评论
打印
The next day, the boy returned to the well, hoping to see the girl.
第二天，男孩又到井边去等那位少女。
To his surprise, the Englishman was there, looking out at the desert,
令他意外的是，他在那儿遇见了英国人。英国人正望着沙漠发呆，男孩第一次看到他这样。
"I waited all afternoon and evening," he said. "He appeared with the first stars of evening.
英国人说：“我从下午等到晚上，直到星星开始眨眼的时候，他才露面。
I told him what I was seeking, and he asked me if I had ever transformed lead into gold.
我对他讲了我的事，他问我是否已经把铅块变成了黄金。
I told him that was what I had come here to learn."
我回答说，这正是我想学会的本事。”
"He told me I should try to do so. That's all he said: 'Go and try.'"
“他让我去试一试。他只对我说：去试试看吧。”
The boy didn't say anything.
男孩沉默不语。
The poor Englishman had traveled all this way, only to be told that he should repeat what he had already done so many times.
英国人长途跋涉来到此地，听到的却是毫无意义的东西。
"So, then try," he said to the Englishman.
“那就试试吧。”圣地亚哥对英国人说。
"That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to start now."
“我正要这么做呢。现在就开始。”
As the Englishman left, Fatima arrived and filled her vessel with water.
英国人刚走一会儿，法蒂玛便拿着陶罐前来汲水了。
"I came to tell you just one thing," the boy said.
“我来这儿就想告诉你一件事，”男孩说，
"I want you to be my wife. I love you."
“我想娶你。我爱你。”
The girl dropped the container, and the water spilled.
少女陶罐里的水洒了出来。
"I'm going to wait here for you every day. I have crossed the desert in search of a treasure that is somewhere near the Pyramids, and for me, the war seemed a curse.
“我每天都会在这里等你。我穿越沙漠来金字塔附近寻找一笔财宝。战争一度是一场灾难，
But now it's a blessing, because it brought me to you."
可现在它却成了我的福音，因为是战争使我有机会认识你。”
"The war is going to end someday," the girl said.
“迟早有一天，战争会结束。”少女说。
The boy looked around him at the date palms.
男孩看了看那些椰枣树。
He reminded himself that he had been a shepherd, and that he could be a shepherd again.
他曾经是牧羊人，而绿洲里有许多羊。
Fatima was more important than his treasure.
法蒂玛比宝藏更重要。
"The tribesmen are always in search of treasure," the girl said, as if she had guessed what he was thinking.
“士兵们也在寻找他们的宝藏。”少女仿佛猜到了男孩的想法，说道，
"And the women of the desert are proud of their tribesmen."
“沙漠里的女人为她们的勇士感到骄傲。”
She refilled her vessel and left.
说完，她重新将陶罐装满水，翩然离去。
The boy went to the well every day to meet with Fatima.
男孩每天都去井边等候法蒂玛，
He told her about his life as a shepherd, about the king, and about the crystal shop.
把自己以前放羊、遇见国王和在水晶店打工的经历全讲给她听。
They became friends, and except for the fifteen minutes he spent with her, each day seemed that it would never pass.
他们成了朋友。一天之中，除去跟法蒂玛一起度过的一刻钟，其余的时间都过得很慢，似乎没有尽头。
When he had been at the oasis for almost a month, the leader of the caravan called a meeting of all of the people traveling with him.
在绿洲停留了将近一个月的时候，商队首领召集所有人开了个会。
