Farewell Letter 加西亚·马尔克斯：我的告别信

张燕

加西亚·马尔克斯是20世纪最有影响力的作家之一，也是拉丁美洲魔幻现实主义文学的开山鼻祖，代表作有《百年孤独》、《霍乱时期的爱情》等，并于1982年获得了诺贝尔文学奖。1999年，时年72岁的马尔克斯患上了淋巴癌，于是他写了一封言辞恳切的信，与读者们郑重道别。

If God， for a second， forgot what I have become and granted me a little bit more of life， I would use it to the best of my ability.1

I wouldnt possibly， say everything that is in my mind， but I would be more thoughtful of all I say… I would give merit to things not for what they are worth， but for what they mean to express.2

I would sleep less， I would dream more， because I know that for every minute that we close our eyes， we waste 60 seconds of light. I would walk while others stop； I would awake while others sleep， and I would listen when others talk， and how I would enjoy a good chocolate ice cream！

If God would give me a little bit more of life， I would dress in a simple manner， I would place myself in front of the sun， leaving not only my body， but my soul naked.3

My God， if I had a heart， I would write my hatred on ice and wait for the sun to come out. With a dream of Van Gogh I would paint on the stars a poem by Benedetti， and a song by Serrat would be my serenade to the moon.4 With my tears I would water the roses， to feel the pain of their thorns and the incarnated kiss of their petals5... My God， if I only had a scrap of6 life.

To all ， I would say how mistaken they are when they think that they stop falling in love when they grow old， without knowing that they grow old when they stop falling in love.

I would give wings to children， but I would leave it to them to learn how to fly by themselves.

To old people I would say that death doesnt arrive when they grow old， but with forgetfulness.

I have learned so much with you all， I have learned that everybody wants to live on top of the mountain， without knowing that true happiness is obtained in the journey taken and the form used to reach the top of the hill.7

I have learned that when a newborn baby holds， with its little hand， his fathers finger， it has trapped8 him for the rest of his life.

I have learned that a man has the right and obligation to look down at another man， only when that man needs help to get up from the ground.9

Say always what you feel， not what you think. If I knew that today is the last time that I am going to see you asleep， I would hug you with all my strength and I would pray to the Lord to let me be the guardian angel of your soul.

If I knew that these are the last moments to see you， I would say “I love you”.

There is always tomorrow， and life gives us another opportunity to do things right， but in case I am wrong， and today is all that is left to me， I would love to tell you how much I love you & that I will never forget you.

Tomorrow is never guaranteed10 to anyone， young or old. Today could be the last time to see your loved ones， which is why you mustnt wait； do it today， in case tomorrow never arrives. I am sure you will be sorry you wasted the opportunity today to give a smile， a hug， a kiss， and that you were too busy to grant them their last wish.

Keep your loved ones near you； tell them in their ears and to their faces how much you need them and love them. Love them and treat them well； take your time to tell them “I am sorry”； “forgive me”， “please”， “thank you”， and all those loving words you know！

Nobody will know you for your secret thought.11 Ask the Lord for wisdom and strength to express them. Show your friends and loved ones how important they are to you.

For you， With much love，

Your Friend，

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

1. 如果上帝一时忘记了我现在的样子，再多赐予我一段时间的话，我一定尽力不辜负这一段时光。

2. 我评判事物的标准不再是它本身的价值，而是它代表的意义。merit： 价值，功过。

3. 如果上帝赏我一段生命， 我会简装素服，在阳光下袒露的不仅是身体，还有我的灵魂。

4. 我会用梵高的梦在星星上画一首贝内德蒂的诗，而色拉特的歌将是我献给月亮的小夜曲。Van Gogh： 梵高（Vincent van Gogh， 1853—1890），荷兰最伟大的画家之一；Benedetti： 马里奥·贝内德蒂（Mario Benedetti， 1920—2009），乌拉圭著名诗人、作家和文学批评家；Serrat： 色拉特（Joan Manuel Serrat， 1943— ），西班牙著名唱作人；serenade： 小夜曲。

5. thorn： 刺；incarnated： 具体化的，人格化的； petal： 花瓣。

6. a scrap of： 少量的。

7. 与你们在一起我所获良多，我了解到每个人都想立于巅峰之上，殊不知，真正的幸福恰恰就存在于攀登峰顶的过程和方式中。

8. trap： 捕获，抓住。

9. 我了解到，一个人只有在帮助别人站起来时才有权利俯视别人。obligation： 义务，职责。

10. guaranteed： 有保证的。

11. 没人会因你秘而不宣的想法而了解你。