手捧一本精致的小书，心怀一份闲适的情趣，忘却周遭的喧闹、心中的烦扰，专注入神地品味纯朴简单的生活本质，是何等的惬意呢！《沙与沫》是黎巴嫩杰出诗人纪伯伦的几部经典诗篇之一，他以自然景物“沙”、“泡沫”寓意人在社会之中如同沙之微小，事物如同泡沫一般的虚幻。整部诗集内容富有哲理、充满智慧，是一本关于生命、艺术、爱情、人性的格言书，小编在此节选了诗篇里为人称道的锦言妙语，希望读者们能于字里行间领悟诗人那呼之欲出的哲理的同时，还能联系到自己心里的些许感触，进而产生共鸣！—Tracy
Sand and Foam (Excerpt)
I am forever walking upon these shores, 1)betwixt the sand and the foam. The high tide will erase my footprints, and the wind will blow away the foam. But the sea and the shore will remain forever.
It was but yesterday I thought myself a 2)fragment 3)quivering without 4)rhythm in the 5)sphere of life. Now I know that I am the sphere, and all life in rhythmic fragments moves within me.
Remembrance is a form of meeting.
Forgetfulness is a form of freedom.
My house says to me, “Do not leave me, for here 6)dwells your past.”
And the road says to me, “Come and follow me, for I am your future.”
And I say to both my house and the road, “I have no past, nor have I a future. If I stay here, there is a going in my staying; and if I go there is a staying in my going. Only love and death will change all things.”
Strange, the 7)desire for certain pleasures is a part of my pain.
Seven times have I 8)despised my soul:
The first time when I saw her being meek that she might 9)attain height.
The second time when I saw her 10)limping before the 11)crippled.
The third time when she was given to choose between the hard and the easy, and she chose the easy.
The fourth time when she 12)committed a wrong, and comforted herself that others also commit wrong.
The fifth time when she 13)forbore for weakness, and 14)attributed her patience to strength.
The sixth time when she despised the ugliness of a face, and knew not that it was one of her own masks.
And the seventh time when she sang a song of praise, and 15)deemed it a virtue.
There is a space between man’s imagination and man’s attainment that may only be 16)traversed by his 17)longing.
Our mind is a 18)sponge; our heart is a stream. Is it not strange that most of us choose 19)sucking rather than running?
The reality of the other person is not in what he reveals to you, but in what he cannot reveal to you. Therefore, if you would understand him, listen not to what he says but rather to what he does not say.
A sense of humour is a sense of 20)proportion.
A truth is to be known always, to be 21)uttered sometimes.
The voice of life in me cannot reach the ear of life in you; but let us talk that we may not feel lonely.
When two women talk they say nothing; when one woman speaks she reveals all of life.
Now let us play hide and seek. Should you hide in my heart it would not be difficult to find you. But should you hide behind your own shell, then it would be useless for anyone to seek you.
How noble is the sad heart who would sing a joyous song with joyous hearts.
Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a 22)dash of the 23)dictionary.
A madman is not less a musician than you or myself; only the instrument on which he plays is a little out of tune.
Every man loves two women; the one is the creation of his imagination, and the other is not yet born.
24)Generosity is not in giving me that which I need more than you do, but it is in giving me that which you need more than I do.
We often borrow from our tomorrows to pay our debts to our yesterdays.
If your heart is a 25)volcano how shall you expect flowers to bloom in your hands?
It is only when you are 26)pursued that you become 27)swift.
Oftentimes I have hated in self-defense; but if I were stronger I would not have used such a weapon.
Your saying to me, “I do not understand you,” is praise beyond my worth, and an 28)insult you do not deserve.
How 29)mean am I when life gives me gold and I give you silver, and yet I deem myself generous.
Strange that you should pity the slow-footed and not the slow-minded, And the blind-eyed rather than the blind-hearted.
Life is a 30)procession. The slow of foot finds it too swift and he steps out;
And the swift of foot finds it too slow and he too steps out.
I would be the least among men with dreams and the desire to fulfill them, rather than the greatest with no dreams and no desires.
We are all climbing toward the summit of our hearts’ desire. Should the other climber steal your sack and your purse and 31)wax fat on the one and heavy on the other, you should pity him;
The climbing will be harder for his flesh, and the burden will make his way longer.
And should you in your 32)leanness see his flesh puffing upward, help him a step; it will add to your swiftness.
You cannot judge any man beyond your knowledge of him, and how small is your knowledge.
33)Strife in nature is but disorder longing for order.
If it were not for our conception of weights and measures we would stand in awe of the 34)firefly as we do before the sun.
Death is not nearer to the aged than to the new-born; neither is life.
We are all seeking the summit of the holy moutain; but shall not our road be shorter if we consider the past a chart and not a guide?
Wisdom ceases to be wisdom when it becomes too proud to weep, too grave to laugh, and too self-ful to seek other than itself.
Had I filled myself with all that you know what room should I have for all that you do not know?
I have learned silence from the talkative, 35)toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strange, I am ungrateful to these teachers.
A 36)bigot is a stone-deaf 37)orator.
If you can see only what light reveals and hear only what sound announces, Then in truth you do not see nor do you hear.
A shy failure is nobler than an 38)immodest success.
Said a philosopher to a street sweeper, “I pity you. Yours is a hard and dirty task.”
And the street sweeper said, “Thank you, sir. But tell me what is your task?”
And the philosopher answered saying, “I study man’s mind, his deeds and his desires.”
Then the street sweeper went on with his sweeping and said with a smile, “I pity you too.”
He who listens to truth is not less than he who utters truth.
Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need.
When either your joy or your sorrow becomes great the world becomes small.
Desire is half of life; indifference is half of death.
If you reveal your secrets to the wind you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees.
39)Turtles can tell more about roads than 40)hares.
Only when a 41)juggler misses catching his ball does he 42)appeal to me.
The envious praises me unknowingly.
我永远走在这些岸上，在沙与沫之间。涨潮会抹掉我的足迹，海风会吹去这泡沫。可是海和岸，却将永远存在。
仅仅就在昨天，我觉得自己只是一块碎片，在生命的苍穹中毫无节奏地颤动着。如今我知道自己就是那苍穹，一切生命都是节奏分明的碎片，在我内心律动。
追忆是一种会面。
遗忘是一种自由。
我的房子对我说：“不要离开我，这儿住着你的过去。”
路对我说：“跟我来吧，我是你的未来。”
我对房子和路说：“我没有过去，也没有未来。如果我留在这儿，我的留中有去；如果我去那儿，我的去中有留。唯有爱和死亡才能改变一切。”
真怪，渴望某些欢乐，正是我痛苦的一部分。
我曾七次鄙视自己的灵魂。
第一次是看见她在可以升华时却故作谦卑。
第二次是看见她在跛子前瘸着腿走。
第三次是当她在难和易之间选择了易。
第四次是当她犯了过失，却以别人也有过失来自慰。
第五次是当她容忍软弱，并将忍耐视为坚强。
第六次是当她鄙视一张丑脸，却不知那正是她自己的面具之一。
第七次是当她唱起赞歌，还以美德自诩。
在人的想象和成就之间有着一个空间，唯有他的渴望能穿越。
我们的脑是一块海绵，我们的心是溪流。然而我们大多选择吸收而非奔流，这不是很奇怪吗？
他人的真实并非在于他向你显露什么，而在于他无法向你显露什么。因此，倘若你想了解他，不要去听他所说的，而要去听他所没有说的。
幽默感即分寸感。
真理永远为人所知，偶尔才被道中。
我内在生命的声音到达不了你内在生命的耳朵；但让我们交谈吧，为了不再寂寞。
当两个女人交谈，她们什么也没说；当一个女人说话，她揭示了生命的一切。
现在让我们来玩捉迷藏吧。你要是藏在我的心里，我就不难找到你。但要是你藏到自己的壳里去，那谁也找不到你。
一颗悲伤的心，却能和欢乐的心同唱欢乐的歌，这是何等高贵啊！
诗是大量的欢乐、痛苦和奇迹，再加上少许文辞。
疯子是个不亚于你我的乐师，只是他演奏的乐器有点走调。
每一个男子都爱着两个女人：一个是他想象的作品，另外一个尚未诞生。
慷慨不在于把我比你更需要的东西给我，而在于把你比我更需要的东西给我。
我们常常向自己的明天去借贷，以偿还昨天所欠下的债务。
如果你的心是座火山，你怎么能指望手中鲜花盛开？
只有当你被追逐时，你才变得敏捷。
我经常以恨来自卫；但如果我坚强些，我就不必使用这一武器。
你说：“我不理解你。”这对我是过分的赞誉，对你则是无端的侮辱。
我是何等卑鄙，当生活给了我金，我却给你银，还自以为很大方。
奇怪，你可怜那脚步慢的，却不可怜那心思慢的。你可怜那眼盲的，却不可怜那心盲的。
生命是一次行军，脚步慢的人觉得它太快了，于是退出；
脚步快的人觉得它太慢了，也退出。
我宁可做个最渺小的人，拥有着梦想和实现梦想的渴望；也不做那既无梦想，也无渴望的最伟大的人。
我们都在攀登理想的顶峰。如果别的攀登者偷了你的背包、钱袋，装满他自己的背包，加重他自己的钱袋，你应该可怜他；
攀登对他的肉体来说将更为困难，负担会使他的路程更漫长。
轻装的你若看见他的肉体气喘吁吁地往上爬，拉他一把，这会加快你的速度。
你判断一个人不可能超过你对他的了解，而你的了解又是多么肤浅。
自然界的斗争不过是混乱对秩序的寻求。
若不是因为我们崇尚重量和尺度，我们站在萤火虫前就会像在太阳前一样心怀敬畏。
死亡离老年人并不比离新生儿更近；生命也是一样。
我们都在寻觅圣山之巅；但如果我们把过去视为一张地图而非一名向导，我们的路程是否会缩短一些？
当智慧骄傲到不能哭泣，庄严到无法欢笑，自满到放弃交流，那就不是智慧了。
我若把你所知道的一切来装满自己，那么还有什么空间来装你所不知道的一切呢？
我从话多的人那里学会沉默，从偏执的人那里学会宽容，从刻薄的人那里学会仁慈；但也奇怪，我对这些老师并不感激。
一个执迷不悟的人是个全聋的演说家。
如果你只能于光明之处看见影象，只能于有声处听见声音。那么你其实既看不到也听不见。
由于不自信而失败比骄傲自大的成功更可贵。
一个哲学家对一个清洁工说：“我可怜你，你的工作又苦又脏。”
清洁工说：“谢谢，先生。那么告诉我，你的工作是什么呢？”
哲学家回答道：“我研究人的思想、行为和欲望。”
清洁工继续扫他的地，并微笑着说：“我也可怜你。”
聆听真理的人并不亚于说出真理的人。
慷慨是给予比你所能给予的更多，自尊是接受比你所需要的更少。
当你的悲或喜变大的时候，世界就变小了。
欲望是半个生命；冷漠是半个死亡。
倘若你把自己的秘密透露给风，那就别怪风把你的秘密散播给树。
龟比兔更了解道路。
玩杂耍的人只有在他没接着球的时候，才引起我的注意。
妒忌我的人在无意中赞扬了我。
作者介绍： 
纪伯伦 （Kahlil Gibran，1883-1931），黎巴嫩诗人、小说家。曾留学法国，后长期侨居美国。作品多歌颂自然景色和爱情，流露伤感情绪。诗集有《先知》、《沙与沫》、《泪与笑》等。长篇小说《折断的翅膀》反映东方妇女的悲惨生活。除文学创作外，还擅长绘画。
黎巴嫩文坛骄子纪伯伦作为哲理诗人和杰出画家，和泰戈尔一样是近代东方文学走向世界的先驱。同时，他又是阿拉伯现代小说和艺术散文的主要奠基人，二十世纪阿拉伯新文学道路的开拓者之一。
在东方文学史上，纪伯伦的艺术风格独树一帜。他的作品既有理性思考的严肃与冷峻，又有咏叹调式的浪漫与抒情。他善于在平易中发掘隽永，在美妙的比喻中启示深刻的哲理。《先知》是纪伯伦步入世界文坛的顶峰之作，曾被译成二十多种文字在世界各地出版。
《沙与沫（Sand and Foam）》英文原版全文：http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jrcole/gibran/sandfoam/sandfoam.htm
