Are Ye Able

之前詩班獻一首叫做「至死隨主歌」的詩歌﹝英文叫“Are Ye Able”﹞。我覺得很有意思﹐所以便想寫下這些歌詞﹕

Are Ye Able (click to listen)

“Are ye able,” said the Master,
“To be crucified with Me?”
“Yea,” the sturdy dreamers answered,
“To the death we follow Thee.”

Refrain:
Lord, we are able. Our spirits are Thine.
Remold them, make us, like Thee, divine.
Thy guiding radiance above us shall be
A beacon to God, to love and loyalty.

Are you able to relinquish
Purple dreams of power and fame,
To go down into the Garden,
Or to die a death of shame? (Refrain)

Are ye able, when the anguish
Racks your mind and heart with pain,
To forgive the souls who wrong you,
Who would make your striving vain? (Refrain)

Are ye able to remember,
When a thief lifts up his eyes,
That his pardoned soul is worthy
Of a place in paradise? (Refrain)

Are ye able when the shadows
Close around you with the sod,
To believe that spirit triumphs,
To commend your soul to God? (Refrain)

Are ye able? Still the Master
Whispers down eternity,
And heroic spirits answer,
Now as then in Galilee. (Refrain)

主聲問道︰「你情願嗎？與我同釘十字架？」
慨然起應同聲異口﹕「願隨主至死方罷﹗」

Refrain:
「主我今情願，把心靈獻上，求使我聖潔，效主榜樣，
黑暗滿塵寰，求主賜真光，賜我忠與愛，永遠向主仰望。」

主曾問道﹕「你情願嗎﹖」架旁犯人表衷腸﹕
蒙恕過犯得赦衍尤，與主一同在天堂。

主今問道﹕「你情願嗎﹖」陰翳憂愁正交煎，
身心靈命交在主手，坦然無懼到主前。

主仍問道﹕「你情願嗎﹖」柔聲低語話猶存，
我願獻身毫不保留，從今一直到永遠。

可能在我們最初信主﹐又或者年輕的時候﹐很容易說﹕「願隨主至死方罷﹗」。但是當每一次神問﹕「你情願嗎﹖」﹐其實都是一次的挑戰﹐一次的衝擊﹐一次的考慮。人越大﹐便越多事情煩擾﹐「願意」這兩個字就更難說出口。以前的包袱少﹐容易說願意﹔但當包袱越來越多的時候﹐是否還是一樣呢﹖當我們事奉了十年、二十年、甚至更長的日子以後﹐我們還有沒有當初那種誓死追隨的熱心呢﹖門徒也失敗過﹐跌倒過﹐那麼我們呢﹖是否覺得現實沒有想象般美麗﹖可能甚至乎連當初的理想也忘記了﹐只祈求舒舒服服的生活便可以。究竟今天我們的答案是甚麼﹖