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He knew two dozen polite things to say when someone of importance came to the house, or when he went to weddings. He also knew how to talk French, how to beat the French boys at marbles, and how to spin a carrot on its pointed end as though it were a top. In fact, he was quite an accomplished young person.
他知道當重要人物來家里或參加婚禮時，有二十來句禮貌的話可說。他還知道怎樣講法語，怎樣在彈珠游戲中打敗法國人，怎樣把一根胡蘿卜的尖端當作陀螺一樣旋轉。事實上，他是一個很有成就的年輕人。
Once in a while he used to think. Being an Arab, he was never in a hurry. He did not in the least mind sitting still for an hour or two at a time, doing nothing at all but soaking in the sun, or watching the wind toss the olive branches about, or listening to the sleepy hum of the flies. And at these times thoughts flowed through his brain, as water flows in a river bed.
他偶爾會思考。作為一個阿拉伯人，他從不著急。他一點也不介意一次靜坐一兩個小時，什么也不做，只是沐浴在陽光下，或者看著風吹動橄欖枝，或者聽著蒼蠅昏昏欲睡的嗡嗡聲。在這些時候，他的腦子里就像河床里的水一樣流動著各種想法。
