兄弟齐心，其利断金The Praying Hands（1/2）

佚名/Anonyo

Backthe Fifteenth tury,a ty vilge near Nureberg, lived a faily with eighteen childreeen! In order rely to keep food oable for this ob, the father and head of the hoehold, a goldsith by profession, worked alost eighteen hours a day at his trade and any other payg chore he uld fdthe neighborhood.

Despite their seegly hopeless ndition, o of Albrecht Durer the Elder’s children, Albrecht and Albert, had a drea.They both ursue their talent for art, but they knew full well that their father would never be fancially able to seher of the to Nureberg to study at the acadey.

After any long diss at nighttheir crowded bed, the o boys fally worked out a pact.They would toss a .The loser would go down to the nearby es and, with his earngs, support his brother while he attehe acadey.Then, when the brother who wooss pleted his studies,four years, he would support the other brother at the acadey, either with sales of his arork or, if necessary, also by bthe es.

They tossed aon a Sundayafter ed his brother, whose work at the acadey was alost an idiate sensation.Albrecht’s etchgs, his woodcuts, and his oils were far better than those of ost of his professors, and by the ti he graduated, he was begng to earn nsiderable fees for his issioned works.

When the young artist returo his vilge, the Durer faily held a festive dner on their wn to celebrate Albrecht’s triuphant ho-g.After a long and orable al, punctuated with id ughter, Albrecht rose fro his honored position at the head of the table to drk a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled Albrecht to fulfill his abition.His closg words were,“And now, Albert, blessed brother of e, now it is your turn.Now yougo to Nureberg to pursue your drea, and I will take care of you.”

All heads turnedeager expectation to the far end of the table where Albert sat, tears streag down his pale face, shakg his lowered head fro side to side while he sobbed aed over and over,“No...no...no...no.”

Fally, Albert rose and wiped the tears fro his cheeks.He gnced down the long table at the faces he loved, and then, holdg his hands close to his right cheek, he said softly,“No, brother.I ot go to Nureberg.It is too te for .Look, what four yearsthe es have doo y hands! The bonesevery fger have been sashed at least once, and tely I have been sufferg fro arthritis so badlyy right hand that I ot even hold a gss to return your toast, uch less ake delicate les on part or vas with a pen or a brh.No, y brother...forit is too te.”

More than 450 years have passed.By now, Albrecht Durer’s hundreds of asterful portraits hangevery great euthe world, but the odds are great that you, like ost people, are failiar with only one of Albrecht Durer’s works.More than rely beg failiar with it, you very well ay have a reprodu hanggyour ho or office.

To pay hoage to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer pastakgly drew his brother’s abed hands with pals together and th fgers stretched skyward.He called his powerful drag siply Hands, but the entire world alost idiately opeheir hearts to his great asterpied renad his tribute of love The Prayg Hands.

The i you see a py of that touchg creation, take a send look.Let it be your reder, if you still need ohat no one—no one—ever akes it alone!

早在15世纪时，纽伦堡附近的一个小村庄里，有一个家庭有18个孩子。18个！为了解决这个大家庭的温饱，身为金匠的一家之主，父亲每天要工作近18个小时，而且，还得在邻居那找些杂活。

尽管他们的处境很困窘，但老阿尔布雷希特·丢勒的两个儿子阿尔布雷希特和阿尔贝特，依然拥有梦想。他们都想继续发展自己的艺术才能，但也都清楚地意识到他们的父亲甚至不可能供一个去纽伦堡上美术学院。

无数个夜晚，他们挤在床头彻夜长谈，最后，两兄弟终于达成一个协议——掷硬币，谁输了，谁就去附近的矿井，用挣来的钱供他的兄弟上美术学院。然后，等赢的那个完成四年的学业后，就支持另一个上学，可以用卖画的钱，或者，如有必要，还要当矿工。

一个星期天的早晨，做完礼拜后，他们掷了硬币。阿尔布雷希特·丢勒赢了，他去了纽伦堡。阿尔贝特则下到危险的矿井里，整整四年供他的兄弟上学。他的兄弟很快轰动了美术学院，阿尔布雷希特的蚀刻画、木版画和油画甚至远远超过了他的一些教授的水平。快要毕业时，他已经靠替人作画获得了一笔可观的收入。

当这个年轻的画家回到故乡，丢勒一家在自家门口的草坪上，举办宴席以庆祝阿尔布雷希特的衣锦还乡。难忘的宴席长久地持续进行，汇成了歌声和欢笑声的海洋。阿尔布雷希特从荣耀的主位上站起来，向他敬爱的兄弟敬酒，感谢他为自己做出的牺牲，使自己梦想成真。他最后说道，“现在，阿尔贝特，我可敬的兄弟，轮到你去上学了。你可以去纽伦堡追逐你的梦想了，我会照顾你的。”

所有的人都迫切地转向远在桌角的阿尔贝特，他坐在那儿，眼泪滑过他苍白的面孔，他的头低垂着，不停地摇晃。他呜咽着一遍又一遍地说：“不……不……不……不。”

最终，阿尔贝特站起来，擦掉脸上的泪，扫视着长桌旁亲人们的面庞。然后，他举起手放到右脸颊旁，轻声说道，“不，兄弟，我不能去纽伦堡了，这对我来说，太晚了。在矿井的四年，看看我的手被折磨成什么样了！手上的每一根骨头至少折过一次，最近，我的右手患了严重的关节炎，我甚至都不能举起酒杯来回敬你，更别说拿笔或刷在纸上画细腻的线条了。不用了，兄弟，这对我太晚了。”

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