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Hafid lingered before the bronze mirror,
海菲在銅鏡前徘徊，
and studied his reflected image in the polished metal.
打量著自己。
"Only the eyes, have retained their youth,"
“只有眼睛還和年輕時一樣。”
he murmured as he turned away, and moved slowly across the spacious marble floor.
他一邊自言自語著，一邊轉(zhuǎn)過身慢慢地在敞亮的大理石地板上走著。
He passed between black onyx columns
他拖著年邁的步伐
rising to support ceilings burnished with silver and gold,
在黑色的瑪瑙柱子之間穿行，
and his aging legs carried him past tables carved from Cyprus and ivory.
走過幾張雕刻著象牙花飾的桌子。
Tortoise shell gleamed from couches, and divans
臥榻和長沙發(fā)椅發(fā)著龜甲的微光。
and the walls, inlaid with gems,
鑲嵌著寶石的墻壁上，
shimmered with brocades of the most painstaking design.
織錦的精美圖案閃閃發(fā)光。
Huge palms grew placidly in bronze vessels
古銅花盆里，碩大的棕櫚枝葉靜靜地生長著，
framing a fountain of alabaster nymphs,
沐浴在石膏美人的噴泉中。
while flower boxes, encrusted with gems
綴滿寶石的花壇
competed with their contents for attention.
和里面的花兒競相爭寵。
No visitor to Hafid's palace could doubt, that he was indeed,
凡是來過海菲著座華麗的大廈的客人
a person of great wealth.
都會說他是一個巨富。
The old man passed through an enclosed garden,
老人穿過一個有圍墻的花園，
and entered his warehouse,
走進大廈的另一邊
which extended beyond the mansion for five hundred paces.
約五百步遠的倉房。
Erasmus his chief bookkeeper, waited uncertainly, just beyond the entryway.
他的總管伊拉瑪正在入口處等他。
"Greetings sire."
“老爺好。”
Hafid nodded and continued on in silence.
海菲點了點頭，繼續(xù)默默的走著。
Erasmus followed, his face unable to disguise concern
伊拉瑪一臉困惑地跟在后面，
at the master's unusual request for a meeting in this place.
他不懂主人為什么選擇這個地方會面。
Near the loading platforms,
主仆二人走到卸貨臺邊，
Hafid paused to watch goods being removed from baggage wagons
海菲停下腳步，看著一包包貨物從馬車上臺下來，
and counted into separate stalls.
分門別類地堆放在倉庫里。
There were wools fine linens parchment honey
這些貨中有小亞細亞的羊毛、細麻、羊皮紙、蜂蜜、
carpets, and oil from Asia Minor;
地毯和油類，
glass figs nuts and balsam from his own country;
本地生產(chǎn)的玻璃、無花果、胡桃、香精、
textiles and drugs from Palmyra;
帕爾邁拉島的衣料和藥材，
ginger cinnamon and precious stones from Arabia;
阿拉伯的生姜、肉桂和寶石，
corn paper granite alabaster, and basalt from Egypt;
埃及的玉米、紙張、花崗巖、雪花石膏和黑色瓷器，
tapestries from Babylon;
巴比倫的掛毯，
paintings from Home;
羅馬的油畫，
and statues from Greece.
以及希臘的雕像。
