"So you are going to instruct me?"
“那么,您将教导我吗?”
"No. You already know all you need to know. I am only going to point you in the direction of your treasure."
“不,自己需要的一切你都很清楚了,我只不过是促使你继续前去寻找宝藏。”
"But there's a tribal war," the boy reiterated.
“部落之间发生了一场战争。”男孩又说了一遍。
"I know what's happening in the desert."
“我了解沙漠。”
"I have already found my treasure. I have a camel, I have my money from the crystal shop, and I have fifty gold pieces.
“我已经找到宝藏了。我有一头骆驼,有在水晶店挣到的钱,还有在这里得到的五十枚金币。
In my own country, I would be a rich man."
在我的家乡,我可以算富翁了。”
"But none of that is from the Pyramids," said the alchemist.
“不过这其中没有一样来自金字塔。”炼金术士说。
"I also have Fatima. She is a treasure greater than anything else I have won."
“我有法蒂玛。她比我得来的一切财宝都更为宝贵。”
"She wasn't found at the Pyramids, either." They ate in silence.
“她也不是来自金字塔。”他们默默地吃完了鹰肉。
The alchemist opened a bottle and poured a red liquid into the boy's cup.
炼金术士打开一个瓶子,往男孩的杯子里倒了点红色液体。
It was the most delicious wine he had ever tasted.
这是男孩有生以来喝过的最香醇的美酒。
"Isn't wine prohibited here?" the boy asked.
“这里不是禁止喝酒的吗?”男孩问道。
"It's not what enters men's mouths that's evil," said the alchemist. "It's what comes out of their mouths that is."
“入口的东西并不邪恶,”炼金术士说,“邪恶的是从口里出来的东西。”
The alchemist was a bit daunting, but, as the boy drank the wine, he relaxed.
美酒下肚,男孩开始飘飘然起来。但炼金术士令他生畏。
After they finished eating they sat outside the tent, under a moon so brilliant that it made the stars pale.
他们坐在帐篷近旁,望着群星衬托下的一轮明月。
"Drink and enjoy yourself," said the alchemist, noticing that the boy was feeling happier.
“喝吧,放松一下。”炼金术士说道,发现男孩越来越轻松愉快了。
"Rest well tonight, as if you were a warrior preparing for combat.
“就像士兵作战之前总要休整一下,你也休整休整。
Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.
但是不要忘记,你的心到哪儿,你的宝藏就在哪儿。
You've got to find the treasure, so that everything you have learned along the way can make sense."
你必须找到你的宝藏,否则你在途中发现的一切便全都失去了意义。”
"Tomorrow, sell your camel and buy a horse. Camels are traitorous: they walk thousands of paces and never seem to tire.
“明天卖掉你的骆驼,去买一匹马。骆驼令人看不透,它们就是走成千上万里,也不会露出疲惫之态,
Then suddenly, they kneel and die. But horses tire bit by bit.
但突然之间就会跪倒在地,力竭而死。马则会逐渐显露疲劳,
You always know how much you can ask of them, and when it is that they are about to die."
你随时会知道还能让它走多远,或者它会在何时死去。”