English Original
Joshua Loth Liebman: "On my head pour only the sweet waters of serenity. Give me the gift of the Untroubled Mind."
Once, as a young man full of exuberant fancy, I undertook to draw up a catalogue of the acknowledged "goods" of life. As other men sometimes tabulate lists of properties they own or would like to own, I set down my inventory of earthly desirables: health, love, beauty, talent, power, riches, and fame.
When my inventory was completed I proudly showed it to a wise elder who had been the mentor and spiritual model of my youth. Perhaps I was trying to impress him with my precocious wisdom. Anyway, I handed him the list. "This," I told him confidently, "is the sum of mortal goods. Could a man possess them all, he would be as a god."
At the corners of my friend's old eyes, I saw wrinkles of amusement gathering in a patient net. "An excellent list," he said, pondering it thoughtfully, "well digested in contented and set down in not-unreasonable order. But it appears, my young friend, that you have omitted the most important element of all. You have forgotten the one ingredient, lacking which each possession becomes a hideous torment."
"And what," I asked, peppering my voice with truculence, "is that missing ingredient?"
With a pencil stub he crossed out my entire schedule. Then, having demolished my adolescent dream structure at a single stroke, he wrote down three syllables: peace of mind. "This is the gift that God reserves for His special Proteges," he said.
"Talent and beauty He gives to many. Wealth is commonplace, fame not rare. But peace of mind - that is His final guerdon of approval, the fondest insignia of His love. He bestows it charily. Most men are never blessed with it; others wait all their lives - yes, far into advanced age - for this gift to descend upon them."
中文翻译
约书亚·洛思·利布曼曾写道：“请只将宁静的甘霖洒在我头上。赐予我内心安宁这份礼物。”
年轻时，我曾满怀蓬勃的幻想，着手列出一份公认的人生“财富”清单。就像人们有时会列出自己拥有或渴望拥有的财产清单一样，我记下了自己对世俗所求之物的详细目录：健康、爱情、美貌、才华、权力、财富和名望。
清单完成后，我自豪地把它展示给一位智慧长者，他是我青年时期的导师和精神楷模。或许我是想用自己早熟的智慧给他留下深刻印象。无论如何，我把清单递给了他。“这，”我自信地告诉他，“就是凡人财富的总和。若有人能全部拥有，他便如同神明。”
在朋友苍老的眼角，我看到因有趣而起的皱纹，如耐心的网般聚拢。“一份极好的清单，”他沉思着说，“内容经过满足的消化，排列顺序也无不合理之处。但是，我年轻的朋友，你似乎遗漏了最重要的元素。你忘记了那个要素，缺少了它，每一项拥有都会变成可怕的折磨。”
“那么，”我问道，语气中带着一丝挑衅，“那个缺失的要素是什么？”
他用铅笔头划掉了我整个清单。然后，一举摧毁了我青春期的梦想架构，他写下了三个音节：心如止水。“这是上帝为他特别的宠儿保留的礼物，”他说。
“才华与美貌，他赐予许多人。财富是寻常之物，名望也不罕见。但内心的平静——那是他最终认可的奖赏，是他爱意最珍贵的徽章。他从不慷慨施予。大多数人从未有幸获得；另一些人则等待一生——是的，直到垂暮之年——等待这份礼物降临到他们身上。”