Nathan der Weise
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1779)
关于本剧
《智者纳旦》是莱辛最伟大的作品，一部以十二世纪十字军时期的耶路撒冷为背景的诗剧。核心场景是著名的"戒指寓言"（Ringparabel）——欧洲文学中最著名的关于宗教宽容的寓言。
以下是"戒指寓言"场景的英译（选自公版译本）：
ACT III, SCENE VII — The Ring Parable
SALADIN: ...But to the point! Among thy many books,
Hast thou not read that there was once a ring
Of mighty worth?
NATHAN: A ring? I've heard of such.
SALADIN: A ring whose owner loved it well, and so
Had promised that it should for ever be
An heirloom in his house. And this it was:
He gave it to the best of all his sons;
And he in turn gave it to him he loved the best;
And so it passed from hand to hand, and came
At last to one who had three sons, all three
Obedient, all three dear to him alike.
And now, which of the three should have the ring?
NATHAN: The question is a fair one.
SALADIN: Well?
NATHAN: If I were judge—
SALADIN: Thou wouldst?
NATHAN: I should require
That each should promise, in the father's name,
To show the ring in turn as the true one;
And each should say: "My father gave it me;
And he who has it shall be deemed the best."
And then I should adjudge that each should bring
His ring before me, and I should decide.
SALADIN: And which dost thou think the true one?
NATHAN: Dost thou ask?
We do not know. Perhaps the father loved
No one of them enough to give to him
The only true one; or perhaps he loved
Them all so well he would not grieve the two
By giving one the preference. This is sure:
He had a ring made like the true one;
And this he gave to each, and each believed
His own was the true one.
SALADIN: O wonderful! O wonderful! The ring!
The ring! And now to the application!
NATHAN: The application is not hard. The father
Is God; the three sons are the three religions:
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
SALADIN: Well?
NATHAN: And the ring—the true religion.
SALADIN: Go on!
NATHAN: As I said, the father had a ring
Made like the true one; and he gave to each
His son a ring, and each believed his own
Was the true one. So each religion thinks
Its own the true one. And perhaps it is.
SALADIN: Well?
NATHAN: And each son believed his father loved
Him best; and so each thinks his religion best.
And each has reasons for his belief—
His father's love, his father's promise, the ring
Itself. Who can gainsay him?
SALADIN: By the Prophet! The man is right! I must be silent.
NATHAN: Let each son prove his ring is the true one—
Not by words, but by deeds. Let each show
His love, his faith, his charity. And when
The true ring shows its power—then we shall know.
关于作者
莱辛（1729-1781）是德国现代戏剧的奠基人，也是欧洲宗教宽容思想的先驱。《智者纳旦》中的"戒指寓言"至今仍是讨论宗教多元主义时最常被引用的文本。
本文件收录"戒指寓言"核心场景，完整全文请参考：
- Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2208
莱辛（1729-1781）的作品在全球所有辖区均已进入公有领域。