一只猫的精美哲学 The Zen of Cat(2)

　　男人睁开眼睛，伸手捡起了绳子。绳子大约有两英尺（约0.6米）长，猫曾经能够玩着绳子自娱自乐一玩就是几个小时。
　　“What is it made of?” the Cat asked.
　　“It appears to be made of cotton,” the Man said.
　　“Which comes from a plant?” the Cat asked.
　　“Yes,” said the Man.
　　“From just one plant, or from many?”
　　“From many cotton plants,” the Man answered.
　　“And in the same soil from which grows the cotton plants, it would be possible that other plants and flowers would grow? A rose could grow alongside of the cotton, yes?” asked the Cat.
　　“Yes, I’m sure it would be possible,” the Man said.
　　“And all of the plants would feed from the same soil and drink the same rain, would they not? Then all of the plants, rose and cotton, would be very similar on the inside, even if they appeared outwardly very different,” said the Cat.
　　“它是什么做的？”猫问。
　　“看起来好像是棉花做的。”男人说。
　　“是从某种植物上来的吗？”猫问。
　　“是的。”男人说。
　　“是从一株棉花上来的，还是许多棵？”
　　“从许多株上来的。”男人回答说。
　　“在棉花生长的那片土地上，有可能长出其他植物或花朵吗？棉花的旁边也有可能生长着一株玫瑰，对吗？”猫问。
　　“是的，我相信这是可能的。”男人说。
　　“那么所有的植物都可能生长于同一片土地，啜饮同样的雨水，对吗？所以一切植物，玫瑰和棉花，本质是非常相似的，即使它们从外表看起来很不一样。”猫说道。
　　The Man nodded his head in agreement, but didn’t see what that had to do with the present situation.
　　男人点了点头表示同意，但是依然不明白这同目前的情况有什么关系。
　 “Now, that piece of string,” said the Cat, “is that the only piece of string ever made of cotton?”
　　“No, of course it isn’t,” said the Man. “It was part of a ball of twine.”
　　“And do you know where all of the other pieces of string are now, and all of the balls of twine?” asked the Cat.
　　“No, I don’t ... that would be impossible,” said the Man.
　　“But even though you do not know where they are, you believe they exist. And even though some of the string is with you, and other pieces of string are elsewhere ... you would agree that all the string is related?” the Cat asked.
　　“I’ve never thought about it, but yes, I guess they would be related,” the Man said.
　　“What would happen if a piece of cotton string fell onto the ground?” the Cat asked.
　　“Well ... it would eventually be covered up and decompose into the soil,” the Man said.
　　“I see,” said the Cat. “Then perhaps more cotton would grow above it, or a rose.”
　　“Yes, it would be possible,” the Man agreed.
　　“Then the rose growing on your windowsill might be related to the string you are holding as well as to all the pieces of string you do not know about,” said the Cat.
　　“好了，那段绳子，”猫说，“是唯一一段由棉花做成的绳子吗？”
　　“不，当然不是了，”男人说，“它是一团线球中的一段而已。”
　　“那你知道其他那些绳子现在在哪里吗？还有所有的线球呢？”猫问。
　　“不知道……我不可能知道呀。”男人说。
　　“但是即使你不知道它们在哪里，你依然相信它们是存在的。而且即使绳子的某些部分在你身边，其他部分在别的地方……你还是同意所有的绳子都是有关联的，对吗？”猫问。
　　“我从没想过这个问题，不过，是的，我猜它们相互之间是有关联的。”男人说。
　　“假如一段棉线落在了地上，会发生什么事情呢？”猫问。
　　“嗯……它最终会被掩埋、分解并回到土壤里。”男人说。
　　“知道了，”猫说，“那么可能会有更多的棉花，或一株玫瑰在它上面长出来。”
　　“是的，有可能。”男人同意道。
　　“那么，你窗台上的那株玫瑰，也许同你拿着的这段绳子以及所有你所不知道的绳子有着某种联系了。”猫说。