恶圆/张进和(赵金基译）

程思良

恶圆/张进和
　　
　　某人盖房，请人帮忙上山运石料。帮工者发现，圆石头轻轻一推就滚得老远，而那些有棱角的石头，需要用力反转，才能一步一步滚下山。于是，他们运回家的大多是圆的石头。
　　料备齐，准备开工，可是垒墙的工匠难找。因为工匠们一看那些圆石头，都摇头。
　　主人问其故。工匠说，你们备的石料太圆，圆滑的石头，砌在墙上很容易坍塌。想把圆的凿出棱角很难。要干可以，你必须多加工钱。
　　主人掐指一算，要加的钱，还不如重新买石料合算。
　　主人悻悻地说，看来圆滑的东西不是好材料，确实害人不浅！
　　
　　Circular Stuff
　　
　　By Zhang Jinhe
　　
　　Once there was a man who employed some workers to gather stones for building his new house. On the mountain the workers found that those circular stones could be easily pushed to roll down the slope while those square or rectangular ones had to be carried down step by step with much human effort to turn them over and over. Thus they managed to bring back the circular stones mostly.
　　With the materials ready, then the construction was to start. There was, however, the difficulty in employing stonemasons. All stonemasons shook their heads as soon as they saw the circular stones.
　　“What’s the matter?” The man wondered aloud.
　　One stonemason said, “You’ve got those stones which are too circular to be suitable for any wall; a wall made of circular stones tends readily to collapse. It’s a very big job to make the circular stones square or rectangular. If you are to insist, we will do it for an extra charge.”
　　Figuring for a few seconds with his fingers, the man concluded that the extra charge would be more than his payment for a purchase of new stones.
　　Sulkily the man said, “Circular stuff is no good. What an annoyance it is, indeed!”

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