How much good we miss that is handed down in other cultures around us! Today I went to a Mexican restaurant for lunch and while there picked up a Spanish language magazine and began reading it. There I found a short tale written by the Argentine author Jorge Bucay. I liked it so much because it reminded me of you, and so I want to tell it to you, son. I will translate it for you, but also leave the original text for others who can read Spanish.“Talk boldly when you gotta speak, my son. Walk slowly like you don’t know how to run…”
El anillo / The Ring
por / by Jorge Bucay
“Vengo, maestro, porque me siento tan poca cosa que no tengo fuerzas para hacer nada. Me dicen que no sirvo, que no hago nada bien, que soy torpe y bastante tonto. ¿Cómo puedo mejorar? ¿Qué puedo hacer para que me valoren más?”
“I come, teacher, because I feel so small that I have no strength to do anything. They tell me I’m good for nothing, that I don’t do anything right, that I'm clumsy and rather silly. How can I improve myself? What I can do that will make them think well of me?”
“I come, teacher, because I feel so small that I have no strength to do anything. They tell me I’m good for nothing, that I don’t do anything right, that I'm clumsy and rather silly. How can I improve myself? What I can do that will make them think well of me?”
El maestro sin mirarlo, le dijo: Cuanto lo siento muchacho, no puedo ayudarte, debo resolver primero mi propio problema. Quizás después. Y haciendo una pausa agregó: Si quisieras ayudarme tú a mí, yo podría resolver este problema con más rapidez y después tal vez te pueda ayudar.
The teacher, without looking up, replied, “I'm sorry boy, but I can’t help you. I have to solve my own problem first. Maybe later.” But after a pause, he added, “If you would like to help me, I could solve this problem faster, and then maybe I can help you.”
The teacher, without looking up, replied, “I'm sorry boy, but I can’t help you. I have to solve my own problem first. Maybe later.” But after a pause, he added, “If you would like to help me, I could solve this problem faster, and then maybe I can help you.”
Encantado, maestro titubeó el joven, pero sintió que otra vez era desvalorizado, y sus necesidades postergadas.
Though delighted, the youth stammered to the teacher, feeling worthless as usual, his needs again subordinated.
Bien asintió el maestro. Se quitó un anillo que llevaba en el dedo pequeño y dándoselo al muchacho, agregó: toma el caballo que está allá afuera y cabalga hasta el mercado. Debo vender este anillo porque tengo que pagar una deuda. Es necesario que obtengas por él la mayor suma posible, pero no aceptes menos de una moneda de oro. Ve y regresa con esa moneda lo más rápido que puedas.
“Well, then,” agreed the teacher. He took off a ring he was wearing on his little finger and gave it to the boy, saying, “Take the horse out there and ride to the market place. I have to sell this ring to pay a debt. We have to get as much for it as we possibly can, but don’t accept anything less than a gold coin. Go, and come back with the money as quickly as you can.”
El joven tomó el anillo y partió. Apenas llegó empezó a ofrecer el anillo a los mercaderes. Estos lo miraban con algún interés, hasta que el joven decía lo que pretendía por el anillo. Cuando el joven mencionaba la moneda de oro, algunos reían, otros le daban vuelta la cara y sólo un viejito fue tan amable como para tomarse la molestia de explicarle que una moneda de oro era muy valiosa para entregarla a cambio de un anillo. En afán de ayudar, alguien le ofreció una moneda de plata y un cacharro de cobre, pero el joven tenía instrucciones de no aceptar menos de una moneda de oro y rechazó la oferta.
The youth took the ring and left. As soon as he got there, he started offering the ring to the traders. They looked at it with some interest, until the youth said what he wanted for the ring. When the young man mentioned gold, some laughed and others turned away, and only an old man was kind enough to take the trouble to explain that a gold coin was too much to pay for a ring. Eager to help, someone offered him a silver coin and a few coppers, but the youth had been instructed to accept nothing less than a gold coin and rejected the offer.
Though delighted, the youth stammered to the teacher, feeling worthless as usual, his needs again subordinated.
Bien asintió el maestro. Se quitó un anillo que llevaba en el dedo pequeño y dándoselo al muchacho, agregó: toma el caballo que está allá afuera y cabalga hasta el mercado. Debo vender este anillo porque tengo que pagar una deuda. Es necesario que obtengas por él la mayor suma posible, pero no aceptes menos de una moneda de oro. Ve y regresa con esa moneda lo más rápido que puedas.
“Well, then,” agreed the teacher. He took off a ring he was wearing on his little finger and gave it to the boy, saying, “Take the horse out there and ride to the market place. I have to sell this ring to pay a debt. We have to get as much for it as we possibly can, but don’t accept anything less than a gold coin. Go, and come back with the money as quickly as you can.”
El joven tomó el anillo y partió. Apenas llegó empezó a ofrecer el anillo a los mercaderes. Estos lo miraban con algún interés, hasta que el joven decía lo que pretendía por el anillo. Cuando el joven mencionaba la moneda de oro, algunos reían, otros le daban vuelta la cara y sólo un viejito fue tan amable como para tomarse la molestia de explicarle que una moneda de oro era muy valiosa para entregarla a cambio de un anillo. En afán de ayudar, alguien le ofreció una moneda de plata y un cacharro de cobre, pero el joven tenía instrucciones de no aceptar menos de una moneda de oro y rechazó la oferta.
The youth took the ring and left. As soon as he got there, he started offering the ring to the traders. They looked at it with some interest, until the youth said what he wanted for the ring. When the young man mentioned gold, some laughed and others turned away, and only an old man was kind enough to take the trouble to explain that a gold coin was too much to pay for a ring. Eager to help, someone offered him a silver coin and a few coppers, but the youth had been instructed to accept nothing less than a gold coin and rejected the offer.
Después de ofrecer su joya a toda persona que se cruzaba en el mercado, más de cien personas, y abatido por su fracaso, montó su caballo y regresó.
After offering his jewel to every person passing through the market place, over a hundred people, and dejected by his failure, he mounted his horse and rode back.
Cuanto hubiera deseado el joven tener él mismo esa moneda de oro, podría entonces habérsela entregado él mismo al maestro para liberarlo de su preocupación y recibir entonces su consejo y ayuda.
How much the youth wished that he had a gold coin himself that he could give the teacher and release him from his worry, and then receive his advice and help.
Entró en la habitación. Maestro dijo lo siento, no pude conseguir lo que me pediste. Quizás pudiera conseguir dos o tres monedas de plata, pero no creo que yo pueda engañar a nadie respecto del verdadero valor del anillo.
He entered the room and told the teacher, “I'm sorry, I couldn’t get what you asked. Maybe I could’ve gotten two or three silver coins, but I don’t think I could’ve convinced anyone of the true value of the ring.”
Qué importante lo que dijiste, joven amigo contestó sonriente el maestro Debemos saber primero el verdadero valor del anillo. Vuelve a montar y vete al joyero. ¿Quién mejor que él para saberlo? Dile que quisieras vender el anillo y pregunta cuánto te da por él, pero no importa lo que ofrezca, no se lo vendas. Vuelve aquí con mi anillo.
“How important is what you just said, my young friend” responded the teacher, smiling. “We must first find out the true value of the ring. Get yourself together and go to the jeweler. Who better than he to tell us? Tell him you would like to sell the ring, and ask him how much he’d give you for it, but no matter what he offers, don’t sell it. Come back here with my ring.”
El joven volvió a cabalgar. El joyero examinó el anillo a la luz del candil con su lupa, lo pesó y luego le dijo:Dile al maestro, muchacho, que si lo quiere vender ya, no puedo darle más que 58 monedas de oro por su anillo.
The young man rode back. The jeweler examined the ring by lamplight with his magnifying glass, weighed it, and then said, “Tell the teacher, boy, that if he wants to sell it right now, I can’t give him more than 58 gold coins for his ring.
58 MONEDAS !!!!!!!!! Exclamó el joven.
58 COINS !!!!!!!!! cried the youth.
The young man rode back. The jeweler examined the ring by lamplight with his magnifying glass, weighed it, and then said, “Tell the teacher, boy, that if he wants to sell it right now, I can’t give him more than 58 gold coins for his ring.
58 MONEDAS !!!!!!!!! Exclamó el joven.
58 COINS !!!!!!!!! cried the youth.
Si, replicó el joyero, yo sé que con tiempo podríamos obtener por él cerca de 70 monedas, pero no sé... si la venta es urgente.
“Yes,” replied the jeweler, “If he had more time, he could probably find a buyer at 70 coins. Otherwise....”
El joven corrió emocionado a la casa del maestro a contarle lo sucedido.
The excited youth hurried back to the teacher’s house to tell him what happened.
Siéntate dijo el maestro después de escucharlo. Tú eres como este anillo: una joya valiosa y única. Y como tal, sólo puede evaluarte verdaderamente un experto. ¿Qué haces por la vida pretendiendo que cualquiera descubra tu verdadero valor?
Y diciendo esto, volvió a ponerse el anillo en el dedo pequeño.
“Sit down,” said the teacher after listening to him. “You are like this ring: a worthy and unique jewel. The only person who can understand your true worth is an expert. Why do you go around expecting that anyone you meet on the street knows your true worth?” So saying, he put the ring back on his little finger.
Gracias por este cuento. Necesitaba leerlo esta noche.Dios es el único que puede
ReplyDeletedeterminar nuestro valor y este es tal que
el Señor Jesus dio su vida en la cruz por nosotros.
Como dice Fr Sophrony;
" Let the whole world dismiss us as unworthy of attention, trust or respect – it will not matter provided that the Lord accepts us. And vice versa: it will profit us nothing if the whole world thinks well of us and sings our praises, if the Lord declines to abide with us."
Fr Sophrony