評論
打印
The stranger continued to hold the sword at the boy's forehead.
但是，那神秘騎士僅僅用刀尖抵在他的額頭上。
"Why did you read the flight of the birds?"
“你為什么解讀鷹飛的寓意？”
"I read only what the birds wanted to tell me. They wanted to save the oasis. Tomorrow all of you will die, because there are more men at the oasis than you have."
“我只解讀了鷹想告訴我的東西。它們想解救綠洲，你們將必死無疑。綠洲居民比你們的人多。”
The sword remained where it was.
彎刀仍舊抵在圣地亞哥的額頭上。
"Who are you to change what Allah has willed?"
“你是什么人，竟想改變安拉的安排？”
"Allah created the armies, and he also created the hawks.
“安拉創造了軍隊，也創造了飛鳥。
Allah taught me the language of the birds. Everything has been written by the same hand," the boy said, remembering the camel driver's words.
安拉向我展示了飛鳥的語言。所有的這一切都由同一只手寫就。”男孩說著，想起了趕駝人的話。
The stranger withdrew the sword from the boy's forehead, and the boy felt immensely relieved.
神秘騎士終于把彎刀收回去了。圣地亞哥覺得輕松了些。
But he still couldn't flee.
但是，他不能逃跑。
"Be careful with your prognostications," said the stranger.
“小心你的猜測。”神秘騎士說道，
"When something is written, there is no way to change it."
“命中注定的事情，是無法改變的。”
"All I saw was an army," said the boy. "I didn't see the outcome of the battle."
“我只看見一支軍隊，并沒看到戰斗的結果。”
The stranger seemed satisfied with the answer. But he kept the sword in his hand.
騎士似乎對這一回答感到滿意，但他仍緊握彎刀。
"What is a stranger doing in a strange land?"
“你一個外國人在異國的土地上干什么？”
"I am following my personal legend. It's not something you would understand."
“追尋我的天命。這是你永遠都弄不懂的事情。”
The stranger placed his sword in its scabbard, and the boy relaxed.
騎士將彎刀入鞘，肩頭的獵鷹怪叫了一聲。男孩放心了。
"I had to test your courage," the stranger said.
“我必須試一試你的勇氣。”神秘騎士說道，
"Courage is the quality most essential to understanding the Language of the World."
“對于尋求宇宙語言的人，勇氣是最重要的素質。”
The boy was surprised.
男孩感到吃驚。
The stranger was speaking of things that very few people knew about.
這個人所說的事很少有人知道。
"You must not let up, even after having come so far," he continued.
“你必須永不松懈，哪怕已經走了很遠的路。”騎士繼續說，
"You must love the desert, but never trust it completely.
“你必須熱愛沙漠，但是絕不要完全相信沙漠。
Because the desert tests all men: it challenges every step, and kills those who become distracted."
因為沙漠對所有人都是一個考驗：考驗你邁出的每一步，殺死心猿意馬的人。”
What he said reminded the boy of the old king.
神秘騎士的話讓男孩聯想起撒冷王。
"If the warriors come here, and your head is still on your shoulders at sunset, come and find me," said the stranger.
“如果敵軍到來，而日落之后你的腦袋仍留在脖子上，就來找我吧。”神秘騎士說。
The same hand that had brandished the sword now held a whip.
他先前攥著彎刀的那只手，此刻握著一條馬鞭。
The horse reared again, raising a cloud of dust.
白馬再次直起身子，揚起一片塵霧。
"Where do you live?" shouted the boy, as the horseman rode away.
“你住在哪兒？”男孩高聲喊道。
The hand with the whip pointed to the south.
已打馬遠去的騎士揚起馬鞭指了指南方。
The boy had met the alchemist.
男孩見到的，正是煉金術士。
