The Road Not Taken

by Robert Frost (1874–1963).

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

這是當年修讀英國文學時讀過的詩中，帶給我很深共鳴的一首。

我不打算逐字逐句去翻譯，不過這首詩其實不難理解，說的就是一個人面臨選擇，一旦作出了決定，其後那一環扣一環的連鎖影響下，想再回頭，重新來過，難極。Robert Frost想比喻的是自己選擇了一條較少人選擇的路 (文學之路)，而從此改變了他的人生。

不知道是否自己理解的問題，我總覺得這詩的語調帶著哀傷。而這也正好切合了我的心情。小時候的我曾經非常內向和懦弱，自從某一天起我決意改變自己，要堅強不讓人欺負，要建立一個強者的形象，要不再受到無視，我的人生便完全改變了。不知道是時勢逼使，還是骨子裡生來就有一股傲氣，這個形象妙得別人都猜不到我曾經是性格完全相反的一個人。我選擇了藏起內心的不安和軟弱，選擇了戴起獅子的面具，以尖牙利爪武裝自己，我便從此要承受這個面具帶來的一切，不管是好或不好。

是的，沒有人再敢欺負我了。但是也沒有人了解我內心的懦弱，沒有人知道我也需要關心。我知道這是我的選擇必然的後果，所以也沒有什麼好抱怨。即使在悲傷時總是沒人了解，獨自承受，但 "I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference" 可不是嗎？

現實中，很多選擇也是這樣。你以為選錯了可以重來，但真的可以嗎？今天的一個決定，對日後的影響可是幾何級數的，每個細節環環相扣，到最後可能把結果整個改變。但是，決定始終是自己做的，因為 "I took the one less traveled by" 是自己做的決定便得自己承受，沒什麼好後悔，也沒什麼好抱怨。

只是，有時候，我也會想起 the road not taken，如果當初沒有這樣選擇，一切又會變成怎樣？