended, perfectly stiff with the cold."
我哥哥自己也没能逃脱那个经常在祈祷时骚扰他的恶魔的攻击。我父母有一次发现他跪在地上,双臂伸开,完全冻僵了。」
As these good people were too humble to Iook upon the unremitting practice of their Christian duties as anything extraordinary, so neither did the phenomena they witnessed in their child arouse in them feelings of pride.
由于这些善良的人都是非常谦卑的人,没有把坚持不懈地履行他们的基督徒职责看成是什么了不起的事情,所以他们在孩子身上看到的现象,也没有引起他们的自豪感。
They beheld with grateful emotion the gifts of grace with which she was endowed; but they concealed their wonder and continued to treat her as they did their other children.
他们怀着感激的心情关注小安纳被赋予的圣宠恩赐,但他们掩饰了自己的惊奇,继续像对待其他孩子一样对待她。
The mother chided her little Anne Catherine as severely for her faults as she did her brothers and sisters, and, even in her babyhood, she was not exempt from her share in the family duties. She was thus kept in happy ignorance of herself.
母亲责备她的小安纳的过错,就像责备她的兄弟姐妹一样严厉,而且,即使在小安纳的幼儿时期,母亲也不免除她的家庭责任。小安纳就是这样使自己处于幸福的无知状态之中。
Her simplicity and humility were never endangered by praise, admiration, or indiscreet curiosity. Her rich interior life remained hidden and unknown, expanding with ever increasing beauty under the conduct of her angel guardian, who regulated all her sentiments, thoughts, and words, and restrained her ardent nature by the constant practice of obedience.
她的纯朴和谦卑从来没有被称赞、表扬或轻率的好奇心而危害到。她丰富的内心生活仍然隐藏着,不为人所知,在她的护守天神的引导下,这种内心生活的美丽与日俱增。她的护守天神规范着她所有的情感、思想和语言,通过不断地锻炼服从来约束她本性的热心。
Her parents, it is true, felt more than ordinary affection for this child, but it was contrary to their nature to manifest it by exterior marks or caresses.
的确,她的父母对这个孩子有一种超乎寻常的爱,但他们却不愿用外在的标记或爱抚来表达这种情感。
It was almost a necessity for Bernard Emmerich to have his winning, discreet little girl near him when he worked in the fields. Her childish remarks, her answers to his questions, her whole demeanor were so pleasing to him that he could not bear to have her absent from his side.
当伯尔纳德•艾曼丽在地里干活时,身边总有一位讨人喜欢的、乖巧的小姑娘,这对他来说几乎是必须要有的。小安纳稚嫩的话语,她对父亲问题的回答,她的整个举止,都使伯尔纳德感到愉快,因此他不能忍受小安纳不在他的身边。
Her mother was too much occupied with the care of her younger children to give as much of her attention to Anne Catherine as her husband.
她的母亲忙于照顾年幼的孩子,不能像丈夫那样照顾安纳•加大利纳。
The father's sprightly disposition had been inherited by the child, who cheered his daily toil by her innocent sportiveness.
父亲活泼的性格遗传给了这孩子,小安纳以她的天真活泼为父亲每天的辛劳加油打气。
She was naturally gay, as might be expected of one admitted to so familiar intercourse with God and His saints.
小安纳天性快乐,正如人们所期望的那样,一个与天主和祂的圣人们有亲密关系的人的特征。
Her forehead was high and well-formed, and the sweet light of her clear brown eyes shed an air of serenity over her whole countenance.
她的前额高而匀称,她那清澈的棕褐色眼睛发出的甜蜜的光芒,使她的整个面容笼罩着一种安详的气息。
Her dark hair was thrown back either in braids or coils around her head, and her silvery voice and vivacity of expression revealed the intelligence of her mind.
她乌黑的头发不是编成辫子就是盘在脑后,她那银铃般的声音和活泼的表情,透露出她的聪明机智。
She spoke with ease and fluency of things that seemed mysterious and unintelligible to her hearers ; but her modest and humble reserve soon dispelled the impression produced by these unexpected flashes of superior gifts.
她从容流利地讲着那些在她的听众看来神秘莫测、难以理解的事情;但是她的羞怯和谦逊的矜持,很快就消除了这些出人意料的天赋所带来的印象。
She was so sweet, so kind, her eagerness to be of service to others was so charming that young and old flocked to little Anne Catherine to receive assistance and advice.
她是那么可爱,那么善良,那么热心为别人服务,那么迷人,以致于老老少少都成群结队地到小安纳那里去寻求帮助和建议。
Although ignorant of her high gifts, none could help loving her.
虽然人们不知道她的崇高恩赐,但谁也不能不爱她。
These simple peasants knew well that there was no sacrifice that she would not make for their good, and they were as much accustomed to the blessings that emanated from her as to the perfume of the rosemary in their own gardens.
这些淳朴的农民很清楚,为了他们的利益,她愿意做出任何牺牲,他们已经习惯了她的祝福,就像习惯了自己花园里迷迭香的芬芳一样。
" When I was a child,"she said,"the neighbors used to come to me to bind up their wounds, because I tried to do it carefully and gently. I was skilful at such things.
「当我还是个孩子的时候,」她说:「邻居们常常来找我帮他们包扎伤口,因为我总是仔细和温柔地包扎。我对这种事情很熟练。
When I saw an abscess, I used to say to myself : 'If you squeeze it, it will get worse ; the matter must, however, come out in some way.' Then I sucked it gently and it soon healed.
当我看到脓肿时,我常对自己说:『如果你挤它,它会变得更糟,但事情必须以某种方式解决。』然后我轻轻地吸了脓疮一口,伤口很快就愈合了。
No one taught me that. It was the desire of rendering myself useful that led me to do it. At first, I felt disgust, but that only made me overcome myself, for disgust is not compassion.
没人教过我这个。我做这件事是为了使自己变得有用。起初,我感到厌恶,但那只是让我战胜自己,因为厌恶不是同情。
When I promptly surmounted the feeling, I was filled with tender joy. I thought of Our Lord who did the same for all mankind."
当我迅速克服了这种感觉时,我心中充满了温柔的喜悦。我想到了我们的上主,祂为全人类做了同样的事。」
Sometimes her color changed from a bright red to a livid pallor, her sparkling eyes grew suddenly dim, her simple gayety was exchanged for gravity, and a shade of inexplicable sadness passed over her countenance — she was hardly recognizable.
有时,她的脸色从绯红变为灰白,闪闪发光的眼睛突然暗淡下来,她那单纯的快乐变成了严肃,一种莫名的悲伤笼罩在她的脸上——简直认不出她来了。
Her parents anxiously questioned each other :
她的父母焦急地互相询问:
'What is the matter with the child ?'' The cause of this sudden change lay in the sad sight of the miseries of mankind presented to her mind.
「这孩子怎么啦?」这突然的变化是由于人类的悲惨遭遇呈现在她的脑海中。
As she could not hear the name of God or a saint without falling into contemplation, so neither could mention be made in her presence of any accident or misfortune, without her soul's being irresistibly borne to the scene of suffering by her desire to relieve it at any cost.
正如她一听到天主或圣人的名字就会陷入默观一样,所以若当着她的面提到任何意外或不幸时,她的灵魂就无法抗拒地被带到受苦的现场,因为她渴望不惜一切代价减轻人们的痛苦。
Her friends, as may be supposed, could not account for her singular conduct, and her mother's uneasiness soon gave way to displeasure on beholding the child's languor disappear as quickly as it had come.
可想而知,她的朋友们都无法解释她为什么会有这种奇怪的举动。她母亲看到孩子的无精打采一下子就消失得无影无踪,原先的不安很快就变成了不悦。
She ascribed these unaccountable changes to caprice,and thought reproofs and punishments the best remedy to apply to them ; therefore she sometimes chastised the little girl severely when the latter,overwhelmed by interior sufferings, was scarcely able to stand.
她母亲把这些莫名其妙的变化归咎于任性,认为责备和惩罚是对付这些变化的最好办法。因此,当小女孩被内心的痛苦折磨得几乎无法站立时,她有时会严厉地惩罚她。
But the undeserved treatment was received with such patience and submission, the child was still so bright and loving, that the father and mother gazed at each other in amazement, saying: " What a strange child ! Nothing ever appears to intimidate her. What will become of her !"
但是她却耐心地、顺从地接受了这种不应有的对待。孩子仍然那么聪明、可爱,以致父母惊讶地面面相觑,说: 「多奇怪的孩子啊!似乎没有什么能吓倒她。她将会成为一个什么样的人呢?」
It was not only the angel's admonitions that influenced Anne Catherine to bear this harsh treatment for the love of God, it was her own conviction that she deserved all kinds of punishment.
不仅是天神的告诫使小安纳为了天主的爱而忍受了这种严厉的对待,而且是她自己坚信她应该受到各种惩罚。
"In my childhood," she says, "I was irritable and whimsical, and I was often punished on that account.
「在我的童年,」她说,「我性情敏感,异想天开,常常因此而受到惩罚。
It was hard for me to repress my capricious humor. My parents often blamed and never praised me; and, as I used to hear other parents praising their children, I began to look upon myself as the worst child in the world.
我很难抑制自己任性的情绪。我的父母经常责备我,从不表扬我;而且,当我经常听到别的父母表扬他们的孩子时,我开始把自已看成是世界上最糟糕的孩子。
What disquieted me most was the fear of being an object of abhorrence in the sight of God also. But one day I saw some children very disrespectful toward their parents, and, though pained at the sight, yet I felt somewhat reassured, as I thought I might still hope, for I could never do so bad a thing as that."
最使我不安的是,我也害怕在天主面前成为一个可憎之物。但是有一天,我看到一些孩子对他们的父母非常不尊重,虽然这一幕让我感到痛苦,但我还是感到有些安心,因为我认为我仍然有希望,因为我永远不会做这样的坏事。」
Anne Catherine found the greatest difficulty in repressing her vivacity, crushing self-will, and submitting entirely to that of others.
小安纳发现最大的困难是约束自己的活泼,克制自己的意志,完全屈从于别人的意志。
Her tender heart, her exquisite sensitiveness, ever alive to a thousand things which others would pass over unheeded, her ardent zeal for the glory of God and the salvation of her neighbor, obliged her to repeated efforts to acquire meekness founded upon self-forget-fulness and obedience so perfect that the first movements of resistance were stifled in their birth.
她那颗温柔的心,她那细腻的敏感,总是注意到别人会忽略的无数事情,她对天主的光荣和邻人的救赎有一种强烈的热情,这迫使她不断努力,以获得建立在完全忘我和服从基础上的温顺,这种温顺是如此完美,以致于最初的抗拒的动机在它们萌芽时就被扼杀了。
Her courageous soul gained the victory, however,and her fidelity was so freely recompensed that she could say in later years :
然而,她勇敢的灵魂赢得了胜利,她的忠诚得到了慷慨的回报,以至于她在晚年可以说:
—"Obedience was my strength, my consolation. Thanks to obedience, I could pray with a peaceful, joyous mind.
--- 「听命服从是我的力量,是我的安慰。感谢听命服从,我才能以平静、喜乐的心态祈祷。
I could commune with God — my heart was free."
我可以和天主交谈——我的心灵是自由的。」
She not only thought herself the least and last of creatures, she actually felt herself such and regulated her whole conduct by this inward conviction.
她不仅认为自己是最渺小和最末尾的受造物,她实际上也觉得自己是这样,并通过这种内心的信念来规范她的整个行为。
Her angel tolerated no imperfection ; he punished every fault by reprimands and penances.
她的护守天神不能容忍任何不完美的地方,他会用训诫和补赎来惩罚她的每一个错误。
In her fifth year, she one day saw through a garden-hedge an apple lying under a tree, and felt a childish desire to eat it.
五岁的时候,有一天,她从花园的树篱中看到一棵树下有一个苹果,她孩子气地想吃它。
Scarcely was the thought conceived when her contrition for this covetousness was so great that she imposed upon herself as a penance never again to touch an apple, a resolution to which she ever faithfully adhered.
当她对这种贪婪的痛悔是如此之大时,补赎的想法几乎没有酝酿就产生了,就是她强加给自己一种补赎,再也不碰苹果,作为她一直忠实遵守的决定。
On another occasion, she felt a slight aversion for a woman who had spoken disparagingly of her parents, and she resolved not to salute her the next time she met her.
还有一次,她对一个说她父母坏话的女人有点反感,决定下次见她时不向她行礼。
This resolve she acted on, though not without an effort.
她把这个决心付诸行动,虽然并非没有努力。
The next moment she was so contrite that she instantly turned back and begged pardon for her rudeness.
过了一会儿,她后悔极了,立刻转过身来,为自己的无礼向那女人请求原谅。
When she began to approach the Sacrament of Penance, her delicate conscience gave her no peace after faults of this kind until she had bitterly accused herself of them to her confessor and received penance and absolution.
到了能参与告解圣事时,她那细腻的良心在犯了这类错误之后便不能使她平静下来,直到她向她的听告解神父痛悔己罪,并接受了告解后的补赎和宽恕。
That these early interior sufferings and her penitential life might not banish the innocent gayety of childhood from her heart, God in His goodness amply indemnified her by the joy she derived from the uninterrupted contemplation of the greatness and magnificence of creation and by her constant intercourse with irrational creatures.
为了使这些早期的内心痛苦和痛悔的生活不至于将她童年的天真快乐从她的心中驱逐出去,天主以祂的良善仁慈充分补偿了她,使她从不间断地默观受造物的伟大和壮丽中获得快乐,并使她通过不断地与自然界动物的交往中获得快乐。
When alone in the woods or fields, she would call the birds to her, sing with them the praises of their Maker, and caress them as they perched familiarly on her shoulder.
当她独自一人在森林或田野里时,她会呼唤鸟儿,同它们一起歌唱赞美造物主,当鸟儿熟悉地栖息在她的肩头时,她会爱抚它们。
If she found a nest, she peeped into it with beating heart and spoke the sweetest words to the little ones within.
如果她找到了一个鸟巢,她就会怀着一颗跳动的心向里面窥视,并对里面的小家伙们说最甜蜜的话。
She knew where the earliest flowers bloomed, and gathered them to weave into garlands for the Infant Jesus and His Mother.
她知道最早的花朵在什么地方开放,就把它们收集起来,编成花环送给耶稣圣婴和圣母。
But her eye, enlightened by grace, saw far beyond the senses.
但她那被恩宠照亮的眼睛,看到的远远超越感官所见。
Other children are amused by picture-books.
其他孩子看图画书消遣。
They take more delight in painted flowers and animals than in the glowing colors of animated nature.
他们更喜欢彩绘的花朵和动物,而不是生机勃勃的大自然。
But for Anne Catherine creatures were themselves the pictures in which she exultingly admired the wisdom and goodness of the Creator.
但对小安纳来说,受造物本身就是图画,是她欣喜地赞美造物主的智慧和善良的图画。
She knew their nature and varied properties, as she intimates in her account of her visions of St. John the Baptist: — "What John learned in the desert of flowers and animals never surprised me ; for, when I myself was a child, every leaf, every tiny flower, was a book which I could read.
她知道它们的本质和不同的属性,因为她在关于她的密友圣洗者若翰的神视异象中描述:——「若翰从沙漠里的花卉和动物身上所学到的从未让我吃惊,因为,当我还是个孩子的时候,每一片叶子,每一朵小花,都是一本我可以阅读的书。
I perceived the beauty and signification of color and form ; but when I spoke of it, my hearers only laughed at me.
我感受到了颜色和形态的美和意义;但是当我谈论这个时,我的听众却嗤笑我。
I could entertain myself with everything I met in the fields.
我可以从我在田野里遇到的一切获得愉悦。
I understood everything, I could even see into the flowers and animals. how charming it all was !
我明白了一切,我甚至能看到花朵和动物。这一切是多么迷人啊!
I had a fever when I was young which, however, did not prevent my going about.
我年幼时曾有一次发烧,但这并没有妨碍我四处走动。
My parents thought I would die, but a beautiful Child came and showed me some herbs which would cure me if I ate them.
我的父母以为我会死,但一个漂亮的孩子来了,他给我看了一些草药,如果我吃了它们,就可以治好我的病。
He told me also to suck the sweet juice of the bind-weed blossom.
他还叫我去吮吸那盛开的旋花的甘甜汁液。
I did both, and I was soon quite well.
我两样都做了,很快就好了。
I have always been exceedingly fond of camomile flowers.
我一直非常喜欢洋甘菊花。
There is something agreeable to me in their very name.
在它们特别的名字里有一种使我愉快的东西。
Even in my childhood I gathered them and kept them in readiness for the sick poor who came to me in their ailments.
甚至我从小就收集并保存这些花,预备给有疾病的穷人治病。
I used to think of all sorts of simple remedies for them."
我过去常常想到各种各样的简单的疾病治疗法。」
The beauty of the sacred discipline of the Church was also manifested to her, as the following lines will prove :
教会神圣的训诫之美也在小安纳身上得到了体现,下面几行字将证明这一点:
—" The sound of blessed bells has always been to me like a ray of benediction which banishes hurtful influences wherever it reaches.
---「神圣的钟声对我来说就像一道祝福的光芒,所到之处,有害的影响都会被驱散。
I think such sounds terrify Satan.
我认为这样的声音使撒殚感到恐惧。
When I used to pray at night in the fields, I often felt and, indeed, saw evil spirits around me ; but, as soon as the bells of Coesfeld sounded for matins, they fled.
当我晚上在田野里祈祷时,我常常感到,甚至看到周围有邪恶的幽灵;但是,科斯菲尔德的晨祷钟声一响,它们就逃走了。
I used to think that, when the voices of the clergy were heard at a great distance, as in the early ages of the Church, there was no need of bells ; but that now these brazen tongues were necessary.
我过去常常认为,在遥远年代的早期教会,当圣职人员们的声音在远处都听到时,就不需要鸣钟,但是现在知道这些铜钟的声音是必要的。
All things ought to serve the Lord Jesus, promote our salvation, and protect us against the enemy of our soul.
所有的事情都应该服务于主耶稣,促成我们的救赎,保护我们免受灵魂之敌的伤害。
God has imparted His benediction to His ministers that, emanating from them, it may penetrate all things and make them subservient to His glory.
天主已经把祂的降福分赐给祂的司祭们,从他们身上发出的祝福可以渗透万物,使万物臣服于天主的光荣。
But when the Spirit of God withdraws from the priests and the bells alone diffuse His benediction and put the evil one to flight, it is like a tree which appears to flourish.
但是,当天主的圣神从司铎身上退去时,只有钟声传扬天主的祝福,并赶走恶者,邪恶者就好像一棵茂盛的树,
It receives nourishment through its bark, but the heart-wood is rotten and dry.
它通过树皮获得营养,但树心却是腐烂和干枯的。
The ringing of blessed bells strikes me as essentially more sacred, more joyous, more animating, and far sweeter than all other sounds, which are in comparison dull and confused ; even the music of a church organ falls far short in fulness and richness. "
在我看来,这神圣的钟声比其它声音更神圣、更欢乐、更生动、更甜美,相比之下,其它声音则显得更加沉闷和混乱;即使是教堂管风琴演奏的音乐,也远不及钟声那样充实和丰富。」
The language of the Church made a still more lively impression upon her.
教会使用的语言给小安纳留下了更加生动的印象。
The Latin prayers of Mass and all the ceremonies of the divine service were as intelligible to her as her mother-tongue, and it was long before she discovered that all the faithful did not understand them as well as herself.
弥撒的拉丁祈祷文和所有的神圣仪式,对她来说就像她的母语一样容易理解,很久之后她才发现,其他的信徒都不像她一样理解这些祈祷文。
"I was never conscious of any difference," she said, "between my own language and that made use of by the Holy Church.
「我从来没有意识到,」她说,「在我自己的母语和圣教会使用的语言之间会有区别。
I understood not only the words but even the various ceremonies themselves."
我不仅听懂了经文,而且还能听懂了各种礼仪本身的含义。」
She had so keen a perception of the power and beneficent influence of the priestly benediction, that she could tell when a priest was passing the house.
她对司祭祝福的力量和影响有着敏锐的感觉,所以她能分辨出神父什么时候经过这所房子。
She felt herself involuntarily drawn to run out and get his blessing.
她觉得自己不由自主地被吸引着跑出去得到他的祝福。
If she happened to be minding the cows at the time, she quickly recommended them to her angel -guardian, and set off in pursuit of the priest.
如果她当时碰巧在放牛,她就马上把牛交托给她的护守天神,然后去追赶神父。
She always wore around her neck, in a little bag, the Gospel of St. John. On this point she says :
她总是把《圣若望福音》装在一个小袋子里,挂在脖子上。关于这一点,她说:
"The Gospel of St. John has ever been for me a source of light and strength, a real buckler.
「《圣若望福音》对我来说一直是光明和力量的源泉,一个真正的防御盾牌。
When frightened or in any danger, I used to say confidently : And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.
当受到惊吓或遇到危险时,我常常自信地说:圣言成了血肉,寄居在我们中间。
I never could understand how some priests could call these words unintelligible, and yet I have really heard them say so."
我真不明白为什么有些司铎说这些经文难以理解,但我确实听见他们这样说过。」
As Anne Catherine was keenly alive to whatever had received the blessing of Holy Church, she was, on the contrary, seized with horror at the approach of anything evil or accursed.
小安纳对任何得到神圣教会祝福的事物都充满热情,相反,她对任何邪恶或被诅咒的事物都感到厌恶。
She was immediately impelled to prayer and penance on such occasions. She relates the following incident of her youth:
在这种情况下,促使她立即祈祷和补赎。她叙述了她青年时代的以下事件:
"At a short distance from our house, lying in the midst of a fertile field, was a little piece of ground where nothing would grow, When I was a child, I never crossed it without a shudder.
「离我们家不远的地方,在一片肥沃的田野中间,有一小块地什么也长不出来。当我还是个孩子的时候,每次走过这片地我都会不寒而栗。
I used to feel myself pushed by some invisible power, and sometimes I was even thrown down.
我常常感到自己被某种无形的力量推着走,有时甚至被推到在地。
Once I saw two black shadows wandering about, and I noticed that the horses became uneasy at their approach.
有一次,我看见两个黑影在附近徘徊,我注意到那些马在黑影一走近时就感到不安。
I felt that there was something sinister about the place and I tried to get information concerning it. Fearful stories were told of it, and many pretended to have seen strange sights there;but this was all false.
我觉得这个地方有什么不祥的东西,我就设法打听一下。关于它的可怕的故事被讲述了出来,许多人假装说看到了奇怪的景象,但这都是假的。
At last my father told me that at the time of the ' Seven- Years' Wars,a Hanoverian soldier had been condemned by a military tribunal and executed on that spot.
最后,我父亲告诉我,在“七年战争”期间,汉诺威的一名士兵被军事法庭判处死刑,就在那个地方执行。
(译注:七年战争:1756年-1763年,又称英法七年战争,是欧洲两大军事集团英国-普鲁士同盟与法国-奥地利-俄国同盟之间的对立(汉诺威与葡萄牙为英普的盟友,法奥俄的盟友则为西班牙、萨克森与瑞典),为争夺殖民地和霸权而进行的一场大规模战争。
The poor man was innocent : two enemies had been the authors of his misfortune.
这个可怜的人是无辜的:他的不幸是两个敌人造成的。
I did not hear this till after my First Communion. I went by night to pray there with my arms extended.
直到第一次领圣体以后,我才听到这段历史。我晚上去那里祈祷,伸开双臂。
The first time I had to force myself, I was so afraid; the second time a horrible phantom appeared to me in the form of a dog.
第一次我得强迫自己,我很害怕;第二次,一个邪灵以狗的形式出现在我面前。
It stood at my back resting its head on my shoulder. If I turned my head, I could see its snout and flaming eyes.
它站在我的背后,把头靠在我的肩上。如果我转过头去,就能看到它的鼻子和火红的眼睛。
I was terror-stricken, but I tried to hide my fear. I said in my heart : 'Lord, when Thou were in agony on the Mount of Olives, Thou didst pray the longer!
我吓坏了,但我努力掩饰自已的恐惧。我在心里说:『主啊,祢在橄榄山上身心痛苦,而祢祈祷得更长久了!(路加:22:44)。
Thou art by me!'
祢就在我身边!』
The evil spirit could not harm me.
恶灵不能伤害我。
I began to pray and the horrible figure disappeared.
我开始祈祷,那个可怕的影像消失了。
On another occasion, whilst praying in the same place, I was lifted up violently as if about to be cast into the ditch close by.
还有一次,我在同一个地方祈祷时,被粗暴地举起来,好像马上就要被扔进附近的水沟里。
I renewed my confidence in God, and exclaimed : ' Satan thou canst not harm me!'
我毅然重复对天主的信心,叫道:『撒殚你伤害不了我!』
He ceased his attacks, and I went on with my prayers.
它停止了攻击,我继续祈祷。
I never again saw the two shadows, and from that time all appeared quiet.
我再也没有看到那两个影子,从那时起,一切都显得很安静。
"I often felt repugnance for places in which there had once been pagan graves, although I had never heard anything about them.
「我常常对曾经有异教坟墓的地方感到厌恶,尽管我从来没有听说过有关它们的任何事情。
A short distance from home there was a sandhill in the middle of a meadow.
在离家不远的地方,草地中央有一座沙丘。
I never liked to keep my cows there, for I always saw a black, ugly-looking vapor, like the smoke of smouldering rags, creeping over the ground.
我从来就不喜欢把我的牛放在那里,因为我总是看到一种黑色的、丑陋的蒸气,像缓慢燃烧的破布的烟雾,从地上冒出来。
A strange obscurity hung over the spot, and sombre figures, enveloped in darkness, moved here and there and, at last, disappeared underground.
一片奇怪的晦暗在此处游荡,一些阴森的人影在黑暗的笼罩中四处移动,最后消失在地下。
I used to say to myself, child that I was, 'It is well the thick grass is above you, for that keeps you from hurting us !'
我儿时常这样对自已说:『幸亏你们这些幽灵的上面长着茂密的青草,这样可以防止你们伤害我们了!
When houses are built over such places, a curse issues from the pagan bones resting beneath them, if their occupants do not lead lives sanctified by the benediction of the Church and so counteract its baneful effects.
当房屋建在这些地方的时候,如果房屋的居住者没有过着被教会祝福圣化的生活,以抵制其有害影响的话,那么房屋下面的异教徒的骨头就会发出诅咒。
If they should happen to make use of superstitious means condemned by the Church to rid themselves of the curse, they enter, though without knowing it perhaps, into communication with the powers of darkness, which then acquire fresh strength. It is hard for me to make this understood.
如果他们碰巧使用了被教会谴责的迷信手段来摆脱诅咒,他们可能在不知情的情况下,进入了与黑暗力量的交流,这样诅咒的力量更加强盛了。我很难理解这一点。
I see it really, with my bodily eyes, but my hearers can only see it in thought.
我是亲眼看到的,但我的听众只能在思想中看到。
It is far more difficult for me to comprehend how it is that so many people see no difference between the holy and the profane, the believer and the unbeliever, the pure and the impure.
对我来说,更难以理解的是,怎么有那么多人认为神圣的与世俗的、信徒与非信徒、纯洁与不纯洁之间没有区别。
They see only the external appearance. They do not trouble themselves as to whether it is lawful to eat certain things or not, whether they may turn them to profit or not ; but I see, I feel quite differently.
他们只看到外表。他们不会纠结于某些东西可以吃还是不可以吃,是否吃了会对身体和灵魂产生有益或无益的影响而烦恼; 但我看到了,我的感觉完全不同。
That which is holy, that which is blessed, I see all luminous, diffusing light and benediction ; while that which is profane, that which is accursed, I see spreading around darkness and corruption.
我看见那些神圣的,那些受祝福的,散发出光明和祝福;我所看见那些世俗的,那些被咒诅的,向四周传播黑暗和腐败。
I behold light or darkness springing like corporeal things from what is good or bad, each producing its own fruits. Once, on my way to Dulmen, I passed the hermitage near the grove in which the peasant H — dwelt.
我看见光明或黑暗,好像有形的东西,从善或恶里发出来,各结各的果子。有一次,在去杜尔门的路上,我经过了那个农民H住的小树林附近的隐居处。
Before it stretches a heath. As I drew near with my companion, I saw rising from it a vapor which filled me with horror and disgust.
在它前面有一片荒地。当我和我的同伴走近时,我看见一团烟雾从里面冒出来,使我感到恐怖和厌恶。
In the middle of the heath several such currents arose and floated in waves over the ground, but I could see no fire.
在荒地的中央,有几股这样的气流升起来,在地面上形成波浪,但是我看不见火。
I pointed them out to my companion, saying: 'What smoke is that over there ? I see no fire.' But she could see nothing.
我把它们指给我的同伴看,说:『那边是什么烟雾?我没看到火。』但是她什么也看不见。
She seemed astonished at my question ; she thought something was the matter with me. I said nothing more although I still saw the vapor and felt my terror increasing.
她似乎对我的问题感到惊讶;她觉得我有点不对劲。我什么也没说,尽管我仍然看到烟雾,感到越来越害怕。
As we approached nearer the spot, I distinctly saw a similar vapor rising from the opposite side.
当我们走近那地方时,我清楚地看到从对面升起一股类似的烟雾。
Then I understood that unhallowed bones were interred there, and I had a rapid view of the abominable, idolatrous practices that had formerly been carried on in the place."
后来我才明白,那些不敬虔的尸骨是埋在那里的,我很快就看到了那个地方以前所进行的可憎的偶像崇拜活动。」