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He rushed through the opening in the limestone ready to overcome
想到这儿，他加快了脚步，
the criminal and recover his possessions.
一个箭步冲进了洞口。
Instead, the tenseness immediately left his body
谁知眼前的画面倒让他松了口气，
at the sight that confronted him.
擒贼的念头化为乌有。
A small candle, forced between a cleft in the cave wall,
一支蜡烛勉强插在石壁的缝隙中。
shone faintly on a bearded man
微弱的烛光下，
and a young woman huddled closely together.
一个满脸胡子的男人和一个年轻女人紧紧靠在一起。
At their feet, in a hollowed-out stone that usually held cattle fodder,
他们脚边放草料的石槽里，
slept an infant.
睡着一个婴儿。
Hafid knew little of such things
海菲虽然不大懂，
but he sensed that the baby was newborn
不过由婴儿皱巴巴的深红肤色看来，
from the child's wrinkled and crimson skin.
这孩子才生下来不久，
To protect the sleeping infant from the cold,
年轻夫妇伯婴儿受凉，
both the man's and the woman's cloaks
两个人身上的斗篷全盖在他身上，
covered all but the small head.
只露出睡得香甜的小脸蛋。
The man nodded in Hafid's direction
男人朝海菲点了点头，
while the woman moved closer to the child.
一旁的女人挪动了一下身子，靠近旁边的孩子。
No one spoke.
没人说话。
Then the woman trembled and Hafid saw that her thin garment
海菲注意到女人在瑟瑟发抖，
offered little protection against the dampness of the cave.
这才发现她衣衫单薄，难以抵御洞里的湿寒，
Hafid looked again at the infant.
他又看了看孩子，
He watched, fascinated,
看着看着
as the small mouth opened and closed,
他的小嘴一张一象，
almost in a smile,
好像在对他笑。
and a strange sensation passed through him.
看着看着，一种奇妙的感觉流人海菲体内，
For some unknown reason he thought of Lisha.
也不晓得为什么，他突然想起丽莎。
The woman trembled again from the cold
女人又在发抖，
and her sudden movement returned Hafid from his daydreaming.
把他从梦中拉了回来。
After painful moments of indecision
就这样，经过一番痛苦挣扎，
the would- be seller of goods walked to his animal
这个未来的大企业家，
He carefully untied the knots,
走到驴子面前，
opened his pack,
小心地解开包裹，
and withdrew the robe.
取出袍子。
He unrolled it and rubbed his hands, over the material
他把它展开，爱惜地抚摩着它。
The red dye glowed in the candlelight
袍子的红色在烛光下像燃烧的火。
and he could see the mark of Pathros
他看到袍子上绣着的两个公司的标志：
and the mark of Tola on its underside.
方框框里一个圆圈，
The circle in the square and the star.
还有一颗小星星。
How many times had he held this robe in his tired arms in the past three days?
三天来，这袍子在他累得酸痛手臂上不知挂过多少次了，
It seemed as if he knew every weave and fiber of it.
他甚至认得出袍子上的每一根纤维。
This was indeed a robe of quality.
这确是一袭上等长袍，
With care it would last a lifetime.
小心保养的话，可以穿上一辈子。
Hafid closed his eyes and sighed.
海菲闭上眼睛，叹了口气。
Then he walked swiftly toward the small family,
然后，他快步走向眼前的小家庭，
knelt on the straw beside the infant,
在孩子身边的稻草上跪下来，
and gently removed
轻轻地
first the father's tattered cloak
把盖在他身上的破斗篷拿开，
and then the mother's from the manger. He handed each back to its owner.
还给了孩子的父母
Both were too shocked at Hafid's boldness to react
这对夫妇对海菲自作主张的举动不知所措，
Then Hafid opened his precious red robe
看着他张开珍爱的红袍子，
and wrapped it gently around the sleeping child.
充满柔情地包在熟睡的婴儿身上。
Moisture from the young mother's kiss
孩子母亲
was still on Hafid's cheek
在他脸上留下的亲吻还湿着的时候。
as he led his animal out of the cave.
海菲便牵着他的小驴，走出了洞穴。
Directly above him
在他头顶正上方的夜空中，
was the brightest star Hafid had ever seen.
高挂着一颗明亮的星星，他从未见过这么亮的星星。
He stared up at it until his eyes filled with tears
他目不转睛地望着它，直到眼眶盈满了泪水，
and then he headed his animal through the path that led toward the main road
才骑着小驴，
back to Jerusalem and the caravan on the mountain.
踏上耶路撒冷的归途。
