《牧羊少年奇幻之旅》 18 男孩给了老人六只羊

"That baker¹ ..." he said to himself, without completing the thought.

男孩自言自语说了一句“那个面包店店主……”，便没再说下去，

The levanter was still getting stronger, and he felt its force on his face.

因为劲风扑面而来，地中海东风刮得更加猛烈了。

That wind had brought the Moors², yes, but it had also brought the smell of the desert and of veiled women.

这种风曾带来了摩尔人，这是不争的事实。然而，它也带来了沙漠的气味，蒙着纱巾的女人的体味，

It had brought with it the sweat and the dreams of men who had once left to search for the unknown, and for gold and adventure—and for the Pyramids.

还有男人的汗味和梦想。他们离开了家乡，去寻找未知、黄金、奇异的经历，以及金字塔。

The boy felt jealous of the freedom of the wind, and saw that he could have the same freedom.

男孩面对自由自在的风，羡慕之情油然而生。他意识到，他也可以像风一样自由。

There was nothing to hold him back except himself.

什么也不能阻止他，除了他自己。

The sheep, the merchant's daughter, and the fields of Andalusia were only steps along the way to his personal legend.

羊群、商人的女儿和安达卢西亚的大地，只不过是他在达成天命的途中留下的足迹。

The next day, the boy met the old man at noon. He brought six sheep with him.

第二天中午，男孩又遇见了那位老人。男孩如约带去了六只羊。

"I'm surprised," the boy said. "My friend bought all the other sheep immediately.

“出乎我的意料，”男孩说，“我的朋友立刻就买下了羊群，

He said that he had always dreamed of being a shepherd, and that it was a good omen³."

还说他一直都想当牧羊人，这是个好兆头。”

"That's the way it always is," said the old man. "It's called the principle of favorability.

“事情往往如此。”老人说，“我们把这称作‘良好的开端’。

When you play cards the first time, you are almost sure to win. Beginner's luck."

第一次玩纸牌，多半会赢。这就是新手的运气。”

"Why is that?"

“这是为什么？”

"Because there is a force that wants you to realize your personal legend; it whets⁴ your appetite with a taste of success."

“因为生活希望你去实现自己的天命。”

Then the old man began to inspect the sheep, and he saw that one was lame⁵.

接着，老者开始检查那六只羊，他发现其中一只是瘸腿。

The boy explained that it wasn't important, since that sheep was the most intelligent of the flock, and produced the most wool.

男孩解释说瘸腿无大碍，因为那是最聪明的一只羊，而且羊毛产量很高。

"Where is the treasure?" he asked.

“财宝在什么地方？”男孩问道。

"It's in Egypt, near the Pyramids."

“在埃及，金字塔附近。”

The boy was startled. The old woman had said the same thing. But she hadn't charged him anything.

男孩吓了一跳。那吉卜赛老妇也是这么说的，但她没收任何报酬。

1 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

2 moors   

v.停泊，系泊（船只）( moor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• the North York moors 北约克郡的漠泽
• They're shooting grouse up on the moors. 他们在荒野射猎松鸡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 omen   

n.征兆，预兆；vt.预示

参考例句：

• The superstitious regard it as a bad omen.迷信的人认为那是一种恶兆。
• Could this at last be a good omen for peace?这是否终于可以视作和平的吉兆了？

4 whets   

v.（在石头上）磨（刀、斧等）( whet的第三人称单数 )；引起，刺激（食欲、欲望、兴趣等）

参考例句：

• Reading travel brochures whets one's appetite for a holiday. 看了旅游手册就巴不得去度假。 来自互联网
• The decade whets sword, frost blade has never tried. 十年磨一剑，霜刃未曾试。 来自互联网

5 lame   

adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的

参考例句：

• The lame man needs a stick when he walks.那跛脚男子走路时需借助拐棍。
• I don't believe his story.It'sounds a bit lame.我不信他讲的那一套。他的话听起来有些靠不住。