5 The Second Dervish’s Tale

CHAPTER 5 The Second Dervish's Tale THE SIXTEENTH NIGHT The following night, when Scheherazade was in bed, her sister Dinarzad said, "Please, sister, tell us one of your lovely little tales." The king added, "Let it be more amazing than what came before." Scheherazade replied, "With the

第五章第二个苦行僧的故事第十六晚第二天晚上，当舍赫拉扎德躺在床上时，她的妹妹迪娜扎德说：“姐姐，请你给我们讲一个你可爱的小故事吧。” 国王又说：“要比以前更令人惊奇。” 山鲁佐德回答说：“用

greatest pleasure!" It is said, O happy King, that everyone was amazed at the tale of the first dervish. The caliph said to Ja'far, "In all my life, I have never heard such a tale." Then the second dervish came forward and said: By God, my lady, I was not born one-eyed. My father was a king and he taught me how to write and read, and I turned to the study of calligraphy. I perfected my art until word of my skill spread to every town and reached all the great kings. One day, the king of India sent my father gifts and asked him to send me to him. My father prepared me for the trip with six riding horses. We rode for a full month until one day we came upon a cloud of dust. When the dust cleared, we saw fifty horsemen shining like steel lions in their armor.

最大的快乐!”据说，快乐的国王啊，每个人都对第一个苦行僧的故事感到惊讶。 哈里发对贾法说：“在我的一生中，我从来没有听过这样的故事。” 然后第二个苦行僧走上前来说：“上帝作证，夫人，我不是生来就独眼的。 我的父亲是一位国王，他教我写字和读书，于是我开始学习书法。 我不断完善我的技艺，直到我的技艺传到每个城镇，传到所有伟大的国王那里。 有一天，印度国王给我父亲送了礼物，让他把我送给他。 我父亲为我准备了六匹马。 我们骑了整整一个月，直到有一天我们遇到了一团尘土。 尘埃散去后，我们看见五十名骑士披着铠甲，像钢铁狮子一样闪闪发光。

They were bandits. We said to them, "We are messengers to the great king of India. You must not harm us." Still, they attacked. I barely escaped alive, wandering off without knowing which direction to go. I had been mighty and rich, but then I became poor. For a month, I traveled during the day, sleeping at night wherever I could, and eating the plants and fruits of the earth to survive. Finally, I arrived at a beautiful city, weak from exhaustion and hunger. I entered the city, not knowing where to go, and was lucky to pass a tailor sitting in his shop. I greeted him, and he invited me in. I told him everything that had happened to me. He looked troubled and told me, "Young man, do not tell your secret to anyone, for the king of this city is your father's greatest enemy." Then he brought me some food and we ate together. When it was dark, he let me sleep in a small space behind his shop. I stayed there for three weeks. Then he asked

他们是强盗。我们对他们说：“我们是印度伟大国王的使者。 你不能伤害我们。”尽管如此，他们还是发起了攻击。 我勉强活着逃了出来，不知该往哪个方向走。 我曾经强大而富有，但后来我变穷了。 有一个月的时间，我白天旅行，晚上睡觉，吃地上的植物和水果来维持生命。 最后，我到达了一个美丽的城市，由于疲惫和饥饿，我很虚弱。 我进了城，不知道该去哪里，幸运的是，我遇到了一个坐在店里的裁缝。 我向他打招呼，他邀请我进去。 我把发生在我身上的一切都告诉了他。 他愁容满面，对我说：“少年人，不要将你的秘密告诉人，因为这城的王是你父亲最大的仇敌。” 然后他给我拿来一些食物，我们一起吃。 天黑的时候，他让我睡在他店铺后面的一个小地方。 我在那里呆了三个星期。 然后他问

me, "Don't you have any skill to earn your living with?" I replied that I was a writer, and he said "Such skills are not much in demand in this city. Take an ax and a rope and go cut wood in the wilderness for your living." Then he brought me an ax and a rope and put me under the charge of some woodcutters. I went out with them, cut wood all day long, and came back, carrying my bundle on my head. I sold the wood and brought the money to the tailor. In this way, I spent an entire year. One day, I went out into the wilderness and came to a thick patch of trees. There was a great stump there, and when I dug around it with my ax, I came upon a ring attached to a wooden plank. I pulled the ring to raise the plank and found a staircase. I went down the steps and found a grand underground palace. Down there was a girl who looked as bright as the shining sun and whose voice chased all sorrow away. But morning drew near Scheherazade, and she

对我说：“你没有任何谋生的技能吗？”我回答说我是个作家，他说：“这个城市不太需要这种技能。” 拿着斧子和绳子，到旷野去砍柴谋生吧。” 然后他给我拿来一把斧头和一根绳子，让几个砍柴的看管我。 我和他们一起出去，砍了一整天的柴，然后把包袱顶在头上回来。 我把木头卖了，把钱给了裁缝。 就这样，我度过了整整一年。 一天，我走到旷野，来到一片茂密的树林前。 那里有一个很大的树桩，当我用斧头在它周围挖的时候，我发现了一个拴在一块木板上的戒指。 我拉了拉环，抬起了木板，发现了一个楼梯。 我走下台阶，发现了一个宏伟的地下宫殿。 下面有一个女孩，她看起来像灿烂的太阳一样明亮，她的声音驱散了所有的悲伤。 可是天快亮了，舍赫拉扎德，她

fell silent. Dinarzad said to her sister, "Sister, what an amazing story!" Scheherazade replied, "It is nothing compared with what I will tell you tomorrow, if the king lets me live."

陷入了沉默。迪娜扎德对妹妹说：“姐姐，这真是个神奇的故事！”山鲁佐德回答说：“如果国王让我活下去，明天我要告诉你的事情就不算什么了。”

THE SEVENTEENTH NIGHT The following night, when Scheherazade was in bed, her sister Dinarzad said, "Please, sister, tell us more of this lovely tale." The king added, "Let it be the rest of the second dervish's tale." Scheherazade replied, "Very well!" I heard, O happy king, that the second dervish said: When the girl saw me, she asked, "What are you, a man or a demon?" I replied, "I am a man." She asked, "What brought you here? I have lived in this place for twenty-five years without ever seeing another person." I replied, "My good fortune brought me here to take away your sorrows." Then I told my story to her, and she felt sad for me and told me her story as well. She was the daughter of a king

第十七晚第二天晚上，谢赫拉扎德躺在床上，她的妹妹迪娜扎德说：“姐姐，请你再给我们讲讲这个可爱的故事吧。” 国王又说：“就把第二个苦行僧的故事讲完吧。” 山鲁佐德回答说：“很好！”快乐的国王啊，我听说第二个苦行僧说：“当女孩看到我时，她问：“你是什么，是人还是妖？”我回答说：“我是个男人。” 她问：“什么风把你吹来了？” 我在这个地方住了二十五年，从来没有见过一个人。” 我回答说：“我的好运把我带到这里来带走你的悲伤。” 然后我把我的故事告诉了她，她为我感到难过，也告诉了我她的故事。 她是一位国王的女儿