評論
打印
"I need to sell some wool," the boy told the merchant.
“我有點羊毛要賣。”他對那個商人說。
The shop was busy, and the man asked the shepherd to wait until the afternoon.
店里人滿為患，老板讓圣地亞哥黃昏時分再來。
So the boy sat on the steps of the shop and took a book from his bag.
男孩便到店鋪前的斜坡上坐下，從褡褳里掏出一本書。
"I didn't know shepherds knew how to read," said a girl's voice behind him.
“我以前以為牧羊人不會讀書。”一個少女的聲音在他身后響起。
The girl was typical of the region of Andalusia, with flowing black hair, and eyes that vaguely recalled the Moorish conquerors.
是個典型的安達盧西亞少女，一頭黑發瀑布般垂下，眼睛使人隱隱約約想起古代的征服者摩爾人。
"Well, usually I learn more from my sheep than from books," he answered.
“那是因為羊群教給人們的東西遠比書籍要多。”男孩回答。
During the two hours that they talked,
他們談了兩個多小時。
she told him she was the merchant's daughter, and spoke of life in the village, where each day was like all the others.
少女自稱是紡織品店老板的女兒，還談到鎮上的事情，她說，這里的生活一成不變，天天如此。
The shepherd told her of the Andalusian countryside, and related the news from the other towns where he had stopped.
圣地亞哥談起安達盧西亞的田野，談起他經過的村鎮里的新鮮事。
It was a pleasant change from talking to his sheep.
他很高興，因為不必總是跟羊群說話了。
"How did you learn to read?" the girl asked at one point.
“你是怎么學會讀書識字的？”
"Like everybody learns," he said. "In school."
“和其他人一樣，在學校里學會的。”男孩回答。
"Well, if you know how to read, why are you just a shepherd?"
“既然會讀書識字，為什么還當牧羊人呢？”
The boy mumbled an answer that allowed him to avoid responding to her question.
男孩隨便岔開了話題，沒有回答。
He was sure the girl would never understand.
他確信這個問題女孩永遠無法理解。
He went on telling stories about his travels, and her bright, Moorish eyes went wide with fear and surprise.
他繼續講述路上的經歷。女孩那雙酷似摩爾人的小眼睛一會兒因害怕而瞪得渾圓，一會兒因驚奇而瞇成一條縫。
As the time passed, the boy found himself wishing that the day would never end,
時間流逝，男孩開始期盼這一天永遠不要結束，
that her father would stay busy and keep him waiting for three days.
期盼女孩的父親一直忙碌下去，可以讓他在此等上三天。
He recognized that he was feeling something he had never experienced before: the desire to live in one place forever.
他感覺自己正生起一種過去從未有過的沖動：永遠定居在這個鎮子。
With the girl with the raven hair, his days would never be the same again.
他感覺，和這個黑頭發女孩在一起，每天都會是新的一天。
But finally the merchant appeared, and asked the boy to shear four sheep.
然而那個商人最終還是來了。他讓圣地亞哥剪下四只羊的毛，
He paid for the wool and asked the shepherd to come back the following year.
然后付了相應的錢，讓男孩隔年再來。
