莊坤良筆記

                                                   舞台人生的智慧：

     為人需顧後上台終有下台時

     凡事莫當前看戲不如聽戲樂

All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players:

They have their exits and their entrances;

And one man in his time plays many parts,

His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,

Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.

And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel

And shining morning face, creeping like snail

Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,

Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad

Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,

Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,

Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,

Seeking the bubble reputation

Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,

In fair round belly with good capon lined,

With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,

Full of wise saws and modern instances;

And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts

Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,

With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,

His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide

For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,

Turning again toward childish treble, pipes

And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,

That ends this strange eventful history,

Is second childishness and mere oblivion,

Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

莎翁把人生比喻是一個舞台 （All the world is a stage），

人生的不同階段，有不同的面貌。我們首先是嬰兒，嗷嗷待哺。

稍長，變成不願上學的小學生，再成為戀愛的情人，激情如火，

卻粧戴著一張憂鬱的臉孔。接著是被盲目愛國主義驅使的軍人，

爭強好鬥，槍裡來，刀裡去。接著是鐵面無私的法官，睿智而嚴厲。

第六階段來到失去姿色光彩的晚年。這時節充其量只是個視線茫茫，

聲音粗漏的老者，他們的兩腿太瘦，但世界太寬。最後階段，

是返回童年的第二春。一切都風淡雲清，俱往矣！眼耳舌鼻舌身意，

色聲香味觸法，皆不復記憶。如心經所說：遠離顛倒夢想，回歸空無。

莎翁這段話，說的是人生的過程與智慧。在舞台上，或成長，或衰老，

或意氣風發，或沈寂無語，皆安其分。每個人盡本分，聽天命，

順性而為，順時而作，自無掛礙。

讀莎翁，想紅塵萬丈，何以安身？唯智慧而已。

年初去湖南，到南嶽衡山山腳下的大廟，看到一座精雕細琢的戲臺，

上有一幅對聯：

我直覺地聯想到莎翁的名言，舞台人生。

世上是聰明的人多，有智慧的人少。舞台上扮皇帝武將，

儘管不可一世，但只是夢幻泡影（Bubble reputation），

不可沈溺，不可當真。有上台，就有下台，有時當思無時，

脫盡光環後，心理才能平衡。看戲也不用擠到前頭，

隔點距離，用心聽，更能體會戲的精彩微妙。

看戲如此，做人做事亦如此：