戰爭的祈禱文（The War Prayer）

It was a time of great and exalting excitement. The country was up in arms, the war was on, in every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism; the drums were beating, the bands playing, the toy pistols popping, the bunched firecrackers hissing and spluttering; on every hand and far down the receding and fading spread of roofs and balconies a fluttering wilderness of flags flashed in the sun; daily the young volunteers marched down the wide avenue gay and fine in their new uniforms, the proud fathers and mothers and sisters and sweethearts cheering them with voices choked with happy emotion as they swung by; nightly the packed mass meetings listened, panting, to patriot oratory which stirred the deepest deeps of their hearts, and which they interrupted at briefest intervals with cyclones of applause, the tears running down their cheeks the while; in the churches the pastors preached devotion to flag and country, and invoked the God of Battles beseeching His aid in our good cause in outpourings of fervid eloquence which moved every listener. It was indeed a glad and gracious time, and the half dozen rash spirits that ventured to disapprove of the war and cast a doubt upon its righteousness straightway got such a stern and angry warning that for their personal safety's sake they quickly shrank out of sight and offended no more in that way.

這是極度亢奮刺激的時代。整個國家動員起來，戰爭正在進行，每個人的胸膛都燃燒著愛國聖火。鼓聲敲擊，樂團演奏，玩具槍砰砰作響，成綑的煙火發出嘶喊爆裂的聲音。每隻手中，以及向遠方綿延淡去的屋頂陽台上，都是狂野飄逸的旗幟在陽光下閃爍。年輕的志願者每天順著寬廣大道行進，穿著新制服，愉快又傑出。驕傲的雙親、姐妹與心愛的人在他們通過時鼓勵他們，言語因為充滿快樂的情緒而哽塞。每晚在擁擠民眾聚會中他們聆聽著愛國者的演講並為之激動，講詞攪動了內心最深處的情感，而他們也把握短暫停歇報以如雷的掌聲，眼淚同時流下雙頰。牧師在教堂佈道，呼籲大家奉獻給國家與國旗，並祈求戰爭之神在我們的正義行動中提供祂的協助，他熱情洋溢的流利口才感動了每個人。這的確是個歡愉及寬容的時刻，少數衝動的人膽敢反對戰爭，並對正當性提出質疑，馬上收到嚴厲憤怒的警告，讓他們在考量自身安全後迅速離場，從此不再做出那種舉動。

Sunday morning came – next day the battalions would leave for the front; the church was filled; the volunteers were there, their young faces alight with martial dreams – visions of the stern advance, the gathering momentum, the rushing charge, the flashing sabers, the flight of the foe, the tumult, the enveloping smoke, the fierce pursuit, the surrender! Then home from the war, bronzed heroes, welcomed, adored, submerged in golden seas of glory! With the volunteers sat their dear ones, proud, happy, and envied by the neighbors and friends who had no sons and brothers to send forth to the field of honor, there to win for the flag, or, failing, die the noblest of noble deaths. The service proceeded; a war chapter from the Old Testament was read; the first prayer was said; it was followed by an organ burst that shook the building, and with one impulse the house rose, with glowing eyes and beating hearts, and poured out that tremendous invocation

週日上午，也就是軍隊開拔前一天，教堂塞滿了人。志願者也在，年輕的面孔因對戰爭的夢想而發亮：部隊堅定推進的憧憬、凝聚的氣勢、猛烈衝刺、閃亮的軍刀、敵手潰逃、騷動、瀰漫的濃煙、猛烈追逐、以及投降！接著戰後返家、曬成古銅色的英雄、受到歡迎崇拜、浸在金色的榮光當中！摯愛的人坐在志願者身邊，驕傲、快樂，被那些沒有兒子或兄弟前往光榮戰場的鄰居與朋友羨慕著，在那裡人們為旗幟贏得勝利，或失敗後以最崇高的方式光榮逝去。禮拜進行著，朗讀一篇舊約中的戰爭篇章，第一段禱詞說畢，接著迸發的管風琴聲震撼整座建築物，全屋的人以一致的步調站起來，帶著閃現光芒的雙眼與砰砰作響的心臟，傾瀉出壯觀的禱告：

God the all-terrible! Thou who ordainest! Thunder thy clarion and lightning thy sword!

令人敬畏的上帝！至高的執法者！吹響汝之號角，閃現汝之刀劍！

Then came the "long" prayer. None could remember the like of it for passionate pleading and moving and beautiful language. The burden of its supplication was, that an ever-merciful and benignant Father of us all would watch over our noble young soldiers, and aid, comfort, and encourage them in their patriotic work; bless them, shield them in the day of battle and the hour of peril, bear them in His mighty hand, make them strong and confident, invincible in the bloody onset; help them to crush the foe, grant to them and to their flag and country imperishable honor and glory –

接著是長篇佈道。無人記得曾聽過與它相似的熱情懇求與動人美妙的言語。禱文的重點在於，我們這位無上寬恕仁慈的天父會照顧我們高貴年輕的戰士，並在愛國行動中幫助、安慰、鼓勵他們，祝福他們，在戰鬥與遇險時保護他們，以祂強大的手扶持他們，讓他們強壯並充滿自信，在血腥的攻擊中不屈不撓，幫他們擊碎敵方，賜予他們、旗幟與國家不朽的榮譽及光榮–

An aged stranger entered and moved with slow and noiseless step up the main aisle, his eyes fixed upon the minister, his long body clothed in a robe that reached to his feet, his head bare, his white hair descending in a frothy cataract to his shoulders, his seamy face unnaturally pale, pale even to ghastliness. With all eyes following him and wondering, he made his silent way; without pausing, he ascended to the preacher's side and stood there waiting. With shut lids the preacher, unconscious of his presence, continued with his moving prayer, and at last finished it with the words, uttered in fervent appeal, "Bless our arms, grant us the victory, O Lord our God, Father and Protector of our land and flag!"

一位陌生老者走進來，緩慢無聲地走上主通道，雙眼定視著講道者，修長的身體披掛一件蓋到腳背的長袍，頭上無帽，白髮像瀑布般散垂在肩頭，佈滿皺紋的臉龐呈現不自然的白，簡直跟鬼一樣蒼白。儘管所有的目光都跟隨他並滿腹狐疑，他仍無聲行進，不曾稍停。他走到牧師身邊站立等候。牧師未察覺他的存在，閉著雙眼繼續動人的佈道，最後以熱情懇求的句子做終結：「祝福我們的戰爭，賜予我們勝利，主啊我們的上帝，我們土地與旗幟的天父及保護者！」

The stranger touched his arm, motioned him to step aside – which the startled minister did – and took his place. During some moments he surveyed the spellbound audience with solemn eyes, in which burned an uncanny light; then in a deep voice he said:

陌生人碰觸牧師的臂膀，示意他往旁邊站，並取代他的位置，而吃驚的牧師也照著做了。他先花一陣子以嚴肅的目光掃視著了魔的聽眾，眼中燃燒著神祕的光芒，接著以深沉的聲音說出：

"I come from the Throne – bearing a message from Almighty God!" The words smote the house with a shock; if the stranger perceived it he gave no attention. "He has heard the prayer of His servant your shepherd, and will grant it if such shall be your desire after I, His messenger, shall have explained to you its import – that is to say, its full import. For it is like unto many of the prayers of men, in that it asks for more than he who utters it is aware of – except he pause and think.

「我從主的寶座過來，帶著全能上帝的旨意！」這些字眼震撼了全屋子的人，不過即使陌生人察覺到，也沒特別注意。「祂已聽到祂的僕人，也就是你們的牧者，所說的禱詞。如果在我這位使者把它的含義，我是說完整的含義，向你們說明之後，你們還這麼期盼，祂將會應允所求。因為這就像人類的許多禱詞一樣，除非他停下來思考，裡面所要求的遠大於說話者所注意到的。

"God's servant and yours has prayed his prayer. Has he paused and taken thought? Is it one prayer? No, it is two – one uttered, the other not. Both have reached the ear of Him Who heareth all supplications, the spoken and the unspoken. Ponder this – keep it in mind. If you would beseech a blessing upon yourself, beware! lest without intent you invoke a curse upon a neighbor at the same time. If you pray for the blessing of rain upon your crop which needs it, by that act you are possibly praying for a curse upon some neighbor's crop which may not need rain and can be injured by it.

「上帝與你們的僕人已說出他的禱詞。他是否曾停頓並三思？這只是一個單獨的禱告嗎？不，它是兩個，一個已經說出口，一個則否。兩者都已傳到祂的耳朵，祂聽取所有的禱告，說出口的與未說出的。好好思考這件事，並謹記在心。如果想為自己懇求祝福，千萬小心！以免在無心之下同時也為鄰居招引禍事。若你祈求的恩賜是降雨在急需的農作物上，這種行為也可能為某些鄰居求取天災，讓不需要雨水的莊稼受到損傷。

"You have heard your servant's prayer – the uttered part of it. I am commissioned of God to put into words the other part of it – that part which the pastor – and also you in your hearts – fervently prayed silently. And ignorantly and unthinkingly? God grant that it was so! You heard these words: 'Grant us the victory, O Lord our God!' That is sufficient. the whole of the uttered prayer is compact into those pregnant words. Elaborations were not necessary. When you have prayed for victory you have prayed for many unmentioned results which follow victory – must follow it, cannot help but follow it. Upon the listening spirit of God fell also the unspoken part of the prayer. He commandeth me to put it into words. Listen!

「你們已經聽到你們僕人的禱告，那些已說出的部分。我受上帝委託將其他部分訴諸文字，那些牧師及你們內心熱烈但默默祈求的部分。那些是無知且未加考慮的嗎？神認為如此！你們聽到這些字句：『賜予我們勝利，主啊我們的上帝！』那就足夠了。整段說出的禱告可濃縮成這些意味深長的字眼，其他細節不是重點。當你們祈求勝利時，也同時祈求許多雖未提起但會隨著勝利而來後果，這些一定會出現，也無法避免掉。未說出的禱詞也同時落在上帝聆聽的靈上。祂命令我將之見諸文字。仔細聽好！

"O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle – be Thou near them! With them – in spirit – we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe. O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it – for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen.

「主啊我們的天父，這些年輕的愛國者，我們心中的偶像，前往參戰，希望您親近他們！我們在精神上也離開甜蜜安詳的心愛家庭，前去毀滅仇敵。主啊我們的上帝，幫我們用炮彈將對方的士兵撕裂成血淋淋的碎片，讓他們美好的戰場上覆蓋著他們愛國者的蒼白屍骸，讓他們因疼痛而扭曲的傷者所發出的尖叫，蓋過我們如雷的槍砲聲。協助我們以狂燄摧毀他們卑微的家園，幫我們用無助的憂傷讓他們未參與抵抗的寡婦心痛不止，協助我們逼迫她們帶著小孩無家可歸，襤褸饑渴，不受歡迎地流浪在荒蕪土地的廢墟當中。受到夏陽的光燄與冬季冰冷寒風的嘲弄，心靈破碎，因艱苦而憔悴，向汝懇求死亡之庇護而不可得。因為我們敬重主的緣故，所以您摧毀他們的希望，抹殺他們的生靈，拖延他們苦澀的行程，讓他們步履沉重，淚水灑滿行經之路，讓白雪因受傷的雙足而沾染血跡！我們懷著愛心這麼要求祂，而祂是愛的泉源，以及所有為哀慟所困，用謙卑懺悔之心尋求祂協助的人的忠實避難所與朋友。阿門。

(After a pause.) "Ye have prayed it; if ye still desire it, speak! The messenger of the Most High waits!"

（停頓片刻。）「你們已這樣祈求，若你們仍如此期盼，說出口！至高無上者的使者在此等候！」

It was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic, because there was no sense in what he said.

事後人們相信這個人其實是個瘋子，因為他說的話全都是一派胡言。

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