介绍:
The Alchemist 原文 （66）
The sun was setting when the boy's heart sounded a danger signal. They were surrounded by gigantic dunes, and the boy looked at the alchemist to see whether he had sensed anything. But he appeared to be unaware of any danger. Five minutes later, the boy saw two horsemen waiting ahead of them. Before he could say anything to the alchemist, the two horsemen had become ten, and then a hundred. And then they were everywhere in the dunes.
They were tribesmen dressed in blue, with black rings surrounding their turbans. Their faces were hidden behind blue veils, with only their eyes showing.
Even from a distance, their eyes conveyed the strength of their souls. And their eyes spoke of death.
The two were taken to a nearby military camp. A soldier shoved the boy and the alchemist into a tent where the chief was holding a meeting with his staff.
"These are the spies," said one of the men. "We're just travelers," the alchemist answered.
"You were seen at the enemy camp three days ago. And you were talking with one of the troops there."
"I'm just a man who wanders the desert and knows the stars," said the alchemist. "I have no information about troops or about the movement of the tribes. I was simply acting as a guide for my friend here."
"Who is your friend?" the chief asked.
"An alchemist," said the alchemist. "He understands the forces of nature. And he wants to show you his extraordinary powers."
The boy listened quietly. And fearfully.
"What is a foreigner doing here?" asked another of the men.
"He has brought money to give to your tribe," said the alchemist, before the boy could say a word. And seizing the boy's bag, the alchemist gave the gold coins to the chief.
The Arab accepted them without a word. There was enough there to buy a lot of weapons.
"What is an alchemist?" he asked, finally.
"It's a man who understands nature and the world. If he wanted to, he could destroy this camp just with the force of the wind."
The men laughed. They were used to the ravages of war, and knew that the wind could not deliver them a fatal blow. Yet each felt his heart beat a bit faster. They were men of the desert, and they were fearful of sorcerers.
"I want to see him do it," said the chief.
"He needs three days," answered the alchemist. "He is going to transform himself into the wind, just to demonstrate his powers. If he can't do so, we humbly offer you our lives, for the honor of your tribe."
"You can't offer me something that is already mine," the chief said, arrogantly. But he granted the travelers three days.
The boy was shaking with fear, but the alchemist helped him out of the tent.
"Don't let them see that you're afraid," the alchemist said. "They are brave men, and they despise cowards."
The Alchemist 译文 （66）
日落的时候，男孩的心忽然响起一声警告。他们正来到四周都是沙丘的地方，男孩抬头望向炼金术士，想看看他有没有感觉到什么。可是炼金术士看起来似乎并没有发现什么不对劲的地方。五分钟以后，男孩看见两个骑兵正在前头不远的地方等着他们。在男孩能够对炼金术士说什么以前，骑兵从两个变成十个，然后变成一百个。现在骑兵已经布满沙丘的四周。
这些部族战士穿着蓝色衣服，头巾上还套着黑色的环。他们的脸孔用蓝色布巾盖住，只露出眼睛。
即使距离相当远，仍能看见他们的眼睛传递着心灵的力量。此刻他们的眼睛正诉说着：死亡。
男孩和炼金术士两人被抓到附近的一座军营去。一个士兵推挤着男孩和炼金术士进入一座军帐内。帐篷内该部落的首领正和他的幕僚举行会议。
“有奸细。”其中一个人说。
“我们只是旅人而已。”炼金术士回答。
“三天前我们看见你们在敌军的军营里，而且还跟他们的战士说话。”
“我只是在沙漠四处走动，观看星象而已。”炼金术士说，“我对于其它军队的军情或是部族的行动都一无所知。我只是很单纯地带一位朋友越过沙漠而已。”
“你的朋友是谁？”首领问。
“一位炼金术士，”炼金术士说，“他了解自然的力量。他可以展现他不寻常的力量给你们看。”
男孩安静地听着他们的对话，充满了恐惧。
“这个外国人在这里做什么？”另外一个人问。
“他带了钱要献给你们部族。”炼金术士抢在男孩之前回答，并且抓起男孩的布袋，把里面的金币递给那位首领。
那个阿拉伯人接过金币，什么话也没说。这些钱够他们买不少武器了。
“什么是炼金术士？”最后首领问。
“就是了解自然和世界的人。只要他想，他就可以用风力把这座军营摧毁掉。”
那些阿拉伯人大笑。他们很熟悉战争带来的破坏，深知风绝对不可能带给他们什么样的灾害。不过，听了这些话，他们的心跳仍然加速了。他们都是属于沙漠的人，对于巫师的力量深怀恐惧。
“我想要看他施展法力。”首领说。
“他需要三天时间。”炼金术士回答，“他需要三天时间来把自己变成风，才能施展法力。如果他做不到，我们就把自己卑微的性命献给你，以荣耀你们的部族。”
“你不够资格把早已经属于我的东西献给我。”那个首领怒声说，不过他答应给这两个旅人三天时间。
男孩被吓得浑身发抖，炼金术士就带着他离开帐篷。
“不要让他们看见你的害怕，”炼金术士说，“他们是一群争强斗狠的人，他们会鄙视懦夫。”
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