Philippe Petit: The journey across the high wire

Translator: Timothy Covell Reviewer: Morton Bast

譯者: Karen SONG 審譯者: Ting-Ying Tsai

This sound,

這聲音

this smell,

這氣味

this sight

這景象

all remind me of the campfires of my childhood,

都讓我回想起童年時分的篝火

when anyone could become a storyteller in front of the dancing flames.

任何人都能在跳躍的火焰前成為講故事的人

There was this wondrous ending

結尾更是神奇

when people and fire fell asleep almost in unison.

人們和火焰一起和諧地入睡

It was dreaming time.

這是夢的時刻

Now my story has a lot to do with dreaming,

我的故事多數是關於夢的

although I'm known to make my dreams come true.

雖然我靠實現夢想成名

Last year, I created a one-man show.

去年，我創造了一場個人秀

For an hour and a half I shared with the audience

在一個半小時的時間裡

a lifetime of creativity,

與觀眾分享我創造性的一生

how I pursue perfection, how I cheat the impossible.

如何追逐完美，如何欺騙不可能

And then TED challenged me:

TED對我提出挑戰：

"Philippe, can you shrink this lifetime to 18 minutes?"

“菲力浦，可以把這一生濃縮成18分鐘嗎？”

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

Eighteen minutes, clearly impossible.

18分鐘——明顯不可能

But here I am.

但我還是來了

One solution was to rehearse a machine gun delivery

一個方法是說得像機關槍一樣快

in which every syllable, every second will have its importance

每個母音每秒鐘都有它的意義

and hope to God the audience will be able to follow me.

然後向上帝祈禱觀眾能跟上我的速度#￥&*@%……

No, no, no.

不，不，不

No, the best way for me to start

不，於我最好的開場方式

is to pay my respects to the gods of creativity.

是像創造力的神明致敬

So please join me for a minute of silence.

請跟我一起默默享受接下來的一分鐘

Okay, I cheated, it was a mere 20 seconds.

好吧，我耍賴了，這只有20秒

But hey, we're on TED time.

不過我們是在TED次元嘛

When I was six years old,

我六歲時

I fell in love with magic.

愛上了魔術

For Christmas I got a magic box

我拿到的聖誕禮物是一本魔術書

and a very old book on card manipulation.

一本非常古老的介紹紙牌魔術的書

Somehow I was more interested in pure manipulation

我對純粹玩牌技巧的興趣

than in all the silly little tricks in the box.

遠遠超過黑箱子裡的花哨戲法

So I looked in the book for the most difficult move,

我在書裡找到了其中最難的一項技法

and it was this.

像這樣

Now I'm not supposed to share that with you,

我不該把這秘訣告訴你們

but I have to show you the card is hidden in the back of the hand.

不過你們看，紙牌被藏在手的背面

Now that manipulation

這個技法

was broken down into seven moves

(在書中)被分解為七個步驟

described over seven pages.

用七頁篇幅詳細描述

One, two, three,

一、二、三、

four, five, six and seven.

四、五、六、七．

And let me show you something else.

我還要告訴你們一點

The cards were bigger than my hands.

紙牌比我的手大

Two months later, six years old,

兩個月後，才六歲

I'm able to do one, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

我就能做完一、二、三、四、五、六、七

And I go to see a famous magician

於是我去見一位有名的魔術師

and proudly ask him, "Well what do you think?"

驕傲地問他：“你覺得怎樣？”

Six years old.

才六歲啊

The magician looked at me and said, "This is a disaster.

魔術師看著我說：“一場災難

You cannot do that in two seconds

你不能花上兩秒鐘(才完成動作)

and have a minuscule part of the card showing.

還有牌角露出來了

For the move to be professional, it has to be less than one second

這個動作的專業標準是用時不到一秒鐘

and it has to be perfect."

必須完美。”

Two years later, one -- zoop.

兩年後，數到一

And I'm not cheating. It's in the back. It's perfect.

我可沒耍花招。牌在背面，非常完美

Passion is the motto

熱情

of all my actions.

是我所有作為的座右銘

As I'm studying magic,

在學習魔術的過程中

juggling is mentioned repeatedly

拋接戲法被反復提及

as a great way to acquire dexterity and coordination.

極適合訓練靈活性和協調性

Now I had long admired how fast and fluidly

我一直很羡慕拋接雜耍演員的快速和流暢

jugglers make objects fly.

讓物品飛起來

So that's it. I'm 14; I'm becoming a juggler.

就它了！我十四歲。我要成為一個拋接雜耍演員

I befriend a young juggler in a juggling troupe,

我認識一個拋接雜耍劇團的年輕演員

and he agrees to sell me three clubs.

他同意賣給我三根拋接棒

But in America you have to explain. What are clubs?

在美國你需要解釋一下什麼是拋接棒

Nothing to do with golf.

跟高爾夫可沒關係

They are those beautiful oblong objects,

是美麗的橢圓形物體

but quite difficult to make.

很難製作

They have to be precisely lathed.

必須準確地分佈重量

Oh, when I was buying the clubs,

我買它們的時候

somehow the young juggler was hiding from the others.

那個年輕雜耍演員故意躲著別人

Well I didn't think much of it at the time.

我當時不以為意

Anyway, here I was progressing with my new clubs.

不管怎樣，我用那套新拋接棒開始練習

But I could not understand.

但弄不明白

I was pretty fast, but I was not fluid at all.

我能做得很快，但無法變得流暢

The clubs were escaping me at each throw.

棒子隨著每次拋出不斷脫出我的掌控

And I was trying constantly to bring them back to me.

我不得不一直把它們找回來

Until one day I practiced in front of Francis Brunn,

直到有一天我在Francis Brunn面前演練

the world's greatest juggler.

世界上最棒的拋接雜耍者

And he was frowning.

他皺起眉頭

And he finally asked, "Can I see those?"

最後他問：“可以給我看看嗎？”

So I proudly showed him my clubs.

我驕傲地亮給他看我的棒子

He said, "Philippe, you have been had.

他說：“菲力浦，你被騙了。

These are rejects. They are completely out of alignment.

這些是次品，重心完全歪了

They are impossible to juggle."

用它們可玩不轉拋接戲法。”

Tenacity is how I kept at it

韌性

against all odds.

是我克服困難堅持下來的法寶

So I went to the circus to see more magicians, more jugglers,

我參加了馬戲團，去看更多的魔術師，更多的拋接雜耍者

and I saw -- oh no, no, no, I didn't see.

我看到——哦不，不是看到

It was more interesting; I heard.

比看到更有趣：是聽說

I heard about those amazing men and women

我聽說了那些神奇的演員

who walk on thin air --

在空中漫步

the high-wire walkers.

高空走索者

Now I have been playing with ropes and climbing all my childhood,

我整個童年階段都在玩繩子和攀爬

so that's it. I'm 16; I'm becoming a wire walker.

就它了！我十六歲。我要成為走鋼索者。

I found two trees --

我找到兩棵樹

but not any kind of trees,

不是普通的樹

trees with character --

而是兩棵很有個性的樹

and then a very long rope.

一根很長的繩子

And I put the rope around and around

將繩子繞一圈又一圈

and around and around and around till I had no more rope.

一圈又一圈，直到繞完為止。

Now I have all of those ropes parallel like this.

有了這樣一段段平行的繩子

I get a pair of pliers and some coat hangers,

我又用兩隻老虎鉗和一些衣架

and I gather them together in some kind of ropey path.

把繩子集中在一起成為一條繩子軌道

So I just created the widest tightrope in the world.

這樣我做出了世界上最寬的鋼索

What did I need? I needed the widest shoes in the world.

我還需要什麼？我需要世界上最寬的鞋子

So I found some enormous, ridiculous, giant ski boots

我找到一雙大到離譜、十分搞笑的滑雪靴

and then wobbly, wobbly I get on the ropes.

蹣跚著，我走上了繩索

Well within a few days I'm able to do one crossing.

幾天後我就能走上一回了

So I cut one rope off.

於是我剪斷一根繩子

And the next day one rope off.

第二天再剪斷一根

And a few days later, I was practicing on a single tightrope.

又過了幾天，我就只剩下一根繩索了

Now you can imagine at that time

可想而知

I had to switch the ridiculous boots for some slippers.

當時我就能把搞笑的滑雪靴換成輕便的舞鞋

So that is how -- in case there are people here in the audience who would like to try --

這就是——以防在場觀眾有人想要嘗試

this is how not to learn wire walking.

這就是學習走鋼索最不可取的方法

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

Intuition is a tool essential in my life.

直覺，是我人生中最本質的手段

In the meantime, I am being thrown out of five different schools

那段時間，我先後被五所不同的學校開除

because instead of listening to the teachers,

因為我從不聽從老師

I am my own teacher, progressing in my new art

我以自己為師，鑽研我的新藝術

and becoming a street juggler.

成為一個街頭雜耍藝人

On the high wire, within months,

在高空鋼索上，不過幾個月

I'm able to master all the tricks they do in the circus,

我就精通了馬戲團演員的所有絕技

except I am not satisfied.

但我並不滿足。

I was starting to invent my own moves and bring them to perfection.

我開始發明自己的新動作，並練習到盡善盡美

But nobody wanted to hire me.

沒有人願意雇用我

So I started putting a wire up in secret and performing without permission.

於是我開始偷偷地假設鋼索，在未經許可的場所演出

Notre Dame,

巴黎聖母院

the Sydney Harbor Bridge,

悉尼海港大橋

the World Trade Center.

世貿中心

And I developed a certitude, a faith

我開始形成一種信念

that convinced me that I will get safely to the other side.

說服我定能安全抵達對面

If not, I will never do that first step.

否則，我絕不會邁出第一步

Well nonetheless,

儘管如此

on the top of the World Trade Center

在世貿中心的屋頂上

my first step was terrifying.

我的第一步極為駭人

All of a sudden the density of the air is no longer the same.

忽然間空氣密度變了

Manhattan no longer spreads its infinity.

曼哈頓不再顯得廣闊無邊

The murmur of the city dissolves into a squall

都市的細語化作嚎叫

whose chilling power I no longer feel.

我不再感到那股冰冷的力量

I lift the balancing pole. I approach the edge.

我舉起平衡杆，走向大樓邊緣

I step over the beam.

我跨過桁梁

I put my left foot on the cable,

左腳踏上鋼索

the weight of my body raised on my right leg

我的重心從右腳上

anchored to the flank of the building.

移動到大樓的側邊

Shall I ever so slightly shift my weight to the left?

我要不要繼續把體重移到左腳上

My right leg will be unburdened,

我的右腿可以放輕鬆

my right foot will freely meet the wire.

我的右腳就能自由地踏上鋼索

On one side, a mass of a mountain, a life I know.

一邊是崇山，是我熟知的生活

On the other, the universe of the clouds,

另一邊是雲海

so full of unknown we think it's empty.

充滿未知，以至我們以為虛空

At my feet, the path to the north tower -- 60 yards of wire rope.

我腳下是延伸到北塔的路——60碼長的鋼索

It's a straight line, which sags,

那是一條直線，下垂著

which sways, which vibrates,

搖擺著，顫動著

which rolls on itself,

自身扭轉

which is ice,

那是冰

which is three tons tight, ready to explode,

那是三噸重的緊繃，隨時可能爆發

ready to swallow me.

隨時可能將我吞噬

An inner howl assails me,

體內有一個聲音吼叫著攻擊著我

the wild longing to flee.

無法抑制地渴望逃離

But it is too late.

然而太遲了

The wire is ready.

鋼索嚴陣以待

Decisively my other foot sets itself onto the cable.

我決然地邁出另一隻腳

Faith is what replaces doubt

信念，取代了猶豫

in my dictionary.

在我的詞典裡

So after the walk

完成這次演出後

people ask me, "How can you top that?"

人們問我，“你怎麼超越你自己？”

Well I didn't have that problem.

這於我不是問題

I was not interested in collecting the gigantic,

我對收集壯舉

in breaking records.

或打破記錄都沒有興趣

In fact, I put my World Trade Center crossing

事實上，我把世貿中心的那次演出

at the same artistic level as some of my smaller walks --

與其他小型的演出放在同一個藝術水準上

or some completely different type of performance.

有些甚至是完全不同形式的演出

Let's see, such as my street juggling, for example.

比如說，相似於我的街頭雜耍

So each time

每一次

I draw my circle of chalk on the pavement

當我在人行道上用粉筆畫出一個大圓圈

and enter as the improvising comic silent character

然後像即興默劇演員那樣進入圓圈的範圍

I created 45 years ago,

這是我45年前想出的噱頭

I am as happy as when I am in the clouds.

這與在雲端上同樣高興

But this here,

但是此時此地

this is not the street.

並不是街頭

So I cannot street juggle here, you understand.

請理解我不能做街頭雜耍

So you don't want me to street juggle here, right?

你們都不希望我做街頭雜耍，對不對？

You know that, right?

你們懂的，對不對？

You don't want me to juggle, right?

你們不會讓我雜耍的，對不對？

(Applause)

(鼓掌聲)

(Music)

(音樂)

(Applause)

(鼓掌聲)

Thank you. Thank you.

謝謝。謝謝

Each time I street juggle

每一次我做街頭雜耍

I use improvisation.

都運用到即興

Now improvisation is empowering

即興的力量在於

because it welcomes the unknown.

它歡迎未知

And since what's impossible is always unknown,

因為不可能總是未知的

it allows me to believe I can cheat the impossible.

它讓我相信我可以去欺騙不可能

Now I have done the impossible not once,

至今我完成不可能的任務已不止一次

but many times.

而是許多次

So what should I share? Oh, I know. Israel.

我揀哪次來說？哦對了，是以色列那次。

Some years ago I was invited to open the Israel Festival

幾年前我被邀請做以色列節的開場演出

by a high-wire walk.

是一次高空走索表演

And I chose to put my wire

我選擇架設鋼索的地方

between the Arab quarters and the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem

在耶路撒冷阿拉伯區和猶太區之間

over the Ben Hinnom Valley.

在欣嫩子谷上方

And I thought it would be incredible

我設計了一個驚人的場面

if in the middle of the wire

在鋼索中間

I stopped and, like a magician,

我停下來，像魔術師那樣

I produce a dove and send her in the sky

變出一隻鴿子，將它送上天空

as a living symbol of peace.

象徵和平

Well now I must say,

現在我要說

it was a little bit hard to find a dove in Israel, but I got one.

在以色列找只鴿子真不容易，不過我找到了

And in my hotel room,

每次我練習變出鴿子扔向半空

each time I practiced making it appear and throwing her in the air,

它都會擦上牆，最後掉在床上

she would graze the wall and end up on the bed.

我覺得無所謂。房間太小了嘛

So I said, now it's okay. The room is too small.

我的意思是，鳥需要空間去飛

I mean, a bird needs space to fly.

我的意思是，鳥需要空間去飛

It will go perfectly on the day of the walk.

正式演出那天絕對沒有問題

Now comes the day of the walk.

到了正式演出那天

Eighty thousand people spread over the entire valley.

整個山谷裡聚集了8萬民眾

The mayor of Jerusalem, Teddy Kollek, comes to wish me the best.

當時的耶路撒冷市長泰迪•科勒克走過來祝我好運

But he seemed nervous.

但他看上去很緊張

There was tension in my wire,

我的鋼索緊緊抻著

but I also could feel tension on the ground.

地面上也彌漫著緊張的氣氛

Because all those people

因為在場的群眾

were made up of people who, for the most part,

一直以來

considered each other enemies.

都當對方是敵人

So I start the walk. Everything is fine.

我開始走了，一切順利

I stop in the middle.

我停在中間

I make the dove appear.

我變出了鴿子

People applaud in delight.

人們驚喜地鼓掌

And then in the most magnificent gesture,

我以極佳的姿勢

I send the bird of peace into the azure.

將這只和平之鳥送上蔚藍的天空

But the bird, instead of flying away,

但這只鳥並沒有飛走

goes flop, flop, flop and lands on my head.

而是撲騰撲騰地落到了我的頭上

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

And people scream.

有人尖叫起來

So I grab the dove,

我抓起這只鴿子

and for the second time I send her in the air.

試圖第二次將它送上天空

But the dove, who obviously didn't go to flying school,

這只笨鳥顯然沒有上過飛行學校

goes flop, flop, flop and ends up at the end of my balancing pole.

又撲騰撲騰地，結果停在了平衡杆的一端！

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

You laugh, you laugh. But hey.

真好笑，真好笑——嘿！

I sit down immediately. It's a reflex of wire walkers.

我立馬坐下。這是走索者的反射動作

Now in the meantime, the audience, they go crazy.

就在這時，觀眾沸騰了

They must think this guy with this dove,

他們可能認為這傢夥

he must have spent years working with him.

也許已跟這只鴿子合作多年

What a genius, what a professional.

多天才！多專業！

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

So I take a bow. I salute with my hand.

我彎腰鞠躬，伸手行禮

And at the end I bang my hand against the pole

之後在杆子上狠狠地來了一掌

to dislodge the bird.

趕走鴿子

Now the dove, who, now you know, obviously cannot fly,

那只鴿子，你們現在都知道了它明顯不會飛

does for the third time a little flop, flop, flop

撲騰了第三回

and ends up on the wire behind me.

最後落在我身後的鋼索上

And the entire valley goes crazy.

整個山谷都沸騰了

Now but hold on, I'm not finished.

等等，我還沒走完

So now I'm like 50 yards from my arrival

我離終點還有50碼

and I'm exhausted, so my steps are slow.

我現出疲態，步履緩慢

And something happened.

這時發生了一件事

Somebody somewhere, a group of people,

不知從哪裡，有人，是一群人

starts clapping in rhythm with my steps.

開始和著我的步伐拍手

And within seconds the entire valley

片刻之後整個山谷

is applauding in unison with each of my steps.

整齊地按著我的步子鼓掌

But not an applause of delight like before,

這回並不是像先前那樣是由於驚喜

an applause encouragement.

而是充滿鼓勵

For a moment, the entire crowd had forgotten their differences.

在那一刻，整個人群忘記了他們的分歧

They had become one, pushing me to triumph.

他們齊心協力，助我成功

I want you just for a second

我希望你們也能短暫地

to experience this amazing human symphony.

體會一下這神奇的人體交響

So let's say I am here and the chair is my arrival.

打比方說我在這裡，椅子就是我的終點

So I walk, you clap, everybody in unison.

我來走，你們鼓掌，大家拍整齊

(Clapping)

(拍手聲)

(Applause)

(鼓掌聲)

So after the walk, Teddy and I become friends.

這次表演後，泰迪和我成為朋友

And he tells me, he has on his desk a picture of me

他告訴我他在辦公桌上放了一張我的照片

in the middle of the wire with a dove on my head.

拍的是我在鋼索中間，頭上頂了只鴿子

He didn't know the true story.

他還不知道真實情況

And whenever he's daunted by an impossible situation

每當他快被無法解決的困境嚇退

to solve in this hard-to-manage city,

在這個棘手的城市

instead of giving up, he looks at the picture and he says,

不是放棄，而是看著我的照片，對他自己說

"If Philippe can do that, I can do this,"

“如果菲力浦能做到，我也能做到。”

and he goes back to work.

然後回頭去工作

Inspiration.

靈感

By inspiring ourselves

通過激發自己

we inspire others.

我們能啟迪他人

I will never forget this music,

我永遠無法忘記這音樂

and I hope now neither will you.

我希望你們也不會忘記

Please take this music with you home,

請把這音樂帶回家

and start gluing feathers to your arms

開始在自己的手臂黏上羽毛

and take off and fly,

起飛、翱翔

and look at the world from a different perspective.

從另一個視角觀察這個世界

And when you see mountains,

當你遇見高山

remember mountains can be moved.

記住：山可移。

(Applause)

(鼓掌聲)

Thank you. Thank you.

謝謝。謝謝。

Thank you.

謝謝各位

(Applause)

(鼓掌聲)