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The boy's name was Santiago.
这个男孩名叫圣地亚哥。
Dusk was falling as the boy arrived with his herd at an abandoned church.
夜幕降临时，圣地亚哥赶着羊群来到一座废弃的老教堂前。
The roof had fallen in long ago, and an enormous sycamore had grown on the spot where the sacristy had once stood.
很久以前，教堂的屋顶就塌掉了。原来圣器室的位置长出了一棵高大的无花果树。
He decided to spend the night there.
男孩决定在这里过夜。
He saw to it that all the sheep entered through the ruined gate,
他把羊群全部赶紧破烂不堪的大门，
and then laid some planks across it to prevent the flock from wandering away during the night.
随即挡上几块木板，防止它们夜间出逃。
There were no wolves in the region, but once an animal had strayed during the night,
这个地区没有狼，但有一次一只羊在晚上逃了出去，
and the boy had had to spend the entire next day searching for it.
害得他花了一整天时间去寻找。
He swept the floor with his jacket and lay down, using the book he had just finished reading as a pillow.
圣地亚哥将自己的外套铺在地上，躺了下来，把刚刚读完的一本书当作枕头。
He told himself that he would have to start reading thicker books: they lasted longer, and made more comfortable pillows.
睡着之前，他提醒自己，必须开始读一些更厚的书籍：读厚书能消磨更多的时间，夜间当枕头用也更舒服。
It was still dark when he awoke, and, looking up, he could see the stars through the half-destroyed roof.
醒来时，天还没亮。透过残破的屋顶，他看到星星在闪烁。
I wanted to sleep a little longer, he thought.
他心说：“真想多睡一会儿。”
He had had the same dream that night as a week ago, and once again he had awakened before it ended.
他做了个梦，和上周做的梦一模一样，而且又是梦没做完就醒了。
He arose and, taking up his crook, began to awaken the sheep that still slept.
男孩爬起来，然后拿起牧羊棍，呼唤仍在沉睡的羊群。
He had noticed that, as soon as he awoke, most of his animals also began to stir.
他早已注意到，只要他一醒，大多数的羊也都开始醒过来，
It was as if some mysterious energy bound his life to that of the sheep,
仿佛有种神秘的力量把他的生命同那些羊的生命联系在一起。
with whom he had spent the past two years, leading them through the countryside in search of food and water.
两年来，那些羊跟着他走遍了这片大地，四处寻找水和食物。
"They are so used to me that they know my schedule," he muttered.
这些羊太熟悉我了，已经了解我的作息时间了。”他喃喃自语。
Thinking about that for a moment, he realized that it could be the other way around:
略加思索，他又想，事情也可能正相反：
that it was he who had become accustomed to their schedule.
是他已经熟悉了羊群的生活习性。
But there were certain of them who took a bit longer to awaken.
然而，总有一些羊会拖延一会儿才醒。
The boy prodded them, one by one, with his crook, calling each by name.
男孩就用牧羊棍挨个捅醒它们，同时呼唤着羊的名字。
He had always believed that the sheep were able to understand what he said.
他一直坚信，羊能听懂他说的话。
So there were times when he read them parts of his books that had made an impression on him,
因此，他时不时给羊群读一些给他留下深刻印象的书籍的章节，
or when he would tell them of the loneliness or the happiness of a shepherd in the fields.
或者对羊群诉说自己在野外的孤独和快乐，
Sometimes he would comment to them on the things he had seen in the villages they passed.
或者评论一下在经常路过的城镇见到的新鲜事。
But for the past few days he had spoken to them about only one thing:
不过，最近两天，他的话题只有一个，
the girl, the daughter of a merchant who lived in the village they would reach in about four days.
就是那个女孩，一个商人的女儿，住在距离这里四天路程的一个镇上。
He had been to the village only once, the year before.
他只到那里去过一次，是在去年。
The merchant was the proprietor of a dry goods shop,
那个商人是一家纺织品店的老板。
and he always demanded that the sheep be sheared in his presence, so that he would not be cheated.
他喜欢看人当着他的面剪羊毛，以防别人弄虚作假。
A friend had told the boy about the shop, and he had taken his sheep there.
一个朋友指点男孩去那家店铺，于是他便赶着羊群到了那里。
