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Mandela's Garden
曼德拉的菜园
Nelson Mandela
纳尔逊·曼德拉
In early 1977, the authorities announced the end of manual labor and arranged work for us to do in the courtyard, so we could spend our days in our section. The end of manual labor was liberating. I could now spend the day reading, writing letters, discussing issues with my comrades, or preparing legal documents. The free time also allowed me to pursue what became two of my favorite hobbies on Robben Island: gardening and tennis.
1977年初，当局宣布结束体力劳动，给我们安排了一些院内的工作，这样我们可以在自己这片区域里打发时间了。结束了体力劳动就像解放了一样。现在我每天可以读书、写信、和我的狱友讨论问题，或者准备法律文件。时间上的自由还让我得以继续从事在罗本岛上培养起来的两大爱好：园艺和网球。
To survive in prison, one must develop ways to take satisfaction in one's daily life. One can feel fulfilled by washing one's clothes so that they are particularly clean, by sweeping a hallway so that it is empty of dust, by organizing one's cell to save as much space as possible. Just as one takes pride in important tasks outside of prison, one can find the same pride in doing small things inside prison.
为了在狱中生存，你必须设法使自己在曰常生活中得到满足。你可以通过把衣服 洗得特别干净，把门前过道打扫得一尘不染，或把自己的牢房整理出尽可能大的空间这些方法使自己感到充实。同一个在监狱外的人为完成重要任务而感到自豪一样，监狱里的人也可以为完成一些小事而同样感到自豪。
Almost from the beginning of my sentence on Robben Island, I asked the authorities for permission to start a garden in the courtyard. For years, they refused without offering a reason. But eventually they gave in, and we were able to cut out a small garden on a narrow patch of earth against the far wall.
几乎从刚在罗本岛服刑时起，我就向狱方提出申请，允许我在院子里开垦一块菜园。多年来，他们没有给出任何原因，却一直拒绝着我的请求。但最终他们让步了，这样我们能够在远处墙根下一块狭长的地面上划出一小片地方来作为菜园。
