評論
打印
All things are one, the boy thought.
萬物皆為一物，男孩想。
And then, as if the desert wanted to demonstrate that the alchemist was right, two horsemen appeared from behind the travelers.
沙漠好像有意要證明煉金術士的話，此刻，兩名騎兵出現在他們身后。
"You can't go any farther," one of them said. "You're in the area where the tribes are at war."
“你們不能再往前走了。”其中一人說道，“你們進入了交戰區域。”
"I'm not going very far," the alchemist answered, looking straight into the eyes of the horsemen.
“我走不遠。”煉金術士回答，同時用深邃的目光盯著士兵的眼睛。
They were silent for a moment, and then agreed that the boy and the alchemist could move along.
他們一動不動地待了一會兒，然后便同意他們倆繼續往前走。
The boy watched the exchange with fascination.
男孩被眼前看到的一切震住了。
"You dominated those horsemen with the way you looked at them," he said.
“您用目光制服了他們！”他說。
"Your eyes show the strength of your soul," answered the alchemist.
“眼睛能夠顯示心靈的力量，”煉金術士回答。
That's true, the boy thought.
的確是這樣，男孩想。
He had noticed that, in the midst of the multitude of armed men back at the encampment, there had been one who stared fixedly at the two.
他已經覺察到，營地里那群士兵當中的一個正緊盯著他們倆。
He had been so far away that his face wasn't even visible.
由于距離太遠，根本無法看清他的臉。
But the boy was certain that he had been looking at them.
但男孩確信，那人的確在盯著他們。
Finally, when they had crossed the mountain range that extended along the entire horizon,
當他們開始翻越原本盤亙在地平線上的山脈時，
the alchemist said that they were only two days from the Pyramids.
煉金術士對男孩說，還有兩天就可以到達金字塔了。
"If we're going to go our separate ways soon," the boy said, "then teach me about alchemy."
“既然我們很快就要分手了，請您教給我煉金術吧。”男孩說。
"You already know about alchemy. It is about penetrating to the Soul of the World, and discovering the treasure that has been reserved for you."
“你已經會了。那就是深入世界之魂，去發現它為我們保留的財寶。”
"No, that's not what I mean. I'm talking about transforming lead into gold."
“這不是我想學的。我指的是點鐵成金之術。”
The alchemist fell as silent as the desert, and answered the boy only after they had stopped to eat.
煉金術士和沙漠一起沉默著，直到他們停下來準備吃飯時，他才回答男孩。
"Everything in the universe evolved," he said. "And, for wise men, gold is the metal that evolved the furthest.
“整個宇宙都在不停發展。”他說，“對智者而言，金子是發展最完善的金屬。
Don't ask me why; I don't know why. I just know that the Tradition is always right."
不要問為什么，因為我也不知道。我只知道傳統總是正確的。”
"Men have never understood the words of the wise. So gold, instead of being seen as a symbol of evolution, became the basis for conflict."
“由于人們沒有很好地理解智者的話，結果金子不僅沒有被視作發展的象征，反而成了戰爭的根源。”
