《牧羊少年奇幻之旅》 115 男孩挖财宝

If he wanted to, he could now return to the oasis¹, go back to Fatima, and live his life as a simple shepherd.

如果他愿意，现在就可以返回绿洲，迎娶法蒂玛，像普通的牧羊人一样生活。

After all, the alchemist continued to live in the desert, even though he understood the Language of the World, and knew how to transform lead into gold.

炼金术士就生活在沙漠里，尽管他通晓世界的语言，知道如何将铅块变成黄金。

He didn't need to demonstrate his science and art to anyone.

但他没有义务向任何人展示他的学问和技艺。

The boy told himself that, on the way toward realizing his own personal legend,

男孩在前去追寻天命的路途中，

he had learned all he needed to know, and had experienced everything he might have dreamed of.

学会了必须要学的一切，也经历了梦想经历的一切。

But here he was, at the point of finding his treasure, and he reminded himself that no project is completed until its objective has been achieved.

他终于到达了藏宝之地，他提醒自己，只有目标实现了，一项事业才算圆满成功。

The boy looked at the sands around him, and saw that, where his tears had fallen, a scarab beetle² was scuttling³ through the sand.

在这里，在这座沙丘上，男孩流下了眼泪，他低下头，只见泪水滚落的地方，有一只金龟子爬过。

During his time in the desert, he had learned that, in Egypt, the scarab beetles⁴ are a symbol of God.

在沙漠中度过的这段时间，他已经知晓，在埃及，金龟子就是上帝的象征。

Another omen⁵! The boy began to dig into the dune⁶.

这又是一个预兆。男孩开始挖起来。

As he did so, he thought of what the crystal merchant had once said: that anyone could build a pyramid in his backyard.

在他挖的过程中，他想到了水晶商人曾经说过的话：任何人都可以在他的后院建造金字塔。

The boy could see now that he couldn't do so if he placed stone upon stone for the rest of his life.

男孩现在明白了，即使他堆一辈子石头，他也做不到这一点。

Throughout the night, the boy dug at the place he had chosen, but found nothing.

男孩在他圈定的地方挖了整整一夜，结果一无所获。

He felt weighted down by the centuries of time since the Pyramids had been built. But he didn't stop.

历经许多世纪的金字塔从高处默默地俯视着他。但男孩没有放弃。

He struggled to continue digging as he fought the wind, which often blew the sand back into the excavation⁷.

他挖啊挖，挖啊挖，与风抗争着，因为风一次又一次地将沙土卷回挖开的坑中。

His hands were abraded⁸ and exhausted⁹, but he listened to his heart.

他的双手挖累了，受了伤，但是他相信自己的心。

It had told him to dig where his tears fell.

心告诉他说，要在他泪水滚落的地方挖掘。

As he was attempting to pull out the rocks he encountered, he heard footsteps. Several figures approached him.

就在他试图将坑里露出的几块石头挖出来的时候，突然听到了脚步声。有几个人来到他面前。

Their backs were to the moonlight, and the boy could see neither their eyes nor their faces.

他们背对月光，男孩无法看清他们的面孔。

"What are you doing here?" one of the figures demanded.

“你在这儿干什么？”其中一个人问道。

Because he was terrified, the boy didn't answer.

男孩没有回答，他感到很害怕。

He had found where his treasure was, and was frightened at what might happen.

他就要挖到财宝了，所以才感到害怕。

"We're refugees from the tribal¹⁰ wars, and we need money," the other figure said. "What are you hiding there?"

“我们是躲避战乱的难民，”另一个人说，“你在这儿藏了什么？”

"I'm not hiding anything," the boy answered.

“我什么也没藏。”男孩回答。

But one of them seized the boy and yanked him back out of the hole.

但是其中一人揪住他，将他推出了坑外。

Another, who was searching the boy's bags, found the piece of gold.

另一个人开始搜查他的口袋。他们搜出了那块金子。

1 oasis   

n.（沙漠中的）绿洲，宜人的地方

参考例句：

• They stopped for the night at an oasis.他们在沙漠中的绿洲停下来过夜。
• The town was an oasis of prosperity in a desert of poverty.该镇是贫穷荒漠中的一块繁荣的“绿洲”。

2 beetle   

n.甲虫，近视眼的人

参考例句：

• A firefly is a type of beetle.萤火虫是一种甲虫。
• He saw a shiny green beetle on a leaf.我看见树叶上有一只闪闪发光的绿色甲虫。

3 scuttling   

n.船底穿孔，打开通海阀（沉船用）v.使船沉没( scuttle的现在分词 )；快跑，急走

参考例句：

• I could hear an animal scuttling about in the undergrowth. 我可以听到一只动物在矮树丛中跑来跑去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• First of all, scuttling Yu Lung (this yuncheng Hejin) , flood discharge. 大禹首先凿开龙门（今运城河津市），分洪下泄。 来自互联网

4 beetles   

n.甲虫( beetle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Beetles bury pellets of dung and lay their eggs within them. 甲壳虫把粪粒埋起来，然后在里面产卵。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This kind of beetles have hard shell. 这类甲虫有坚硬的外壳。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 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？

6 dune   

n.(由风吹积而成的)沙丘

参考例句：

• The sand massed to form a dune.沙积集起来成了沙丘。
• Cute Jim sat on the dune eating a prune in June.可爱的吉姆在六月天坐在沙丘上吃着话梅。

7 excavation   

n.挖掘，发掘；被挖掘之地

参考例句：

• The bad weather has hung up the work of excavation.天气不好耽误了挖掘工作。
• The excavation exposed some ancient ruins.这次挖掘暴露出一些古遗迹。

8 abraded   

adj.[医]刮擦的v.刮擦( abrade的过去式和过去分词 )；（在精神方面）折磨（人）；消磨（意志、精神等）；使精疲力尽

参考例句：

• Much of the skin on her arm was abraded. 她胳膊上的大片皮肤被擦破了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Their gossips abraded her into restlessness. 他们的流言蜚语使她心烦意乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

10 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。