介绍:
The Alchemist 原文 （50）
The next day, the boy returned to the well, hoping to see the girl. To his surprise, the Englishman was there, looking out at the desert,
"I waited all afternoon and evening," he said. "He appeared with the first stars of evening. I told him what I was seeking, and he asked me if I had ever transformed lead into gold. I told him that was what I had come here to learn.
"He told me I should try to do so. That's all he said: 'Go and try.' "
The boy didn't say anything. The poor Englishman had traveled all this way, only to be told that he should repeat what he had already done so many times.
"So, then try," he said to the Englishman.
"That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to start now."
As the Englishman left, Fatima arrived and filled her vessel with water.
"I came to tell you just one thing," the boy said. "I want you to be my wife. I love you." The girl dropped the container, and the water spilled.
"I'm going to wait here for you every day. I have crossed the desert in search of a treasure that is somewhere near the Pyramids, and for me, the war seemed a curse. But now it's a blessing, because it brought me to you."
"The war is going to end someday," the girl said.
The boy looked around him at the date palms. He reminded himself that he had been a shepherd, and that he could be a shepherd again. Fatima was more important than his treasure.
"The tribesmen are always in search of treasure," the girl said, as if she had guessed what he was thinking. "And the women of the desert are proud of their tribesmen."
She refilled her vessel and left.
The boy went to the well every day to meet with Fatima. He told her about his life as a shepherd, about the king, and about the crystal shop. They became friends, and except for the fifteen minutes he spent with her, each day seemed that it would never pass. When he had been at the oasis for almost a month, the leader of the caravan called a meeting of all of the people traveling with him.
"We don't know when the war will end, so we can't continue our journey," he said. "The battles may last for a long time, perhaps even years. There are powerful forces on both sides, and the war is important to both armies. It's not a battle of good against evil. It's a war between forces that are fighting for the balance of power, and, when that type of battle begins, it lasts longer than others—because Allah is on both sides."
The people went back to where they were living, and the boy went to meet with Fatima that afternoon. He told her about the morning's meeting. "The day after we met," Fatima said, "you told me that you loved me. Then, you taught me something of the universal language and the Soul of the World. Because of that, I have become a part of you."
The boy listened to the sound of her voice, and thought it to be more beautiful than the sound of the wind in the date palms.
"I have been waiting for you here at this oasis for a long time. I have forgotten about my past, about my traditions, and the way in which men of the desert expect women to behave. Ever since I was a child, I have dreamed that the desert would bring me a wonderful present. Now, my present has arrived, and it's you."
The boy wanted to take her hand. But Fatima's hands held to the handles of her jug. "You have told me about your dreams, about the old king and your treasure. And you've told me about omens. So now, I fear nothing, because it was those omens that brought you to me. And I am a part of your dream, a part of your destiny, as you call it.
"That's why I want you to continue toward your goal. If you have to wait until the war is over, then wait. But if you have to go before then, go on in pursuit of your dream. The dunes are changed by the wind, but the desert never changes. That's the way it will be with our love for each other.
"Maktub," she said. "If I am really a part of your dream, you'll come back one day." The boy was sad as he left her that day. He thought of all the married shepherds he had known. They had a difficult time convincing their wives that they had to go off into distant fields. Love required them to stay with the people they loved.
The Alchemist 译文 （50）
隔天早上，男孩又去到那处泉水边，希望能再度遇见女孩，却惊讶地看见英国人在那里，眺望着沙漠。
“我等了整个下午和晚上，”他说，“直到天际第一颗星升起时他才出现。我告诉他我正在找什么，而他问我是否曾将锡炼成金。我告诉他，我来到这里就是想学会这个。他告诉我必须试着这么去做。他仅仅对我说：‘去做’。”
男孩没说什么。这位可怜的英国人费尽这么千辛万苦，竟然只换得练金术士叫他去做他早已做了无数次的事。
“那么就去做吧！”他对英国人说。
我正打算这么做。我想现在就开始。”
当英国人离开以后，法谛玛来了，并在她的水瓶里装满水。
“我是来告诉你一件事，我想娶你，我爱你。”
女孩的水瓶掉落，水泼倒出来。
“我会每天来这里等你。我横越了整个沙漠是为了到金字塔附近寻找我的宝藏，本来我觉得这场战争是个灾祸，如今我却认为它是件好事，因为它让我遇见了你。”
“战争总有一天会结束。”女孩说。
男孩看着四周的枣椰树，他提醒自己曾经是个牧羊人，所以他还是可以再做个牧羊人。法谛玛比他的宝藏重要得多。
“部族的人一直在找寻宝藏。”女孩说，好似她已经看穿他心里的想法。“而部落的女人总是为她们的男人觉得骄傲。”
她再度汲满水离去。
男孩每天都会到泉水边和法谛玛相会。他告诉她，他在做牧羊人时的生活，他如何遇见那个国王，还有在水晶商店时的一切。他们逐渐变成朋友，而对男孩来说，除了和法谛玛相处的十五分钟外，每天的生活都漫长得似乎不会休止。当他在这个绿洲生活了约一个月以后，商队领队集合全部团员开会。
“我们不确定这场战争什么时候会结束，所以我们的形成无法继续下去。”他说，“这场战争也许会持续很久时间，说不定是几年，那两边势均力敌，而且都不肯放弃战争。这不是一场善和恶的战争，这是一场势力争夺的战争。当这种战争爆发时，总是会比其他类型的战争耗时更久。因为阿拉伯同时站在两边。”
大家回到住的地方，而男孩那天下午走去和法谛玛碰面。他告诉她那天早上的会议。
“我们相遇后的那天，”法谛玛说，“你告诉我说你爱我。之后你教我关于宇宙语言的事，还有天地之心。所以我已经变成你的一部分。”
男孩听着她说话的声音，并想道，她的声音比风吹枣椰树的声音更美。
“我在这个绿洲等你已经等了很久的时间。我已经忘了我的过去，我一向遵循的传统，还有其他种种沙漠男人期望女人做的事。自从童年起，我就盼望沙漠能带给我一项神奇的礼物。如今我已经收到了我的礼物，那就是你。”
男孩想握住她的手，可是法谛玛的手握着她的水罐。
“你告诉了我关于你的梦，关于那位老国王，以及你的宝藏。你还告诉了我预兆。所以现在我不怕任何事，因为正是这个预兆把你带给我的。我已经变成你的一部分，你称之为天命的一部分。
这也是为什么我要你继续朝向你的目标。如果你必须等到战争结束再启程，那么就等；但如果你可以在那之前就出发，那就继续去追寻你的梦。风会改变沙丘，可是沙漠永远都不会变的，就像我俩的爱。”
“Maktub，”她说，“如果我真的是你的一部分，你总会回到我的身边来。”
那天男孩离开她之后十分忧伤。他想起他认得的那些已婚牧羊人，他们总是很难说服他们的妻子让他们出远门去。爱，让他们只好停留在所爱的人身边。
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