这篇文章来自雪城朋友Wayne，寓意深刻，一直收藏着，今晚将文章翻译为中文，与友们共享：

在有国王、骑士和宫廷小丑的旧时候，有位国王将他的宫廷小丑唤到面前，他给小丑一根又长又装饰华美的杖子，当他将杖子交给小丑时，国王说：“这是全王国最愚蠢的象征，我把它交给你，以此为记号，代表你在王国中的地位。”每个人都笑了，之后的多年，这位小丑常常用这根华美的杖子为宫廷服务。

有一天国王让宫廷小丑到他的皇家床边。国王告诉小丑，他随时将去世，将进入灵魂消逝的世界。小丑问：“尊贵的陛下，在新的地方，他们说什么语言？”国王答道：“我不知道！”小丑接着问：“你要为到达新世界的旅途准备些什么吗？”国王再次回答：“我不知道!”“国王陛下，请您耐心听我问，”小丑继续道：“但是那儿的人是怎样的人？你作何准备确保你的终点愉快？”国王所能说的只是：“我不知道 - 我一无所知。”

“噢，国王，你知道自己将进入新世界这个事实有多久了？”国王回答：“我的整个人生都知道有一天我必须走这段旅程。”说到这，小丑将自己华美的杖子交还给国王。“你这是为什么？”国王问。小丑低头尊敬地回道：“先生，您说这根杖子属于王国中最愚蠢的人，所以，我必须给您，尊敬的陛下，因为您告诉我，您一生都了解您必须要去的远方世界，但根据您自己的回答，您承认您对该行程一无准备。您不知道他们说什么语言，您也没有尝试去寻找旅程需要准备什么，甚至没有介意您对自己的终点有无选择余地。”小丑最后道：“您看，尊贵的陛下，您知道您必须要走这个行程，但你完全没有为此作任何准备。先生，为了尽我应该的尊重，您对永恒行程的毫无准备使您成为王国最愚蠢的人！”

英文原文：

The Greatest Fool

In the days of Kings and Knights and Court Jesters, there was a particular King who called his official Court Jester before him. He handed the Jester a tall and very decorative pole, and as he handed it to the Jester, he said, "This is a symbol of the greatest fool in all the kingdom and I give it to you as a sign of your position in this land." Everyone laughed and the years passed by with the Jester and his decorative pole often being in attendance at court.

One day the King called the Court Jester into his presence beside his royal bed. The king told the Jester that he was dying, and would soon go to the land of departed souls. The Jester asked, "Your majesty, what language do they speak in this land?" The king replied, "I don't know!" The Jester continued, "What provisions do you need to make for your trip to this land?" Again the King replied, "I don't know!" "Please be patient with me your majesty," the Jester continued, "But what are the people like over there? What plans have you made for your trip to make sure you will be happy when you get to your destination?" All the king could say was, "I don't know - I just don't know!"

"How long O King have you known you would have to go to this land?" The king answered, "All my life I have known that one day I must take this journey." At this point the Jester handed the decorated pole the king had given him back to the king. "What is this for?," the king asked. The Jester, head bowed in respect replied, "Sir, you said that this pole belongs to the greatest fool in all the land. So, I must give it to you, your majesty, because you tell me that all your life you have known you must go to this distant land and yet by your own answers, you have confessed that you have done nothing to prepare for your journey. You don't know the language they speak, you didn't try and find out what provisions you might need for your trip, or even bother to find out if you had any choice of destinations." The Jester concluded, "You see your majesty, you knew you must make this journey and yet you have failed to make any preparations at all. Sir, with all due respect, your failure to get ready for this eternal journey makes you the biggest fool in all the kingdom!"

相关博文：

永生的喜乐（转）     心灵对话（译）