女孩問：世界上有沒有圣誕老人？紐約報(bào)紙用社論來回答（歷史上最成功的報(bào)紙社論由此誕生）

小花生小溪

2017

2021-12-23 19:36 原創(chuàng) · 圖片4

和大家分享一個(gè)和圣誕有關(guān)的真實(shí)故事。1897年，8歲美國小女孩 Virginia 寫信給紐約《太陽報(bào)》，問：這個(gè)世界上有沒有圣誕老人？

出乎意料的是，《太陽報(bào)》在1897年9月21日專門發(fā)了一篇社論來回答這個(gè)問題：Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus（是的，Virginia，世界上的確有圣誕老人）。

社論是該報(bào)社的資深編輯 Francis Church 寫的。從此，這篇社論成為歷史上被最多重印、轉(zhuǎn)發(fā)的報(bào)紙社論，并以幾十種語音出現(xiàn)在圖書、電影、報(bào)刊、海報(bào)里。

圣誕之際，感謝小花生網(wǎng)友Lori的親自翻譯，把這封信分享給大家，祝愿我們的大小朋友們圣誕快樂。不管圣誕老人有沒有，圣誕節(jié)是不是中國人的節(jié)日，懷有感恩、快樂之心，總是沒錯(cuò)的。正如這封信所表達(dá)的那樣：世界上有許多東西是眼睛看不到的，是狹小的心眼想像不到的，像愛心和慷慨和忠誠，而它們卻把我們的生活帶到最美麗最快樂的境界。

Virginia 寫給《太陽報(bào)》的信

"DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
"Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
"Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.'
"Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

"VIRGINIA O'HANLON.
"115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET."

親愛的編輯，我的一些朋友說，世界上其實(shí)沒有圣誕老人。
爸爸說，如果《太陽報(bào)》說有，就是有。
請(qǐng)告訴我事實(shí)真相，有沒有圣誕老人？

－弗吉尼亞署名和地址

以下是《太陽報(bào)》編輯的回信

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

弗吉尼亞，你的小朋友們錯(cuò)了。這是人們?nèi)菀讘岩梢磺械臅r(shí)代，他們深受時(shí)代影響。除非親眼看見，他們不相信；如果自己不理解，就是不存在。但是弗吉尼亞，所有人的腦袋，無論大人的，還是小孩的，都是很小的。在我們所處的這個(gè)浩大的宇宙里，相比于他周邊無所不知，無邊無際的世界，人類在智力上就像一只昆蟲，一只螞蟻。

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

是的，弗吉尼亞，圣誕老人確實(shí)存在。他的存在，就跟我們相信愛、善心、忠實(shí)是存在的一樣。世界上如果沒有圣誕老人該多么無聊！就跟這世界如果沒有弗吉尼亞你一樣的無聊。再也沒有孩子氣的信仰，沒有詩歌，沒有浪漫，沒有快樂，生活變得無可容忍。孩子給世界帶來的光也將熄滅。

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

如果不相信圣誕老人，那你也不能相信仙女了。你也許能讓你爸爸雇些人在圣誕晚上盯著你家的煙囪，看看圣誕老人來不來；即使他們沒看到，又能證明什么呢？沒人見過圣誕老人，并不能說明沒有圣誕老人。世界上最真實(shí)的事情，反而是大人和小孩是看不見的。你見過仙女在草地上跳舞么？當(dāng)然沒有，但這不能證明她們沒做過這事兒。沒人能想象到這世界上所有人們沒見過或見不到的奇跡。

You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

你可以打開一個(gè)寶寶的響鈴?fù)婢?，看看里面發(fā)出聲音的是什么。但是你見不到的世界里有一層布障慢，即使世界上最強(qiáng)最強(qiáng)的人也拉不開。只有我們的信仰、幻想、詩歌、愛、浪漫，才能推開那層布障，讓我們看到至高的美麗和光輝。這是真的么？啊，弗吉尼亞，在這個(gè)世界上沒有比這更真實(shí)和永恒的了。

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

沒有圣誕老人？！感謝上帝，他活著，而且會(huì)永遠(yuǎn)活著。一千年以后，弗吉尼亞，啊，也許十倍于一千年以后，他還會(huì)繼續(xù)給童年的心帶來快樂！