The Tree of Life《生命之樹》

The Tree of Life is an important symbol used by many theologies， philosophies and mythologies. It signifies the connection between heaven and earth and the underworld， and the same concept is illustrated by Gustav Klimt’s famous mural， The Tree of Life. For Klimt’s admirers， the mural also has another significance， being the only landscape created by the artist during his golden period. Klimt used oil painting techniques with gold paint， to create luxurious art pieces， during that time.

“生命之樹”是許多神學思想、哲學理論和神話體系中提及的重要象征。它象征天地與冥界之間的聯系，古斯塔夫·克里姆特的著名壁畫《生命之樹》就闡釋了這一概念。對克里姆特的仰慕者來說，這幅壁畫還有另一個意義：它是克里姆特在黃金時期創作的唯一一幅風景畫。那個時期，克里姆特用黃金顏料繪制油畫，創制奢華的藝術作品。

The swirling branches create myth-ical symbolism， suggesting the per-petuity of life. The branches twist， twirl， turn， spiral and undulate， creating a tangle of strong branches， long vines and fragile threads， an expression of life’s complexity. With its branches reaching for the sky， the tree of life roots into the earth beneath， creating the connection between heaven and earth. The tree of life illustrated by Klimt also creates another connection， with the underworld， signifying the final determinism governing over any living thing， that is born， grows， and then returns back into the earth.

旋渦狀樹枝體現出神秘的象征意義，暗示生命的永恒。根根枝條扭曲、旋轉、翻轉、盤旋和起伏，形成一系列壯實樹枝、長長藤蔓和纖細線條的組合，表現了生命的復雜性。生命之樹的樹枝伸向天空，樹根下扎土地，構建了天與地的聯系。克里姆特畫筆下的生命之樹還創設了另一種聯系——與冥界的聯系，代表主宰一切生靈的終極決定論：出生—成長—歸塵。

While many talk about the symbol of unity in Klimt’ The Tree of Life， there aaf57af8746de199eaaf300cdde363587re others that consider it an expression of masculine and feminine. The feminine expressed in the painting symbolizes sustenance， care and growth， while the masculine is expressed through the use of phallic representations. From this different union， life is born， and the tree of life， as well.

許多人認為克里姆特的《生命之樹》象征統一狀態，但也有人認為此畫是在表現男女兩性。畫中的女性形象代表供養、關懷和成長，而男性則通過性器符號來呈現。經由這種與眾不同的結合，生命得以誕生，生命之樹也得以產生。

Others say that the painting symbolizes the union between man’s greatest virtues， which are strength， wisdom and beauty. The tree reaching for the sky is a symbol of man’s perpetual yearning for becoming higher， yet his roots are still bound to the earth.

還有人認為，這幅畫象征人類幾大長處——力量、智慧和美麗——之間的結合。大樹伸向天空，象征人類永遠渴望長得更高，但根仍深扎大地。

One of the important qualities of this painting is that it challenges the viewer to spend more time admiring the painting， while gauging all its meanings. While the artist uses a richness of symbols， gold for paint and other lux-urious techniques to illustrate a magical world， the presence of a single black bird draws the viewer towards the central part of the painting. The black bird is a reminder that everything that has a beginning also has an end， as black birds have been used as a symbol of death by many cultures.

此畫有一個重要特質：它會激發觀者花費更多時間欣賞畫作，思考作品的所有含義。畫家采用豐富的象征符號、黃金顏料和其他耀目的技巧描繪一個神奇的世界，而畫面上的一只黑鳥將觀者的注意力吸引到畫作中心部分。這只黑鳥是在提醒世人，萬事萬物有始有終，因為許多文化將黑鳥視為死亡的象征。

The Tree of Life is among the most recognisable from Gustav Klimt’s car-eer.

《生命之樹》是古斯塔夫·克里姆特繪畫生涯中最知名的作品之一。

《論語》英譯選登

食不厭精，膾不厭細。

（The Master） did not indulge in refined cereal or delicious meat.

食不語，寢不言。

When dining， the Master did not talk. When in bed， he did not speak.

廄焚。子退朝，曰：“傷人乎？”不問馬。

The stable was burned down. When the Master returned from the court， he asked， “Was anyone hurt？” He did not ask about the horses.

朋友死，無所歸，曰：“于我殯。”

When a friend of his died and no relations were to bury him， the Master would say， “Let me see to the burial.”

（《〈論語〉最新英文全譯全注本》，吳國珍，福建教育出版社，2012）