《牧羊少年奇幻之旅》 53 男孩把自己的经历讲给英国人听

The travelers adopted the practice of arranging the animals in a circle at night, sleeping together in the center as protection against the nocturnal cold.

赶路的人便将牲口围成一个圈，所有的人都挤在里边睡觉，试图以此抵御夜间的寒冷。

And the leader posted armed sentinels at the fringes¹ of the group.

头领还在商队周围安排了持枪的哨兵。

The Englishman was unable to sleep one night.

有一天夜里，英国人睡不着觉。

He called to the boy, and they took a walk along the dunes² surrounding the encampment.

他叫醒了男孩，两个人开始沿着宿营地周围的沙丘散步。

There was a full moon, and the boy told the Englishman the story of his life.

那是一个月圆之夜，男孩把自己的全部经历都讲给英国人听。

The Englishman was fascinated³ with the part about the progress achieved at the crystal shop after the boy began working there.

英国人被水晶店的故事吸引，尤其听说男孩在店里工作后，水晶店生意蒸蒸日上，更是非常着迷。

"That's the principle that governs all things," he said.

“这就是推动一切事物发展的基础。”英国人说道，

"In alchemy, it's called the Soul of the World.

“在炼金术中被称作‘世界之魂’。

When you want something with all your heart, that's when you are closest to the Soul of the World.

当你一心一意希望得到某种东西时，就离世界之魂更近了。

It's always a positive force."

它永远是一种积极的力量。”

He also said that this was not just a human gift, that everything on the face of the earth had a soul, whether mineral, vegetable, or animal—or even just a simple thought.

他还说，这不是人类独有的天赋：地球上的一切事物都有灵魂，无论是矿物、植物、动物，还是一个简单的念头，无一例外。

"Everything on earth is being continuously transformed, because the earth is alive ... and it has a soul.

“地球上所有的事物永远都在变化，因为地球是有生命的，并且有灵魂。

We are part of that soul, so we rarely recognize that it is working for us.

我们是这一灵魂的组成部分，可我们却很难察知它一直在帮助我们。

But in the crystal shop you probably realized that even the glasses were collaborating⁴ in your success."

不过你应该明白，在水晶店里，就连那些水晶杯都在为你的成功加油。”

The boy thought about that for a while as he looked at the moon and the bleached⁵ sands.

男孩望着月亮和白沙，半晌没有说话。

"I have watched the caravan⁶ as it crossed the desert," he said.

“我看到了商队穿越沙漠向前行进。”男孩终于开口道，

"The caravan and the desert speak the same language, and it's for that reason that the desert allows the crossing.

“商队和沙漠讲同一种语言，所以沙漠允许商队通过。

It's going to test the caravan's every step to see if it's in time, and, if it is, we will make it to the oasis⁷."

沙漠将检验商队走出的每一步，以便看看商队是否与它完全协调一致。如果协调一致，商队必将到达绿洲。”

"If either of us had joined this caravan based only on personal courage, but without understanding that language, this journey would have been much more difficult."

“如果我们当中的某个人勇气十足地来到这里，却不懂得这种语言，那么，这段旅程会更加艰难。”

They stood there looking at the moon.

他们一起仰望着月亮。

"That's the magic of omens," said the boy.

“这就是预兆的魔力。”男孩又说，

"I've seen how the guides read the signs of the desert, and how the soul of the caravan speaks to the soul of the desert."

“我目睹了领队们怎样阅读沙漠中的预兆，目睹了商队的灵魂怎样同沙漠的灵魂对话。”

The Englishman said, "I'd better pay more attention to the caravan."

过了一会儿，英国人开口了。“我得多注意观察商队。”他说。

"And I'd better read your books," said the boy.

“我得多读读你那些书。”男孩说。

1 fringes   

（头发的）刘海( fringe的名词复数 )； （外衣，小地毯等的）饰边； 毛边； 边缘

参考例句：

• The woodcutter had a little house on the fringes of the forest. 那位伐木工人在森林的外缘有一间小屋。
• The jacket had leather fringes. 这件夹克有皮流苏。

2 dunes   

沙丘( dune的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The boy galloped over the dunes barefoot. 那男孩光着脚在沙丘间飞跑。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat. 将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

3 fascinated   

a.被强烈地吸引住，感到着迷的

参考例句：

• China has always fascinated me. 中国一直令我心驰神往。
• The children watched, fascinated, as the picture began to appear. 电影开始以后孩子们入迷地观看着。

4 collaborating   

合作( collaborate的现在分词 )； 勾结叛国

参考例句：

• Joe is collaborating on the work with a friend. 乔正与一位朋友合作做那件工作。
• He was not only learning from but also collaborating with Joseph Thomson. 他不仅是在跟约瑟福？汤姆逊学习，而且也是在和他合作。

5 bleached   

漂白的，晒白的，颜色变浅的

参考例句：

• His hair was bleached by the sun . 他的头发被太阳晒得发白。
• The sun has bleached her yellow skirt. 阳光把她的黄裙子晒得褪色了。

6 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。

7 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”。