一個商人說，和我們談談「買賣」吧。
他回答道：
大地結出果實給你，
只要懂得如何盛滿你的雙手，你將不致匱乏。
你們經由交換大地給予的禮物，
就能享有豐裕，得到滿足。
但交換時，若非憑著愛心和慈悲的正義，
將會使得一些人貪婪，另一些人挨餓。
來到市場，
你們這些在海上、田裡和葡萄園中辛勞工作的人，
會遇見織工、陶匠和採集香料者—
你們要召請大地之神降臨，
尊崇量秤和物價的計算法。
不要讓空手而來的人參與你們的交易，
因為他們只有滿口空言，
卻想換取你們的勞力。
對這種人，你應當說：
「隨我們下田，
或是和我們兄弟一同出海，撒下你的網；
陸地和海洋也會賜你富足，一如對我們那樣。」
市場上若有歌手、舞者和吹笛人，
你也要買他們與生俱來的才能。
因為他們也是採集果實和乳香的人，
他們帶來的東西雖然如夢似幻，
卻是靈魂的衣裳和食糧。
離開市場之前，
不要讓任何人空手而返。
因為大地之神總要滿足你們最基本的需求，
才能睡得安穩。
On Buying & Selling
And a merchant said, “Speak to us of Buying and Selling. ”
And he answered and said:
To you the earth yields her fruit,
and you shall not want if you but know how to fill your hands.
It is in exchanging the gifts of the earth that you shall find abundance
and be satisfied.
Yet unless the exchange be in love and kindly justice,
it will but lead some to greed and others to hunger.
When in the market-place you toilers of the sea and fields and
vineyards meet the weavers and the potters and the gatherers of
spices, –
Invoke then the master spirit of the earth,
to come into your midst and sanctify the scales and the reckoning
that weighs value against value.
And suffer not the barren-handed to take part in your transactions,
who would sell their words for your labour.
To such men you should say:
“Come with us to the field,
or go with our brothers to the sea and cast your net;
For the land and the sea shall be bountiful to you even as to us.”
And if there come the singers and the dancers and the flute players, –
buy of their gifts also.
For they too are gatherers of fruit and frankincense,
and that which they bring, though fashioned of dreams,
is raiment and food for your soul.
And before you leave the market-place,
see that no one has gone his way with empty hands.
For the master spirit of the earth shall not sleep peacefully upon the
wind till the needs of the least of you are satisfied.
本文節錄自：《先知》一書，卡里．紀伯倫（Kahlil Gibran）著，趙永芬譯，野人出版。
