祈禱之手(中英雙語)
The Praying Hands
The true story behind a well-known piece of art:
Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived a family with eighteen children. Eighteen! In order merely to keep food on the table for this mob, the father and head of the household, a goldsmith by profession, worked almost eighteen hours a day at his trade and any other paying chore he could find in the neighborhood. Despite their seemingly hopeless condition, two of Albrecht Durer the Elder's children had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art, but they knew full well that their father would never be financially able to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy.
After many long discussions at night in their crowded bed, the two boys finally worked out a pact. They would toss a coin. The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy. Then, when that brother who won the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other brother at the academy, either with sales of his artwork or, if necessary, also by laboring the mines.
德國藝術大師Albrecht Durer有一幅名畫“祈禱之手”，這幅畫的背后有一則愛與犧牲的故事。
十五世紀時，在德國的一個小村莊里，住了一個有十八個孩子的家庭。父親是一名冶金匠，為了維持一家生計，他每天工作十八個小時。
生活盡管窘迫逼人，然而這個家庭其中兩個孩子卻有一個同樣的夢想。他們兩人都希望可以發展自己在藝術方面的天份。不過他們也了解，父親無法在經濟上供他們倆到紐倫堡藝術學院讀書。
晚上，兩兄弟在床上經過多次討論后，得出結論：以擲銅板決定──勝者到藝術學院讀書，敗者則到附近的礦場工作賺錢；四年后，在礦場工作的那一個再到藝術學院讀書，由學成畢業那一個賺錢支持。如果需要，可能也要到礦場工作。
They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church. Albrecht Durer won the toss and went off to Nuremberg. Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, financed his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation. Albrecht's etchings, his woodcuts, and his oils were far better than those of most of his professors, and by the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works.
When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner on their lawn to celebrate Albrecht's triumphant homecoming. After a long and memorable meal, punctuated with music and laughter, Albrecht rose from his honored position at the head of the table to drink a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled Albrecht to fulfill his ambition. His closing words were, "And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you."
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