The City of Saba

The City of Saba

There is a glut of wealth in the city of Saba. Everyone

has more than enough. Even

the bath stokers wear gold belts. Huge grape clusters hang

down every street and

brush the faces of the citizens. No one has to do

anything. You can balance 

the basket on your head and walk through an orchard, and it

will fill itself with

overripe fruit dropping into it. Stray dogs stray dogs stray in

lanes full of thrown-out

scrapes with barely a notice. The lean desert wolf gets

Indigestion from the rich

food. Everyone is fat and satiated with all the

extra. There are no

robbers. There is no energy for crime, or for gratitude,

and no one wonders about

the unseen world. The people of Saba feel bored with

just the mention of prophecy.

They have no desire of any kind. Maybe some idle curiosity

about miracles, but that's

it. This overrichness is a disease. Those

who have it are blind

to what's wrong and deaf to anyone who points it out.

The city of Saba cannot be

understood from within itself! But there is a cure, an

individual medicine, not

a social remedy: sit quietly, and listen for a voice

within that will say, Be

more silent. As that happens, your soul starts to revive.

Give up talking and

your position of power. Give up the excessive money.

Turn toward teachers and

prophets who don't live in Saba. They can help you

grow sweet again and fragrant

and wild and fresh and thankful for any small event.

- Rumi

沙巴城

沙巴城非常富有，每個人都有盈餘。

即使是澡堂的司爐也穿金縷皮帶。

大串的葡萄佈満了大街小巷，

輕觸走過居民的臉。

人人無所事事，如果你放個籃子頂在頭上，

去果園走一躺，籃子就會滿溢熟透的果實。

流浪狗在巷子裡吃満地隨手抛棄的剩菜，

沙漠裡的瘦狼因為吃了過豐盛的食物而消化不良。

沙巴城每個人都很肥胖，

那裡沒有強盜。

缺乏犯罪的能量，也無感恩的心情，

沒有人對看不見的世界有好奇心。

沙巴人一聽到先知就覺得很無聊。

他們沒有任何慾望，

偶而對神蹟有被動的好奇心，

那就差不多了。

過度的富有是一種不易被察覺的疾病，

得到這種病的人視而不見，聽而不聞。

沙巴城無法由自身內部理解。

其實有解藥，不是公眾的，而是個人的：

靜靜地坐下來，直到你聽到一個聲音：

再靜一點。直到那時你的靈魂才會甦醒。

放棄說話和你的立塲，放棄多餘的金錢，

向不住在沙城市的老師和先知請教，

他們會幫助你恢復香甜鮮野，

感恩一切小事件。

- 問荷詮譯