介绍:
The Alchemist 原文 （67）
But the boy couldn't even speak. He was able to do so only after they had walked through the center of the camp. There was no need to imprison them: the Arabs simply confiscated their horses. So, once again, the world had demonstrated its many languages: the desert only moments ago had been endless and free, and now it was an impenetrable wall.
"You gave them everything I had!" the boy said. "Everything I've saved in my entire life!"
"Well, what good would it be to you if you had to die?" the alchemist answered. "Your money saved us for three days. It's not often that money saves a person's life."
But the boy was too frightened to listen to words of wisdom. He had no idea how he was going to transform himself into the wind. He wasn't an alchemist!
The alchemist asked one of the soldiers for some tea, and poured some on the boy's wrists. A wave of relief washed over him, and the alchemist muttered some words that the boy didn't understand.
"Don't give in to your fears," said the alchemist, in a strangely gentle voice. "If you do, you won't be able to talk to your heart."
"But I have no idea how to turn myself into the wind."
"If a person is living out his destiny, he knows everything he needs to know. There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure."
"I'm not afraid of failing. It's just that I don't know how to turn myself into the wind." "Well, you'll have to learn; your life depends on it."
"But what if I can't?"
"Then you'll die in the midst of trying to realize your destiny. That's a lot better than dying like millions of other people, who never even knew what their destinies were.
"But don't worry," the alchemist continued. "Usually the threat of death makes people a lot more aware of their lives."
The first day passed. There was a major battle nearby, and a number of wounded were brought back to the camp. The dead soldiers were replaced by others, and life went on. Death doesn't change anything, the boy thought.
"You could have died later on," a soldier said to the body of one of his companions. "You could have died after peace had been declared. But, in any case, you were going to die."
At the end of the day, the boy went looking for the alchemist, who had taken his falcon out into the desert.
"I still have no idea how to turn myself into the wind," the boy repeated.
"Remember what I told you: the world is only the visible aspect of God. And that what alchemy does is to bring spiritual perfection into contact with the material plane."
"What are you doing?" "Feeding my falcon."
"If I'm not able to turn myself into the wind, we're going to die," the boy said. "Why feed your falcon?"
"You're the one who may die," the alchemist said. "I already know how to turn myself into the wind."
The Alchemist 译文 （67）
可是男孩甚至说不出话来。他一直到他们走过军营中间以后，纔有力量说话。这些战士根本不需要囚禁他们，因为他们的马已经被没收了。所以，世界再一次展示它的各种语言：前一刻沙漠中还是无止境的、自由的，如今它却变成了无法逃离的墙。
“你把我所有的钱都拿给他们！”男孩说，“那是我这一辈子辛辛苦苦纔攒下来的全部财产。”
“如果你被他们杀了，你的钱又有什么用处？”炼金术士回答，“你的钱为我们争取了三天时间。你可要知道，钱并不总是能够拯救人的性命。”
可是男孩现在太恐惧了，根本听不下任何有智慧的话。他也不知道该怎么做纔能把自己变成风。他根本就不是炼金术士啊！
炼金术士跟其中一位士兵讨来一杯茶，他将一些茶水泼在男孩的手腕上。一阵松懈的情绪袭过男孩的身体。男孩还听见炼金术士喃喃念着什么，不过他一句也听不懂。
“不要输给你的恐惧，”炼金术士说，此刻他的声音带着奇异的柔和，“如果你输了，你就无法跟你的心说话。”
“可是我一点也不知道怎样纔能把自己变成风。”
“一个人如果已经完成了他的天命，他就会知道所有他该知道的事。只有一件事可以阻碍梦想成真，那就是害怕失败。”
“我不害怕失败。我只是不知道该怎么把自己变成风。”
“喔，那么你就必须学会，因为你的生命完全要依赖你是不是能够成功。”
“如果我做不到呢？”
“如果你在完成天命的过程中死掉，至少胜过成千上万的人。他们甚至连自己的天命是什么都不知道。”
“不过你不必担心，”炼金术士继续说，“通常死亡的*迫会激起人们的潜能。”
第一天过去了。附近有一场激烈的战斗，许多战士受伤被抬回军营来。死亡战士的位置就被其它战士取代，而生活仍继续下去。死亡是不会改变什么的，男孩心想。
“你可以晚一点再死。”一位士兵对着死去同伴的尸体说，“你可以等到和平宣布了以后再死，可是无论如何，你都会死。”
那天晚上，男孩去找炼金术士，炼金术士刚刚去沙漠放猎他的猎鹰回来。
“我一点都不知道怎么做纔能把自己变成风。”男孩重申。
“记住我告诉你的话：整个世界都不过是看得见的神迹。而一个炼金术士所要做的事，就是把神灵的境界和物质的层面结合。”
“你刚刚去做什么？”
“喂我的猎鹰。”
“如果我不能把自己变成风，我们都会死，”男孩说，“而你竟然还去喂你的猎鹰。”
“只有你会死，”炼金术士说，“我早就知道该怎么把自己变成风了。”
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