評論
打印
When his heart spoke to him, it was to provide a stimulus to the boy, and to give him strength,
他的心說話的時候，是為了激勵男孩，賦予他力量，
because the days of silence there in the desert were wearisome.
因為有時候男孩覺得日復一日的可怕寂靜令人厭倦。
His heart told the boy what his strongest qualities were:
他的心第一次向他指出了他具有的優秀品質：
his courage in having given up his sheep and in trying to live out his personal legend,
比如放棄羊群，追尋天命的勇氣，
and his enthusiasm during the time he had worked at the crystal shop.
在水晶店打工的熱情。
And his heart told him something else that the boy had never noticed:
心還告訴他一件事，是他自己一直沒注意到的，
it told the boy of dangers that had threatened him, but that he had never perceived.
那就是危險曾近在咫尺，而他卻渾然不覺。
His heart said that one time it had hidden the rifle the boy had taken from his father,
心說，有一次，是它把男孩從父親那里偷來的手槍藏了起來，
because of the possibility that the boy might wound himself.
因為那槍很可能會傷害到男孩。
And it reminded the boy of the day when he had been ill and vomiting out in the fields, after which he had fallen into a deep sleep.
心還回憶起有一天，男孩生病了，在田野上嘔吐起來，后來躺了很長時間。
There had been two thieves farther ahead who were planning to steal the boy's sheep and murder him.
當時前邊有兩個兇惡的強盜，正計劃著搶走他的羊群，并把他殺死。
But, since the boy hadn't passed by, they had decided to move on, thinking that he had changed his route.
但男孩因病沒有往前，他們以為他改變了路線，悻悻而去。
"Does a man's heart always help him?" the boy asked the alchemist.
“心總是給人以幫助嗎？”男孩問煉金術士。
"Mostly just the hearts of those who are trying to realize their personal legends.
“心只幫助那些追隨天命的人。
But they do help children, drunkards, and the elderly, too."
不過，更多的是幫助小孩、醉漢和老人。”
"Does that mean that I'll never run into danger?"
“也就是說沒什么危險？”
"It means only that the heart does what it can," the alchemist said.
“也就是說心會竭盡全力。”煉金術士回答。
One afternoon, they passed by the encampment of one of the tribes.
一天下午，他們從一個部落的營地前路過。
At each corner of the camp were Arabs garbed in beautiful white robes, with arms at the ready.
有很多身穿醒目的白長袍、佩帶武器的阿拉伯人待在各個角落。
The men were smoking their hookahs and trading stories from the battlefield.
他們一邊吸水煙袋，一邊談論著打仗的事。
No one paid any attention to the two travelers.
沒有人過分在意這兩個旅行者。
"There's no danger," the boy said, when they had moved on past the encampment.
“沒有任何危險。”剛剛離開營地不遠，男孩就說。
The alchemist sounded angry: "Trust in your heart, but never forget that you're in the desert.
煉金術士十分惱怒。“你要相信你的心。但是也不能忘記你正行進在沙漠之中。
When men are at war with one another, the Soul of the World can hear the screams of battle.
當人們處于戰火中，世界之魂也能感覺到戰斗的吶喊。
No one fails to suffer the consequences of everything under the sun."
任何人都得承受太陽底下發生的每件事情的后果。”
