Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived a family with eighteen children. In order merely to keep food on the table for the family, the father, a goldsmith1 by profession, worked almost eighteen hours a day at his trade. Despite their seemingly hopeless condition, two of the children had a dream. They both wanted to pursue2 their talent for art, but they knew fully 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 pact3. They would toss4 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 in the mines.
They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church. Albecht 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. Albecht’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 lawn5 to celebrate Albecht’s triumphant homecoming. After a long and memorable meal, punctuated6 with music and laughter, Albecht rose from his honored position at the head of the table to drink a toast to7 his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled Albecht 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.”
All heads turned in eager expectation to the far end of the table where Albert sat, tears streaming down his pale face, shaking his lowered head from side to side while he sobbed and repeated, over and over, “No ...no ...no ...no.”
Finally, Albert rose and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He glanced down the long table at the faces he loved, and then, holding his hands close to his right cheek, he said softly, “No, brother. I cannot go to Nuremberg. It is too late for me. Look... look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed8 at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis9 so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less make delicate lines on parchment10 or canvas11 with a pen or a brush. No, brother... for me it is too late.”
More than 450 years have passed. By now, Albecht Durer’s hundreds of masterful portraits, sketches, watercolors, woodcuts, and copper engravings hang in every great museum, but the odds are great that you, like most people, are familiar with only one of Albecht Durer’s works. More than merely being familiar with it, you very well may have a reproduction hanging in your home or office.
One day, to pay homage12 to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albecht Durer painstakingly drew his brother’s abused hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing simply “Hands”, but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed his tribute13 of love “The Praying Hand”.
The next time you see a copy of that touching creation, take a second look. Let it be your reminder, if you still need one, that no one—no one ever makes it alone!
时光倒回到15世纪，在德国纽伦堡市附近的一个小村庄里，住着一个有18个孩子的家庭。父亲是金匠，为了维持一家生计，他每天几乎工作18个小时。生活尽管窘迫，然而这个家庭中有两个孩子却有一个同样的梦想：都希望可以发展自己的艺术天份。不过他们很清楚：父亲无法在经济上供他俩中的任何一人到纽伦堡艺术学院读书。
晚上，兄弟俩挤在床上，经过多次讨论得出结论：以掷铜板决定——赢了的到艺术学院读书，输了的到附近的矿上工作赚钱供养；四年后，在矿上工作的那一个再到艺术学院读书，由学成毕业的那一个卖作品赚钱资助；如果必要，也要到矿上工作。
星期天早上做完礼拜，他们掷了铜板。结果，弟弟阿伯特·丢勒赢了，去了纽伦堡艺术学院。哥哥亚尔伯则去了危险的矿场工作，四年来一直为弟弟提供经济支持。弟弟阿伯特在艺术学院很快就声名鹊起，他的蚀刻画、木刻和油画比他的许多教授都要好得多。毕业时，他的作品已经能赚不少钱了。
这位年轻艺术家返回家乡的那一天，家人在草地上为他准备了盛宴，庆祝他学成归来。当漫长而难忘的宴席快要结束时，伴随着音乐和笑声，阿伯特从酒宴的头席站起，答谢敬爱的哥哥几年来对他的无私支持，帮他完成梦想。他最后说：“现在轮到你了，亲爱的哥哥，我会全力支持你到纽伦堡艺术学院攻读，实现你的梦想！”
所有的目光都急切地转移到桌子的尽头，坐在那里的亚尔伯双泪直流，只见他垂下头，边摇头边啜泣着说：“不……不……”
终于，亚尔伯站了起来，他擦干脸颊上的泪水，看了看长桌两边他所爱的亲人们的脸，把双手移近右脸颊，轻轻地说：“不，弟弟，我上不了纽伦堡艺术学院了。太迟了！看看我的双手──四年来在矿场工作，毁了我的手，每根手指至少被砸过一次，近来我的右手患关节炎疼得厉害，现在我的手连举杯为你庆贺也不可能，又怎能用画笔或雕刻刀在画布或羊皮纸上勾画出纤细的线条呢？不，弟弟……已经太迟了……”
450多年过去了，阿伯特·丢勒有成千上百的杰作流传下来，他的速写、素描、水彩画、木刻、铜刻等可以在世界各地的大博物馆找到；然而，大多数人最为熟悉的，却可能是其中的一件作品。不光是熟悉，很可能你的家里或者办公室就挂着它的一件复制品。
为了对哥哥所做的牺牲表达自己的敬意，一天，阿伯特·丢勒下了很大的工夫把哥哥合起朝天的残疾的双手画了下来。他把这幅极有力度的作品简单地称为《双手》，然而，全世界的人都立刻敞开心扉，瞻仰这幅杰作，把这幅爱的作品重新命名为《祈祷之手》。
下次当你看到这幅感人的作品，再仔细看一下。就让它提醒你，如果你需要提醒的话：没有人，没有任何人能独自获得成功！
1. goldsmith n. 金匠
2. pursue v. 追求
3. pact n. 协定
4. toss v. 扔，掷
5. lawn n. 草坪，草地
6. punctuate v. 不时打断
7. drink a toast to... 为…干杯
8. smash v. 砸；猛击
9. arthritis n. 关节炎
10. parchment n. 羊皮纸
11. canvas n. 帆布；画布
12. homage n. 尊敬；敬意
13. tribute n. （表示敬意的）礼物