The Road Not Taken

The Road Not Taken

by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

這是美國詩人Robert Frost廣受世人喜愛的一首詩，很適合拿來描述最近的心情。回頭看一路走過的路，當面前有多於一種選擇的時候，我往往會如詩中描繪，選擇那條人跡罕至的路。也許是對自己深具信心，也許是喜愛挑戰自我，相信只要努力一定可以克服困難。所以，獨自到外系修課、轉行唸生物、進剛出道老闆的實驗室、認為這樣也能出大paper、換個學校做postdoc、連模式物種都換一種做做看、之後回到資源和人力都嚴重不足的台灣、依舊覺得只要有想法還是可以做好研究……

結果呢？在研究經費和人力都不如人的地方，即使有滿腦子的好想法，速度還是趕不上世界上跟你想法一樣的眾多實驗室。做出好成果，只因為你沒沒無名和來自非英語系國家，paper只能往下幾級投。吸引不到好學生、管不動學生、成天面對不知所云的結果，還得面對學校的各種”期待”……我開始反省，就算我再有自信和喜歡接受挑戰，也無力與操之不在己的環境對抗啊！就算逃過了這關，往後還有無數的關卡。據說今年國科會經費大砍，現在只能挫在等啊！如果成天有不如歸去的念頭是憂鬱的指標，JY與我大概都有憂鬱症了吧！

所以，當我再讀這首詩時，真是滿心感慨：

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

詩人真是太瞭解人生了。

PS. 刊頭照片攝於夏威夷茂伊島Haleakala火山。

菜鳥教授手札上一篇“鴻兔大展“