Mandela’s Garden1

By

In early 1977,the authorities announced the end of manual labor and arranged some type of work for us to do in the courtyard,so we could spend our days in our section.The end of manual labor was liberating.I could now spend the day reading,writing letters,discussing issues with my comrades,or preparing legal documents.The free time also allowed me to pursue what became two of my favorite hobbies on Robben Island: gardeningand tennis.

1977 年年初，当局宣布取消苦力，为我们安排了些庭院做工的差事，这样我们便可各司其职，以此度日。取消苦力就是摆脱束缚。现下我可以每天读书，写信，和狱友探讨大情小事，抑或准备法律文件。我也可以在罗本岛利用闲暇时光做最喜欢的两件事：种菜，打网球。

2 To survive in prison,one must develop ways to take satisfaction in one’s daily life.One can feel fulfliled by washing one’s clothes so that they are particularly clean,by sweeping a hallway so that it is empty of dust,by organizing one’s cell to save as much space as possible.Just as one takes pride in important tasks outside of prison,one can find the same pride in doing small things inside prison.

2 要在监狱中生存，必须想方设法安于日常生活。洗衣服洗得特别干净，打扫走廊打扫得一尘不染，狱房整理出尽可能多的空间，这些都能让人心满意足。像在狱外执行重要任务能让人感到自豪一样，在狱内做些小事也会感到同样的自豪。

3 Almost from the beginning of my sentence on Robben Island,I asked the authorities for permission to start a garden in the courtyard.For years,they refused without offering a reason.But eventually they gave in,and we were able to cut out a small garden on a narrow patch of earth against the far wall.

3 几乎从在罗本岛服刑之初，我就请求当局批准我们在庭院经营一个菜园。几年来，他们一直拒绝而不解释理由。

4 The soil in the courtyard was dry and rocky.The courtyard had been constructed over a garbage dump,and in order to start my garden,I had to remove a great many rocks to allow the plants room to grow.At the time,some of my comrades joked that I was a miner at heart,for I spent my days in a wasteland and my free time digging in the courtyard.

4 院内的土壤干燥多石。庭院建在一片垃圾场上，为开垦菜园，让蔬菜有地方生长，我得清理大量的石块。当时，一些狱友开玩笑，说我实际上就是一个矿工，因为我整日和荒地打交道，闲暇时间全花在了挖土上。

5 The authorities supplied me with seeds.I at first planted tomatoes,chilies,and onions—hardyplants that did not require rich earth or constant care.The early harvests were poor,but they soon improved.The authorities did not regret giving permission,for once the garden began to flourish,I often provided the warders with some of my best tomatoes and onions.

5 当局将菜种供应给我。起初我种一些番茄、辣椒和洋葱——这些植物适应力强，无须肥沃的土地和频繁的照料。起初的收成可怜，不久却见了起色。菜园一经丰收，我便经常挑一些最好的番茄和洋葱送给狱吏，这样就没让当局因准予开垦而后悔。

6 While I have always enjoyed gardening,it was not until I was behind barsthat I was able to tend my own可最终他们让了步，我们可以在远处墙根下一块狭窄的土地上开垦一个小菜园。garden.My first experience in the garden was at Fort Hare where,as part of the university’s manual labor requirement,I worked in one of my professors’gardens and enjoyed the contact with the soil as an alternative to my intellectual labors.Once I was in Johannesburg studying and then working,I had neither the time nor the space to start a garden.

6 虽然我一直喜欢种菜，但直到进了监狱，我才有机会照料我自己的菜园。我首次与种菜结缘是在福特海尔大学，当时是应学校体力劳动的要求，我在一位教授的菜园工作，与土地亲密接触，乐在其中，算是对脑力劳动的调剂。随着去约翰内斯堡学习，后来参加工作，我就既没空，也没地方再经营菜园了。

7 I began to order books on gardening.I studied different gardening techniques and types of fertilizers.I did not have many of the materials that the books discussed,but I learned through trial and error.For a time,I attempted to grow peanuts,and used different soils and fertilizers,but finally I gave up.It was one of my few failures.

7 我开始订购园艺学书籍，钻研各种各样的园艺技能，了解品种各异的肥料。书中介绍的许多材料我都没有，但我不断摸索，钻研学习。我一度尝试种植花生，配用不同的土壤、肥料，但最终放弃了。这是我为数不多的一次失败。

8 In some ways,I saw the garden as a metaphor for certain aspects of my life.Leaders must also look after their gardens; they,too,plant seeds,and then watch,cultivate,and harvest the results.Like gardeners,leaders must take responsibility for what they cultivate;they must mind their work,try to drive back enemies,save what can be saved,and eliminate what cannot succeed.

8 在有些方面，我会将菜园看作生活的暗喻。做领袖一定也要照管好自己的菜园；他们也要下种，勘察，培育，收获。领袖如同园艺师，必须对自己培育的东西负责；必须心怀事业，力求击退敌人，拯救可拯救的一切，摒弃无法实现的事情。

9 I wrote Winnietwo letters about a particularly beautiful tomato plant,how I made it grow from a tender seedlingto a strong plant that produced deep red fruit.But then,either through some mistake or lack of care,the plant began to wither and decline,and nothing I did would bring it back to health.When it finally died,I removed the roots from the soil,washed them,and buried them in a corner of the garden.

9 我给温妮写了两封信，关于一棵长得格外漂亮的番茄植株的信，写我如何将它从一株纤嫩的幼苗培育成一棵结实强壮、结出深红果实的植株。但后来可能出了问题，抑或疏于照料，植株开始凋零枯萎，无论我做什么也无法让它恢复健康。最后它凋亡了，我拔出土壤中的根，清洗后埋在菜园的一处角落里。

10 I told her this small story at great length.I do not know what she read into that letter,but when I wrote it I had a mixture of feelings: I did not want our relationship to go the way of that plant,and yet I felt that I had been unable to nourish many of the most important relationships in my life.Sometimes there is nothing one can do to save something that must die.■

10 我把这个小故事详详细细地告诉温妮，不知她在信中会读出什么。但我在写信时五味杂陈：我不想我们的关系像那棵植株一样发展，可我又感觉到对于维系生活中许多最为重要的关系，自己已无能为力。有时，注定消亡的事物无可挽救。 □