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"Why did you want to get to the Pyramids?" he asked, to get away from the business of the display.
“你为什么要去金字塔？”老板问，他想转移有关陈列架的话题。
"Because I've always heard about them," the boy answered, saying nothing about his dream.
“因为总有人对我提起它们。”男孩说，绝口不提他做的那个梦。
The treasure was now nothing but a painful memory, and he tried to avoid thinking about it.
如今那批宝藏成了一个痛苦的念想，男孩不愿想起它。
"I don't know anyone around here who would want to cross the desert just to see the Pyramids," said the merchant.
“我从没见过有人仅仅为了看金字塔而要穿越沙漠。”店老板说，
"They're just a pile of stones. You could build one in your backyard."
“那只是一大堆石头。你可以在你家后院建一个嘛。”
"You've never had dreams of travel," said the boy, turning to wait on a customer who had entered the shop.
“您从来没梦想过云游四方。”男孩说着，便去接待一个走进店里的顾客了。
Two days later, the merchant spoke to the boy about the display.
两天以后，店老板主动找男孩谈起陈列架的事。
"I don't much like change," he said.
“我不喜欢变化。”水晶商人说，
"You and I aren't like Hassan, that rich merchant. If he makes a buying mistake, it doesn't affect him much. But we two have to live with our mistakes."
“无论你还是我，都不是富商哈桑那样的人。如果一笔生意赔了钱，对他不会有太大的影响。而我们一旦失误，将饮恨终生。”
That's true enough, the boy thought, ruefully.
的确如此，男孩心想。
"Why did you think we should have the display?"
“你为什么想做陈列架呢？”水晶商人问。
"I want to get back to my sheep faster.
“我想尽快回到我的羊群身边。
We have to take advantage when luck is on our side, and do as much to help it as it's doing to help us.
当好运降临时，我们必须抓住机会，顺应趋势，竭尽全力推动好运向前发展。
It's called the principle of favorability. Or beginner's luck."
这叫作‘良好的开端’，或者‘新手的运气’。”
The merchant was silent for a few moments. Then he said, "The Prophet gave us the Koran, and left us just five obligations to satisfy during our lives.
店主没说话，沉默了一会儿之后，说：“先知赐予我们古兰经，给我们留下了五项戒律，要我们一生遵行。
The most important is to believe only in the one true God.
其中最重要的一项是，真神只有一个。
The others are to pray five times a day, fast during Ramadan, and be charitable to the poor."
此外还有，每天祈祷五次，斋月的时候要禁食，面对穷人乐善好施。”
He stopped there. His eyes filled with tears as he spoke of the Prophet.
说着说着，他停了下来。在提到先知的时候，他眼中噙满泪水。
He was a devout man, and, even with all his impatience, he wanted to live his life in accordance with Muslim law.
他是个虔诚的教徒，虽说脾气很坏，但仍尽力按照伊斯兰教义去生活。
