《牧羊少年奇幻之旅》 17 男孩进退两难（在线收听）

He could see almost the entire city from where he sat, including the plaza where he had talkedwith the old man.

从那上面，也能看到城市的大部分，包括他刚才跟老人交谈时所在的广场。

Curse the moment I met that old man, he thought.

这次遇见老人可真不是时候，他想。

He had come to the town only to find a woman who could interpret his dream.

此行的目的仅仅是想找那个会解梦的老妇人。

Neither the woman nor the old man were at all impressed by the fact that he was a shepherd.

他是个牧羊人，可那老妇人和那老人全都拿这个事实不当一回事。

They were solitary individuals who no longer believed in things, and didn't understand thatshepherds become attached to their sheep.

他们形单影只，已经对生活失去信心，不明白牧羊人最后的归宿是与他们的羊群相依为命。

He knew everything about each member of his flock: he knew which ones were lame, whichone was to give birth two months from now, and which were the laziest.

他熟悉每只羊：知道哪只羊瘸腿，哪只羊两个月后会下小崽儿，哪几只羊最懒惰。

He knew how to shear them, and how to slaughter them.

他还知道如何剪羊毛，如何宰羊。

If he ever decided to leave them, they would suffer.

如果他决定离开，羊群将会受罪。

The wind began to pick up. He knew that wind:

起风了。他熟悉这种风。

people called it the levanter, because on it the Moors had come from the Levant at the easternend of the Mediterranean.

人们将其称作“地中海东风”，因为当年摩尔人就是从地中海东部尽头乘这种风来的。

The levanter increased in intensity. Here I am, between my flock and my treasure, the boythought.

地中海东风越刮越猛。面对羊群和宝藏，我现在进退两难，男孩想。

He had to choose between something he had become accustomed to and something hewanted to have.

在已经习以为常的东西和意欲得到的东西之间，他必须作出抉择。

There was also the merchant's daughter, but she wasn't as important as his flock, because shedidn't depend on him.

还有那个商人的女儿。不过，她不像羊群那么重要，因为她并不依赖他。

Maybe she didn't even remember him.

说不定她都不记得他了。

He was sure that it made no difference to her on which day he appeared:

他敢说，如果两天后他没出现，女孩也不会有感觉。

for her, every day was the same, and when each day is the same as the next, it's becausepeople fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises.

对她来说，生活日复一日，天天如此。实际上，每天都一成不变，是因为人们已经失去了对美好事物的敏锐感觉。

I left my father, my mother, and the town castle behind.

我离开了我的父亲、我的母亲，还有家乡的城堡。

They have gotten used to my being away, and so have I.

他们都已经习惯了，我自己也习惯了。

The sheep will get used to my not being there, too, the boy thought.

羊群没有我，也会习惯的。男孩想。

From where he sat, he could observe the plaza. People continued to come and go from thebaker's shop.

他从城堡上朝广场望去，人们从面包店进进出出。

A young couple sat on the bench where he had talked with the old man, and they kissed.

一对年轻恋人在先前他和老人聊天的长凳上坐下来，长时间拥吻着。