【赫临译笔】三个托钵僧的故事（5.2） - 心云驛站

我游荡了大约一个月，不知道身往何处去。最后，我来到了一个美丽的城郊。这里有蜿蜒的溪流灌溉，四季如春。一想到又能和人打交道，心里很高兴。可一想到自己现在的惨状，这种高兴减弱了一些。我的脸和手都快晒黑了，衣衫褴褛，一双鞋子坏得不成样子，我被迫把它们扔掉。

我进了城，在一个裁缝店停下来，问这是什么地方。裁缝见我状态虽差，人还不错。他请我坐下来。我讲述了自己的故事。他专心地听我讲，但他的回答不仅没有给我安慰，而是徒增烦恼。

“当心，”他说：“不要告诉任何人你给我讲的故事，因为统治这个王国的王子是你父亲的死敌，发现你落到他手里，他会非常高兴。”

我谢过裁缝的劝告，并说我愿意按他的建议去做。那时，我饿得不行，欣然吃光了他放在我面前的食物，接受了在他家住宿的提议。

过了几天，我已从所经历的磨难中完全恢复。那时，裁缝知道作为我们这一宗教的王子，都要学会一门手艺或职业以备不幸的来临。他便问我能做点什么谋生。我回答道我受过教育，可以做文法家或诗人，但我最大的天赋是写作。

“那些在这里一点用途也没有，”裁缝说：“听我的话，你看上去还强壮，穿上短上衣，到森林里去打柴，到大街上去卖。你可以用这种方法度日，等着时来运转。这柄小斧头和这条绳子是我送给你的礼物。”

我对这个建议很反感，但我想除了采纳别无他法。因此，第二天早晨，我和几个贫穷的樵夫一起，到裁缝介绍的地方去打柴。第一天我就砍了足够的柴，卖了不少钱。很快，我越来越熟练，挣了足够的钱，偿还了裁缝借给我的一切。

I wandered about for a whole month without knowing where I was going, till at length I found myself on the outskirts of a beautiful city, watered bywinding streams, which enjoyed internal spring.My delight at the prospect of mixing once more with human beings was somewhat damped at the thought of the miserable object I must seem. My face and hands had been burned nearly black; my clothes were all in rags, and my shoes were in such a state that I had been forced to abandon them altogether.

I entered the town, and stopped at a tailor s shop to inquire where I was.The man saw I was better than my condition, and begged me to sit down, and inreturn I told him my whole story. The tailor listened with attention, but his reply, instead of giving me consolation,only increased my trouble.

"Beware," he said, "of telling any one what you have told me, for the prince who governs the kingdom is your father's greatest enemy, andhe will be rejoiced to find you in his power."

I thanked the tailor for his counsel, and said I would do whatever headvised; then, being very hungry, I gladly ate of the food he put before me,and accepted his offer of a lodging in his house.

In a few days I had quite recovered from the hardships I had undergone,and then the tailor, knowing that it was the custom for the princes of our religion to learn a trade or profession so as to provide for themselves in times of ill-fortune, inquired if there was anything I could do for my living.I replied that I had been educated as a grammarian and a poet, but that mygreat gift was writing.

"All that is of no use here," said the tailor. "Take my advice, put on a short coat, and as you seem hardy and strong, go into the woods and cut firewood, which you will sell in the streets. By this means you will earn your living, and be able to wait till better times come. The hatchet and the cord shall be my present."

This counsel was very distasteful to me, but I thought I could not do otherwise than adopt it. So the next morning I set out with a company of poor wood-cutters, to whom the tailor had introduced me. Even on the first day I cut enough wood to sell for a tolerable sum, and very soon I became more expert,and had made enough money to repay the tailor all he had lent me.