The Care-collector
《收集你的忧虑》

Once upon a time, in a bustling village, there was a town square where collectors gathered. These were people who made a living by collecting things that other people had discarded. The collectors discovered that once you had enough of various discarded items, they became valuable again. There were pot and pan collectors, stamp and book collectors, and comic book and spoon collectors. All in all, it was quite a collection of collectors.
从前，在一个熙熙攘攘的村子里，有一个收集者聚集的城镇广场。这些收集者通过收集其他人丢弃的东西谋生。收集者们发现，一旦收集到足够数量的别人丢弃的各种物品，这些被丢弃的物品就会重新变得有价值。他们中有收集锅碗瓢盆的，有收集邮票和书籍的，有收集漫画书和勺子的。总之，这里聚集着各种各样的收集者。
One day an old man came wandering into the village asking where the collector's plaza was. He carried a large pack, but didn't seem to be burdened by its weight. He installed himself casually in one corner of the square.
一天，有一位老人游荡着来到了这个村子里，四处询问收集者广场在哪里。他背着一个大背包，但包里似乎没什么东西。他随意地在广场的一个角落摆下了摊。
Naturally, everyone in the village discovered there was a new collector in town, and they eagerly inquired about what he had in the pack. He simply told them there was nothing in it but his lunch. "You mean; you are not a collector?" they asked. "Oh, yes," he said, "I'm very much a collector. But what I collect does not fit in a pack. I collect people's cares."
自然，村里的每个人都发现镇里来了一位新收集者。村民们热切地询问了他的背包里都有些什么。他只是告诉他们，里面除了他的午餐以外什么都没有。“你是说，你并不是一个收集者？”他们问。“我就是一个收集者啊，如假包换。”他说，“但我收集的东西并不适合放在背包里。我收集的是人们的忧虑。”
Intrigued, the villagers asked him to explain. "Well, you see, I discovered long ago that one of the things everybody has too many of and constantly tries to get rid of, are cares: trials, burdens, sorrows, difficult times - all kind of things that make their lives sad. So I offer to collect such things from them and they feel better. Isn't that simple?"
村民们好奇地要求他给出解释。“呃，你们知道，我很久以前就发现，每个人都有太多的想要摆脱的东西，也就是忧虑。忧虑的情绪会给人们带来磨炼、烦扰、悲伤和困难时期——所有这些都会让他们的生活变得凄惨。于是，我来收集他们的这些忧虑情绪，让他们感觉更好。这是不是很简单？”

Most villagers thought this was a silly belief and that the man was just too senile to function. But then, someone asked him how he collected cares, and he replied, "Well, there is probably something in your life that bothers you right now—some care that you have. Just tell me about it and I will add it and I will add it to my collection."
大多数村民都认为这是一个愚蠢的想法，并且觉得这个人老糊涂了。随后，有人询问他是如何收集忧虑的，他回答说：“你目前的生活中可能会有些东西让你感到困扰——这就是你的忧虑。尽管把它告诉我，然后我会把它收藏起来。”
"But how will that help me?" the inquirer asked. "Just try it." The care-collector said. So the person told the old man about something that was a problem. When the story was finished, the care-collector nodded his head deeply a few times, and then put his hand together as if to scoop up something heavy. He pretended to put it into his pack. "There, I have put it away. How do you feel?" he asked.
“但，这么做对我有什么帮助吗？”询问者问道。“那就试试看吧，”忧虑收集者说。于是，这个人将自己的一件麻烦事告诉了这位老人。说完后，忧虑收集者深深地点了几下头，然后手指攥在一起，做出似乎要挖出重物的动作。然后，他假装着把挖出的“重物”放入了自己的背包里。“好了，我已经把你的忧虑拿走了。你感觉如何？”他问。
The person who had his care collected said, "Why, I do feel better. I think I can handle the problem much better now. It really works!" Word spread, and soon there was a throng of people who came to give their cares to the care-collector. Years passed, and the village became known as the happiest place ever to live in, thanks to the care collector's efforts.
被收集了忧虑的那个人回答说：“哎呀，我真的感觉好多了。我觉得我现在可以更好地处理这件事了。它真的起作用了！”一传十，十传百，很快人们就开始蜂拥而至，把他们自己的忧虑交给这位神奇的忧虑收集者。若干年后，在这位忧虑收集者的努力下，这个村子成为了有史以来最幸福的居住地。
One day, just before dawn, the care-collector reckoned his task in this village was completed. So he quietly stood up and lifted his pack in a gesture that was slower and more painful than before, as if the pack was heavier and he slipped away in silence.
有一天，就在拂晓之前，这位忧虑收集者认为自己在这个村子的使命已经完成了。于是，他静静地站起身来，用一种比以往更缓慢，更痛苦的姿势，背起似乎比以往更重的背包，悄悄地离开了村子。
It was not long thereafter when a weary and burdened young man came into the village. The villagers, all still the happiest they ever were, helped him as best they could, and when he was feeling a bit better, they asked him if he knew about the old man, the hero of the village, who had left for the city several weeks ago. "Know him?!" the youth replied. "Why, my whole city has been talking about him. Haven't you heard?" "Why, no," the people chorused back, "Tell us what happened."
此后不久，一个疲倦且忧心忡忡的年轻人来到了村子。这些依旧保持着最幸福状态的村民们，尽他们所能为这位年轻人提供了帮助。当他感觉好一点时，村民们问他是否了解几星期前动身前往城里的那位，曾经在村子里呆过的神奇老人的近况。“你们认识他？！”年轻人回答说，“全城都在谈论他，你们没有听说过他的事情吗？”“没有啊，”村民们异口同声地说，“快告诉我们发生了什么事情。”
"That old man came quietly into the city and nobody noticed him, at first," the youth recounted. "Once in a while you could see him talking to people—mostly listening, really. When a person finished talking to him, he bowed his head and did a funny thing with his hands and the person began to feel better. For the first time in a long while, people in the city began to feel better and have a bit of hope for their own lives." "Yes, we know. He did that here, too," replied the villagers.
“那位老人悄悄地来到了城里，一开始没有人注意到他，”这位年轻人回忆道，“偶尔你可以看到他跟人说话——实际上，大多数情况下，他都是在倾听别人说话。当一个人结束与他的交谈时，他都会点头，然后用双手做出一个很有趣的动作，这个人就会感觉好多了。很久以来，城里的人们从来没有像当时那样感觉自己的心情会变得如此之好，从来没有对生活有过如此的期待。” “是的，我们了解，他也曾给我们带来了那样的感受。”村民回答说。
"Well, one night, as he was leaving the city square, a big storm caught him by surprise, and he was struck by lightning. He died almost instantly, leaving behind only a very heavy, but empty suitcase." The villagers gasped. Some began to cry. "I am so sorry to bring you this sad news" said the youth, and there was a long silence.
“呃，后来有一天晚上，在离开城市广场时，他遭遇了一场突如其来的大风暴，并且不幸遭到了雷击。不久，他便离开了人世，只留下一个沉甸甸，但空无一物的手提箱。”村民人群中发出唏嘘声，有些人甚至哭了起来。“我很抱歉给你们带来这个不幸的消息。”年轻人说。之后，便是一段长时间的沉默。
Suddenly, the youth exclaimed: "Hey...It still works! I feel a lot better for telling you about the death of the care-collector! Collecting cares still works! You can do it for me, and I can do it for you. He only showed us how!"
突然，年轻人惊呼道：“嘿......它仍然是有效的！给你们讲了关于忧虑收集者死亡的事情后，我感觉好多了，收集忧虑的做法仍然起作用，我们可以彼此这样做。他只是向我们展示了该如何去做。”
The young man jumped up, filled with new energy and strength. "I'm going to travel back to my city, and to many other places as well!!" The villagers tried to stop him, saying that "There are too many cares and burdens in the world, why don't you stay here and avoid feeling miserable as much as you can?" "Exactly! Exactly!" he continued. "That's why I'm going. I will become a care-collector!"
年轻人激动地跳了起来，身体里充满了新的活力与力量。“我要回到我的城市，然后还要去许多其他地方！”村民们试图阻止他，并对他说：“世界上有太多的忧虑和烦扰，你为什么不留在这里，尽量避免去感受这些悲惨的事情呢？”“太对了，太对了。”他继续说。“这就是我要去那些地方的原因。我要成为一名忧虑收集者！”