評論
打印
The boy approached the guard at the front of the huge white tent at the center of the oasis.
圣地亞哥對站在綠洲中心白色大帳篷門口的衛兵說道：
"I want to see the chieftains. I've brought omens from the desert."
“我要見你們的頭領。我帶來了沙漠的預兆。”
Without responding, the guard entered the tent, where he remained for some time.
衛兵沒說話，轉身走進帳篷，久久沒有出來。
When he emerged, it was with a young Arab, dressed in white and gold.
后來，他和一個年輕的阿拉伯人走了出來。那年輕人身著一襲白色鑲黃邊的長袍。
The boy told the younger man what he had seen, and the man asked him to wait there. He disappeared into the tent.
男孩告訴他自己看到的幻象。年輕人要他稍候，便返回帳篷。
Night fell, and an assortment of fighting men and merchants entered and exited the tent.
夜幕降臨。有幾個阿拉伯人和商隊的人進出帳篷。
One by one, the campfires were extinguished, and the oasis fell as quiet as the desert. Only the lights in the great tent remained.
漸漸地，篝火熄滅了。綠洲變得像沙漠一樣寂靜無聲，只有大帳篷里仍舊燈火通明。
During all this time, the boy thought about Fatima, and he was still unable to understand his last conversation with her.
在這段漫長的時間里，圣地亞哥一直想著法蒂瑪，他還是無法理解那天下午他們的談話。
Finally, after hours of waiting, the guard bade the boy enter.
等待許久之后，衛兵終于把男孩叫進帳篷。
The boy was astonished by what he saw inside.
眼前的景象令圣地亞哥驚嘆不已。
Never could he have imagined that, there in the middle of the desert, there existed a tent like this one.
他簡直想不到，在沙漠中還會有這樣的帳篷。
The ground was covered with the most beautiful carpets he had ever walked upon, and from the top of the structure hung lamps of hand-wrought gold, each with a lighted candle.
地上鋪著他從未踏足過的漂亮地毯，帳篷頂部垂下黃金打造的枝形吊燈，上面點滿了蠟燭。
The tribal chieftains were seated at the back of the tent in a semicircle, resting upon richly embroidered silk cushions.
部落頭領們圍成半圓坐在帳篷深處，身子靠在繡著精美圖案的絲綢墊子上。
Servants came and went with silver trays laden with spices and tea.
仆人們進進出出，手上端著盛滿茶水和香料的銀托盤。
Other servants maintained the fires in the hookahs.
有人負責往水煙袋里添加炭火。
The atmosphere was suffused with the sweet scent of smoke.
一股淡淡的煙草香味飄散在空中。
There were eight chieftains, but the boy could see immediately which of them was the most important: an Arab dressed in white and gold, seated at the center of the semicircle.
頭領有八位，圣地亞哥很快就看出哪個最重要：那位坐在正中央，身著白色鑲黃邊長袍的阿拉伯人。
At his side was the young Arab the boy had spoken with earlier.
他身邊坐著那個曾和男孩交談過的阿拉伯青年。
"Who is this stranger who speaks of omens?" asked one of the chieftains, eyeing the boy.
“誰是那個談論預兆的外國人？”一個頭領兩眼盯著男孩問道。
"It is I," the boy answered. And he told what he had seen.
“我就是。”圣地亞哥回答，接著講了他看到的幻象。
"Why would the desert reveal such things to a stranger, when it knows that we have been here for generations?" said another of the chieftains.
“沙漠知道我們好幾代人都生活在這里，為什么要把這種事告訴一個外來人呢？”另一個頭領問。
"Because my eyes are not yet accustomed to the desert," the boy said.
“因為我對沙漠還沒習以為常。”男孩回答，
"I can see things that eyes habituated to the desert might not see." And also because I know about the Soul of the World, he thought to himself.
“對沙漠熟視無睹的人眼里看不到的東西，我卻能夠看到。”還因為我了解世界之魂，男孩心中暗想。
