本帖最后由 ヮ成熟、羙° 于 2014-7-25 17:15 编辑
三个托钵僧的故事（一） 荷叶/译 在哈里发哈伦拉西德统治时期，巴格达生活着一个搬运工，他虽然职业卑微，但却聪明而有见识。一天早上，他正坐在老地方，面前放着篮子，等待雇主。这时，一个戴着长长的穆斯林面纱的高个子年轻女郎走过来说：“拿上篮子，跟我走。”见到她的美貌，听到她的妙音，搬运工非常高兴，他立刻跳起来，把篮子顶在头上，跟随女郎，边走边自言自语：“哦，快乐的一天！哦，幸运的相遇！” 不久，女郎在一扇关着的门前停下来，她敲了敲门。一个长着长长白胡子的老者开了门，女郎没说话，把钱递了过去。老人似乎知道她想要什么，消失在房子里，回来时搬了一大坛子葡萄酒，搬运工把酒放进篮子。然后，女郎示意他跟上，他们又上路了。 她再次停下的地方是个鲜花水果店，她在这里买了许多无花果，杏儿，桃儿什么的，又买了百合，茉莉，和各种香草。从这里出来，她又去了肉店，杂货店，家禽店，直到最后，搬运工绝望地大叫：“我的好夫人，如果您早点告诉我要买足养活一个城的物品，我会牵一匹马或是一头骆驼来。”女郎笑了，告诉他还没有买完呢。但在一家药店挑完各种香水和香料后，她停在一个富丽堂皇的宫殿前，轻轻地敲门。开门的女门童美得让他目眩神迷。当清楚地看到她不是奴隶时，他更加吃惊。带他来这儿的女郎开心地看着他，直到门童大叫：“为什么不进来呢，姐姐？这个可怜的人都快被压垮了。” 当他俩进来后，门被关紧了。三人一起走进了大宫殿，周围是露天画廊。宫殿的一端有个平台，平台上是由四根乌木柱子擎起的琥珀宝座，宝座上装饰着珍珠和钻石。宫殿的中央有个大理石盆，一只金色的狮子往盆里吐满了水。 搬运工一路看，一路赞叹。他的注意力被坐在宝座上的美人所吸引，她比前两位还要美。从别人对她的尊重来看，她一定是三人中最年长的，他判断得没错。她叫佐蓓拉，门童叫萨迪，管家叫阿米娜。佐蓓拉发了话，萨迪和阿米娜从搬运工身上取下篮子，为他卸下重负，他非常高兴。她们倒空了东西，给了他不少钱。但他并没有拿起篮子一走了之，而是依然逗留在那儿。佐蓓拉问他还在等什么，是不是嫌钱少。“哦，夫人，”他回答：“您给得太多了，恐怕不立刻走开会有点冒犯。但请您原谅我要说的话，我不明白像您们这样美丽的夫人何以会独处。但是一伙没有男人的女人会和一伙没有女人的男人一样乏味。“他讲了一些故事来讲明自己的观点，最后请求她们让他留下来和他们共进晚餐。 三位女士觉得这个人的保证很好玩，经过一番讨论后，同意他留下，因为有他相伴可能会很有趣。“但听着，朋友，”佐蓓拉说：“如果我们批准你的请求，唯一的条件是你要极有礼貌，机遇向你展示了我们的生活方式，对此你要保守秘密。”然后，他们一起坐在餐桌旁，桌子上摆满了阿米娜买来的各种美食。 吃过几口之后，阿米娜往金杯里斟上些酒。按照阿拉伯习俗，她先自己喝掉，然后为两位姐姐斟上。当轮到搬运工时，他吻了阿米娜的手，唱了一首即兴创作的祝酒歌。三姐妹听后很满意，她们也唱了歌，这一餐饭吃得很愉快，时间也用得比平时要长。 最后，看着日已偏西，萨迪说对搬运工说：“起来，走吧，我们该分手了。” 附：原文 Story of the ThreeCalenders 1 In the reign of the Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid, there lived at Bagdad a porter who, in spite of his humble calling, was an intelligent and sensible man. One morning he was sitting in his usual place with his basket before him, waiting to be hired, when a tall young lady,covered with a long muslin veil,came up to him and said, "Pick up your basket and follow me." Theporter, who was greatly pleased by her appearance and voice, jumped up at once,poised his basket on his head, and accompanied the lady, saying to himself ashe went, "Oh, happy day! Oh, lucky meeting!" The lady soon stopped before a closed door, at which she knocked. It wasopened by an old man with a long white beard, to whom the lady held out moneywithout speaking. The old man, who seemed to understand what she wanted,vanished into the house, and returned bringing a large jar of wine, which the porter placed in his basket. Then the lady signed to him to follow, and theywent their way. The next place she stopped at was a fruit and flower shop, and here shebought a large quantity of apples, apricots, peaches, and other things, with lilies, jasmine, and all sorts of sweet-smelling plants. From this shop she went to a butcher's, a grocer's, and a poulterer's, till at last the porter exclaimed in despair,"My good lady, if you had only told me you were going to buy enough provisions to stock a town, Iwould have brought a horse, or rather a camel." The lady laughed, and told him she had not finished yet, but after choosing various kinds of scents andspices from a druggist's store, she halted before a magnificent palace, at the door of which she knocked gently. The porteress who opened it was of such beauty that the eyes of the man were quite dazzled, and he was the more astonishedas he saw clearly that she was no slave. The lady who had led him hither stood watching him with amusement, till the porteress exclaimed, "Why don't you come in, my sister? This poor man is so heavily weighed down that he is readyto drop." When they were both inside the door was fastened, and they all threeentered a large court, surrounded by an open-work gallery. At one end of thecourt was a platform, and on the platform stood an amber throne supported byfour ebony columns,garnished with pearls and diamonds. In the middle of the court stood a marble basin filled with water from the mouth of a golden lion. The porter looked about him, noticing and admiring everything; but his attention was specially attracted by a third lady sitting on the throne, whowas even more beautiful than the other two. By the respect shown to her by theothers, he judged that she must be the eldest, and in this he was right. Thislady's name was Zobeida, the porteress was Sadie, and the housekeeper was Amina. At a word from Zobeida, Sadie and Amina took the basket from the porter,who was glad enough to be relieved from its weight; and when it was emptied,paid him handsomely for its use. But instead of taking up his basket and goingaway, the man still lingered, till Zobeida inquired what he was waiting for,and if he expected more money. "Oh, madam," returned he, "youhave already given me too much, and I fear I may have been guilty of rudenessin not taking my departure at once. But, if you will pardon my saying so, I was lost in astonishment at seeing such beautiful ladies by themselves. A companyof women without men is, however, as dull as a company of men without women." And after telling some stories to prove his point, he ended by entreating them to let him stay and make a fourth at their dinner. The ladies were rather amused at the man's assurances and after some discussion it was agreed that he should be allowed to stay, as his society might prove entertaining. "But listen, friend," said Zobeida,"if we grant your request, it is only on condition that you behave with the utmost politeness, and that you keep the secret of our way of living, whichchance has revealed to you." Then they all sat down to table, which had been covered by Amina with the dishes she had bought. After the first few mouthfuls Amina poured some wine into a golden cup.She first drank herself, according to the Arab custom, and then filled it for her sisters. When it came to the porter's turn he kissed Amina's hand, and sanga song, which he composed at the moment in praise of the wine. The three ladieswere pleased with the song, and then sang themselves, so that the repast was amerry one, and lasted much longer than usual. At length, seeing that the sun was about to set, Sadia said to the porter,"Rise and go; it is now time for us to separate." | 
发表于 2014-7-25 15:41:21
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