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And now it was only four days before he would be back in that same village.
四天后就要再次去那個鎮子。
He was excited, and at the same time uneasy: maybe the girl had already forgotten him.
圣地亞哥既興奮又忐忑：也許那個少女已經把他忘了。
Lots of shepherds passed through, selling their wool.
有很多賣羊毛的牧羊人去那個商店。
"It doesn't matter," he said to his sheep. "I know other girls in other places."
“沒關系。”男孩對他的羊群說，“我在其他村鎮也認識別的女孩子。”
But in his heart he knew that it did matter.
但是，他內心深處明白，這對他很重要。
And he knew that shepherds, like seamen and like traveling salesmen,
不管是牧羊人、海員，還是推銷員，
always found a town where there was someone who could make them forget the joys of carefree wandering.
總會有一個地方令他們魂牽夢縈，那里會有一個人讓他們忘記自由自在周游世界的快樂。
The day was dawning, and the shepherd urged his sheep in the direction of the sun.
天剛破曉，圣地亞哥便趕著羊群朝日出的方向走去。
They never have to make any decisions, he thought. Maybe that's why they always stay close to me.
這些羊永遠不需要拿什么主意。他想，也許這就是它們一直跟在我身邊的原因。
The only things that concerned the sheep were food and water.
羊唯一需要的就是食物和水。
As long as the boy knew how to find the best pastures in Andalusia, they would be his friends.
只要他了解安達盧西亞最好的草場，羊群就將永遠跟隨他。
Yes, their days were all the same, with the seemingly endless hours between sunrise and dusk;
即使日復一日在日出日落之間苦熬，
and they had never read a book in their young lives, and didn't understand when the boy told them about the sights of the cities.
即使在其短暫的一生中從未讀過一本書，也不懂人的語言，聽不懂男孩講述的新鮮事，
They were content with just food and water, and, in exchange, they generously gave of their wool, their company,
只要有水和食物，它們就心滿意足。作為回報，它們慷慨地奉獻出羊毛，心甘情愿地陪伴著牧人，
and—once in a while—their meat.
時不時還奉獻出自己的肉。
If I became a monster today, and decided to kill them, one by one,
如果我變成魔鬼，決定把它們一只接一只殺死，
they would become aware only after most of the flock had been slaughtered, thought the boy.
它們也只在整個羊群幾乎被殺光的時候才會有所察覺，男孩想。
They trust me, and they've forgotten how to rely on their own instincts, because I lead them to nourishment.
因為它們相信我，而忘記了它們自己的本能。這只是因為我能引領它們找到食物。
