| 智慧篇 |
Wisdom |
| 1我也是有死的人，同眾人一樣；我也是出於用土受造的原祖，在母胎中形成了肉軀， |
1 I too am a mortal man, the same as all the rest, and a descendant of the first man formed on earth. And in my mother's womb I was molded into flesh |
| 2十月之久，在母血中凝結，由男精與合夢的慾樂而形成。 |
2 in a ten-months' period-body and blood, from the seed of man, and the pleasure that accompanies marriage. |
| 3我一出生，便呼吸了公共的空氣，落在具有同一命運的地上，哭出了第一聲，與眾人無異； |
3And I too, when born, inhaled the common air, and fell upon the kindred earth; wailing, I uttered that first sound common to all. |
| 4我在襁褓中，受了母親的撫育和照顧。 |
4In swaddling clothes and with constant care I was nurtured. |
| 5沒有一位君王，另有不同的誕生， |
5For no king has any different origin or birth, |
| 6因為，人人進入生命的路，只有一條，去世亦然。 |
6but one is the entry into life for all; and in one same way they leave it. |
| 7為此，我曾祈求，天主就賜給了我聰明；我曾呼籲，智慧的神便臨於我身。 |
7Therefore I prayed, and prudence was given me; I pleaded and the spirit of Wisdom came to me. |
| 8我寧要智慧，而不要王權和王位；財富與她相較，分文不值。 |
8I preferred her to scepter and throne, And deemed riches nothing in comparison with her, |
| 9無價的寶石也不能與她相比，因為，一切黃金在她面前，不過只是一粒細沙；白銀在她跟前，無異一撮泥土。 |
9nor did I liken any priceless gem to her; Because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand, and before her, silver is to be accounted mire. |
| 10我愛她，勝過愛健康和美色，我以她比光明更為可取，因為，由她而來的光輝，從不暗淡。 |
10Beyond health and comeliness I loved her, And I chose to have her rather than the light, because the splendor of her never yields to sleep. |
| 11的確，一切美物都伴她而來，在她手中握有數不清的財富。 |
11Yet all good things together came to me in her company, and countless riches at her hands; |
| 12為了這一切美物，我極其歡樂，因為，智慧是一切美物的先導；我一向還不知道，智慧竟是一切美物的母親。 |
12And I rejoiced in them all, because Wisdom is their leader, though I had not known that she is the mother of these. |
| 13我誠心地學習了，我也豪爽地分施與人，我絕不隱藏智慧的財富。 |
13Simply I learned about her, and ungrudgingly do I share- her riches I do not hide away; |
| 14因為智慧是人用之不盡的寶藏；凡佔有的人，必獲得天主的友愛，賴受教而獲得的恩賜，深得天主的歡心。 |
14 For to men she is an unfailing treasure; those who gain this treasure win the friendship of God, to whom the gifts they have from discipline commend them. |
| 15願天主使我遵照他的意願說話，使我的思想配合他的恩賜，因為是他領導智慧，引導智者； |
15Now God grant I speak suitably and value these endowments at their worth: For he is the guide of Wisdom and the director of the wise. |
| 16原來，我們和我們的言論，我們的一切聰明和技巧，都在他手中。 |
16For both we and our words are in his hand, as well as all prudence and knowledge of crafts. |
| 17是他把所有事物的正確知識賜給了我，使我明瞭世界的構造，和元素的能量， |
17For he gave me sound knowledge of existing things, that I might know the organization of the universe and the force of its elements, |
| 18時間的始末和中心，冬至夏至的轉變，和季節的變更， |
18The beginning and the end and the midpoint of times, the changes in the sun's course and the variations of the seasons. |
| 19年歲的循環與星辰的位置， |
19Cycles of years, positions of the stars, |
| 20生物的天性，和野獸的本能，鬼神的力量，和人類的思想，植物的繁雜，和草根的效能。 |
20natures of animals, tempers of beasts, Powers of the winds and thoughts of men, uses of plants and virtues of roots- |
| 21所有或隱或明的事，我都知道，因為教導我的，是造萬物的技師──智慧。 |
21Such things as are hidden I learned and such as are plain; |
| 22在她內的神，原是聰明的，至聖的，惟一的，多樣的，微妙的，敏捷的，精明的，無玷的，率直的，不受損害的，好善的，銳敏的， |
22for Wisdom, the artificer of all, taught me. For in her is a spirit intelligent, holy, unique, Manifold, subtle, agile, clear, unstained, certain, Not baneful, loving the good, keen, unhampered, beneficent, |
| 23無敵的，施惠的，愛人的，穩固的，堅決的，無慮的，無所不能的，無所不察的，又是洞察所有明達、潔淨和精微心靈的。 |
23kindly, Firm, secure, tranquil, all-powerful, all-seeing, And pervading all spirits, though they be intelligent, pure and very subtle. |
| 24實在智慧比一切活動更為活動；她是如此精純，能滲透深入一切。 |
24For Wisdom is mobile beyond all motion, and she penetrates and pervades all things by reason of her purity. |
| 25她是天主威能的氣息，是全能者榮耀的真誠流露；因此，任何污穢都不能浸入她內。 |
25For she is an aura of the might of God and a pure effusion of the glory of the Almighty; therefore nought that is sullied enters into her. |
| 26她是永遠光明的反映，是天主德能的明鏡，是天主美善肖像。 |
26For she is the refulgence of eternal light, the spotless mirror of the power of God, the image of his goodness. |
| 27雖是獨一的，卻無所不能；她雖恆存不變，卻常使萬物更新。她世世代代，進入聖善的靈魂，使他們成為天主的朋友和先知； |
27And she, who is one, can do all things, and renews everything while herself perduring; And passing into holy souls from age to age, she produces friends of God and prophets. |
| 28因為，天主只愛那與智慧同居共處的人。 |
28For there is nought God loves, be it not one who dwells with Wisdom. |
| 29實在，智慧比太陽還美麗，壓倒一切星座；如與光明相比，她必佔優勢； |
29For she is fairer than the sun and surpasses every constellation of the stars. Compared to light, she takes precedence; |
| 30因為，光明還要讓位於黑夜，但是邪惡絕不能戰勝智慧。 |
30for that, indeed, night supplants, but wickedness prevails not over Wisdom. |
