3. Yusuf and Zuleikha
3. 約瑟與祖萊卡

From the story of Yusuf and Zuleikha we learn what part beauty plays in the world of love. Yusuf was the youngest son of Jacob, the seer, who was blest with the gift of prophecy as were several among his ancestors. He was thrown into a well by his elder brothers, who were jealous of his beauty and the influence that it had on their father and everyone that met him.

從約瑟（Yusuf）與祖萊卡（Zuleikha）的故事中，我們可以看見，美在愛的世界中扮演著什麼樣的角色。約瑟是先見者雅各（Jacob）最年幼的兒子；雅各蒙受了先知的恩賜，他的祖先中也有數位同樣蒙受此恩。約瑟的兄長們嫉妒他的美，以及這份美對父親和每一個遇見他的人所產生的影響，因此把他丟進井裡。

“Not love alone, but beauty also has to pay its forfeit.”

「不只是愛，就連美也必須付出代價。」

Some merchants travelling that way saw Yusuf in the well as they were drawing water, and took him up and sold him as a slave to a chief of Misr, who, charmed by the beautiful manner of this youth, made him his personal attendant. Zuleikha, the wife of this chief, grew fonder every day of this handsome youth. She talked to him, she played with him, she admired him, and she raised him in her eyes from a slave to a king.

有些商人行經那裡，在汲水時看見井中的約瑟，便把他救了上來，將他當作奴隸賣給埃及（Misr）的一位大臣。這位大臣被少年約瑟優美的舉止所吸引，便讓他成為自己的貼身侍從。大臣的妻子祖萊卡一天比一天更加喜愛這位俊美的青年。她與他交談，與他嬉戲，欣賞著他；在她眼中，他從一名奴隸被提升為一位國王。

“Those crowned with beauty are always kings, even if they are in rags or sold as slaves.”

「那些以美為冠冕的人，永遠都是王，即使身披破衣，或被賣為奴隸。」

“A true king is always a king, with or without a throne.”

「真正的王永遠是王，無論有沒有王座。」

The friends and relations of Zuleikha began to tell tales about her having fallen in love with Yusuf, and, as it is natural for people to take interest in the faults of others, it eventually put Zuleikha in a difficult position.

祖萊卡的親友開始議論她愛上約瑟的事。人們本來就容易對別人的過失感興趣，這些流言終於使祖萊卡陷入難堪的處境。

She once invited all her relations and friends, and put into the hands of each of them a lemon and a knife, and told them all to cut the lemons when she should tell them, and then called Yusuf. When he came she told them to cut the lemons, but the eyes of every one among them were so attracted by the appearance of Yusuf, that many instead of cutting the lemon cut their fingers, thereby stamping on their fingers also the love of Yusuf.

有一次，她邀請所有親友前來，讓每個人手中都拿著一顆檸檬和一把刀，並吩咐她們，等她一聲令下便切開檸檬。然後她把約瑟叫來。當約瑟出現時，她便要眾人切檸檬；然而每個人的目光都深深被約瑟的容貌吸引，以至於許多人沒有切到檸檬，反而割傷了自己的手指，也彷彿把對約瑟的愛刻印在自己的手指上。

“Beauty takes away from the lover the consciousness of self.”

「美使愛者失去對自我的意識。」

Zuleikha, so entirely won by Yusuf, forgot in the love of him what is right, what is wrong.

祖萊卡完全被約瑟所征服，在對他的愛之中，她忘了什麼是對，什麼是錯。

“Reason falls when love rises.”

「當愛升起，理性便倒下。」

They became more intimate every day until a spell of passion came and separated them. When the shadow of passion fell upon the soul of Yusuf, Zuleikha happened to think of covering the face of the idol, which was in her room. This astonished Yusuf and made him ask her, “What doest thou?” She said, “I cover the face of my god that seeth us with his eyes full of wrath.” This startled Yusuf. He saw the vision of his father pointing his finger towards heaven. Yusuf said, “Stay, O Zuleikha, of what hast thou put me in mind! The eyes of thy god can be covered with a piece of cloth, but the eyes of my God cannot be covered. He seeth me wherever I am.”

他們一天比一天親近，直到激情的魔力來臨，反而使兩人分離。當激情的陰影落在約瑟的靈魂上時，祖萊卡忽然想到要遮住房中那尊神像的臉。約瑟見了十分驚訝，問她：「妳在做什麼？」她說：「我要遮住我的神的臉，免得祂滿懷憤怒地看著我們。」這句話使約瑟猛然驚醒。他眼前浮現父親的身影，手指著天。約瑟說：「住手吧，祖萊卡！妳使我想起了什麼！妳的神的眼睛可以用一塊布遮住，但我的神之眼卻無法遮蔽。無論我身在何處，祂都看得見我。」

“He is man who remembers God in anger and fears God in passion”, says Zafar.

扎法爾（Zafar）說：「在憤怒中仍記得神，在激情中仍敬畏神的人，才是真正的人。」

Zuleikha, blinded by the overwhelming darkness of passion, would not desist, and when he still refused, her passion turned into wrath. She hated him and cursed him and reminded him of his low position as a slave. On this he began to leave the room, and she caught him by the nape of the neck and thus Yusuf’s garment was torn. The chief happened to enter the room during this. He was amazed at this sight, which neither Zuleikha nor Yusuf could hide. Before he asked her anything she complained to him, in order to hide her evident fault, that Yusuf had made an attempt to lay hands upon her, which naturally enraged the chief, and he at once gave orders that Yusuf should be taken to prison for life.

祖萊卡被激情壓倒一切的黑暗蒙蔽了雙眼，仍不肯罷休；當約瑟依然拒絕她時，她的激情便化為憤怒。她恨他、咒罵他，還提醒他不過是個身分低微的奴隸。約瑟於是轉身要離開房間，她從頸後抓住他，扯破了他的衣服。就在這時，大臣恰巧走進房裡。他看到眼前的情景大為震驚，而祖萊卡和約瑟都無法掩飾所發生的事。還沒等丈夫開口詢問，祖萊卡為了掩蓋自己明顯的過失，便先向他控訴，說約瑟企圖對她動手。大臣自然勃然大怒，立刻下令將約瑟終身囚禁。

“The righteous have more trials in life than the unrighteous.”

「正直的人在生命中所受的考驗，往往比不正直的人更多。」

Prison was a delight to the truthful Yusuf, who had kept his torch alight through the darkness of passion while walking in the path of love. It was not long before the spell upon Zuleikha faded, and then came a settled melancholy. There was no end to her sorrow and repentance.

對誠實的約瑟而言，牢獄反而成了一種喜悅；因為當他行走在愛的道路上時，曾穿越激情的黑暗，卻始終使自己的火炬保持明亮。沒有多久，籠罩祖萊卡的迷狂消退了，隨之而來的是深沉而持久的憂鬱。她的悲傷與悔恨無窮無盡。

“Love dies in passion, and is again born of passion.”

「愛死於激情，又從激情之中重生。」

Years passed, and the pain of Zuleikha’s heart consumed her flesh and blood. She wasted away. On one side was the love of Yusuf, on the other side the constant trouble that her guilty conscience caused her and the idea that her own beloved had been thrown into prison on her account, which almost took her life away.

歲月流逝，祖萊卡心中的痛苦耗盡了她的血肉，她日漸憔悴。一邊是她對約瑟的愛，另一邊則是罪疚的良知不斷折磨著她；一想到自己的摯愛者竟因她而被投入監獄，幾乎就要奪去她的生命。

Time, which changes all things, changed the conditions of Yusuf’s life. Though he was in prison he had never blamed Zuleikha, by reason of her love, but he became every day more deeply immersed in the thought of her and yet remained firm in his principle, which is the sign of the godly. He was loved and liked by those in the prison, and he interpreted their dreams whenever they asked him. Yusuf’s presence made the prison heaven for the prisoners. But Zuleikha, after the death of her husband, fell into still greater misery.

時間改變一切，也改變了約瑟生命中的處境。雖然身在牢獄，他從未因祖萊卡的愛而責怪她；反而一天比一天更加沉浸在對她的思念中，卻仍堅守自己的原則，而這正是屬神之人的標誌。獄中的人都喜愛他；每當有人請求，他便為他們解夢。約瑟的存在，使牢獄對囚犯而言彷彿成了天堂。然而祖萊卡在丈夫去世之後，卻陷入了更深的悲苦之中。

After many years it happened that Pharaoh dreamed a dream which greatly startled and alarmed him. Among all the soothsayers and magicians in the land there was none who could interpret his dream. Then he was told by his servants of Yusuf and his wonderful gift of interpreting dreams. He sent for Yusuf, who after having been told Pharaoh’s dream gave the interpretation of it, and by his wise counsel he greatly relieved the King in his cares. Pharaoh made him chief over all his treasures, and bestowed on him honor and power that raised him in the eyes of the world.

多年以後，法老（Pharaoh）做了一個夢，使他大為驚恐不安。全國所有的占卜者與術士，沒有一人能解釋這個夢。這時，僕人向他提起約瑟，以及他非凡的解夢天賦。法老便召約瑟前來。約瑟聽完法老的夢之後，為他解釋夢意，又以明智的建言大大減輕了國王心中的憂慮。法老於是任命他掌管所有財庫，又賜予他榮耀與權力，使他在世人眼中地位崇高。

“Verily the truth at last is victorious.”

「誠然，真理終必得勝。」

Then his brothers came to Yusuf, and afterwards his father Jacob, who was released from the years of pain that he had suffered through his love of Yusuf.

後來，約瑟的兄長們來到了他面前；再後來，他的父親雅各也來了，終於從多年來因愛約瑟而承受的痛苦中得到解脫。

“The reward of love never fails the lover.”

「愛的回報，從不辜負愛者。」

Once Yusuf, riding with his retinue, happened to pass by the place where Zuleikha in her utter misery was spending her days. On hearing the sound of the horses’ hoofs many people ran to see the company passing, and all called out, “It is Yusuf, Yusuf!” On hearing this, Zuleikha desired to look at him once again. When Yusuf saw her he did not recognize her, but he halted, seeing that some woman wished to speak to him.

有一次，約瑟帶著隨從騎馬經過一處地方，而祖萊卡正在那裡度過她極度悲苦的日子。聽見馬蹄聲，許多人都跑出來觀看隊伍經過，眾人紛紛喊道：「是約瑟！約瑟！」祖萊卡一聽見這名字，便渴望再看他一眼。約瑟見到她時，已經認不出她了；但看見有個女人似乎想對他說話，便停了下來。

He was moved to see a person in such misery, and asked her, “What desirest thou of me?” She said, “Zuleikha has still the same desire, O Yusuf, and it will continue here and in the hereafter. I have desired thee, and thee alone I will desire.” Yusuf became convinced of her constant love, and was moved by her state of misery. He kissed her on the forehead, and took her in his arms and prayed to God. The prayer of the prophet and the appeal of long continued love attracted the blessing of God, and Zuleikha regained her youth and beauty. Yusuf said to Zuleikha, “From this day thou becomest my beloved queen.” They were then married and lived in happiness.

約瑟看見一個人落到如此悲苦的境地，心中十分感動，便問她：「妳希望從我這裡得到什麼？」她說：「約瑟啊，祖萊卡仍然只有同一個渴望；今生如此，來世也仍將如此。我所渴望的是你，而我所要渴望的，也唯有你。」約瑟終於確信她始終不變的愛，也被她悲苦的境況所感動。他親吻她的額頭，把她擁入懷中，向神祈禱。先知的祈禱，加上長久不息之愛的呼求，引來了神的祝福，祖萊卡於是恢復了青春與美麗。約瑟對祖萊卡說：「從今天起，妳就是我摯愛的王后。」兩人於是結為夫妻，從此幸福地生活在一起。

“Verily God hearkens attentively to the cry of every wretched heart.”

「誠然，神專心聆聽每一顆悲苦之心的呼求。」

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