Lakshmi Pratury: The lost art of letter-writing

譯者: Szu-Ching Chang 審譯者: Feiman Luk

So I thought, "I will talk about death."

我原先在想：「我會談論死亡。」

Seemed to be the passion today.

那似乎是我今天要跟你分享的主題。

Actually, it's not about death.

但事實上，我將分享的與死亡無關。

It's inevitable, terrible, but really what I want to talk about is,

死亡是不可避免而又令人愄懼的，但我真正想談論的是

I'm just fascinated by the legacy people leave when they die.

我被人們死去時所留下的遺產吸引著。

That's what I want to talk about.

這就是我想分享的主題。

So Art Buchwald left his legacy of humor with a video

如包可華(Art Buchwald) 透過影像留下他那一絲幽默

that appeared soon after he died, saying,

影帶在他死後隨即出現，說著：

"Hi! I'm Art Buchwald, and I just died."

「嗨! 我是包可華(Art Buchwald)，我剛剛死了。」

And Mike, who I met at Galapagos, a trip which I won at TED,

我透過TED的旅程，在加拉巴哥(Galapagos)遇到米可,

is leaving notes on cyberspace where he is chronicling

當時他透過互聯網在個人空間上記述

his journey through cancer.

他患上癌症的經歷。

And my father left me a legacy of his handwriting

而我的父親則透過一些信件和一本記事本

through letters and a notebook.

留下他那手寫的遺產。

In the last two years of his life, when he was sick,

這個生病了的爸爸在生命中的最後兩年

he filled a notebook with his thoughts about me.

把自己對我的看法都寫滿在記事本上。

He wrote about my strengths, weaknesses,

他寫下我的長處和短處

and gentle suggestions for improvement,

並提出一些能助我改正的方法

quoting specific incidents, and held a mirror to my life.

同時亦引用特殊的例子，為我的生活提供反思。

After he died, I realized that no one writes to me anymore.

在他離世後，我發現沒有人再寫信給我了。

Handwriting is a disappearing art.

書寫這門藝術正漸漸地消失。

I'm all for email and thinking while typing,

我平日會用電子郵件，也會一面思考一面打字

but why give up old habits for new?

但為何要為了新的事物而捨棄舊有的習慣?

Why can't we have letter writing and email exchange in our lives?

為何書信和電子郵件不能與我們的生活融合在一起?

There are times when I want to trade all those years

有一段時間我因為太忙碌而沒有坐下來跟我父親聊聊天

that I was too busy to sit with my dad and chat with him,

有時，我真的很想換回那幾年

and trade all those years for one hug.

然後再以那些時光來換爸爸的一個擁抱。

But too late.

可是已經太遲了。

But that's when I take out his letters and I read them,

但每當我拿出並細閱他的信

and the paper that touched his hand is in mine,

我感到與他緊密相連,

and I feel connected to him.

因為他觸摸過的那張信紙就在我手中。

So maybe we all need to leave our children

也許，我們需要留給我們的孩子的不是金錢上的遺產

with a value legacy, and not a financial one.

而是那種擁有真正的價值和意義的遺產。

A value for things with a personal touch --

透過觸碰去留下有價值的物品--

an autographed book, a soul-searching letter.

一本手寫書，一封真摰的信件。

If a fraction of this powerful TED audience

假如這些甚有影響力的TED觀眾的其中小部分

could be inspired to buy a beautiful paper --

能被感動而去買一張漂亮的紙--

John, it'll be a recycled one -- and write a beautiful letter

約翰，那會是一張環保再生紙-- 然後寫一封美麗的信

to someone they love, we actually may start a revolution

給他們深愛的人，我們或許要開始實行一個大變革

where our children may go to penmanship classes.

讓我們的孩子去上手寫課。

So what do I plan to leave for my son?

那麼，我應該留些什麼給我的兒子呢？

I collect autographed books, and those of you authors

我在蒐集手寫書, 同時也在蒐集一些唱片, 翠絲。

in the audience know I hound you for them --

而坐在觀眾席上的一些作家都知道

and CDs too, Tracy.

我正為這出版的事宜而緊跟著他們--

I plan to publish my own notebook.

我亦計畫出版自己的筆記。

As I witnessed my father's body being swallowed by fire,

在我目睹我父親的遺體被火吞噬時，

I sat by his funeral pyre and wrote.

我坐在他葬禮的柴火旁，寫下

I have no idea how I'm going to do it,

我不知道我將如何過日子

but I am committed to compiling his thoughts and mine

但後來我決定要將他和我的一些想法

into a book, and leave that published book for my son.

輯錄成一本書、出版, 然後留給我的兒子。

I'd like to end with a few verses of what I wrote

我想以一首我在父親葬禮中寫的短詩

at my father's cremation.

來結束今天的分享。

And those linguists, please pardon the grammar,

讀語言的學者們, 請饒恕我的文法

because I've not looked at it in the last 10 years.

因為我至少有十年沒讀到這首詩了。

I took it out for the first time to come here.

這是我第一次將它公開在這裡。

"Picture in a frame, ashes in a bottle,

「在相框中的照片,在甕裡的骨灰,

boundless energy confined in the bottle,

無窮的力量被緊封於甕內

forcing me to deal with reality,

它迫使我面對現實

forcing me to deal with being grown up.

迫使我逐漸成長。

I hear you and I know that you would want me to be strong,

我確實聽到你的話, 而我知道你想我堅強

but right now, I am being sucked down, surrounded

但此刻, 我被這些肆虐的情緒浪潮

and suffocated by these raging emotional waters,

吞沒、包圍，這一切令我窒息

craving to cleanse my soul, trying to emerge

就如你所敎導一樣

on a firm footing one more time, to keep on fighting and flourishing

我渴望我的靈魂能被洗滌, 讓我能嘗試浮出水面

just as you taught me.

再一次踏穩每一步, 繼續奮鬥和茁壯地成長。

Your encouraging whispers in my whirlpool of despair,

當我感到絕望和混亂時, 我聽到你在我耳邊低聲鼓勵我、

holding me and heaving me to shores of sanity,

扶持我、並把我拉到岸邊, 使我清醒,

to live again and to love again."

讓我能重生和再次去愛。」

Thank you.

謝謝。