羊皮卷的故事（18）

Hafid pushed aside the half-eaten loaf of bread

海菲把啃了一半的面包推到一旁，

and considered his unhappy fate.

想着自己坎坷的命运，

Tomorrow would be his fourth day in Bethlehem

明天就是他抵达伯利恒的第四天了，

and the single red robe that he had carried so confidently away from the caravan¹

他满怀信心带来的那件红袍子，

was still in the pack on the back of his animal,

仍然原封不动地放在牲口背上的包袱里。

now tethered to a stake in the cave behind the inn.

牲口已经拴在客栈后面的山洞里了。

He heard not the noise that surrounded him in the overcrowded dining hall

客栈里人声嘈杂，他却像全然不知，

as he scowled² at his unfinished meal.

只皱着眉，愣愣地看着桌上没吃完的晚餐。

Doubts that have assailed³ every seller

那些有史以来困扰着每个推销员的问题，

since the beginning of time passed through his mind:

向他袭来。

"Why will the people not listen to my story?

“为什么人们不愿听我说什么？

How does one command their attention?

怎样才能引起他们的注意？

Why do they close their door before I have said five words?

为什么不等我开口，他们就把门关上了？

Why do they lose interest in my talk and walk away?

为什么他们对我的话不感兴趣？

Is everyone poor in this town?

这个小镇上的人都那么穷吗？

What can I say when they tell me they like the robe

要是他们说喜欢我的袍子，

but cannot afford it?

可是买不起，那我又能说什么呢？

Why do so many tell me to return at a later date?

为什么好多人都叫我过几天再去？

How do others sell when I cannot?

我卖不掉这袍子的话，别人能卖掉吗？

What is this fear that seizes me when I approach a closed door

每次要敲门的时候，心中就有说不出的恐惧，这到底是怎么回事？

and how can I overcome it?

怎么才能克服这种恐惧？

Is my price not in line with the other sellers?"

是不是我比别人卖得贵了？

He shook his head in disgust at his failure.

他摇着头，对自己的失败很不满意。

Perhaps this was not the life for him.

也许他不适合干这行，

Perhaps he should remain a camel boy

也许他还是应该回去重新喂养骆驼，

and continue earning only coppers⁴ for each day's labor⁵.

继续做每天只能赚取几个铜板的苦工。

As a seller of goods

要是他能把袍子卖掉，

he would indeed be fortunate

回去见到主人，

if he returned to the caravan with any profit at all.

该有多么风光！

What had Pathros called him?

柏萨罗叫他什么来着？

A young soldier?

年轻的勇士？

He wished, momentarily, that he were back with his animals.

此时此刻，他多么希望自己能带着成群的牲口衣锦还乡啊！

Then his thoughts turned to Lisha

他又想到了丽莎，

and to her stern father, Calneh,

想到她那势利眼的父亲卡奈。

and the doubts quickly left ... his mind.

于是，他很快打消了这些犹豫不决的念头。

Tonight he would again sleep in the hills

再在山上将就一夜吧，

to conserve⁶ his funds

看好行李，

and tomorrow he would sell the robe.

明天一早再去碰碰运气。

1 caravan   

n.大蓬车；活动房屋

参考例句：

• The community adviser gave us a caravan to live in.社区顾问给了我们一间活动住房栖身。
• Geoff connected the caravan to the car.杰弗把旅行用的住屋拖车挂在汽车上。

2 scowled   

怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He scowled his displeasure. 他满脸嗔色。
• The teacher scowled at his noisy class. 老师对他那喧闹的课堂板着脸。

3 assailed   

v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对

参考例句：

• He was assailed with fierce blows to the head. 他的头遭到猛烈殴打。
• He has been assailed by bad breaks all these years. 这些年来他接二连三地倒霉。 来自《用法词典》

4 coppers   

铜( copper的名词复数 )； 铜币

参考例句：

• I only paid a few coppers for it. 我只花了几个铜板买下这东西。
• He had only a few coppers in his pocket. 他兜里仅有几个铜板。

5 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

6 conserve   

vt.保存，保护，节约，节省，守恒，不灭

参考例句：

• He writes on both sides of the sheet to conserve paper.他在纸张的两面都写字以节省用纸。
• Conserve your energy,you'll need it!保存你的精力，你会用得着的！