【赫临译笔】三个托钵僧的故事（11.1） - 心云驛站

当我到达山顶时，和引航员说得一模一样，我找到了黄铜圆顶和雕像。经历了这一切，我已精疲力竭。只看了雕像一眼，就扑倒在地，立刻睡着了。睡梦中出现了一个老人，他对我说：“听着，阿吉勃！你一醒来，就挖开脚下的地面，找到一把铜弓和三支铅箭。把这三支箭射向雕像，骑手会滚落入海。但马会倒在你身旁，把它埋在你取出弓箭的地方。做完这些后，海面会上升，淹没这座山，海面上会出现一艘小船，上面坐着一个金属人，他每只手里拿着一个桨。上船，跟他走。但如果你再看到自己的王国时，注意口里不要说真主的名字。”

说完这些，幻像消失了。我醒了过来，倍感安慰。我跳了起来，挖出了弓箭，用第三支箭把骑手射倒，它轰然一声落入海里。海面立刻就开始上升，速度非常之快，我刚埋好铜马，小船就到了我面前。我默默地上船，坐下。金属人把船划走，不停地划了九天，天边出现了陆地。见到这些，我大喜过望，把老人的话忘得一干二净，大声喊叫：“感谢真主！感谢真主！”

话刚出口，小船和金属人就从身下沉下去了，任我在海面上飘浮。那一整天和第二天一整夜，我游一会儿，飘一会儿，尽快地向不远的岸边靠近。最后，我没了力气，放弃了生还的希望。这时，突然刮起了大风，一个巨浪把我推到平坦的岸上。那时，我找到一个安全的地方，匆忙把衣服晾在太阳下，躺倒在温暖的地上休息。

第二天早上，我穿好衣服，开始察看周围环境。这个岛上有溪流灌溉，到处是果树。但除了我，似乎没有第二个人。但我还来不及沮丧，就看见一条船径直朝这里驶来。不知是敌是友，我藏身在一棵枝繁叶茂的大树上。

水手们把船泊在一个小港湾，上来十个奴隶，手里拿着锹和镐。他们停在岛屿中间，挖了一会儿，抬起一个活动门似的东西。然后，他们回到船上搬了两三趟家俱和食品。最后，跟来了一位老人，还领来了一个十四五岁的英俊少年。这一行人都消失在活动门下面，在下面停留了几分钟，又上来了，只是少了男孩。他们放下了活动门，像以前一样，用土盖上。然后，他们上船，扬帆启航。

他们刚驶出视线，我就从树上下来。来到了埋葬少年的地方。我挖开土，摸到了一块大石头，中间有一个环。搬开石头，露出了一段石级，通向一个金碧辉煌的大房间，里面点满了蜡烛。绣帐下的锦墩上，坐着那个少年。他抬头一看，看见一个陌生人，吓了一跳，惊恐不安。我立刻说：“不必惊慌，先生。无论你是谁，我都不会伤害你，我是个国王，也是个国王的儿子。相反，也许我是被派来救你脱离这个活坟墓的。”

听到我的话，少年恢复了镇定。等我说完，他说：“王子，导致我被活埋在这的理由很奇怪，也许你听后会很惊讶。我父亲是个富商，有大片土地和许多船口。他做的是宝石生意，但他一直为无人继承他的财富而伤心

“最后，有一天，他梦见第二年会有个儿子出世。当这真的发生时，他向王国里所有的智者咨询这个孩子的未来。所有的人说的都一样。我会快乐地活到十五岁，那一年会有一个无法避免的危险等着我。但如果能顺利度过这一关的话，我会活到很大岁数。他们还说，当硬石山上的铜马雕像被卡西勃之子阿吉勃扔到海里时，十五天后，我会落入这个人手里。”

When I reached the top I found the brass dome and the statue exactly asthe pilot had described, but was too wearied with all I had gone through to do more than glance at them, and, flinging myself under the dome, was asleep in an instant. In my dreams an old man appeared to me and said, "Hearken, Agib!As soon as thou art awake dig up the ground underfoot, and thou shalt find abow of brass and three arrows of lead. Shoot the arrows at the statue, and the rider shall tumble into the sea, but the horse will fall down by thy side, and thou shalt bury him in the place from which thou tookest the bow and arrows. This being done the sea will rise and cover the mountain, and on it thou wiltperceive the figure of a metal man seated in a boat, having an oar in eachhand. Step on board and let him conduct thee; but if thou wouldest behold thy kingdom again, see that thou takest not the name of Allah into thy mouth."

Having uttered these words the vision left me, and I woke, much comforted.I sprang up and drew the bow and arrows out of the ground, and with the third shot the horseman fell with a great crash into the sea, which instantly began to rise, so rapidly, that I had hardly time to bury the horse before the boat approached me. I stepped silently in and sat down, and the metal man pushed off, and rowed without stopping for nine days, after which land appeared on the horizon. I was so overcome with joy at this sight that I forgot all the old man had told me, and cried out, "Allah be praised! Allah be praised!"

The words were scarcely out of my mouth when the boat and man sank from beneath me, and left me floating on the surface. All that day and the nextnight I swam and floated alternately, making as well as I could for the land which was nearest to me. At last my strength began to fail, and I gave myselfup for lost, when the wind suddenly rose, and a huge wave cast me on a flat shore. Then, placing myself in safety, I hastily spread my clothes out to dryin the sun, and flung myself on the warm ground to rest.

Next morning I dressed myself and began to look about me. There seemed to be no one but myself on the island, which was covered with fruit trees and watered with streams, but seemed a long distance from the mainland which Ihoped to reach. Before, however, I had time to feel cast down, I saw a ship making directly for the island, and not knowing whether it would containfriends or foes, I hid myself in the thick branches of a tree.

The sailors ran the ship into a creek, where ten slaves landed, carrying spades and pickaxes. In the middle of the island they stopped, and after digging some time, lifted up whatseemed to be a trapdoor.They then returned to the vessel two or three times for furniture and provisions, and finally were accompanied by an old man, leading a handsome boyof fourteen or fifteen years of age. They all disappeared down the trapdoor,and after remaining below for a few minutes came up again, but without the boy,and let down the trapdoor, covering it with earth as before. This done, they entered the ship and set sail.

As soon as they were out of sight, I came down from my tree, and went tothe place where the boy had been buried. I dug up the earth till I reached alarge stone with a ring in the centre. This, when removed, disclosed a flight of stone steps which led to a large room richly furnished and lighted by tapers. On a pile of cushions, covered with tapestry, sat the boy. He looked up,startled and frightened at the sight of a stranger in such a place, and to soothe his fears, I at once spoke: "Be not alarmed, sir, whoever you maybe. I am a king, and the son of a king, and will do you no hurt. On the contrary, perhaps I have been sent here to deliver you out of this tomb, whereyou have been buried alive."

Hearing my words, the young man recovered himself, and when I had ended,he said, "The reasons, Prince, that have caused me to be buried in thisplace are so strange that they cannot but surprise you. My father is a rich merchant, owning much land and many ships, and has great dealings in preciousstones, but he never ceased mourning that he had no child to inherit his wealth.

"At length one day he dreamed that the following year a son would be born to him, and when this actually happened, he consulted all the wise men inthe kingdom as to the future of the infant. One and all they said the samething. I was to live happily till I was fifteen, when a terrible danger awaited me, which I should hardly escape. If, however, I should succeed in doing so, I should live to a great old age. And, they added, when the statue of the brass horse on the top of the mountain of adamant is thrown into the sea by Agib, the son of Cassib, then beware, for fifty days later your son shall fall by his hand!