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"I need to sell some wool," the boy told the merchant.
“我有点羊毛要卖。”他对那个商人说。
The shop was busy, and the man asked the shepherd to wait until the afternoon.
店里人满为患，老板让圣地亚哥黄昏时分再来。
So the boy sat on the steps of the shop and took a book from his bag.
男孩便到店铺前的斜坡上坐下，从褡裢里掏出一本书。
"I didn't know shepherds knew how to read," said a girl's voice behind him.
“我以前以为牧羊人不会读书。”一个少女的声音在他身后响起。
The girl was typical of the region of Andalusia, with flowing black hair, and eyes that vaguely recalled the Moorish conquerors.
是个典型的安达卢西亚少女，一头黑发瀑布般垂下，眼睛使人隐隐约约想起古代的征服者摩尔人。
"Well, usually I learn more from my sheep than from books," he answered.
“那是因为羊群教给人们的东西远比书籍要多。”男孩回答。
During the two hours that they talked,
他们谈了两个多小时。
she told him she was the merchant's daughter, and spoke of life in the village, where each day was like all the others.
少女自称是纺织品店老板的女儿，还谈到镇上的事情，她说，这里的生活一成不变，天天如此。
The shepherd told her of the Andalusian countryside, and related the news from the other towns where he had stopped.
圣地亚哥谈起安达卢西亚的田野，谈起他经过的村镇里的新鲜事。
It was a pleasant change from talking to his sheep.
他很高兴，因为不必总是跟羊群说话了。
"How did you learn to read?" the girl asked at one point.
“你是怎么学会读书识字的？”
"Like everybody learns," he said. "In school."
“和其他人一样，在学校里学会的。”男孩回答。
"Well, if you know how to read, why are you just a shepherd?"
“既然会读书识字，为什么还当牧羊人呢？”
The boy mumbled an answer that allowed him to avoid responding to her question.
男孩随便岔开了话题，没有回答。
He was sure the girl would never understand.
他确信这个问题女孩永远无法理解。
He went on telling stories about his travels, and her bright, Moorish eyes went wide with fear and surprise.
他继续讲述路上的经历。女孩那双酷似摩尔人的小眼睛一会儿因害怕而瞪得浑圆，一会儿因惊奇而眯成一条缝。
As the time passed, the boy found himself wishing that the day would never end,
时间流逝，男孩开始期盼这一天永远不要结束，
that her father would stay busy and keep him waiting for three days.
期盼女孩的父亲一直忙碌下去，可以让他在此等上三天。
He recognized that he was feeling something he had never experienced before: the desire to live in one place forever.
他感觉自己正生起一种过去从未有过的冲动：永远定居在这个镇子。
With the girl with the raven hair, his days would never be the same again.
他感觉，和这个黑头发女孩在一起，每天都会是新的一天。
But finally the merchant appeared, and asked the boy to shear four sheep.
然而那个商人最终还是来了。他让圣地亚哥剪下四只羊的毛，
He paid for the wool and asked the shepherd to come back the following year.
然后付了相应的钱，让男孩隔年再来。
